When To Add a Second Shooter?
Well, first things first, what even is a second shooter?
A second shooter is a fellow photographer that will come to work alongside me during your wedding! This allows for more photos, more angles, essentially allows me to be in two places at once!
When do you need one?
Well, I would say you rarely NEED one. I shoot about 80% of my weddings without a second shooter so I am very practiced in capturing the entire story of your wedding day flying solo! No need to worry if a second shooter isn’t in the budget! However, if you have the option, here are 4 instances where I would highly recommend you think about adding one:
Weddings with a tight timeline in the morning.
One of the best reasons to add on a second shooter is if you need photos taken in two places at once. Obvious? Yes. But not everyone realizes this is an option! If you want getting ready photos taken of both the bride and groom but you don’t want to allocate an hour of photo coverage, this is the perfect opportunity to add a second shooter! I can send the second shooter to go hang out with the guys and capture the fun laid back moments while I spend time with the bride taking those beautiful robe and dress shots!
Weddings without a first look
I won't lie, first looks are my FAVORITE way to structure a wedding day! But if your dream wedding doesn't include a first look, don't worry! There are plenty of ways to make sure your timeline goes just as smoothly! One of these ways is to add a second shooter. The key difference between a timeline with or without a first look is the timing for formal photos. Weddings without first looks will typically have all of the family photos and couples portraits take place after the ceremony. Having a second shooter present can be great for two reasons. The first being they can help coordinate these photos, making the process as efficient as possible. The second option would be to send them to the cocktail hour with the rest of your guests, so that no candid moments are missed!
Weddings of 100+ guests
Sometimes there are literally too many candid moments to capture. Weddings with a large attendance can benefit from adding a second shooter because 100+ of your guest’s smiles are quite difficult to capture all at once! Two eyes can be better than one to tell a full story and to capture all of your cute reception moments.
You want more angles!
The wedding day is incredibly dynamic and the moments captured are so so special! It is always nice to have more than one angle on key events! This can also add a cinematographic documentation style in your gallery.
Again, having a second shooter isn't necessary, I am fully capable of capturing the wedding day on my own, even if it is larger than 100, but a second set of eyes definitely doesn't hurt!
If this is something you are interested in feel free to ask me more in our consultation or over email: Hello@KendraWittwer.com.