The
Alisandra Photography Blog

Thanks to Kristen, Jordan, and Shay for letting me 2nd shoot for them! I had a blast! All but the last image are from weddings I shot with them.

What is it // What it isn’t.
A second shooter is another photographer who is hired by the main photographer. They are hired to help and work alongside of the main, hired, wedding photographer. Their jobs range from photographer to photographer, but can include that of just an assistant, all the way to taking control of a room and shooting as if they are the main shooter. Their goals are 1. to enhance the body of work of the main photographer. That can be done in two ways: shooting a different angle, or shooting a different event. And 2. to make the day easier for the main photographer. Having a servant’s heart is SO necessary to being a baller second shooter. Getting water, grabbing a bag, running to find a family member – all of those little [but very important] things.

A second shooter isn’t another professional photographer hired by the bride.

The benefits of having a second shooter // for the bride.
As a bride, you may or may not know the benefits. Some of you have just been told that you need one. Others may know EXACTLY what they want and why they want one. The two of three of the major benefits of having a second shooter reflect the goals of a second shooter.

First, a bride will get photographs from different angles of the same event. During the first look, the ceremony and the reception, the second shooter and the main photographer will most likely be together, shooting the same stuff. But the second will not be directly over the main shooter’s shoulder of course! They’ll be shooting from another angle giving you a totally new perspective of those little moments!

Second, a bride will get photographs from different events. While the main shooter is photographing the girls getting ready, the second shooter is with the guys getting ready. While the main shooter is photographing the details of the reception, the second shooter is photographing cocktail hour. And so on!

And finally, a second shooter is kind of like photographer insurance. Although it’s scary to think about, if something were to happen to me, or my camera[s] at a wedding, having another photographer with a camera body is a huge benefit. The bride will never know if something was to happen, unless the main photographer fainted or something, but if it were to happen, the wedding is protected.

While the main photographer was shooting family groupings, I was shooting grandpa. And while the main photographer was shooting details, I was shooting the church:

The benefits of having a second shooter // for the photographer.
I can’t really express the stress reliever it is having a second photographer. In general, when I get home from a wedding, I’m MUCH less sore the next day when I’ve hired a second shooter. Just knowing you have someone else there who is on your side representing you is really comforting! Also, in the same way the photographer is insurance for the bride, the second shooter is insurance for me as well. I’ve had a main camera break at a wedding, and let me tell you. The stress wasn’t nearly what it could have been.

At this wedding, the bride surprised the groom with a gospel choir singing Oh Happy Day during the recessional. I was photographing the choir while the main photographer was photographing the bride and groom’s reaction:

While the photographer was shooting family formals, I was getting this cute peeking through the window:

The benefits of BEING a second shooter.
1. Learning from a professional. Whether you haven’t shot a wedding, only shot a few, or are a seasoned wedding photographer, I find is SUPER beneficial to work with another photographer. If you’re a new photographer, you most likely haven’t been around to know the ins and outs of wedding photography. You’ll get to watch and ask questions and shoot a real wedding along side of someone who has [most likely] done this before! Although it isn’t rocket science, there are some oddball things that happen on a wedding day, but there is a really good reason for them! As a well seasoned photographer just helping out another photographer, you might pick up on some things that you had never thought of and want to incorporate into your service! Or NOT. They might do things and you think, “I’ll never do that!” You’ll get to learn from the mistakes of others. Combined, you have invaluable lessons.

2. Learning the eb and flow of a wedding. Weddings are crazy. It takes time to get the feeling and know the ins and outs of the day. As a second shooter, you’ll learn little things like when it’s ok to go to the bathroom! Or big things like what makes a GOOD timeline!

3. Getting the chance to serve someone. Ok. You’re probably thinking – SERVE? The last thing you’d like to do is be a servant to someone, right? WRONG! We are in a service industry and being a kind servant to a professional might just do you some good in the referral department. If you complain, sit down and hang out, go missing, or aren’t keeping up with the needs of your first priority [the main shooter], how will you treat your own brides? Wedding days are long, and can be very harsh. But you’re getting paid to HELP. Take advantage and show ’em whatchya got!

4. The NO PRESSURE factor. Even though you have a job to do, the pressure to produce images is ultimately on the main photographer. So, having a wedding to photograph with no pressure is a GIFT. It may not feel like one, but it is.

5. Be as creative as you want! This goes along with the “no pressure” factor. It is the photographer’s job to get the expected photos. The main photographer is AT WORK and shouldn’t be “playing” or “practicing.” But you are there for a different reason. So why not try something different? You’ll learn a lot – when I first started, I would turn off my flash at receptions and play with light. I would experiment with detail shots and learn what looks good and what looks bad. I would jack up my shutter speed and get some silhouettes during the first dance. Just crazy stuff to add some creativity to the main photographer’s product. That being said, get the shot’s you’re asked to get – ha! But during the down moments, feel free to try something different!

6. Build your talent. Notice I didn’t say, “build your portfolio.” Because the growth of your portfolio really has nothing to do with the job at hand. Your portfolio doesn’t serve the main photographer. However, your talent does. Be be focused on that. Get excited about getting good images because you’re getting better – not because you’re building your portfolio.

This wedding had a super fun bride with lots of details. I was able to zone in on those details and highlight them to complement the main shooter’s “must get” shots.

How you become a second shooter?
I would say you should be ok with working for free or coming along as a third shooter. All you have to do is ask. And ask again. And if that doesn’t work, ask a third time.

Second shooter étiquette.
LISTEN to the main photographer. You can pick up on a lot just by listening. ASK when you’re not sure. If this is your first time working for this photographer, find out what your jobs will be! If the photographer asks you to go shoot the guys, find out what that entails! Each photographer is different so find out what they’re expecting. Don’t duplicate or overshoot. Most likely, the main photographer got a great shot of the shoes. You don’t need to shoot over their shoulder and get the same shot. Also, do NOT promote yourself. You are there to represent the main shooter. Ask for some of their business cards and if people ask, hand those out. Give credit where it’s due. You wouldn’t have these photos [if you’re even allowed to keep them!] without the main photographer. If you blog them, give the main photographer credit. When I second shoot, I don’t post the wedding like my other weddings. I give a “what I learned” perspective. I try and list a few things I picked up during the day along with linking to the main photographer’s photos and blog post. And the fact I can do that is awesome, but when I started, I wasn’t allowed to use my images AT ALL. But that was TOTALY fine! I gained such great experience without having to worry about my portfolio – haha! Shoot LOTS of random details, like things around the room and environmental scenes and photos of the photographer working. Sometimes they want images of themselves working for “behind the scenes” stuff!

Kristen doing her thing: 

Shooting a wedding without a second shooter.
Can I do it? Of course! I’ve shot plenty of weddings by myself. Adding a second is an additional cost, but if I NEEDED one, I would include it in the package. I must say though. I LOVE shooting with seconds. I ENCOURAGE brides to get a second shooter. I HOPE they ask for one. But it’s not necessary for me – I capture A TON of the day and rise to the occasion of being the sole photographer. So, brides, if you’re still reading, no worries if you only have one shooter! Although having one is awesome, you probably won’t even tell a difference in your wedding images!

This wedding was in Arizona and I shot it all by myself! The couple scheduled their day really well and I was able to get a great catalog of images for them!