People ask me often if they need a second photographer for their wedding day.  So I thought I would answer a few of the questions I get asked the most.

What is a second shooter?  A second shooter is simply a second photographer.  Some times they are part of the company that you hired to photograph your wedding, but more commonly they are a photographer that owns their own photography business and are hired for the day by your main photographer to be a second shooter. *please note the second photographer should be hired by your main photographer.  (You should not hire multiple photographers on your own)

What is their job?  The job of a second shooter varies from each wedding, depending on amount of time, how many guests are there, etc. When I second shoot I could be photographing from a different angle, photographing at a different location all together, holding a reflector, messing with the flash, directing people where to stand, running to fetch a lens, holding the brides bouquet.  You name it, I have probably done it.  A second shooter is there to help the photographer you hired to get the best Images for you and this sometimes means putting my camera down and assisting.

What is the difference between a second shooter and a photographers assistant?  An assistant is there to do many of the above mentioned minus taking any pictures.

Do I need one for my wedding? Why?  I recommend a second photographer if you have more than 75 guests attending your wedding.  The day goes by quickly and having that extra set of hands and/or shutter helps.  Ultimately ask your photographer what they recommend.

I think we only need them for the ceremony, can we get a second photographer for ceremony only?  The short answer, no.  As mentioned above the second shooter often owns their own business and it is not fair to ask them to reserve their whole day for 1 hour.  And as I mentioned they are there for so much more than just shooting.

Why does it cost more to have a second shooter? Because they are paid for their time and experience. 

How does that work with all of the images? After an event the second shooter gives me all of their images and I do all the post production work.

Many of the photographers I shoot with or have shoot for me have also become good friends (we spend an average of 10 hours together for every wedding between drive time, wedding and loading up on caffeine).  We work well together, often know what the other needs before its said and know how to keep an eye out for one another so we are never in the others shot. You may even see us dancing around the dance floor as we photograph :) Here are a few pictures of Alison (Alison Epps Photography), one of my good friends/photographer.  I was actually second shooting for her at this wedding, I always like to get some photos of her in action.