FAQ: Perks of having 2 photographers

One of the most common questions I get from clients is if I work with a 2nd photographer, and the quick answer is YES! I have always preferred having another photographer tag along on the wedding day for lots of reasons! First and foremost, it is the best way to guarantee you will end up with a WIDE variety of photos! I can only be in one place at one time, so having two photographers means that we will have multiple angles covered in a shorter amount of time, and allow us to move so much quicker throughout the day while guaranteeing you the best coverage! A wedding day moves so fast, that often there isn’t time for me to move from one spot to another fast enough, such as during the start of the ceremony, so having another camera going helps everything flow seamlessly. I always encourage my second photographers to focus on the REaction, instead of necessarily the main action, specifically during the reception. So while I’m photographing the couples first dance, they are focusing more on their parents reaction. While I’m photographing the toasts, they are focusing on who is tearing up… or laughing hysterically :)

Really, there is just more safety in numbers! Having a 2nd photographer serves as a sort of “insurance” for your wedding photos! While I take every precaution to protect your images, like any other piece of equipment, camera gear can malfunction. Thankfully mine never has (knock on wood- thats why you ALWAYS bring back up!) but on the very rare chance that a memory card malfunctions or something is stolen, there is a whole separate card full of images that have captured those same moments.

I’m used to photographing weddings on my own, and I’m completely confident that I can do great job and fully tell the story of the wedding day on my own, but I also know that having an assistant allows me to do that job even better and more efficiently. Having someone who can help switch lenses, move camera bags, grab the wedding party when I’m ready for them, hold umbrellas, call out names during family portraits, and SO much more, are all things that free me up to do my job better and take even more photos when I’m not worried about all those little things! It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, and really just to have someone focusing on getting different angles all day long! Sometimes photographing the same moment from two totally different lenses and from two different spots can make a HUGE difference!

Here are a a small handful of my favorite examples and moments from this past year! At Craig and Lauren’s wedding to save on time before the ceremony, while I photographed Lauren putting on her stunning gown… Jill was downstairs hanging out with the guys! In a time crunch having two photographers can be the biggest benefit and time saver! Its great to have a 2nd photographer for all of the reception events, so that while I get photos like this… they can be focusing on the REaction! While I’m focusing on the couple… they can be taking additional photos, that we might not have had time for otherwise! This is the moment that convinces most people they need two photographers! That moment when the bride walks down the aisle is one of the biggest of the day, and has so many great photo opportunities! At Nathan and Madison’s wedding, we actually had three cameras going since we weren’t allowed at the front of the church, which is where I normally stand so I can photograph the bride coming down the aisle and the grooms reaction. For this moment, we had Jill up in the balcony… and Joseph took advantage of his seat up front (and thankfully let me plant one of my cameras with him!) and got this shot of Nathan seeing Madison for the first time:
While I was at the back of the church and was able to photograph these sweet moments of Madison and her dad right before he walked her down the aisle. Without two photographers, this isn’t a moment that is usually photographed since I am toward the front of the aisle so I’m in place to photograph the wedding party as they come down the aisle. These next few of Madison and her dad were some of my favorite from their day! What I loved about designing Bjorn and Allie’s wedding album was seeing how many of Joseph’s images they pulled for their book, because they saw how having both perspectives really helped tell the story so much better! There were so many moments from their day that having a 2nd angle really made a big difference, starting right away with their first look! While I was in front to photograph Bjorn’s excitement about seeing his bride for the first time… Joseph was waiting for Allie as she turned the corner, and grabbed this shot which I think sets the scene SO well for this moment in their day: and he was right there to grab her reaction and anticipation as well: Here’s a great example of how having a different perspective and a different lens can make a HUGE difference during portrait time! While I saw this photo… Joseph saw THIS one. He was working with a wide angle lens and saw height of this gorgeous willow tree behind them, while I was using more of a zoom lens and saw more of the emotion in how they were looking at each other. both photos are great, but its safe to say his photo wins. BIG time. This ended up being one of Bjorn and Allie’s favorite images, and i love that it is now a big pretty canvas hanging in their home! :) While I always make sure to photograph both the guys and the girls, in this case I had finished photographing the groomsmen and was focusing on these gorgeous ladies… when I look over and Joseph had all of the groomsmen lined up for even MORE photos! A 2nd shooter is always working on something, and helps significantly increase your variety of final images that you receive! and again with the ceremony and having multiple angles… while I was waiting for Allie to walk down the aisle… Joseph was able to catch these next two moments right when they turned the corner out of the building: another favorite moment :) While I was here photographing what was happening from a straight on perspective… he was able to get the same moment from a different perspective. again it just helps set the scene and tell the story that much better! :)  and because they are absolutely wonderful, Bjorn and Allie wrote up a little something for me to share with you all about their experience and how having two photographers added to their day! so I will let them take it from here :)

“First, I think as a couple getting married, you spend a large amount of time on “the little things”, and at times it is the little things that make a huge impression on your big day.  With the opportunity to have two photographers at our wedding, everything was recorded for us to remember. With you spending time with Allie, and Joseph taking other pictures, no moment escaped the lens. Also, your style of photography is at its best when you are just there and capture those split second moments, like where the flower girl is not paying attention to the vows, or when the groom breaks down during the first look, or when the couple shares a quick moment before all gets going.  Having Joseph there gave us another angle on the same great moment.

If you look back on our “first look” I think you took amazing photos from your vantage point, but then there was one image especially from Joseph that added so much to the photos that you shot. With two vantage points, a couple is able to almost tell the picture story of certain moments during their wedding day, and a story is usually at its best when told from different points of view. The more vantage points you have to tell the story, the better the story will be; we chose pictures for our album that recorded the same moment, but included BOTH vantage points, which made it even more amazing.

Also, in our situation, with more than one photographer, there was always someone to be there in case a umbrella needs to be held or a glass slipper needs to be exchanged for a flip flop. Having two photographers really made things move more efficiently.

But…

I think one of the most important things to do, as a couple, is determine who you want you photographer to be, we were lucky to have you!  You helped make our day! We love you Jessie!!”