Do I Need A Second Shooter At My Wedding?

If you’re on the fence about adding a second photographer to your wedding package, you’ve come to the right place. Before we dive into the scenarios where a second shooter would be nice to have, let’s talk about not having one.

Do you really need one? Nope. Second shooters are a nice to have, not a need to have. This is exactly why I don’t include them in my wedding collections, but do offer them as an add on. If any photographer is telling you otherwise, I would ask why. If your photographer isn’t comfortable shooting a wedding alone, you may want to look for a different photographer.

Alright, now let’s get into the scenarios where having a second shooter may be helpful.

1. SUPER TIGHT TIMELINES. Your photographer can’t be in two places at once. But you might want multiple locations captured at the same time. If you have a tight timeline, having a second shooter helps during the getting ready process because I’ll be with the bride and bridesmaids while the second is with the groom and groomsmen. Lastly, while family formals are taking place after the ceremony, the second can capture candids of your guests during cocktail hour if that’s important to you.

2. MORE PHOTOS. You’ll get more photos. This one is pretty obvious. More people taking pictures = more photos.

3. DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. You’ll get photos from different perspectives. I took this photo pictured below as a second shooter while the head photographer was getting a different angle of the bride and groom.

4. HUGE WEDDINGS. If your wedding is going to have more than 200 people and it’s incredibly important to you to capture a ton of photos of many of your guests having a good time, definitely consider adding a second shooter.