I am going to admit right up front that I don’t have much experience as a second shooter. I jumped right into shooting on my own without shooting with someone else first, and I have only been a second shooter three different times. So I have to admit that I’m not the best at it…It’s hard for me to come at the day from a different perspective than primary photographer because I never really got used to working as a second shooter. So I have no tips for people who want to second shoot (sorry, guys) but I have definitely had a lot of learning experiences this year about working with second shooters of your own, so here are a few tips!

Choose seconds who have a similar style to you.
There have been a few occasions where I didn’t necessarily pick someone whose style was very similar to mine…not to say they aren’t an AMAZING photographer and that I didn’t LOVE their images, but I definitely wasn’t able to use as many of their images because all of the images I deliver to clients should look as though they all belong together, if that makes sense. Also, when I say “similar style”, I don’t mean editing, because obviously I will be editing the RAW files afterward…I mostly look for people who like similar compositions whose work has a similar feel to mine. Can you tell there is really no science involved here? I have a couple people I LOVE working with because I think their images are just amazing and very similar to mine, so I try to work with them as much as I can.

Make your expectations clear ahead of time
The best way to do this is with a second shooter contract, but if you don’t have one of those, make your expectations very clear via email. Things like whether or not the second shooter can blog their images, when they can blog, and your Facebook rules are good things to try and go over ahead of time. You always want to make sure both parties are okay with the terms before working together.  Also, make sure you share the timeline with them before the day of! I am trying to get into the habit of always printing a few copies of the timeline so that if my second shooter forgets theirs or the DJ or a bridesmaid, etc, needs one, I have it!

Let them know what to wear
This is very important because every photographer approaches how they dress at a wedding differently. There are some photographers that like to be ninja and wear all black, and then there are some that love tailored pant suits. I personally view attire as an extension of my brand, which is very personable (I hope haha) so I try to wear something cute and comfortable that I would also wear if I were a guest at the wedding. This usually means I’m wearing some combination of dress, cardigan, and flats or wedges. Since you and your second shooter are a team representing your business at the wedding, attire is definitely worth mentioning because everyone has a different idea of what they like to wear and it’s great to be on the same page!

Talk about how you will get their images
Everyone does this differently, so it’s worth trying to talk out how you plan to get the images. Will it be at the end of the night before you leave the wedding? Or do you use dropbox or mail them to the person?

Be considerate!
I think I always think of this one because I’m such a fatty, but if you stipulate that your clients must feed you a vendor meal (in most cases, clients will feed you anyway) make sure you let them know to provide a meal for your second shooter as well! This would be totally awkward and uncomfortable if you left it until the last minute. And no, it hasn’t happened to me, but that’s because I’m always thinking about food and I bring it up with clients during our last minute consultation. Also, if you bring water or snacks for yourself, bring enough to share!

I know these tips might seem basic to a lot of people who have been working with second shooters for a long time, but if you are new to hiring seconds to work with you, hopefully there is a tip or two here that you can learn from! If not, oh well,  I hope you were at least entertained by how simple my tips are haha.

The last thing I wanted to share is that Tofurious has a FREE second shooter contract that you can download and use as is or make your own. It’s on my to-do list, so you should add it to yours too!

PS…Holly and Gary are getting married on Sunday!!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!