(So, this post was supposed to be included in my round up of guest posts last week…unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to get it set up in time for it to post last Thursday!!! EPIC FAIL. I blame the dry air and high altitude in Vegas…*cough*.  Anyway, I couldn’t let this post just sit in my drafts and never see the light of day because it’s full of really helpful information! This is a time of year when many photographers are either looking for second shooters or looking for second shooting opportunites (or both!) so I felt like it would come in handy! ANYWAY…I’ll let my amazing friend Anna take it from here! PS, thanks for the super flattering picture of me at the end of the post..haha) 

Let me start off by saying how jealous I am that Katie is currently livin’ it up in Vegas right now…mostly I’m jealous of all of the wonderful people that she’s spending time with!..but the buffet’s and tiny deserts seem pretty amazing too according to her instagram feed…

Second of all and more importantly, I want to say just how honored I am to be featured on Katie’s blog today…REALLY honored…Katie and I became friends via Facebook in 2011 and then we became long distance BFF’s…Katie is one of the only people that texts me almost every day and wants my advice about random things and just loves me for me, even though we are OPPOSITES in so many ways! She’s helped me grow as a photographer and as a person and I probably would have given up on this crazy dream of being a photographer a long time ago if it weren’t for her. This industry is TOUGH in a lot of ways…and I’m so thankful that Katie and I have been able to encourage one another and help each other grow…We are able to bounce ideas off of each other and truly desire to see each other improve. And Katie was the first person that I ever second shot for so we felt that it was only fitting for me to talk about tips for second shooters for my guest post!

A few weeks ago, Katie and I were shooting a wedding together and we started discussing what makes a second shooter really awesome and helpful, based on our second shooting experience and our experience hiring second shooters…and these are a few of the things we came up with! Feel free to leave your thoughts or add to the list in the comments!

•  Maintain a professional appearance – This applies to your demeanor and the way you present yourself to the main photographer’s clients, the wedding coordinator, the DJ, wedding guests, etc. I think it’s important to pay attention and continually assess how you can be helpful to the main photographer!
•   Attire – This one is super important and goes along with #1…It’s so important to make sure you ask the main photographer what the attire is for the wedding and what they plan to wear…My goal is always to fit in with the wedding guests..The point is to blend in as much as possible while maintaining a certain level of comfort…meaning that even if the wedding is a black tie event and I’m wearing a cocktail dress, I still wear comfortable but stylish flats! I do have mad respect for photogs who successfully wear high heels though…but I wouldn’t recommend it personally…
•  Attitude – Remember that it’s not about you – When you’re second shooting, your number one focus should be on supporting the main photographer and making their life easier…They have a zillion things to focus on! So throughout the day I like to ask the main photographer I’m shooting with if they need anything (ie. water, if they need me to get something out of their car or carry something for them, etc

•  Confidence and Skill level – I think it’s important to feel comfortable shooting on your own..For example, if the main photographer needs you to capture images of the groom and groomsmen getting ready, while they capture the bride getting ready, you should feel really comfortable giving direction and getting the shots that the main photographer needs. I think second shooting is a great tool and it definitely helped me learn how to shoot a wedding day and I’m so thankful for the photographers that let me shoot with them when I was starting out! But, a wedding day is definitely not the time to be learning HOW to shoot…I’m so thankful for all of my friends and family members that let me learn by doing free portrait sessions for them before I started second shooting!
•  Make sure you are staying out of the main photographers shot – This especially applies to the reception because it’s harder to communicate during things like the first dance…If you are both photographing the first dance, I like to make sure that we are shooting at a 90 degree angle from each other…That way you are getting the shot from different angles but will never accidentally photo bomb an important image!
•  Along the same lines…be conscious of what the main photographer is doing and follow suit – For example, if the best man is giving a speech and the main photographer is squatting down and off to the side but occasionally popping up to grab a shot, the second shooter probably shouldn’t be standing up in the middle of the floor during the whole speech.
• Humility – Remember that although its tempting, second shooting is more so about supplementing the main photographer’s images and getting shots that they might miss than it is about building your own portfolio. I think this is a balance though. I was so blessed to shoot with photographers who really wanted me to grow too!
• Expectations – If the main photographer doesn’t mention it, ask in advance about the rules regarding the images you take..This especially applies to whether or not you are allowed to keep the images you shoot…and then if you are, can you blog them? Use them in your portfolio? Put them on Facebook?
•  Be a friend – this tip is one of my favorite things about this industry…It’s so social! I am so thankful for all of the people that I’ve met through photography and shooting with someone is way more fun when you truly want to be a friend and get to know the other person! Katie and I love shooting together because we are friends! Also it’s fun to bring snacks to share…me and Katie definitely bond over food.

I can’t even begin to tell you how valuable second shooting was and still is for me and my business..there are always new things to learn and second shooting can be a great opportunity to get more creative with your images!

Katie, thanks so much for asking me to be your guest blogger today! (even though I would’ve been even more appreciative if you had stuffed me in your suitcase and brought me to Vegas with you!)

Happy Thursday!