A PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO

SECOND SHOOTING

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..............................................................4-5

1. DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS......................................6

2. SHOOT FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES......................7

3. THE BRIDE........................................................................8

4. VIGNETTES......................................................................9

5. THE KIDS.........................................................................10

6. THE CEREMONY............................................................11

7. BRIDAL PARTY DETAILS............................................12

8. BACK UP.........................................................................13

9. BRIDE AND GROOM..................................................14

10. COCKTAIL HOUR AND RECEPTION...................15

11. THE RECEPTION.........................................................16

12. STYLE AND EXPECTATIONS.................................17

13. KNOW THE RULES...............................................18-19

14. DRESS THE PART......................................................20

15. KNOW YOUR ROLE..................................................21

16. SHOOTING FORMAT.................................................22

17. IT’S NOT YOUR WEDDING.....................................23

THE STORY...................................................................24-25

ABOUT THE AUTHOR....................................................26

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 Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over my years of second shooting as well
as my years of being a primary shooter hiring second photographers.

Finally, at the end, I’ll tell you a little story that happened on this wedding, because
explaining what not to do is just as important!

HOW TO BE A SECOND
PHOTOGRAPHER?
I get this question a lot, not only from the photographers that 2nd shoot for me, but
also from photographers all around the world who are looking to get into wedding
photography or improve their current skills.

Occasionally, I love to 2nd shoot for other photographers. It helps improve my

photography by seeing how other photographers run a wedding, and it gives me a
chance to be more creative as well since I don’t have to worry about the staple wedding
photos, I’m free to roam around and find different angles and play with composition
and such.

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 SHOOT FROM
2 DIFFERENT
ANGLES.
If you’re working with the same
subjects, at the same time, you want
to try and photograph the same thing,
just differently. Use different angles,
make sure your lens is a different focal
length than the main photographer,
and try to photograph something
that isn’t the main point of attention.

1 DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS.

If wedding photography were like
real estate, those would be the
Three D’s of Wedding Photography.
As a second shooter you want to cap-
ture all of those details throughout
the day. There can never be enough!

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 3 THE BRIDE.
There can never be enough pictures
of the bride either. Same as step 2,
shoot the bride, but not the same
exact way that the main photog-
rapher is photographing her. Find
different spots to shoot from,
places with interesting foreground
or backgrounds. Again, have a
different focal length on then the
main photog has. For my 2nd
photographers, I usually like to
have them with a longer lens on
that I have.

4 VIGNETTES.
And I’m not so sure that this is the correct
word for what I’m thinking, but if it’s not,
it is now. During group pictures, I like my
second photographers to capture parts of the
group. So if the photographer is shooting the
bridal party, take pictures of little groupings
of them like this shot above of the three
bridesmaids, and the photographs of the
little kids.
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 6 THE CEREMONY.
To be respectful of the sacredness of the
actual marriage taking place, a photographer
shouldn’t be moving around and jumping
through hoops to get the best shots. This is
where the 2nd photographer is critical. Talk
to the main shooter to see where they will
be and where they want you. Prime example
is the main photog is usually photographing
the bride walking down the aisle, and the 2nd
photographer shooting the same scene from
behind the bride with the whole congregation
smiling at her. In a nutshell, be where the

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other photographer is not, especially in
short ceremonies where there’s a very little
THE KIDS. time to capture moments.

Little kids are always good to

concentrate on, not only because
they’re so super cute, but because
they can sometimes be difficult to
photograph. As the 2nd photographer,
you tend to blend into the background
a little more, so you can sneak a few
shots of the kiddos when they’re not
looking and get more natural smiles
and real expressions.

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 7 BRIDAL PARTY
DETAILS.
Sometimes bridal party details can get
overlooked and they’re so important!
This happens because photographing
the bridal party can sometimes be quite
a task especially if you’re under a time
crunch and there’s been drinking before
hand. As the 2nd photographer, you’ll
want to take this moment to capture as
much as you can including details like
the ties, flowers, shoes, etc, as well as
different angles and the Vignettes that
we talked about before.

8 BACK UP.
A great plus of having a second shooter is
that if you get car-jacked on your way home
and all the pictures are stolen before you
can back them up (hey, not likely, but us
photogs do worry about these things!),
your 2nd shooter likely did not also get
mugged on the way home. So definitely
take some backup shots of important
moments like these bridal party pictures
and traditional shots of the Bride and
Groom, just in case.
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 10 COCKTAIL HOUR
AND RECEPTION.
Same thing applies to the reception details as in the morning details, you can never
have enough. During the cocktail hour, it’s also always appreciated if you offer to grab
the main photographer something to eat or drink! A lot of photographers won’t eat or
drink on their own and will run themselves ragged until dinner is served around 10pm
or so and that’s not healthy for the photographer and it won’t help either of you
produce the best images for the client.

9 BRIDE AND GROOM.

It’s important to remember at this point, that the main photographer is the director
of this part of the day. While you may be super excited about it, and really have the
best idea ever in mind, let the photographer do what they need to do before you start
throwing out extra ideas. And if you do throw out extra ideas, make sure that you do it
discretely, so that no one else can hear. If the photographer doesn’t like the idea, or is
concerned about time, they may not take your idea and the whole scenario would end
up looking unprofessional and may be damaging to your relationship with the main
photographer if they think you’re being pushy.

All of the previous concepts apply to this part of the day as well. Grab different angles,
artsier crops, different focal lengths, etc. Because the main photographer usually has
the staple shots, this is a good time for you to do something new and creative.
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11 THE
RECEPTION.
This part of the day is usually just capturing the
moments. The one thing to remember here is to
make sure that you’re not standing in the main
photographer’s picture, or the videographer’s
footage either if they have video. Understand-
ably, you both might get in each other’s pictures
from time to time, but keeping it in your mind
and trying to avoid it is best.
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12 STYLE AND
EXPECTATIONS.
Finally, before and then throughout the
entire day, be sure to communicate with
the main photographer about his or her
expectations. They may have certain
shots that the bride requested, like group
pictures at the reception, or just typical
shots that they expect. Ask to see a
previous wedding where you can look at
their favorite 2nd photographer’s work so
you can mimic it.
Also, take note of the photographer’s main
style and brand on their website. While
you may take 1000 beautiful pictures that
have a deep, dark and emotional feel to
them, they will be useless to the photogra-
pher if her brand, and what the clients are
expecting, are photographs with a light,
airy and fun feel. Not that you can’t take
any pictures that don’t exactly match the
photographer’s style as variety is always
good, but you want to take pictures that
are consistent with what the client is
expecting in quality and style.
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13 KNOW THE RULES.
Know what your photographer allows
you to do with the photos afterwards.
There are 100 different schools of
thought on this and I’m sure you’ll work
with many photographers who are the
same and some that are different. Some
believe that if they’re paying you to take
the pictures then you shouldn’t be able
to use them for your own use at all.
Others are ok with you using them, but
not just anywhere. Some will trade off
and let you come shoot to build your
portfolio but won’t pay you to your work
for the day. Whatever the conditions
are make sure you’re clear on them with
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each photographer that you work for so
you don’t end up with an embarrassing
and potentially reputation-ruining
debacle in the end.
Here’s what I tell my second shooters:
Pictures may not be used anywhere
except on your blog with proper credit
given that the wedding was shot by
“Vanessa Joy Photography” with a link
back to my wesbite and not using or
tagging any names of B&G, venue or
vendors. This includes putting them on
facebook and tagging my bride/groom in
it; that should not be done at any time.
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 14 DRESS THE PART.
Whenever you are working for another photogra-
pher you are representing their business. You’ll
want to make sure that you represent it not just
well, but in line with the brand that they’re trying
to portray. Personally, with all the high end
weddings I typically photograph, I ask my
shooters and assistants to please dress in dark
colors and professionally. I don’t need all black,
but dark is good for blending in. On the other

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hand, I’ve worked with rustic-style photographers
capturing farm or casual weddings where if I wore KNOW
all black I’d stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure YOUR ROLE.
that you’re representing your photographer well
I like to remind my shooters that I will be happy to
and always, always wear a smile.
answer any questions that they have, but please wait
until the reception to ask them or during a time that is
not in front of the clients. I think a second photogra-
pher pestering the main photographer with questions
looks unprofessional and ill-prepared in addition to
it being a distraction to the main photographer. I also
address with them that I don’t mind suggestions during
the shoot, but they should be addressed discretely to
me only, not announced for all to hear. I’m always
willing to hear ideas and explore possibilities that
didn’t come to me initially, but for me it should never
look like the second photographer is the director.
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 IT’S NOT
17 YOUR
WEDDING.
If you want to hope to get asked to second
shoot again and build a good reputation
within the photography industry in your
area, make sure you remember this one. It’s
not your wedding. Meaning you shouldn’t
make yourself known to the clients or any
of the guests as anything other than the
photographer working for XYZ Photogra-
phy. This means only introducing yourself
by your first name, not handing out your
personal business cards (and preferably
doing a wonderful job handing out the

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primary’s business card) and definitely not
SHOOTING connecting with the clients or bridal party

FORMAT. outside of the wedding day.

This may be a no brainer for most, but it’s a good

idea to ask what format you should shoot in. I
like my shooters to shoot in RAW with a large jpg
backup on a separate card if they can I ask them to
remember to time sync with me at the beginning
of the day so my editors don’t have to worry about
that in post.
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AND NOW FOR
THE STORY.
There are certain rules that are pretty
standard in the industry, like don’t hand
out your personal business card, dress ap-
propriately, etc., and then there are others
that may vary like how and where you can
or can’t use the images you took, shooting
in RAW or JPG, how much you’re getting
paid, etc. Be sure to discuss these things
beforehand so there’s no confusion.
However, acting professionally and in a
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way that reflects positively on the main
photographer’s company is a rule that is
static, and one that I accidentally didn’t
follow in this wedding when I complained
(to, who I thought was another vendor,
but was actually the hall’s maitre’d) about
the fact that the “dinner” that was pro-
vided for us and paid for by the client
was four, small cheese raviolis. I know, I
know, you’re probably either in shock that
anyone would consider 4 ravioli’s a real
dinner, much less one that the client paid
a good amount of money for, or you’re in
shock that I would ever complain about
food at all. Either way, it was not a good
impression to leave on this woman who
became so offended by my “insulting the
chef’s knowledge of portion control”, and
wouldn’t accept my apology at all no mat-
ter how hard I tried, and told me that I
should have packed a granola bar (which
I of course did, but that was my lunch).
Regardless of who was right and who was
wrong in this situation, the point is that
you want to make sure that you’re always
positively representing the company that
you’re working for, and if that means mak-
ing sure you know who the hall employees
are and not complaining in front of them,
(but secretly ordering pizza on the side so
you don’t faint on the dance floor), then
that’s what you’ve got to do!
I hope you’ve enjoyed A Photographer’s
guide to Second Shooting.
HAPPY SHOOTING!
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 ABOUT VANESSA
Vanessa Joy has been an influential photographer in the photographic
community for years. Starting her photographic journey in 1998, she has since
earned 5 college degrees, started her own business in 2008, and began teaching
around the world in 2009. Vanessa has spoken at almost every major
convention and platform in the industry such as CreativeLIVE, Clickin’ Moms,
WPPI, ShutterFest, Imaging USA Trade Show, PPA related conventions, in
addition to hosting personal workshops and numerous small business and
photography conventions around the globe. Recognized for her talent and more
so her business sense, her clients love working with her and industry peers love
to learn from her generous, informative, and open-book style of teaching.

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