Second Shooter Shakeup: Do you really need a second photographer?
Caution: ⚠️controversial topic ahead!
There’s been a trend lately of wedding photographers scrambling to find second shooters for their weddings. And it breaks my heart every time because it doesn’t have to be that way. Granted, 2020 and COVID threw us all a lot of curveballs and rescheduled weddings, making 2021’s wedding season completely chaotic and unprecedented.
But I believe we can all do better for ourselves and our clients.
It’s time for a Jerry Maguire-style shakeup in the second shooter industry.
“… not a memo, a mission statement. — Jerry Maguire
All throughout 2021, I noticed a steady stream of photographers desperately seeking out any warm body they could find who could click a shutter button to step in as a second photographer for a wedding. There are only two scenarios I see where you should be finding a second shooter the week of a wedding:
medical/COVID emergency with previous second photographer
couple added a second photographer to their contract last minute
If it’s not either of those, what’s your excuse?
By not planning ahead and securing a capable and skilled second shooter well ahead of a wedding date, you are doing your couples a huge disservice. Your couples deserve for you to put thought and attention into who you will be bringing along to their wedding. They are expecting a skilled photographer who knows what they are doing.
This leads to my next question — do you have a second shooter contract in place?
My guess is that many people will answer no to this question. And by not having your second shooters sign a contract, you open yourself up to instances like we saw this year, where second shooters don’t show up or they double book. Sure, they can still do those things even if they sign a contract, but a legally binding document helps to better ensure that people will not flake or bail on you in the eleventh hour.
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best of you? - Foo Fighters
Let’s return to the idea of disservice to your clients.
Having a hobbyist who’s never worked a wedding second shoot with you is not doing what’s best for your clients.
Hiring a photographer with a sub-par portfolio is not what’s best for your clients.
Having a person come along just to push a button so you can fulfill your contract? That is not doing what’s best for your clients.
If you have a second photographer included in your contract, your clients are paying for that person to be there. What should they expect from you and anyone working for you? On that day, they are an extension of you and your business.
The flip side of this is as a second shooter, are you giving the lead photographer the best of you? Your job is to do whatever you are asked to do — photograph the groomsmen, shoot details, grab candids, carry equipment, call out names for family formals, etc. Hustle when needed and perform your craft to the best of your ability.
And now to my next and possibly most controversial point:
Not every wedding needs a second photographer.
📢 Read that again. 📢 And a little louder for the people in the back. 📢
Is now the time to review and amend your wedding packages to not include a second photographer in every single package or collection?
My firm belief is that if you are a wedding photographer, you should be 100% comfortable and capable of shooting a wedding by yourself. That’s not to say you should always be a solo photographer (FAR FROM IT!), as many weddings definitely call for another or even multiple set of creative eyes and equipment. BUT, a large number of weddings DO NOT need a second photographer. So why are you bending over backwards to find someone to fill that spot that isn’t really needed? And better yet, why are you offering it to every single wedding, especially if they don’t ask for it, or maybe don’t even want the added service offering?
You may find that many couples don’t necessarily need a second photographer, but they take one because you’re including it in your collection. And that is an out-of-pocket expense that should be evaluated in your packages to determine if it’s necessary for all your clients. It can always be offered as an add-on.
So why should you use more discretion in deciding when a second photographer is necessary?
Demand for second shooters was at an all-time high in 2021.
The pool of second photographers was already spread thin for 2021 with the COVID wedding boom. So by unnecessarily using second photographers when they aren’t needed, you narrow the pool of skilled and available photographers even further.
Which brings us back to where we started…
Show me the money! — Jerry Maguire
There are many talented and capable second photographers out there. Pay them fairly!
A second photographer brings to the table not only their talent and experience but also all of their equipment! $20/hour isn’t going to cut it. And if you can’t pay more than that, it’s time to raise your prices. And again, maybe it’s also time to revisit your wedding packages and remove the second photographer from some of your offerings so that you have less out-of-pocket expenses. And less headaches when it comes to filling those second shooter wedding dates.
I realize there are a lot of delicate touchpoints in this post, but I want to push the industry to do better. Literally every week during the 2021 wedding season, I saw a post from someone looking for a second shooter that was needed within just a week or two. I would like to see us collectively take steps to not find ourselves in these situations anymore and simultaneously serve our clients better.
Where do we go from here?
In an effort to provide some assistance for some of the above issues, I’ve created a few helpful 1-page pdfs for your use! Fill in the form below and you’ll receive my sample second photographer agreement, a questionnaire for vetting possible second photographers, and a list of responsibilities for second shooters which you can tweak to fit your own wants and needs.