I first started my career in wedding photography by tagging along other professional photographers. Back then, I didn’t dare interfere with the pro’s posed shots so what I did was shoot from a different angle. Otherwise, I would be capturing on film the reaction that the guests have as a particular event during the wedding unfolds. Essentially, I became an unpaid second photographer until I was able to branch out on my own.
Now, does it really make sense for wedding photographers to come in pairs, so to speak, when covering a wedding event? For me, the rule is pretty simple. If it’s a pretty intimate wedding and the engaged couple is on a shoestring budget, I try my best to be everywhere all at the same time. This means that you can’t stay still even for a minute because there’s always a scene just begging to be photographed.
On the other hand, if it’s a medium to large event, I do encourage the clients to pay for the extra wedding photographer. This is especially true if the setting for the wedding ceremony and reception is large.
So what are the benefits that you will get to enjoy as a wedding photographer if you’re not the only one holding the ‘professional’ camera? First, it takes the pressure off of your being the only one who needs to capture the moments on film. You probably won’t even get to have a bathroom break if you’re the only go-to-guy when there’s a picture that the couple wants to be taken.
Second, an additional photographer would increase the depth and variety of the wedding photos that can be taken. For example, I tend to concentrate more on the shots with the bride and groom as the main subject. If the couple wants to capture the mood of the place, the romance of the day and the liveliness of the guests, the second photographer can perfectly capture these moments while I’m focusing on the newlyweds and the people who are physically closest to them.
Even the style that I can use for the photographs will differ from the one used by the second photographer. All in all, it’s a win-win situation as far as the newlywed couple is concerned because of the myriad of styles for the wedding photographs that they will eventually get.
