Why Hire TWO Photographers?

Why You Should Hire TWO Photographers for Your Wedding

We understand planning a wedding on a budget, trust us, we do! We also understand that photography can use up a solid chunk of your wedding budget. But, let me tell you, IT IS SO WORTH IT.

In this post I’d like to discuss the reasons why we believe (in most cases) hiring two photographers is the best way to go. Yes, it is more expensive (usually) but YES, it is also very much worth the money you put in. In this post I will discuss why two photographers is better than one and what exactly a second shooter does for you on your wedding day.

THIS is why :

• Many hands make for light work

  1. Have you ever heard this saying? Basically, the more people you have doing a job, the easier and more efficient that job becomes. Same thing with photography. When a lead photographer is tasked with capturing the entire wedding (every important moment, every guest, details, different angles, etc) they are stretched too thin. Can it be done? Yes, for smaller weddings with a lower guest count and less bridal party members. However, if you have more than 50 guests and multiple bridesmaids and groomsmen, you need two photographers to help make sure the entire day is captured to fruition.

• Lead photographers and second shooters have different jobs

  1. When you hire a lead and a second shooter, you actually get two completely different photographers and styles. Lead photographers are the center of your attention - when you smile at the camera with your spouse, this is the person you are looking at. This photographer is usually the one guiding your posing and directing the vision for the shot. The second shooter’s job is to capture unique angles and all of the small details of the day. This also provides variety to the gallery. The second shooter is typically also the photographer who is getting the ‘wide’ shot (the entire reception space, the ceremony from the back, the surrounding area where you take romantics, etc). This gives more of a view into what the day looked like up close (lead) and from afar (second). The lead is very much focused on the bride and groom (groom and groom, bride and bride) while the second captures details and different special angles of each moment.

  2. In our example below - one photographer was focused on capturing the wide shot in this beautiful spot while the lead was focused on capturing their faces and details up close.

• A lead photographer can only be in one place at one time

  1. There are moments in a wedding day where capturing two viewpoints would tell the whole story while only capturing one, would not. For instance, when you have a lead and a second shooter, when the bride walks down the aisle, usually the second shooter captures the bride from behind walking towards the altar (beautiful photo!). While the lead photographer is at the front of the aisle capturing the bride walking down towards her fiance and the fiance’s reaction. Another example : when you have a second shooter, during the first look each photographer can capture either the bride or the groom’s reaction! One person cannot do both (at least in the same exact moment). There are also times during the day where two photographers might split up to capture completely different pieces of your day. Many times brides and grooms get ready at the same time and the lead and the second shooter will split up so we can capture both happening at the same time. This is helpful when planning your timeline - getting two things done at once helps free up time during your day for something else. 

  2. In this same example, the lead and the second shooter were in two completely separate places while the bride and groom were getting ready. In order to save time during the day the lead stayed with the bride to capture the bride getting ready and the second shooter drove a few minutes away to be with the groom. Fun fact : these photos were taken within the same few minutes at two separate locations! With only one photographer, you would have had to add at least an extra 20 minutes to the timeline to capture both.

1. Timeline Manager

   1. The second shooter is also typically in charge of managing time on your day. This is important so we can make sure we capture everything you want captured that day. The lead focuses on shooting and capturing moments at almost all times while the second can bounce from shooting to managing the timeline and schedule of the day. The second shooter also helps gather and organize family photos so that the lead can just focus on capturing the shots and doesn’t have to try to do both in a timely manner.

These are just a few reasons why we almost always recommend hiring TWO photographers for your special day. When that time comes for you, we want to make sure we do everything we can to capture your day in the most beautiful way we can. Having a team of photographers on your day will help us do just that. 

I hope this was helpful and that it gives you things to consider when you are planning your photography budget for your wedding day.

With all the love,

Ellie Greene