Second Best

The thing I enjoy best about photographing weddings is getting a whole day of doing what I love–shooting life in action. There is a certain amount of stress in not wanting to miss a single moment of such an important day, however, so having an assistant to be a second shooter for the day is invaluable. Not only do I appreciate having a second shooter when I’m doing a wedding, but I have also found that being a second shooter is even funner!

With none of the stress of managing contracts with clients, scheduling the day’s itinerary, or compiling the disc for presentation, a second shooter gets to be backup. During the course of the wedding day, a second shooter tries to capture the entire day from every vantage point that the primary shooter does not, which allows for a little more variety, creativity, and different angles of the same important moments. So what the client is left with is a full compilation of work documenting their big day from 2 diligent professionals.

I’ve had the greatest pleasure in teaming up with Pamela Hunter of A’Vie Photography for large events and weddings (for her clients I assist her and for my clients she assists me). So the following photos are ones I got as second shooter. You’ll notice Pamela had her wedding party set up for staged portraits, while I caught what was happening on the sidelines: A groom preparing for his busy day, a flower girl dreaming big, a through-the-window look at the bride getting ready, and a group of bridesmaids taking a minute to chat. During the first dance, the lead photographer focuses on getting “The” first dance picture, while a second shooter can try more creative techniques–like the dreamy one you’ll see here taken through the tulle of their table decorations.

So when it comes to wedding photography, I’m definitely glad to be the best or second best photographer of the day 🙂

Check out more of my pictures from this wedding under my “Weddings” tab, or look for A’Vie Photography’s coverage of the Wheeler wedding here or on facebook here