The Benefits To Having A Second Shooter on Your Wedding Day

Today I’m sharing all about one of my most frequently asked questions when meeting with potential Courtney Carney couples. Should you hire a second shooter to be a part of your wedding day? For me, the answer will always be YES!! While I know every couple’s budget and priorities are different, I’ve found including a second photographer is valuable in helping keep things stress-free and running smoothly. They’re a bonus person to help make sure you’re getting the photos you want captured of your wedding day as well as being a great thing to have if we need to flex things due to a tight timeline!

Here are some of the top reasons I think second photographers are so helpful:

1. Extra Photos

Two photographers with numerous cameras means you’re going to get extra photos! Who doesn’t love that?! Even better than extra photos though? Including a second photographer means you’ll get extra angles of the same moments. We can divide and conquer who needs to be photographed! So as your groom is turning around to see you for the first time during your First Look, I can focus on capturing just his reaction while the second photographer captures yours. There are some many special moments throughout the wedding day that this is valuable!!

2. Extra Set of Hands

I bring a lot of goodies to help photograph a wedding day. My seconds are so wonderful about supporting me and keeping me organized. If I need to move on and start photographing something else, I know they’ve got my back and can finish packing up detail supplies or grabbing my light stands and getting them set up while I’m doing that. They’re also there as a helper for you! You’d be surprised how much you have to keep track of as a bride and groom as you move through the day. Your second photographer is always happy to hold your bouquet, help carry your train, and get you drinks when you want. You know, that good VIP service!!

3. Timeline Flexibility

I hinted at it before, but second photographers can help the most when we need some flexibility in the timeline. Things always run the chance of falling behind on the wedding day (even when we pad the timeline!). Seconds are so helpful in helping make up time if we need to because we can overlap our coverage. So for example, I can take the bride and her girls to capture photos together while the second takes the guys and knocks out their photos at the same time. This flexibility has saved numerous wedding timelines for me!

4. The Groom Gets Some Love!

I like to let each of my Courtney Carney grooms know that they are just as important as the bride! After all, if they’re not there the wedding can’t happen. 😂 Having a second photographer there means he’ll get to be the star of the show for awhile too. The second photographer is able to hang out with the guys in the morning and capture all the fun getting ready shots of them. This is especially valuable when the groom is getting ready at a different location than the bride! When I’m shooting solo, it’s next to impossible for me to get those photos of the guys if they’re at a different spot!