2nd Photographers : Atlanta, GA Wedding Photographer

I absolutely love all of my brides and grooms! I love photographing their weddings, but sometimes I get the fun opportunity of being a 2nd photographer. There is just something freeing about having the pressure off and being able to really let your creative juices flow! This past year I was able to be a 2nd photographer for a couple of weddings with some really great Atlanta Wedding photographers. These photographs are from a wedding that I got to 2nd shoot with Audra Starr Photography. The wedding was at Emory Presbyterian Church and the reception at the Wrecking Bar Brewpub. It was absolutely stunning! It was fun working with another photographer, watching them do their thing, and being able to do my own creative thing as well. So how do you know if you need to add a 2nd shooter to your wedding collection? Here are 6 questions to ask yourself when considering adding a 2nd shooter to your Wedding Collection.

1. Is it important to you and your groom to get a variety of perspectives on your wedding day? Having two photographers will mean that you will get two unique perspectives on your wedding day. Two creative minds (and cameras) will always produce better results than just one. One photographer can focus on the groom while the other focuses on the bride during things like the first look and the ceremony. The two photographers may also have slightly different styles so you will be able to see what your wedding day looked like from two different points of view.

2. Will the bridal party be getting ready at separate locations at the same time? If the bride and bridesmaids will be getting ready at one location, and the groom and groomsmen are getting ready at a different location, then you made need a 2nd shooter. If you want pictures of the guys and girls hanging out before the ceremony, getting ready and all that jazz, then its good to have the main photographer with the bride, while the 2nd shooter is with the guys. This way the photographers can focus on taking pictures and not waste time driving from one location to the next or worrying about having enough time to do both.

3. Are there limitations about the photographer moving around during the ceremony? A lot of ceremony locations and churches don’t allow for the photographers to move around during the ceremony. This means you will probably get just a bunch of pictures from the back of the ceremony space. With two photographers, one can be strategically placed near the front to get a different perspective and those great close-up shots of your groom tearing up as he sees you walk down the aisle.

4. Are you having a large wedding? Do you have like 12 bridesmaids and over 200 people coming to your wedding? You may need to have a 2nd photographer. It is easier to wrangle and direct a large crowd as a photographer when there are two of us. One photographer can be giving directions while the other photographs, or one can be helping to arrange the next grouping so that things run smoothly and quickly.

5. Will you have a limited amount of time and need to “divide and conquer” to get pictures done in a timely manner? In some cases, you only have a limited amount of time for pictures. This can be because the venue will only let you into the space at a certain time, or maybe just everyone is running late. When there are two photographers, they can divide up the groups and get things done a lot quicker! One photographer can take the bride and bridesmaids, while the other photographer photographs the groomsmen. One photographer can be photographing details while the other is doing family portraits. It really does help with time management having two photographers!

6. Will there be a lot going on at the reception? If you are going to have a lot going on at your reception, it may be a good idea to have two photographers. It is impossible for one photographer to be at all places at one time, so having two will make sure that nothing gets missed during the craziness of a wedding reception! One photographer can focus on capturing candid photos of your guests while the other focuses on details or the bride and groom.

Here is Audra doing her thing! Haha, I love this picture! There are always so many “photographers” at every wedding 😉

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then you may want to consider getting a 2nd shooter. Photography is such an important part of your wedding day and should be high on your priority list. On your ten year anniversary, you want to be able to look back at the pictures of your wedding day fondly and not with regret that you don’t have beautifully captured memories.