024: Shoot More Weddings and Maximize Second Shooting Weddings

Episodes The Bearded Tog

October 4, 2017

Second Shoot Weddings & Shoot More!

Are you a new photographer wanting to break into the wedding business? You should consider beginning to second shoot weddings. As a second shooter, you can to grow your own business while at the same time, learning from and helping the other photographers in your community.

I see a lot of new photographers make mistakes when they want to start doing weddings and second shooting. In this episode, I’ll teach you how to be the most sought-after second shooter in your community, make more money, use the portfolio to grow your own business, and become a better photographer.

How to Maximize Your Experience and Second Shoot Weddings

A good second shooter is an asset to the lead photographer. Your job is to make the life of the main photographer easier on the wedding day.
You should consider being a second shooter to gain the experience, learning, and problem solving skills that come from working many different types of weddings. This is also a great way to build your portfolio before taking on your own clients.
There are two ways to become a second shooter:
- Reach out to a photographer that you want to work with. Send a professional email telling them about yourself and your experience. If you are just starting out, offer to work for free.
- Look for opportunities posted in social media groups or forums where a photographer is in need of a second shooter. Be sure to pay attention to any application instructions and follow them! Most people don’t, and you have a better chance of getting the job by following their requests.

Tips for Second Shooting

When second shooting, think of the lead photographer as your client, and do the best job you can for them.
When you have a second shooting job, make a contract with the main photographer. This contract should specify:
- The details of the job. (Time date, location, client, number of hours.)
- How and when you are able to use the images you take for your own portfolio.
- If travel and meals are covered by the photographer or not.
- How much you are going to be paid and how the money will get to you.
- And how they will get the raw images photos from you.
Before the wedding, have a meeting or phone call to communicate expectations with the Lead photographer. Find out what exactly they are wanting you to shoot, and how you will assist them.
On the wedding day, look for opportunities to help and assist the main photographer. Follow their vibe and style with the clients and with the photos. And of course, take the best images you can for them.
Don’t overstep the main photographer, and if they tell you not to do something, then don’t do it!
After the wedding, ask for a job evaluation. Ask what you can work on, and if they would hire you again.
Once you are allowed to post the images, create a blog post with them. Tell a good story and do proper SEO for your blog post. This will help your website in search results and now you have images for your portfolio to show future clients.