October 2, 2017

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Raina

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Why You Need a Second Shooter

Growing up in CT 95.7 fm was basically the soundtrack of my life. I remember they used to have Wayback Wednesday, and the song that never missed air time was “It Takes Two” by Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock. ( I bet all of you 80s and 90s kids just thought to yourself “Im gonna rock right now…..”) And like that song says “It takes two to make it out of sight”. Having a second shooter allows your photos to from good to out of sight

Why-Two is better than one…. 1×1 is 1

It is amazing the things that we as photographers can do right now. We can get your images to you the same night. Create slideshows with edited images for your reception. I know of photographers who actually give printed images of the portrait session at the end of their service time. These things are awesome and I love that we can provide those things. I love that we can show couples the back of our camera to give the assurance that you made the right choice. But there is one thing we can not do: Be two places at once or take two different looking pictures at the same time, We are not sheep, we can not be cloned. All we can do is hire someone else to help with that.  

When: My Complete Guide For When You Need a Second Shooter

When the bride and groom are getting ready at two separate locations

The ceremony: One can get groom’s reaction while the other can focus on the bride…One can get the vows being said the other can get the reaction… More candids of guests…. 

Formal Portraits: Family candids and various angles …They can also get pictures of the cocktail hour while the lead is doing formals

Reception: Reactions to speeches and dances (first dance and parent dances), Different angles for important moments

Who: But are They Good?

I think the biggest fear in adding a second shooter is wondering if the second shooter is going to be good. It is true that a lot of second shooters are amateurs starting out in this business, but don’t worry the photographer you are already trusting wont let you down. A second shooter is an extension of your lead photographer’s business. So they are not going to bring around someone that will reflect badly on him or her. Most seconds are looking to grow their portfolio to get more jobs which means they are doing everything they can to get the best image and not just rapid firing to make sure they get the shot. 

I pick my second shooters not just on experience but how they present themselves. My approach is very laid back, journalistic, natural light with an emphasis on connections. That means I am not going bring someone who is uptight. I like to provide a fun experience so I am not gonna bring Debbie Downer along.. I also let the photographer use their photos publicly, I am going to pick someone who isn’t going to post awful pictures to instagram because that is a bad representation of me.  

Still Not Convinced ……

The images I have put in this post are when I was a second shooter in a recent wedding at The Villa in East Bridgewater, MA.. I was able to get a lot of images the lead was not able to get…. 

Ok you twisted my arm … Here are more

Having a second shooter is like the old Marvin Gaye song says “It takes two baby…to make a dream come true”

Til next time 

Raina

 

 

 

 

 

 

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