Do I need a second photographer at my wedding? Second Photographer – To have or not to have…. |

  As wedding photographers in Buffalo NY, we are always asked the question, “Do I really need a second photographer?” In short, NO, you don’t really NEED a second photographer; however, if you can afford one I would highly recommend adding it on to your wedding collection.

  From a photographer’ prospective, we all have our preference of whether or not we’d like to have a second photographer working with us on the wedding day. This is really a personal choice, a preferred shooting style or it simply comes down to a business decision. In fact, some of the Top Wedding Photographers in the world work by themselves with only an assistant, while others choose to only work as teams of two.

Some factors to consider when hiring a Second Photographer 

Large wedding, with more than 200 guests

  Probably a good idea to have two photographers simply because there’ll be so much going on, people scattered throughout the venues, and more than likely a large bridal party to organize.

Two different locations needing coverage at the same time (and you want to capture it all)

  Here, it comes down to carefully planning your day. It is possible for both the bride and groom to be getting ready at the same time in two different locations and only have one photographer covering it all – YOU SIMPLY NEED TO PLAN!

  If you’re at all unsure about your day staying on schedule, it would, of course, be better to have a second photographer.

Capturing two different angles of important moments

  Here, it’s nice to have a second photographer to capture the “safe” angles, while the primary photographer can go for more unusual compositions.

You want to capture more than one persons’ reaction at the same time

  Having the image of moms’ crying while the bride is walking down the aisle or going in for the first kiss can be priceless; but, the catch with this is that not everyone is going to react as you’d expect. Don’t get your hopes up that just because you have two photographers that they’ll be able to capture what you have in your mind.

Two photographers doesn’t mean double the number of delivered images

  Having two photographers simply means that after choosing the best photos, you’ll have a greater number of WOW images delivered, not a greater number of overall images.

Your primary photographer cancels last minute because of an emergency

  This is worst case scenario, it rarely happens (we can’t control everything). Having already hired a second photographer can give you peace of mind knowing that you’ll still have images of your wedding day.

Some reasons NOT to have a second photographer

The creation of a full scale production team

  Think about it. You’ve hired two photographers, two videographers, assistants accompanying everyone… it all becomes a bit much to handle and begins to get away from the “unobtrusive” documentary style photography you were going for.

Price

  A good second photographer comes with a good price. If your budget is tight, it’s OK to get one photographer with his own unique, distinguishing style. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a must.

  At the end of the day, consult with your photographer and get his recommendation as it pertains to your specific wedding day plans. Then, discuss it with your future spouse and work out what’s right for you. As always, Good Luck!