5 Perks to Having a Second Wedding Photographer

Having a second photographer on your wedding day is becoming more and more popular. I often get asked about this choice when speaking with clients. As a wedding photographer, I have worked both as a primary and secondary photographer. I have known couples to love it and to hate it. 

No matter what way you look at it, however, there are some definite perks to having a second photographer on your wedding day.

Perk 1: More Photos

The day after the wedding, there is one thing that people want – to see the photos. Actually, this is true for any large event or milestone. Ever since the invention of photography, we have come to lean on this technology as a way to capture important moments and to act as memory reminders for the future. 

A photographer at a wedding will snap photos of guests and loved ones but their focus is on the couple. Having a second photographer will ensure that there is no shortage of photos to capture all the parts of your wedding day – even the moment that you may not have realized happened.

What do guests get up to while the couples photos are taken? What are they doing while the couple says “I do”? A second photographer can help to capture those special moments for the couple and their guests alike.

Perk 2: Candid Photos

We all know what it’s like to try to get a candid photo and have it look fake. We also all know what it’s like to have a friend shoot a real-life honest-to-goodness candid photo and have it look like the most magical thing in the world. 

I’ve experienced it before on wedding days where, in between the photos or while I’m changing my battery of setting up for specific lighting, a couple had a moment. A perfect, sweet, honest, beautiful moment. And I can’t capture it. I miss it. Or I miss the dozens of other candid moments while I’m shooting the cake, the guests, the venue, the dance floor, etc. 

Having a second photographer makes capturing these candid moments so much easier and authentic.

Perk 3: A Wider Variety of Angles and Perspectives

There are so many really awesome viewpoints and perspectives to take when looking at a wedding. I mean that literally – literally different perspectives to take into consideration when shooting the day. Being up on a balcony, for example, can give an overview of a couple and their guests. There are so many beautiful ways to shoot a wedding and one photographer can only be in one place at one time. As a human being, there is a limit to what you can do.

Having a second body there makes that diversity possible. You can get close up and group shots of the exact same moment.

Perk 4: Diversity in Style and Look of the Wedding Photos

Each photographer – for a wedding or portrait or family session or anything in between – has their own unique style of photography. Many couples spend so much time looking over galleries and portfolios for this reason. Finding a photographer to fit your own wants and desired look can take some time. 

If you choose to have a second wedding photographer – especially if the photographers have different styles from each other – it can really diversify the look of your photos afterward. This point fits really well with Perk 3, too. Maybe choosing one person whose specialty is candid photos can help you have a mix of posed and natural photos you want for your day. Maybe it’s about drama for one and classic for the other. Either way, it can add a little “umph” to your wedding photos.

Perk 5: No Party Is Left Behind

Both people getting married will want their wedding party and morning-of captured. With only one photographer, it can be difficult to coordinate which person is getting ready where, what time they’re starting, what photos you want to be captured or even getting everything done in time. 

The day of the wedding can already be stressful enough to get everyone organized in place. Getting all the photos you want of the wedding party shouldn’t be adding to this stress. 

With two wedding photographers, one person can capture one half of the couple while the other takes the other half. No one feels that they are left out of the photos and then each person can see how the other spent their morning.

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These five perks of having a second wedding photographer are just a few of the many reasons that couples choose to hire two instead of one. My biggest piece of advice? Take as much time in choosing the second photographer as you would with the first. One way to achieve this is to ask your first choice if they have any recommendations for a second photographer. 

Here at Jess Collins Photography, for example, I have a few other photographers who I work with. The couples who choose me to capture their day know that they can expect the same mix of professionalism and fun with any of my other photographers as they can with me. 

No matter if you have one photographer or two or five, take time to look around you and soak in the moment. It is, after all, only one day.