One of the things that I encourage all of my brides to consider is choosing a package that includes a second shooter. As a photographer, I may be a little biased in recommending this, but there’s so many good reasons to include a second shooter as part of your day:

1. You will have more variety. A second photographer’s main role is to capture the day from a different perspective. They are taking pictures from different angles that what you wouldn’t otherwise get from the main photographer.

2. There are more opportunities for moments to be captured. What I mean by this is that I can’t be in two places at once. However, if I have a second shooter with me, then they can be photographing the groom getting ready while I capture you, the bride, getting ready. They will inevitably capture moments that I may not be able to simply, because they are focused on another part of the day.

3. You will likely receive more images. When second shooting, I take just as many pictures if not more on a typical wedding day. I may be a little snap happy, but that’s just me. This means, that I have a lot more images to choose from when delivering your gallery. Keep in mind that the majority of your gallery will be my images. However if my second captured a moment that I didn’t, then I wouldn’t hesitate to include it in the final gallery.

4. A second shooter allows for using your time more efficiently. This means that again, the second shooter could be photographing the groom getting ready while I photograph the bride. By doing this simultaneously, we don’t have to carve out extra time for me to photograph the groom later. Make sense? The second shooter is also a huge life saver during family formals. Corralling two sets of extended families is challenging, so it is so helpful to have someone there to help make sure that we fly through those as quickly and efficiently as possible.

5. You can have peace of mind knowing that there are two photographers. It makes the day less stressful, and that in and of itself is worth it in my opinion!

From my own experience as a second shooter, including one in your wedding day is one of the best decisions you can make (aside from choosing your photographer, of course!). I offer this to all of my brides, and hope that this helps make your decision as to whether or not to include one in your special day a little bit more clear.

* The image above was second shot at a wedding for Jenn Manor.