I am sitting trying to figure out where to start with this one. I Second shot for a couple of weddings before I really got serious about it. That came when I decided I wanted to take my photography from hobby to professional, the camera the lenses, the lighting , the whole shbang. I was always most attracted to wedding photography so in my last semester in college I reached out and landed myself an internship with a local wedding photographer. This decision was one that I will always look back at as my true starting point.
Fast forward and I have now done over 25+ weddings second shooting alone. Here are a couple of things that I really have come to truly enjoy about second shooting.
1) The Preview : second shooting with Justin helped me see the good, the bad, and the hard work a wedding photographer goes through on the wedding day. Lugging around 7-10 pounds of equipment for 8-10 hours can be pretty tiring. I was able to see for first hand the hustle; it helped me realize I loved shooting weddings. It was a preview for me of how a wedding photographer worked to be successful on the wedding day itself. After my internship I knew this was one party in life I wanted to be apart of.
2)The Schedule : shadowing a professional really helped me to understand how a flow of the wedding day can look like. For the most part it looked the same : I am now able ask my MW brides for more time for bride and groom portraits and have a heavy influence in look of the schedule. It feels good to be prepared as much as humanly possible.
3)The Opportunity : I am given the opportunity to grow my portfolio, grow venue experience, grow my network. The opportunity to meet so many great people in my area is something that would take years on my own. As I am still in the growing areas of my business, I can still able to expand my experiences !
4)The Angles : I did not start trying new things until I had a solid feel for what my lead photographer wanted/needed with every wedding. I have to admit this did not happen until our second wedding season working together. Not having the pressure the first shooter to get certain shots, I have been able to play around with angles and vantage points to see if I love it or just find it doesn't work at all. This also helps me in future if I ever am able to shoot at that location again!
5) The Photos: I have to explain something first. My lead shooter is gracious and does things A LOT different from other photographers (I soon found out from the other photography groups i follow that my situation was an anomaly in a first and second Shooter relationship ) I get all the raw photos I shoot. I am able to edit them and use them with no restrictions . Reading about other business relationships, there are so many restrictions that as a second I don't know if it would be worth it anymore. Being able to use my photos is a huge point in my marketing. It also is a great way of growing my talents as a photographer.
I am very grateful for the friendship and mentorship I was able to receive with Justin. Having reached out to several other photographers in my area, I have found he is a true gem in the industry and genuine to boot. If you in your carrier have the opportunity or the desire to second shoot for another photographer, do it! I hope your experience is as good as mine!
