How to Get Hired as a Wedding Second Shooter with Zero Experience

Shooting as a secondary photographer will help you gain valuable experience, work alongside different types of photographers, and make some weekend cash. Becoming a secondary shooter is a great way to learn the wedding industry without the pressure of being THE lead photog at someone’s wedding. I do not recommend you jump in the industry with no experience and just wing it. Our clients are trusting us with the most anticipated day of their lives, so learning the ropes will only make you a better artist and business owner in the future. I always suggest photographing at least five weddings as a second photographer before you take on your own.

How to Find Your First Second Shooting Job

First thing’s first— you need to find a job. Here are two ways to find secondary photographer positions in your area and beyond:

• Join a local second shooter Facebook group: By joining a photography Facebook group, you’ll be able to see job postings by primary photographers (aka the main photographers) saying that they are in search of a secondary photographer. You’ll soon learn different photographers have different requirements for you as a secondary photographer.
• Pitch yourself to other wedding photographers via email: If you don't know what to say in this pitch email, I have you covered. Use a Photography Pitch Second Shooter Email Template where you can easily add-in, adjust, and arrange your own pitch for your local photographers. This is what I personally would do when I was pitching myself to photographers in the Seattle and New York City area.

Essential Pre-Wedding Preparation

Now that you’ve landed a job, it’s time to get ready to shoot. Before the big day, there are a few important pieces of information you need to gather from the primary photographer in order to do your job properly.

Understanding Image Rights and Usage

Ask the primary photographer before the wedding so that you know if you do or do not have the rights to the images. This is going to depend on each photographer:

• Free Rein: Some wedding photographers will give you free rein— meaning you get to keep the images, edit them, and even make a blog post as long as you credit them and make it clear that you are the secondary photographer.
• Social Media Restrictions: Some will allow you to post to social media as long as you don’t tag the client, and it has to be after the primary has delivered their images to the client.
• No Usage Rights: Some photographers will say no, not at all. Whatever the primary photographer chooses to do is fair because they have paid you for your time.

This isn’t a chance to use the images as an advertisement for your own wedding clients. If you don't have the image rights, you could create a private gallery aka a gallery that only the people you are pitching to are able to see and share instead. This could even look like a sampling of images in a folder, as long as it’s not public.

Creating an SD and Photo Delivery Plan

You’ll be shooting RAW files, so they’re going to be large, and trying to email them will not be very efficient. Typically, at the end of the night, you'll hand over your SD cards to the primary photographer and they'll transfer the images, or they might have their own SD cards that you can use to shoot on. Converse with the primary photographer and ask about whether they are expecting you to shoot on your own cards, which is very normal.

Your Role and Responsibilities on the Wedding Day

Your role as a secondary photographer boils down to this: you are there to help the primary photographer get the images they are unable to physically capture because they are focused on other images. If you are working toward becoming a primary photographer, I highly recommend photographing as many types of weddings as you can, including different ceremony types— Hindu, Jewish, Catholic, etc. The more ceremony timelines you become familiar with, the better.

Key Duties for the Second Shooter

• Preparation: You will likely be responsible for photographing the groom getting ready at the same time as the primary photographer is photographing the bride.
• The Ceremony: During the ceremony, you will be positioned at a different angle to help make up for the shots that the primary photographer is unable to capture.
• Family Portraits: Probably one of the most chaotic parts of the day is making sure we are getting EVERY shot that the couple wants. It is so helpful to have someone getting the next group ready while the lead is shooting the photo.

Tips to Be a Great Second Shooter

There are a few things that will help you stand apart as you enter the industry and learn the ropes of the business:

• Don’t shoot over the shoulder of your lead: You’re there to get additional photos to supplement the final gallery! This means different angles, using a different lens than the lead, and grabbing candids while the lead takes portraits. Actively look for moments that no one else is seeing.
• Get behind the scenes shots of your lead: Capture us working and we’ll love you forever. This is such a great way to get some bonus points!
• Focus on the team goal: Remember why you’re there… You are not there to boost your portfolio! You are there to help the lead photographer in order to give their couple the best experience and finished gallery. That always has to be our first goal as a team: the couple comes first.