It is always best to get a second shooter, but sometimes the budget just doesn't stretch that far, so here are a couple tips for those who are on the fence about it.

Meeting and working with a lot of couples, I often get asked whether or not someone needs a second shooter for their wedding. Many are not sure whether it is right for them in capturing everything for their wedding day. Adding a second shooter traditionally comes with a higher cost so it’s usually brushed off but it’s important to understand the benefits to see if it’s worth it for your wedding day or is it better to spend your money on adding something else to your wedding photos or film.

This past week I had the privilege of being a second shooter and helping Jonathan from Jonathan Fulvio Cinema shoot a beautiful wedding. Being in this position of a second shooter, really gave me a fresh perspective to the value of adding a second shooter to a wedding.

So here are some questions to ask yourself when wondering if a second shooter is right for you:

-    Are you have a large wedding? Larger weddings tend to be harder to capture with just one videographer or photographer. No matter how skilled the videographer or photographer is, one person can’t be everywhere at once! Ceremonies and receptions with a large crowd mean the videographer and photographer are needing to move farther and quicker to keep up with everything, which can cause moments to be missed.

-    Are the bride and groom getting ready in separate areas? If the areas are far apart or if the parties are getting ready at similar times, it can be hard for one videographer or photographer to be in both rooms for every special moment. A second shooter should be added to ensure moments between the parties are recorded to remember forever.

-    Are there multiple things happening back to back or at similar times? Having a solo videographer and/or photographer running around like crazy could cause things to be missed. It’s impossible for someone to be in two places at once and it can’t be expected that everything will be captured.

-    Do you want more moments or angles captured between guests, bridal party and/or family? There is a lot that happens on a wedding day! For example, your ceremony only happens once. There are so many moving parts that take place during a ceremony and it can be hard capturing it all from one angle. A second shooter can get that second angle the one videographer or photographer can’t.

-    Do you care about capturing every moment that occurs on your wedding day? Having a second shooter will help ensure that no moment is missed.

 Though we believe a second shooter is always worth it, we completely understand that sometimes the budget just can’t fit the cost. Alyssa and I have been there ourselves when we hired a videographer and photographer for our own wedding! Don’t worry if it isn’t in your budget, we work with our couples to plan and understand the details of your wedding day to make the most of it. There are things we can do to ensure all the special details of your wedding day are captured.