Love weddings? Love photography? Do you dream about combining the two?

But say you’ve never shot a wedding before, and you know couples don’t get a do over if they don’t love their photos. So how do you learn to shoot weddings, without shooting weddings?

 

Try Second Shooting

Two words: Second shooting. Working for a professional wedding photographer as their second shooter is kind of like an apprenticeship for wedding photographers (at least that’s how I think of it!

So what does a second shooter do?

Bronwyn Pickering is a CLG Grad of our Advanced Photography Course, and an Australian family and wedding photographer of fabulous repute at Essie + Elsie. And she was the perfect person to tell you all about second shooting weddings, because she has both hired second shooters and been a second shooter. Read on to learn how…

A Hands On Mentoring Session

For anyone considering wedding photography, second shooting is a fantastic way to start. I would also recommend trying it with a few different photographers and wedding styles before contemplating going solo, as this will help you narrow down how you want to approach weddings.

You may need to offer your services voluntarily but it’s such a fantastic learning experience, so it’s well worth it. Consider it a hands on mentoring session.

 

How to Get Work

There are a few ways to get yourself second shooting gigs.

You can join wedding photography community groups on Facebook and let them know. For the best chance, if you’re not well known in the group, include some basic detail about yourself and your goals in your post:

• Who you are
• Where you’re located
• Where you’re willing to travel to shoot
• What gear you have
• What style you love
• Why you want to shoot weddings

You also need to include a link to some of your work so you could either link to a website or your socials. Or if you’re really keen, you could put together a dedicated portfolio that shows off your skills and style.

Another way is by watching your favourite wedding photographers on socials, sometimes they will advertise for second shooters.

And lastly you could directly contact your faves and simply ask them for the opportunity. Whether or not you’re offered paid work, or free work in return for second shooting and mentoring will depend on the photographer and your skill level.

Know Your Gear

You need to be accomplished shooting in manual mode… this is not a mentoring session for your technical skills, and it’s not the time to be asking questions in that regard.

You’ll need to be super quick to capture moments as they happen as you can’t ask people to redo. You will also need to be able to deal with constantly changing light.

Related: How to Shoot in Manual Mode

  

Prepare

Chat to the photographer a few days beforehand to ask how it will run from start to finish.

Ask her to detail her expectations of you – the more you are prepared for the day and know what you’re expected to produce, the more smoothly the day will run for you both.

Also, getting as much information as possible lessens the unknown and will help alleviate your nerves.

 

Be Genuine & Authentic

Be passionate about weddings and photography.

Wedding photography is not just a job, it’s someone’s big day. You owe it to the couple and the photographer who is giving you the experience, to genuinely care about their love story and what you produce for them.

Connect with the wedding party and guests, and take notice of their movements and gestures. The more you pick up on, the more you are able to tell their story.

Feel it by shooting as though these are your people on their special day. Quietly capture their joy and happiness, mess, laughter, tears. Look for real moments and connections – strong images are all about emotion.

Related: Love Stories – Tips for Couples Photography

 

Be Self Aware

If you can see the photographer and videographer in your shot, they might be able to see you in theirs, depending on which direction they’re shooting. 

Be aware of the signals you are sending with your body language, and be approachable and the calm in the storm. If you feel confident you will convey confidence.

You are your business card!

 

Be Calm & Helpful

In moments of pressure, especially with the build up of nerves in the process of getting ready, be reassuring and calm even if you are also feeling the pressure of a stressed bride.

If you need to, put your camera down and offer to help in some way. Pour the bride a water, help a flower girl do up her shoe, offer to fix a twisted strap… these small gestures can go a long way.

If you and your lead photographer are confident to do so, offer to go solo with the groomsmen getting ready. The photographer generally gets limited time in the preparation process, see if you are able to focus solely on the guys for an hour or so, it’s a big help.

Confidence & Initiative

The photographer has hired you to back them up whilst they shoot, so don’t expect constant direction throughout the wedding.

Instead, they need you to be prepared and confident, and to take initiative. They will be focused on the moments unfolding before them and will assume that you are also capturing moments unfolding before you. And assuming you’ve had that chat prior to the wedding, you should have a good idea of what they would expect you to capture.

Look For Moments

Take notice of what the lead photographer is capturing, and look for moments and emotions they may be missing. Capture children, grandpa, the bride with her dad, aunty Mabel filming on her ipad/iphone. Try to anticipate what’s coming next and be ready for it.

Photograph details such as hands, laughter, hugs, champagne being poured.

Try not to pose the wedding guests, be like a fly on the wall and capture the moments in front of you as they happen.

Use a longer lens to capture moments from a distance, try f/2 – f/4 and nail the focus on the main subject.

Capture The Details & Scene

Capture all the sweet details – not only are they meaningful to the couple, but they’re a big part of the story. Also take wide shots of the location or landscape so that they are able to remember the feeling of their surroundings. These wide shots will add context to the detail shots and together, tell a pictorial story of the day.

Using Framing for Creative Compositions 

Frame using foliage, people, buildings, anything… make it fun. Be creative with your perspective, but always remember to keep horizons straight… horizons aren’t crooked.

 

Light

Often a wedding is held in harsh mid afternoon sunlight which is generally unflattering. Be aware of light and shadows, and dappled light from trees and change your position for the most flattering and even light.

My personal favourite is backlighting. Some golden hour light can add a certain kind of magic so if you’re lucky enough to get some, use it!

Related: Golden Hour Photography Tips for Beginners

 

Ownership of Images

You will be expected to shoot in full resolution raw, and hand the images over at the end of the day. Your images are for the lead photographer and they will edit them to ensure the gallery is consistent. Unless you have permission you are generally not able to post or add these images to your portfolio.

There may be a contract that you need to sign which details the photogapher’s terms.

 

Lastly…

Be fun, have fun… weddings are a celebration!

Feel it, enjoy it!

And drink lots of water… wedding photographer hangover is real!

 

 

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