kathyt
Been spending a lot of time on here!
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After reading and commenting on this thread, http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/general-shop-talk/304324-photographing-weddings.html, I thought I had read or someone had mentioned that it is so hard to find anyone willing to let them second shoot at any weddings so where could they get any experience? It might have been on another thread, but anyways it brought up a good point and I thought I would throw a few things out there as someone who hires a second shooter for every wedding I book. I happen to use the same second shooter for all of my weddings, yes I lucked out, but for most photographers this is not the case.
So, as a primary shooter what would I be looking for in a second shooter?
1. technical ability-show me what you have done. website, blog, portfolio, is it consistantly good across the board, is the style similar to mine?
2. gear-what are they shooting with? VERY IMPORTANT TO ME!!!!! full frame? quality lenses? wide variety of lenses? speed lights? batteries? Anything they can bring to the table that I don't have?
3. Professionalism? They either have it or they don't. Do they have references? What is their past wedding experiences? If this is their first wedding are they asking to be paid? Have they shadowed before?
4. Are they in business? Are they planning on taking on weddings in the future? You obviously don't want a second shooter who lives in the same town promoting him or herself during your functions and under your name.
5. Are they willing to sign a second shooter contract? My second shooter must sign a contract for every single wedding and there is no exception.
6. Are they willing to abide by my guidelines on how they can use the images they shot from the wedding? This is a BIG one!!!!! I get the CF cards from my second shooter at the end of the evening.
7. What does this individual have to offer? Do we mesh well?
So these are just a few things I thought I would throw out there for anyone looking to second shoot. I would love for other primary shooters to add to this list or to mention things they might do differently to help other members out who might be looking to second shoot in the future.
So, as a primary shooter what would I be looking for in a second shooter?
1. technical ability-show me what you have done. website, blog, portfolio, is it consistantly good across the board, is the style similar to mine?
2. gear-what are they shooting with? VERY IMPORTANT TO ME!!!!! full frame? quality lenses? wide variety of lenses? speed lights? batteries? Anything they can bring to the table that I don't have?
3. Professionalism? They either have it or they don't. Do they have references? What is their past wedding experiences? If this is their first wedding are they asking to be paid? Have they shadowed before?
4. Are they in business? Are they planning on taking on weddings in the future? You obviously don't want a second shooter who lives in the same town promoting him or herself during your functions and under your name.
5. Are they willing to sign a second shooter contract? My second shooter must sign a contract for every single wedding and there is no exception.
6. Are they willing to abide by my guidelines on how they can use the images they shot from the wedding? This is a BIG one!!!!! I get the CF cards from my second shooter at the end of the evening.
7. What does this individual have to offer? Do we mesh well?
So these are just a few things I thought I would throw out there for anyone looking to second shoot. I would love for other primary shooters to add to this list or to mention things they might do differently to help other members out who might be looking to second shoot in the future.