Do I Need A Second Wedding Photographer?

I encounter brides who either say up front that they need a second photog for wedding coverage, or appear to not have considered the benefit versus overkill of having a second. There's always a budget, and as that means cutting out the extras in most cases, in other cases having the addition is critical. What to do!

The definitive answer is: It depends! It's based both on your preferences and your scenarios. This article will help you assess the particulars so you may consider whether you need a second or if having one would be overkill.

Situations Recommended for Second Coverage

If any one of these situations is true of your wedding day, you may want to consider a second photog:

• Two events happen simultaneously in separate places and there is not enough time for one photographer to cover both. Example: Groomsmen and bridesmaids getting ready in separate venues.
• You have an odd usage of processional/recessional space, like a long scenic aisle walkway which has steps, curves or people are entering the congregation from two different directions.
• Your ceremony is 30 minutes or less in a large space. There's only so much moving around and capturing as many angles as possible during short ceremonies, especially in large venues or if there's a balcony and you want overhead shots taken at the same time as aisle shots.
• You want to choreograph an off-altar First Look. Any short-lasting moment is best covered from two angles simultaneously. First Looks can be covered fine with just one photog, but having just one often means I'm stopping you in the middle of the action to make sure I get all the expressions. It depends on locales and circumstances.
• Your venue has challenging lighting, either outdoors at night or a dimly lit space with high ceilings. These situations require special spot lighting for best exposure and to capture low light effects. A lighting assistant is required to manage equipment. Check out Charge of the Light Brigade to see what I mean visually.

Situations Covered Well with One Photographer 

• All events are happening in the same venue and you have 6 or more hours of total coverage. Longer coverage means more time for one photog to cover pretty much everyone and everything.
• You're okay with less angles or less shot variation for short-lived moments.
• You have a longer than half-hour ceremony. The length offers more than enough time for one photog to cover everything from many angles. Two is overkill, unless you want overhead balcony shots taken at the same time as aisle shots.

It's a Toss Up

If you're still undecided, consider that getting a second will not necessarily allow you to shorten your total coverage hours (or lessen your package cost). I'm open to the possibility of adding a second for only a portion of your day, but this depends on locations and the particulars of your event. Consider too that having a second shooting the same subject from two angles may result in your second showing up in the backgrounds of some shots. Digital touch ups in such a case (to remove the  background photog) are done on a per-photo, as-requested basis. 

Having two is often a benefit to the photogs themselves. Coordination, equipment management and travel can more easily be arranged. For instance, if you have a limo traveling to multiple photo sites, things will go more smoothly if I jump on and off with you and not need to find parking separately. My second can assist with my travel at the end of the day. This indirectly affects the fluency of your schedule.

Hopefully this will aid you in your decision! As you can see, it often is very situational, and not everyone needs to have two photographers, but you can clearly see the benefits in certain situations. Most weddings I cover employ just me on site and they can be shot sufficiently as such, but I cannot be in two places at once. However, no one has ever complained that they didn't have enough coverage of their event when it was just me, and I've never once had someone say "You didn't get a shot of so-and-so or this-and-that!" I'm very observant on the job, and honestly I've quite well trained myself to notice a lot of things and somehow look at two things at once. It's a skill that's ever-enhancing ;).

To learn if your specific coverage requires two, I recommend we meet and chat about your particular venues, budget and wedding day schedule. It's also not uncommon to add extra coverage or add a second photog to your existing package within a week or two of your event date. It happens!