So you want to be a wedding photographer, but where to start? You can attend styled shoots, but that doesn’t equate to experience with weddings. This is where second, and even third, shooting comes in. Second shooting is very different than attending a styled shoot. There is an etiquette to it that you may not be aware of. Here are some do’s and dont’s to help you to be the best second shooter out there.

Firstly, be helpful

I really can’t say this enough. If the lead is holding a bride’s bouquet while also trying to photograph, take that bouquet and hold it. If the lead is trying to get that killer veil shot, help them achieve it by holding the veil wherever they see fit. While its wonderful to get images for your portfolio by second shooting, that’s not the main objective when being a second. Your main objective as a second shooter is to help the lead.

Posting etiquette

Wait to post, and wait however long the lead prefers for you to. Personally I just ask that my seconds wait to post until after the delivery date of the images, but some leads prefer you to wait for as long as six months. Don’t be that person who goes against what the lead shooter wants you to do. Never tag any vendors, never tag the venue, never tag the couple, don’t friend request them, don’t give them your contact information. It’s very bad etiquette and word gets around when a photographer breaks these guidelines. No matter how saturated with photographers your area is, it’s actually a small community and we all know each other in some way.

Behind the scenes

There’s a do and a don’t here. If you want to go the extra mile when second shooting then do capture some behind the scene photos of the lead working. I always try to do this when I second shoot. These are seriously invaluable. I absolutely love when people who second for me do this. The don’t here: don’t shoot behind the scenes for yourself. Don’t spend time that you’re being paid to be there to make reels and tiktoks for yourself and then post them online. Unless you have an incredible working relationship with the lead and they have explicitly expressed that they’re ok with you doing this, just don’t. 

Don’t talk over the lead

Yes, I really have had a second shooter do this. If you’ve ever attended a styled shoot then you know that you gotta get in there and speak up if you’re in a group with someone who is taking the reins. A wedding is not a styled shoot. I’ll say it again, A WEDDING IS NOT A STYLED SHOOT. Don’t treat it as such. Don’t talk over the lead. Don’t call out poses. If there’s time for it I will ask my second if they have any ideas or poses they’d like to try, but there’s not always time for that and when my flow is interrupted by a second shooter it throws things off. When I am seconding I never try to pose the couple unless I am asked to do so.

Be discreet

If I notice something that might seem off to me I discreetly mention it to the lead. If I were to call out in front of the entire wedding party “Don’t you want the groomsmen’s thumbs out of their pockets?” that would be a way of sort of undermining the lead. The lead might not prefer the wedding party to be posed in that way, and that’s totally ok. If I see something that I think might need fixed or realize the lead didn’t shoot something, I discreetly whisper it to the lead and ask. I don’t give the couple, the wedding party or anyone else in attendance the impression that I know better than the lead shooter. That just opens up the floor for wedding party and family members to start making suggestions, and we don’t need all those cooks in the kitchen.

Don’t advertise yourself

This should be common sense right? Unfortunately, it does need to be said. Don’t take on a second shooting job and then refer yourself to people at the wedding. Don’t give out your contact information. It’s just in bad taste.

Ask questions

I always ask a myriad of questions when I second shoot. Do you prefer me to shoot from this side during the ceremony? Do you have a preference on which lens I shoot with? Do you want me to shoot wide open? This all goes back to just being helpful. The answers you get will be different from one lead to the other, so just ask if you aren’t sure of their preference.

Lastly, don’t commit if you aren’t committed

This is such a problem among some photographers. I’ve actually had one person cancel on me and then use a different account to say they could second for a different date, then cancel for that date as well. Never again will I try to hire that person. I’ve also had someone reach out to tell me which location they were going to start shooting at (the reception in this case) and that they would be at that location a full hour before I would arrive for the day. I responded that I actually needed them to be with me at the portrait location where I would be starting the day off, and to not get there an hour before me. They cancelled the next day and I had to find someone else. With that being said though, I do suggest not taking second shooting jobs too far out. Personally, I wouldn’t say yes to a second shooting job that’s six months from now because I could potentially book that date myself. 

Now of course these things could vary from person to person but, generally speaking these are industry standards. Now go be the best second shooter there is.