When it comes to planning your wedding, there’s no doubt that you’ve thought about whether or not to hire two photographers for your wedding. As a husband and wife duo, we often get the question, why should I hire 2 photographers? Here’s a few points to help you with that decision.
Different locations
More often than not, you and your significant other will be getting ready in different locations before the ceremony. Usually the bride will be getting into her dress within the last moments before leaving, and the groom and his groomsmen usually always get ready right at the last minute. These two moments will often take place at the same time, which sometimes isn’t possible for only one photographer. With two photographers, they can separate – one will go with the bride, and one will go with the groom ensuring that both will have those special getting ready moments leading up to the ceremony.
Back Up for the Photographer
In a perfect world we would never have to think about having a back up – everything would be flawless. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Even something as minimal as changing out a camera battery can make a photographer miss a shot. With a second photographer, these moments become easier. If one is away changing equipment, or even needing a bathroom break, you’re always guaranteed to have a photographer there. If something were to go crazy like a corrupted card during the ceremony with only one photographer, that could lead into a whole lot of problems – the photographer could completely miss the ceremony – hopefully they would have back up equipment, but this brings it back to the point of switching gear. With 2 photographers, even if something happened to one of the photographers, you’ll still get the moments captured by the other.
Variety of Photos
Having two photographers during your wedding will allow for a variety of photos. You’ll be able to have multiple perspectives during the day – maybe one photographer is busy with one moment, while the second photographer can jump into the other moment that’s happening. While the primary photographer is busy doing family and formal photos, the second photographer can get candid photos of your guests and any events happening during the meantime. If the guests aren’t there during that time, the second photographer can get different perspectives during formals, or simply assist on gathering people and helping the formal photos move along quicker.
Speed up the Process
Let’s face it, sometimes weddings don’t always follow the schedule – or sometimes it’s a very tight schedule. If we’re running short on time, having a second photographer can be a savior. For example, we can split up the duties – one will shoot all the details, the other can do candid photos or formals, or whatever is happening in that moment. Sometimes gathering people can be a huge time consumer. One photographer can go gather, while the other keeps doing photos. Also, sometimes in certain venues the lighting might not be the greatest – if we’re tight on time, one photographer can help get any flash stands setup while the other continues to shoot.
Whatever you decide, make sure you think about everything that you want out of your photos. In the end, it’s the only thing you’ll have left to look back on once it’s all done.
