Do you Need 2 Photographers for Your Wedding?
Deciding why you need 2 photographers for your wedding depends on how you’re celebrating. In this blog post I’ll explain reasons why having a second photographer can be extremely beneficial. Every couple and what they plan is different. So read on to see 5 reasons why you might need 2 photographers at your wedding.
1.Capturing More Photos of Your Guests
I would suggest having a second photographer if your expecting a group of 50 or more guests. For my own wedding, that was important to me. Having my favorite group of friends and family join my husband and I for the day was a big deal. Its rare that a group like that gets together. And I wanted to have as many photos as possible of those people.
Having 2 photographers at your wedding allows more opportunities to capture photos of those important people. When I photograph a wedding with another photographer, I typically optimize our time during family portraits. A lot of times couple will do a cocktail hour after the ceremony. During that time I’ll stay to do portraits of the family, while the other photographer captures photos of the guests during cocktail hour.
2. Optimizing Photos While Getting Ready
If you’re interested in photos of getting ready, having 2 photographers during this time can make things run really smoothly. The 2 photographers can split up their time. One photographer can spend time with the bride and the other can spend time with the groom. Or one photographer can focus on getting ready images, while the other photographer captures important details.
Also, if you’ll be getting ready at different locations, a second photographer is critical. That way its possible to be photographing two places at once. The photographers can start at the same time at the two different locations. This is a great way to capture those important moments for both the bride and groom.
3. Photographing Different Perspectives During the Ceremony
Having a second photographer at your wedding during the ceremony will allow for capturing different perspectives. For example, one photographer can stand up front capturing people walking down the aisle. The second photographer can capture the opposite view. Like the bride’s train and a wider shot of the ceremony location from the back of the aisle.
Also during vows, its helpful to have one photographer capture the face of the person saying their vows, while the other photographer captures the reaction of the person listening. Ceremonies happen quickly and they only happen once. So if you want as much variety as possible from this moment, having a second photographer will give you that.
4. Capturing Photos of Your Reception Room
A lot of times as a photographer when I arrive to the venue, the vendors are still setting up the reception room. I’d love to take photographs of this room and all the little details right after the couple is done getting ready. But most of the time, its not quite complete. Having a second photographer allows for more opportunities to capture photos of the room and details of this space.
Typically there’s a small window of time between when the reception room is set up and when the guests enter the room. If you’re interested in having photos of the decor and the overall room, a second photographer is really helpful. Right after the ceremony time can be split up again. One photographer can take photos of the reception room while the other is photographing the family or the couple.
5. Capturing the Wedding Party
If you’re having a medium to large wedding party, 3 or more people on each side, I would suggest having 2 photographers. 90% of the time things run a little behind schedule during a wedding. Having a second photographer to help capture the wedding party allows for some buffer time.
If things are running a little behind schedule, 2 photographers can capture the wedding party at the same time. One photographer can focus on the bride and bridesmaids. While the other can focus on the groom and groomsmen, saving time.
Recap of Why You Need 2 Photographers for Your Wedding
Here’s a quick recap to judge if you need 2 photographers for your wedding. If one or more of the below statements are true, I would suggest having 2 photographers.
1. You have 50 or more guests joining you
2. Getting ready images are important to you. Especially if you’re getting ready in 2 separate locations.
3. You want a lot of variety and different perspectives during the ceremony.
4. Images of the Reception room and those details are important to you
5. You’re planning on having a wedding party of 3 or more on each side.
Read about Courtney and Andy’s experience and how they appreciated having 2 photographers for their wedding
“TLDR: Nichole is awesome. You should hire her. Read on for more of our reasons why! In our search for wedding photographers, we interviewed 6 different candidates over the phone, hoping to find the perfect one for us. From our first conversation with Nichole, we knew she was the photographer for us! She was professional, organized, and a great value. Once we hired Nichole, we were really able to trust her. She communicated with us the perfect amount: enough to know that she was on it, but also never pressuring us.”
“We never worried about her being late or not being prepared–honestly, she was our favorite wedding vendor! We chose to do the included engagement shoot as part of our package, because we wanted to get comfortable in front of the camera. Nichole clearly has a passion for photography. During that session, we had so much fun! Nichole really put us at ease. She remembered a lot about us, and she got us laughing for some really amazing photos. She was also not afraid to get down and dirty into the bushes for our shoot, if that is what you seek! During our wedding, she was amazing. We chose the 8-hour, two photographer package.”
“She and her counterpart were awesome: unobtrusive but always part of the action. They covered all of the shots we requested, and more! They had some fun creating some artsy photos as well. Several of our guests commented about how professional, helpful, and sweet they are. She was really organized about posed photos we requested, and even accommodated last-second additions from us. Nichole got us a wedding preview of 75 shots within three days of the wedding, and all the others arrived on our agreed upon schedule a few weeks later. The photos really help us relive our night, which is ultimately what we wanted. We are thrilled with the results and recommend Nichole Emerson to anyone seeking a fantastic photographer.”
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