Hello! I am new here look forward to getting to know you all! I posted this in weddings but figured I'd cross post just in case for other opinions. I hope that's allowed?
I came across this post, which got me thinking....do you guys use a second shooter? Is one always really necessary? I never use one and am able to capture all the moments of a day with extremely happy clients. I feel like it's a waste the majority of the time and everyone here uses one because other photographers use it as a "selling feature".
http://nicolesarah.com/why-you-dont-need-a-second-shooter-for-your-wedding/
IMO, for large weddings I would offer it with an appropriate fee that represents an added value. If the customer did opt for this added benefit, I would block out the wedding and other events so that images don't overlap. Make sure the second shooter gets a different perspective than the primary.
Also, this is an opportunity to have a talented, lesser experienced photographer shoot a wedding without having the added pressure of shooting first.
I shot my first wedding as a second shooter on Saturday. The primary shooter is a friend of mine and as it was a small wedding I wasn't really needed (saying that when the primary's camera failed at the cake cutting part it was bloody handy I was there!) but I delivered 48 usable images. My friend got me a drink and paid for my dinner afterwards but I gained so much insight and experience in that one day, it was so worth it.
Me, not being a wedding photographer, have shot second on a few occasions. Never hurts to gain experience in an area of photography you spend little time at. The last one I did, we blocked it out as....the primary gets all the typical/normal/required wedding shots and I do all the "artsy stuff", as she called it. :-) So I was actually able to get some macro shots in and even a nice wide shot the customer LOVED.
This one was taken at that wedding.....
https://fstoppers.com/photo/92779
I have a few from that day I'll be putting up for critique soon, but seeing as the clients haven't seen them yet I'll hold off until everyone's happy.
Beautiful shot!!!