Being a good wedding assistant isn't easy. You need to be sociable with the client and guests, accommodating to the main photographer, a good team player, eager to learn and help out, and if you are a second shooter you also need to be a pretty proficient photographer as well.
Being a good solid photographer means you aren't fumbling around with your gear, you put yourself in the best spot to give yourself the best opportunity for a photograph, you wait for the peak of the action and don't just blast off 10 frames, and you evaluate your work as you shoot to make sure your focus, exposure, and lighting are nailed before moving on to something else.
I have to praise my assistant David Strauss here a little bit because he absolutely nailed what I consider being a great assistant at my last wedding. Here are two frames we both caught at the same moment (His is on top, mine is on the bottom). Shots like these happen in a split second and many times I'm left disappointed in my own performance. It's exciting when you can deliver your client two different angles of the exact same moment because it makes them feel like you and your team were doing a great job and it reflects your business in a very positive light.
I know these two photos aren't going to win any awards or anything but I thought I'd share them nevertheless in hopes of inspiring you to both be the best assistant you can be and also train your own assistants well so you can work well as a team.
