Hey folks,
I am a professional portrait photographer, run my own business, and have a fairly decent sized portfolio. I wanted to get into wedding photography so a family member hired me to do their wedding. I have been planning this for six months, making sure I had backup equipment/accessories and working on a shot list. It's a small wedding in a public park.
The bride asked if I thought we should have a second photographer. I told her it wasn't necessary because the wedding was so small and she was trying to save money.
Anyway, about a month until the wedding, we go visit the park so I can get a feel for angles and shots. On the way out, she informs me that she hired another photographer just for the ceremony. He's not a professional, just a student, and she's paying him three times what she wants to pay me. He will be editing and enhancing his own photos.
I have no problem with a second shooter so I assume he's going to be there to assist me and take direction from me but that's not the case. She informs me that she hired him as an individual photographer (not a second shooter) and that he will be taking the same shots as me from a different angle. I am not in the business of having to compete with another photographer and I don't want to be tripping over him in this small venue where there isn't even an aisle to walk up or an altar.
Is this normal to hire a second photographer without consulting the first one and then expect them to compete for the same shots?
Thanks in advance,
M.
