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How many additional shooters do you use........


hassy501

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How many shooters do you use for your wedding coverage and if it is multiple shooters, how does this affect your

bottom line ?

 

I occasionally use seconds but only on my top packages.........never on smaller jobs. Yet i know of wedding

photographers who bring along 2 and 3 shooters who are charging 1000.00 for an all day coverage .......that is

crazy......how can they make any "real" money doing that ?

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Of course I pay my associate photographers as they are all quality artists. One of my associates, at a recent wedding,

walked into the ladies getting ready room and walked up to the bride and said, "I know you! I did your HS Senior

pictures." Out of the corner of her eye she could see tha maid of honor getting ready and said, "I know you too! I was

the photographer for your wedding."

 

This is an important piece to my business. I serve on the board of the TCPPA and Am quite active with them. Many

benefits of belonging to an organization like this, I've got friends because of the TCPPA and I also have the ability to

watch for prospective people who could help build my business.

 

We are successful because we operate as a team.

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The trend in our market, seems to be leaving no room for second shooters, next year . We pay between $125-75 hr for additional photographers > but, I can usually cover a 4-6 hour wedding by myself. That second shooter is not really going to capture that many "extra" images >>> necessary to justify their assistance. And ...it takes considerable time to train them :: in the style you are offering your B&G .
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I use 0 shooters, and would use 0 shooters if I was charging the most money.

 

It is easy to pick up eager photographers (young and old) wanting to become wedding photographers who will shoot for free. Whether they add anything to your offering to your client is sometimes questionable, and they 'could' be a liability.

 

One would think that if you are paying a second decent money, you are getting decent money from your client.

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Always have a second. Love having them. They can get different shots that I can't, we can be in 2 places at once, if anything happend to any of my shots there will be backups, if i died in a car accident on the way - there would still be a photographer there! It's a personal choice but I feel more secure with a second and love having someone to bounce ideas off.

 

Usually my second shooters have done a few of their own weddings, but not as many as me. They are always great fun. I pay them, the amount depends on what I'm getting paid. It's entirely up to them whether they want to do it or not at the price I offer. I try to be fair though.

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I've done both and have covered more on my own rather than with a second shooter. There's certainly advantages to having a second camera but the acid-test comes down to dollars and cents. Does the cost of a 2nd camera bring more sales in reprints? (typically not) Does the extra dimesion in depth of coverage justify the additional cost? Depends on the clients.....Most of them are happy to save a few hundred dollars after looking at the coverage from several examples from weddings I did solo.
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> I guess alot of it depends on what market you are in <

 

Yes I agree that is a factor, though I would word it: ``depends to what market your are selling``.

 

 

***

 

 

> and for experienced wedding shooters, it doesn't seem to be that necessary as opposed to newer insecure wedding photographers <

 

As kindly as I can state it:

 

If one is so insecure in one`s own ability to need an additional Photographer, then, IMO one should not be the Lead Photographer, nor taking the Client`s money.

 

WW

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What about just wanting a second shooter so you can mentor them?

 

I have been considering offering my services to a wedding photographer for some time. I have no prior experience, which

is why I would work for free, but it since "for experienced wedding shooters, it doesn't seem to be that necessary as

opposed to newer insecure wedding photographers," I am reconsidering. I don't want to work under someone who is

insecure or inexperienced. So where would I start, if all the experienced wedding photographers don't want inexperienced

second shooters or don't want second shooters at all? Does nobody take on the task of passing on the trade anymore?

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I'm sure there are many pros willing to mentor........but in this current economy where weddings are being scaled back, brides are choosing smaller coverages, there is a glut of "wedding" photographers, it's tough training the future competition..............As I suspect most wedding pros got started, we just went out and did it.......probably had some other type of photography background, used THAT to move into weddings, covered small jobs, some for free, maybe relatives, friends, then moved forward from there.............

 

I personally know many "wedding" photographers who are making money, with no formal training.......selling yourself is as much a part of the profession as the actual work.

 

Second shooting is a great way to learn if you can get those gigs...........

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In the earlier days > it was film. Way too costly to "experiment." One had to shoot somewhat towards a degree

of perfection. Not a fix it later attitude. The newer second shooters, that approach us, seeming do not

understand :: manual exposure, manual flash, even using a hand meter... ? We spend very little time correcting

images in post and the 2nd shooter has to be willing to have training > in the above departments...to save us

that time.

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"Bill, could you absolutely cover a wedding by yourself if you had to and be successful or would you NEED that second

?"

 

Sure I could cover a wedding by myself. For me, it's part of my business that I show the advantages to prospective

clients at our first and subsequent meetings with them. When the ladies are getting ready I can work with the men. If

I'm near the front for the ceremony then she can be in the back and balcony. Some beautiful pictures can be created

just before dad walks her down the aisle. There are quite a few other situations where I can tell the story better with an

associate photographer.

 

Just what I offer. It's not right or wrong but it's what I do.

 

Clients seem to like it.

 

Maybe that's just a piece of my business that helps me get new clients w/o any print advertising.

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George,

 

reading your original question, I am curious if you can charge enough to cover the cost on a "higher end" wedding, and you would like to have a second all the time, why don't you just charge more for your "lower end" packages. Just enough to cover it. ??

 

I on the other hand, could not possibly work alone,....just to insecure :-)

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