abbie_brown1

<p>I work as a second-shooter, both paid and unpaid, using my own equipment.<br>

When I was unpaid, I expected to be granted (and was granted) permission to process my images and display them as my work on my blog (always with references and links to my primary photographer). This was the trade for my work as a second. In some cases, I did all the post-processing work on my images, which were presented to the client as the work of the primary photographer, often with no reference to me at all. <br>

I now work mostly as a paid second-shooter, and my primary photographer does not want me to post the images publicly. She copies all the RAW images from my cards and processes them herself. I consider this a good trade for the payment. I keep backups of all the images I shot, though I never post-process them. I do still blog about the wedding, but I use screenshots of my primary photographer's website and link to her site (with lots of glowing words about the whole event).<br>

I have never signed a contract as a second-shooter, but I do have a verbal contract with the primary photographer who pays me, and, again, I think the terms are reasonable in trade for the payment. If I'm unpaid, I think I should get something in return for my work, even though I have no ambition to go out on my own. At this point, I am fairly experienced and I produce quality images, so it's no longer a simple trade for experience/knowledge from the primary photographer.</p>

<p>I have a pair of Danskos that I bought especially for wedding photography. They look like loafers and not the usual Danskos. It took awhile to break them in, but they are very comfortable now. I have also worn low-heeled black ballet flats from Steve Madden, which took no time to break in.<br>

I recommend a low-heeled comfortable loafer with a soft sole which won't clack as you're running around the back of a church during the quiet prayers, and which won't sink into the dirt when you're running around the lawn taking portraits (or possibly more rugged terrain, if that's where your wedding photos take you). The shoe should be well broken-in (if not, bring backups and band-aids), but you should be able to polish it up to make it look nice. <br>

Black shoes are easy to find in a variety of styles, and there are many brands of women's dress shoes that are intended for 8-hour wear. I have a variety of black outfits (slacks with pockets, and cool, comfortable, dressy blouses) that are intended to be appropriate but ignored, and the shoes match this functionality.<br>

There are lots of great brands out there known for making good shoes meant for 8-hour wear by professional women.</p>

<p>No, Bob, I had the problem with the misfiring Pocket Wizards when the PW was tight on my hotshoe. I wasn't using an on-camera flash that time.<br>

Aimee, I'm not clear how that bracket addresses my problem at all.<br>

Nadine & Pete & the guy who emailed me directly, thanks for the comments about the screw-in PC cables. I will definitely order a screw-in style PC connector right away. I did ask at my local camera shop about this problem, but they are a small place & only carried duplicate PW cables. I didn't realize there was a different kind of PC connector. Maybe later I can try a Michael Bass setup.<br>

I will definitely keep to the on-camera flash setup because it's safer for me, but I'm going to work on getting results like my main photographer gets... it's obviously possible to do it!<br>

Thank you everyone for your comments!</p>

<p>I don't know why the Pocket Wizards weren't firing, if it wasn't line of sight. But they weren't. (Yes, fresh batteries all around, everything plugged in.)<br>

Sorry Matt- I can't post pictures as none of them are mine to post.* It's not a PP thing, a focus thing, or a shutter drag thing. The reception hall lights are dimmed for the party, but the flashes have to be strong to light up the big room. So the difference between the highlights and the shadows is really high, right? It can make a huge difference on the dancing photos- it makes the movement look fabulous, whereas too much front light just flattens it out. And my main photographer can make that highlight/shadow thing work really well, well enough that she doesn't need an on-camera flash.<br>

It's her ability to use only the off-camera lights, and my lack of it, or at least lack of confidence in it.<br>

Not many of my photos are unusable, but I think Nadine has the right word for it- it's iffy. After going totally off-camera last weekend (like my main photographer does) and looking through the SOOC results, I'm just not confident that I'm doing the best that I can do with every shot. (And I haven't seen every shot from my main photographer SOOC either, just everything that's been processed. She might have some off shots too.) I feel much safer having a flash on my camera, I have more ability to move around the room and grab candids, but I still have to use my PW.<br>

I will look into what Michael Bass has available. I think he made the speedlight setups that my main photographer uses. But does it require that I use the flash to trigger the PWs? Then I can't just turn off the on-camera flash and only use the off-camera. I'm not sure that's a better place to be.</p>

<p>*I would post her website/pictures from it, but I know these forums well enough that I could have my name linked to criticism of my lovely main photographer, whose work I very much admire.</p>

<p>I put an ad on Craigslist about second-shooting in my area, and I got several responses from that. I also got responses from budget brides who wanted me to work for cheap, but I refused these opportunities (after getting plenty scared by comments in this forum) and instead sent them each lists of area professionals to contact instead.<br>

I have met several other young professional photographers in my area at photo clubs, on local online forums, and through brides who are friends of mine. Talking myself up and offering myself for cheap/free as a second-shooter led me to second-shoot and assist with several weddings of different budget levels, in both cities and rural areas around my state. (It helps that I am very willing to travel.) I learned so much at every wedding! And each primary photographer had different expectations of what I would do for post-processing, so I had to be clear on all of that ahead of time.<br>

David, I don't think that Marcus intended to suggest that all professionals OWE anybody a chance, just that many professionals will give you a chance if you present yourself well and are willing to learn. That's been my experience as well.</p>

<p>I have been working as an assistant/second shooter for a wedding photographer this year and last.<br>

At the reception, my main photographer likes to set up a couple of stands with two speedlights each (and sometimes an umbrella) in different corners of the reception hall, usually to light the dance floor primarily. These are fired by Pocket Wizard. She uses Canon and I shoot with Nikon.<br>

I love the dimensional look that she tends to get with these off-camera lights. She doesn't use any kind of on-camera flash- just the off-camera speedlights and the Pocket Wizard in the hot shoe. But I can't seem to get the same results as often as she does. We were in a reception hall with large pillars the other night, and I would get stuck with a pillar between me and a speedlights (so one of the speedlights wouldn't fire because of the lack of line-of-sight) or I would want to shoot guests that were too far away from the dance floor to get any light from the speedlights.<br>

I want to pop a speedlight on my camera with a bounce card so that I'll always have some kind of light source, but then I can't fire the Pocket Wizard from the hot shoe. I tried to use a cable to connect the Pocket Wizard to the camera (so that I could keep a speedlight on the hot shoe), but the PC connector won't stay in my D300 terminal- it slides out. I had to keep a finger on it all night, and that was a pain. I did look for a better PC cable but haven't found one that works.<br>

I know that Pocket Wizard is making some transceivers that sit in the hot shoe, and can be used with a speedlight on top. But I spent big bucks (for me) on regular Pocket Wizards a few years ago, and anyway those aren't even due out for Nikon until mid-summer. Furthermore, I really should be saving my cash to get a second decent camera (I have a D50 as a backup that I use sometimes, but I would like something of the same quality as my main camera).<br>

What would you suggest that I do, equipment-wise? <br>

(I know that I could be 100% aware of my proximity to any obstacles between myself and the speedlights at any given time, which is apparently what my main photographer is able to do, and I will work on that.)</p>

<p>Boutwell = Totally Rad.<br>

Do a regular Google search for free actions. I have downloaded a few free ones that I like a lot, especially for creating different kinds of vignettes.<br>

I also love the Kubota action sets.<br>

I bought actions to help my workflow, but they have improved my PS skills because I've needed to learn new tricks in order to tweak the results I got with the actions. I think that they make a great stepping stone if you're trying to learn PS. They didn't make me lazy- in fact, it was exactly the opposite. Soon I could create my own actions. I'm glad I bought them.</p>

<p>I had this same question several months ago. I bought the Tamron after posting to this forum about it. I would not do it again- I would buy the Nikon 17-55 instead. I also have a Nikon D300.<br>

The Tamron lens has a problem communicating with the body. It will just stop focusing and you will get an F0 error. You can turn the camera on and off and the problem will go away, but if you're in the middle of a wedding, that couple of seconds can mean a lot. It is a real hassle- sometimes having this problem every tenth frame or so.<br>

I do not have this problem with my D300 with any of my other lenses (not all of which are Nikkors- I have a Sigma 105mm macro and a Tokina 12-24mm, both of which I love and which don't have this problem). I have cleaned the contacts for both the lens and the body, to no avail.<br>

I know other professionals like the Tamron 17-50, but you can also do a search for this lens & the F0 error and lots of people are having this problem. It is not limited to me or my camera body (as evidenced by my other lenses working properly).<br>

At the time, I didn't want to spend a lot on a lens that I would only use for weddings & events as I don't do them often enough (or for enough money) to justify the price, and I wanted another lens for my fun stuff. Six-plus months later, I realize I used this lens a lot more than I thought I would, and I wish I'd just waited on my fun lens and done the event lens right the first time.<br>

Get the Nikon 17-55.</p>

I know the 24mm f/2.8 is *the* likely candidate for selling, and I could just maybe justify the Nikon 17-55 if I sell the 24mm f/2.8. But I have loved the 24mm f/2.8 for nature & landscapes (my real favorite thing).

Would the optics of the 17-55mm f/2.8 be similar enough to the 24mm f/2.8 prime that the latter is really truly redundant?

Yes, it's another post asking for advice about lenses.

I have been shooting portraits and weddings this year, mostly as a second-shooter and usually with no money

involved, and have found that I desperately want a zoom lens because I can't afford to buy a second full-time body for

the use of multiple primes. I find weddings and the portrait shoots (I do candid-style portraits) to be spontaneous

affairs and I usually want something that allows me some freedom when space doesn't allow me to move. For

myself, I shoot nature and landscapes when time allows.

I have a Nikon D300 with a Nikon D50 as a backup. I have a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8, a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, a Nikkor

85mm f/1.8, a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro, and then my sole zoom: Tokina 12-24mm f/4. I love them all. I had been

considering a long zoom, with my eye on the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8.

However, the need for a wide to medium zoom has eclipsed my want for a long zoom, and I kinda need to get that

zoom soon. I feel the need to stay with f/2.8 even though I have shot most weddings with bounced flash at f/5.6 (with

maybe some artistic f/1.8 shots here and there) while changing lenses constantly.

Sigma and Tamron have some less expensive options (such as the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 or the Tamron 17-50mm

f/2.8) and then there's the one that everyone seems to love but which costs a bushel: the Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8. I

know you'd love for me to get the 17-55mm f/2.8, I understand, but I haven't yet made any money on anything and

can't quite justify the price without a lot of soul-searching (especially since I wouldn't be able to get the long zoom for

many months afterwards).

Is the Nikkor 17-55 a replacement for any of the primes I have? It covers the focal range of three lenses I already

own, which just seems crazy, but I love all of those lenses so much. Any suggestions for me?

I searched high and low for a nice pair of good, comfortable shoes for weddings, and found some cute Danskos that are exactly right: flat but trendy (to fit my style), rubber-soled, and able to withstand tromping through fields or parks for outdoor pictures without any problem.

Add to it black slacks and a cute black shirt, modest but stylish.

I find that pockets in the slacks are a must. That may seem like an obvious thing to guys, but it can be hard to find women's pants that have pockets.

Hi Kenzi,

I sent you an email but it bounced back from your full inbox. I will try again tomorrow!

Thanks!

I have been the second-shooter at two weddings this spring, and I'm really

interested in doing more.

I work FREE right now- whatta deal! I just want to get photos for my portfolio. I

am a dependable professional adult, and I am usually not too annoying. In return,

you get more coverage and your formals/group shots will go faster if I'm there to

help wrangle people.

I shoot Nikon. I carry two bodies, several good lenses (no kit lenses; mostly

primes and an ultra-wide zoom; I'm considering a tele zoom), a couple of flashes

and other equipment. I shoot RAW and on manual almost exclusively.

Besides the two weddings, I've been shooting models TFCD and portraits for

family & friends, as well as landscape and nature photos. I'm happy to provide

samples if you'd like to see them.

I live in Columbia, but I'm willing to travel for free up to 2 hours (which includes KC

and St. Louis plus suburbs in KS or IL, and also Jeff City, Kirksville, Warrensburg,

etc.) on weekends, even for a short and small wedding! If it's a little further

away, I still may consider it. I am really eager for the experience.

Contact me here or abbie at abbiebrownphoto dot com. Thanks!