Second photographers exist for many reasons — they can double as assistants, they can be apprenticing, or just as often they are equal to the main photographer in ability. It's not a foregone conclusion that you need one, it's a matter of what the results will be with or without, and whether those results are important to YOU — Something to talk about with your photographer.

When I book a 2nd photographer I find someone who is a photographer in their own right and probably have a wedding to cover themselves the next day. I will normally ask them to cover just the essential hours of the day which really concentrates their value for everyone.

If I need an assistant as well then I have a whole other person just to do that, who doesn't take photographs. This is my way — not mixing up one skill with another, so that everybody can do their best work. It also means that I have a flexibly-sized team, one that I can adapt to the needs of the event.

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