What is a “Second Shooter?”

If you have been around photographers and weddings, you might have heard the term “second shooter.”  It may sound like some kind of sniper in an action movie, but fear not, it is simply someone who assists the primary photographer with the wedding.  Second shooters can be hired to cover all or part of an event and are most often used for bigger events or those in which photography opportunities are challenging.

Recently, I had the privilege of working as a second shooter for Carol Hedspeth of Conway Photo Shop and Amy Matthews of Amy Matthews Photography.  Being a second shooter is an awesome opportunity to help a colleague and to celebrate love with wonderful families.  Second shooters usually have definite responsibilities but are often able to take more chances with creativity than the primary shooter can afford to take.  Brides who choose KJ Bradley Photography have the option of adding a second shooter for smaller packages.  The extra photography is included with the Premium wedding package as well.  Sometimes, photographers work together by trading events (I second shoot for a photographer at a wedding and she in turn second shoots for a wedding I am contracted to photograph).

    Here are some images from this weekend’s wedding where I assisted Amy Matthews Photography.  It was the beautiful wedding of Diana and James in Roanoke Rapids, NC.  Of course, I was in love with the purple and yellow.  My assignment was to cover the groomsmen, the floor level of the church and candids.  It was a dreary rainy day outside, but inside the love of bride and groom was warm and bright.  My favorite picture is the one of Diana and James in their first dance as husband and wife.  If you look closely, you can see Diana’s father looking on in the background.  I also love the gorgeous stained glass windows of Rosemary United Methodist Church.  The beautiful cake was made by Shannon Warren of Bakery and Simply Devine Cakes.

wedding photos

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