North Carolina – Mallory Shorter Photography

You’re getting married and starting to look into wedding photographers. You keep hearing the words “second shooter” thrown around, so let’s get into it!

What is a second shooter?

A second shooter is another photographer, who will come and help shoot your wedding. If you have a second shooter at your wedding it means you will have 2 photographers. The photographer that you hire will provide the second shooter. The second shooter will come help shoot your wedding, but all of your images will be edited by the main photographer that you hired. This ensures you get the max amount of photos and they will also look consistent.

What are the benefits?

1. You will get different angles of all of the big moments!

Here are some scenarios: The bride walking down the aisle vs the groom’s reaction to her coming down the aisle. The first look. One photographer focuses on the groom’s reaction and the other focuses on the bride’s. Same deal with the first dance. The photographers can stand on opposite sides of the room, so you have completely different back drops. One photographer can be zoomed in getting close ups and the other can get wide shots.

2. The photographers can be in 2 different places at once.

Aside from capturing different angles of the same event, the photographers can spread out to capture what’s going on in different areas. For example one photographer can get photos of the bride getting ready while other gets photos of the groom. While the main photographer is taking formal family portraits after the ceremony, the other can be at cocktail hour with your guests. And did I mention the dance floor? 2 photographers will capture tons of different moments happening on the dance floor. Not a single one of your drunk friends will make it out without documentation!

3. Extra Security

Twice as many photographers and twice as many cameras. Hopefully none of the following happens at your wedding, but if it does a second photographer will have you covered! If something happens and one photographer misses it the other will still have it. If a camera breaks that’s twice as many backup cameras. If one photographer is running late the other can cover. Never hurts to have extra hands(and cameras)!

4. They can help your wedding run smoothly.

A second shooter helps with more than just taking photos. They help the main photographer by holding lights and moving things around which helps get photos done quicker and more efficiently. They can also help communicate between the photographer, wedding, planner, and the couple, so that everyone is on the same page without having to stop what they are doing.

5. Best of all, You get more photos!

This one is pretty simple, but probably the best perk of having a second shooter. You will automatically receive more photos if you have a second shooter than if you only have one photographer.

So do you need a second shooter?

I always recommend having one if you’re budget allows. You will never regret having a second shooter. The only scenario where I’d say you might not need one is if you are having a very small(less than 20 people) wedding, but even then you may still enjoy the perks that come with a second shooter.

Bonus! Here are some gems my second photographer took while I was shooting the bridal party, seen in the background!

Early afternoon on Sunday May 31st demonstrators gathered in Uptown Charlotte for a march, protesting police brutality against the black community, triggered by the recent murder of George Floyd, a black man killed by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

Photos by Mallory Shorter

In the evening, a large gathering of demonstrators took to the streets of the Uptown district for what, for the most part, was a peaceful assembly.

At every block the demonstrators were met by police officers on bikes who barricaded the streets to allow them to march through. The crowd stopped, face to face with the officers, with their hands up shouting “Don’t shoot” before continuing.

A bus load of officers in tactical gear pulled up behind the protesters, before rushing them.

The majority of the protesters fled through a parking garage, as the officers closed in shouting “Move!” Those on the outside scattered and a woman can be seen throwing a drink on the officers.

The officers threw tear gas towards the opening of the garage as a second wave of officers ran in as reinforcement.

A woman was arrested and held in the middle of a group of officers. She was allegedly carrying a gun.

The demonstrators marched the streets chanting phrases such as “No Justice No Peace,” “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe.”

A few of the protesters stood between the officers and their fellow demonstrators encouraging, them to keep moving.

At around 8pm the crowd started to dwindle down.

During the evening, the march was relatively peaceful. However, as day turned to night its been reported that the activities grew more violent. Reportedly, more than 15 arrests were made during the demonstrations Sunday night. Some protesters went on to throw objects at the officers, damage windows at the Wells Fargo and Chipotle on South College St. CMPD responded with tear gas and arrests. At around 9pm hundreds of protesters went to the sheriff’s office and set off fireworks.

Do I Need A Second Shooter For My Wedding?