What does the assitant photographer do?

[adias.angel]

Hi All,

So I am trying to figure out what the different responsibilities are between your main photographer and their assistant (or second photographer). Does one do the main shots and the other do the detail shots? So confused. Carla

[rodent]

it depends on the photographer & the shoot.

 

sometimes the 2nd shooter is with the guys getting ready & the main photographer is with the bride.

 

they do different angles during the ceremony. usually one in the front & one in the back.

 

during the romantics & TTD, they can help with lighting or get different angles.

 

we did some night shots that probably wouldn't have been possible without two people.

[adias.angel]

Thanks Morgan! As always, you come to my rescue

 

When I googled it the best result I got was Amazon trying to sell me a book on how to be a assistant photographer...

[TATrisha]

Just be careful! Because sometimes when they say "with assistant" that literally MEANS assistant. Not necessarily a second shooter. For instance, on all of my portrait sessions I typically have an assistant. that's the person that holds my crap basically. It allows me to take the pictures that I need to take without interferance. However, when I do weddings I have a second shooter. They will do just like Morgan said. During the "get ready" stages, one goes with the bride, one with the groom. During the ceremony we capture different angles, same with the portrait session. It's also kind of just like a backup in case something goes wrong or in case you miss something. I enjoy having the peace of mind.

[rodent]

good point about assistant vs 2nd shooter. I've heard some photographers say the assistant does things like backup the pictures when the card gets full (for extra insurance). some photographers have an assistant put together a slide-show from the ceremony pics that they show during the reception. it really varies.

 

oh & it's a good idea to ask to see some of the 2nd shooter's work. i've been in weddings where the 2nd shooter was their 15yr old kid.

[rodent]

oh I just thought of another one. before the ceremony, one photographer was taking pictures of the guests & mike at the ceremony spot. the other was photographing my mom & i walking from the room to the site.

 

I've been in weddings where the 2nd shooter never left the main photographers side, so they mostly took duplicate pictures.

[leahstafford]

When I have a 2nd shooter they will be with the groom while I am with the bride or getting ready shots. They will also go down to the ceremony site with the groom to get some images before everyone is seated. Otherwise after that we are together for the rest of the day working different angles and different things to shoot. It's good to always ask what they do though!

[mimosa123]

Are you responsible for covering the costs of the second photographer??

[b610]

usually the 2nd photographer can get more candid shots while you / wedding party is focused on looking at the 1st photographer...

[bellalucefoto]

You've gotten alot of great answers! Generally the assistant helps the photographer and does not shoot- with lighting, memory cards, carrying bags, etc. We always shoot weddings with 2 photographers and tell everyone to look at me. My husband shoots all candids (photojournalistic) while I do the group shots, etc. We also split up when the bride and groom are separated. We also shoot with different cameras and lenses, so even if we were to take a picture of the same thing, it usually looks totally different. Just make sure you get the details included in your contract!

 

Katie