How to Find Second Shooting Jobs (H&S’s Guide to Second Shooting Pt. 3)
November 9, 2023
Hey photographer friends! Welcome back to our Photography Blog, Mastering the Wedding Photography Biz with Hunter and Sarah! Today, we’re continuing our blog series all about second shooting. Specifically, we’re going to discuss how it can help photographers grow their wedding photography businesses. Even if they’re brand new to weddings! Last week, we wrote about how to be a good second shooter. But this week, we’re going to talk about how you can find second shooting jobs in the first place!
Know Where to Aim to Find the Right Second Shooting Jobs
The first step to find second shooting jobs is knowing where to look. As a general rule, you’ll learn the most from second shooting if you work with a photographer who is further along in their photographic journey. This is also true when it comes to growing your portfolio! This may mean that they’re shooting weddings with higher budgets than what you normally photograph. Or, it might mean that they have more experience and have shot more weddings than you.
We know that it can be a blast to shoot alongside friends or peers. But if you want to grow, you need to get out of your comfort zone! Learn from people with different techniques and skills who have been at this longer than you have!
However, just because you should aim higher, doesn’t mean you need to aim right for the top. This is especially true if you’re relatively new to wedding photography. If you email the highest-end photographer in the region without some sort of personal connection/introduction, you’re likely to be ignored. While we certainly won’t tell you not to aim for the very top, you’re more likely to hear “yes” when you approach photographers who are just a few steps ahead of you. If you do have that personal connection – like we did with world-renowned wedding photographer Eric Kelley – use it!
Getting Paid As a Second Shooter
The closer you are in skill to the person you shoot for, the more likely you are to contribute substantially to the day. And therefore, you’re more likely to get paid for your work! Let’s give two examples to show what we mean.
In example #1, Photographer A is in their first year of weddings, has photographed 5 weddings as the lead. They second shoot for photographer B, who is in their third year of weddings, and has photographed 20 weddings. In this example, it’s very reasonable to expect Photographer A to contribute considerable to the wedding day. Many of Photographer A’s photos will be included in the final gallery that Photographer B sends to their clients. Photographer A’s ideas and contributions will be appreciated by Photographer B, who is also still relatively new. The same would apply, for example, if a wedding photographer with 5 years and 70 weddings second shot for a photographer with 9 years and 120 weddings.
However, in example #2, let’s say that same Photographer A (with 5 weddings) connects with their local industry veteran, Photographer C. Photographer C is an in-demand professional who’s shot more than 500 weddings over the past 20 years. In this example, Photographer A is more likely to carry bags, fetch lenses, and get water. They may or may not even take any photos that day! And either way, Photographer A may get paid very little as an assistant, or not at all. In this example, Photographer A is gaining so much knowledge, experience, and expertise as they learn from someone who is light-years ahead of them. Plus, they aren’t contributing that much value to Photographer C’s final image gallery.
How Much Should You Get Paid as a Second Shooter?
Knowing how much you should get paid as a second shooter isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. There are many factors that will influence how much you get paid to second shoot! Your own level of experience and the quality of your own equipment is the first factor. If you’ve never done a wedding as the lead before and are shooting with a crop-sensor camera and a single lens, your time and imagery won’t be as valuable as that of a 5-year wedding veteran with an extensive kit of professional photography gear.
Another factor is your local market and wedding industry. If you live somewhere with a higher cost of living, you may be able to demand a higher hourly rate. Especially when compared to a less expensive area, or an area with a more nascent wedding industry.
In the end, the lead photographer has the final say in how much they want to pay their own second shooter or assistant. If they just need someone for a few hours to help them set up light stands, they may pay minimum wage or close to it. But if a photographer is looking for a peer to play a substantial role in the wedding day, they may be willing to pay a premium. In our local industry, we’ve seen assistant jobs advertised between $10-$20/hr. However, we’ve seen photographers offer $35-$60/hr even for less experienced second shooters, and as much as $100/hr for more experienced professional wedding photographers!
Our Favorite Methods To Find Second Shooting Jobs
If you’re totally new to your local wedding industry, one of the best ways to find second shooting jobs is through Facebook Marketplace. There’s almost certainly at least one photographer Facebook community for your local area, if not many. And photographers of every calibur who need second shooters will often post to those groups! Just search “[Your City] Wedding Photographers” on Facebook and see what you can find! Just be sure to check these often, as many posts will get a dozen or more responses, so you want to be quick!
Of course, traditional face-to-face marketing is another great way to connect with other local vendors. Early in our career, we joined a local industry group specifically for wedding and event professionals. Organizations like this are bound to have annual or even quarterly meet-ups and networking nights. This is a great way to meet other photographers in your local market! If you make yourself known at these spaces and show people that you’re friendly, fun to be around, and could serve their couples well, you won’t have any trouble finding these opportunities!
No matter how you find someone initially, once you have a wedding on your calendar with them, the best way to ensure you’ll have plenty of great second shooting opportunities in the future is to actually BE a good second shooter! The old saying, “good help is so hard to find” stands true when it comes to finding competent, available second shooters. Just being a great help and a positive presence will quickly land you on a short list of go-to second shooters for any great photographer!
Pro Tip: Second Shoot for a Variety of Photographers
However, we also want to provide a word of caution against becoming the “go-to” for a lead photographer. It’s far more convenient for a lead photographer to have a photographer or two that second shoot for them regularly. The relationship is easier, and they don’t feel like they’re constantly training new photographers on how to shoot for them.
However, advice that we always give our Coaching Students is to avoid becoming anyone’s primary second shooter. This might sound strange, because consistently working for the same lead photographer sounds more easy and comfortable than always working for someone new. Plus, it’s way easier to have a photographer send you 10 dates and you just agree to shoot 6 or 7 of them, than finding 6 or 7 different photographers!
However, that comfortability is also why we don’t recommend constantly second shooting for a single photographer. For someone who wants to launch their own wedding photography business, second shooting isn’t just about making an extra $500 on an open weekend. It’s about building your portfolio, learning from people who are ahead of you, and figuring out how you want to run your own wedding days. So if you’re constantly second shooting for the same lead photographer, you may stop growing and learning after the first few weddings! That’s why we tell our students that second shooting 20 weddings for 10 photographers will be better for their business than second shooting 20 weddings for 2 photographers!
Want More?
Click HERE to get your free copy of our eBook: “5 Essential Tips for Turning your Side-Hustle into a Full-Time Photography Business.” You’ll also be subscribed to our newsletter, so our newest content, weekly encouragement, and exclusive offers will be delivered right to your inbox!
—
