no photographer wants a second shooter of their subjects or paid assignments. the only time you’ll work as a second shooter is something horrible like wedding or event photography where you’re both working toward chipping away at the same large objective and sharing the workload. it’s actually a pretty huge faux pas to shoot over the shoulder of a photographer at the same subject.

I run a small wedding studio in addition to my corporate work. I do between 10-15 weddings a year for the last 10 years. I have pretty high end clientele as all my work is through referrals by a few planners I have a relationship with. This is what I need a s a baseline from my seconds…

-Probably the most important is I need to know youre not going to embarrass me. Youre going to be on time. Respectful but can joke around a bit too and know the line. Dress accordingly. Not be huffing down snacks and drinks at the bar, etc… And I also need you to have the attitude that this is not your “art”. You are working and providing a service. I like that you are a good photographer, but if a family member asks you to get a pic of them with the chocolate fountain I cant think you’re someone who is going to look at that as beneath you.

-Next I need to know if I can count on you to get me a good 10 picture photo story of the groom getting ready?

-Next I need to know if you have the technical chops that if someone stops and asks you to take a picture, you can make that picture. I cant have the Father of the Bride stopping you on the dance floor to take a quick shot of him and his friend only to find out later you missed your focus, or your flash was was over or under, or whatever. If someone sees you or asks you to take a pic I need to know you’ll stick it. This isn’t journalism where you can shoot ll day and only need to produce 10 pictures… your keeper rate has to be pretty high.

-If I ever see a second schmoozing a planner of mine, passing out cards, or trying to get work out of my event in any way I’d never hire them again, and I’d tell my other photog buddies as well. My Event. My client. My leads.

To stay off the grassy knoll.

I expect a second shooter to know their camera inside and out. Be able to shoot in constantly changing conditions with no hesitation. I expect them to understand composition, depth of field for storytelling, and etiquette as far as how to shoot without being in the way of anything. A second shooter should not be an amateur shooting in automatic mode trying to build a portfolio. A portfolio should already be built so I know who and what to expect when I am hiring.

I don’t really use them but often I think it’d be nice to have them to get the “boring” shots I really need. Like when doing event photography I know I need to get some shots of the sponsor tables. It’d be nice just to have someone cover those required shots so I can focus on getting the more candid real moments.

Depends what you are doing. I started as a secondary shooter for events, and I just watched what the main shooter was shooting, and got something different. For e.g, if the main shooter is shooting the person on stage, you can shoot reaction shots of the audience. Also get angles that the main shooter isn’t getting. For e.g if he/she is getting wide’s, you get tight shots, or if they are shooting from the back of the room, you shoot from the side of the room. In short, try to tell the story of the day.

Are there websites aimed at photographers in Ohio? I’m in London and there are lots of websites advertising jobs for photographers.