Looking for advice for getting work second shooting weddings?

Soldato
Joined
8 Aug 2010
Posts
6,453
Location
Oxfordshire
Hi Folks

I want to get into wedding photography, but I don't want to start advertising for paid services before I'v second shot quite a few weddings, and have enough experience under my belt, before becoming a first photog, (although I am tempted to just dive in :eek:)

I'm based in Oxfordshire and have been practising my photography for a little over 6 months now, and have finally gotten to the point where I feel happy enough in my technical ability, and am confident I can produce some nice work.

I thought about calling local photographers and asking them if they need a free assistant/second/third shooter.

Does anyone have any advice for how I should go about approaching them?

Thanks in advance...
 
First off, 9/10 will reject you. Don't take it personally, it's because they shoot alone and used to shooting alone.

Secondly, make it clear that you don't want payment, you have your own gear, get your own insurance will help (they can turn you away on that reason alone, an employee not covered under his insurance), and you have a much better chance if you have met them in person. Since your attitude, interaction with others plays as great a part as taking pictures.

Thirdly, keep trying.

P.s. 6 months isn't long at all, what is your portfolio that you will be using to impress them?

P.p.s. You can always dive right in like i did, but do the first few (5 for me) as freebie to gain experience.
 
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I got into it by going on the websites photographers.co.uk and found the ad that Mark had posted and replied to it :)
 
First off, 9/10 will reject you. Don't take it personally, it's because they shoot alone and used to shooting alone.

Secondly, make it clear that you don't want payment, you have your own gear, get your own insurance will help (they can turn you away on that reason alone, an employee not covered under his insurance), and you have a much better chance if you have met them in person. Since your attitude, interaction with others plays as great a part as taking pictures.

Thirdly, keep trying.

P.s. 6 months isn't long at all, what is your portfolio that you will be using to impress them?

P.p.s. You can always dive right in like i did, but do the first few (5 for me) as freebie to gain experience.

Thanks Raymond.

Any advise on which is a good insurance company to use, and how much roughly I can expect to pay?

I will be try to get my website finished asap so that they can see my portfolio online.
My portfolio is a bit thin on the ground if I'm honest, but I have few shoots planed with friends to pad it out a bit.

Below are a few shot's of where I'm currently at, and that I am thinking of including in my portfolio...

117.jpg

123.jpg

g3.jpg

25.jpg

101.jpg

107.jpg

121.jpg

84.jpg

86.jpg
 
I can see you have an eye for composition and nailed flash photography to a Tee.....which btw, is mighty impressive for 6 months since picking up a camera? What about your natural light work? I don't think I can question your formal shots, but that's barely 1 hour out of the 12, what are your natural light work like?

And what is your gear btw?

P.s. I don't think i have ever come across anyone this competent after 6 months owning a camera.
 
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I can see you have an eye for composition and nailed flash photography to a Tee.....which btw, is mighty impressive for 6 months since picking up a camera? What about your natural light work? I don't think I can question your formal shots, but that's barely 1 hour out of the 12, what are your natural light work like?

And what is your gear btw?

P.s. I don't think i have ever come across anyone this competent after 6 months owning a camera.

Thanks allot Raymond that's encouraging to hear.

Strangely as I'v mostly been doing portraits of folks I'v rarely used just natural light, and where I do use natural light it's been to balance it in with my flash or sometimes use harsh sun light as a rim light or something.

I pretty much always shoot in manual, and would be able to expose shot's ok using natural light, but I haven't really taken the opportunity as I usually always had a flash with me since I got my camera.
Thanks for asking that question though, as it's highlighted an area where my portfolio is lacking.

Below is the gear I currently use:

Canon 550D
Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Nifty Fifty
580exii
A few Yongnuo flashes
RF-602 Triggers ( getting some PW Flex's soon so I can remotely adjust flash power)
Various light modifiers.
 
What about back up gear, if the worst was to happen, the 550D is a capable camera but its only capable if its working.

i'm impressed with the quality of work after such a short period of time and you definatley show you know your way round a camera.

so get things in place first.

1. insurance both proffesional gear cover, liability etc.
2. Have access to at least a 2nd body.
3. As Raymond Lin advised your formal shots are covered but you need to able to catch the moment. Go to a local event and set out to catch intimate moments between couples. a hug, a sneaky kiss, the reaction to a joke. Learn to pre empt these situations so you can get them spot on.
 
Phate and mark can tell you more than i can but the role of a second shooter is to pick up things where the main tog might have missed or can't do.

For example I would be at the front of the church and you would need to go to the back and shoot with something long like a 70-200. In theory you could borrow mine or the main tog as that's an advantage of shooting the same gear, but you won't be able to use flash in a church.

Similarly, if I go with the couple away for 20min to shoot formals you will be picking off candids in natural light of the guests mingling.

In the evening however I think you would be great if you are good with flashes, as it's a lot of flash work. But for 2/3 of the day you need to know natural light, know how to shoot into the light, in shadows, technique to shoot steady in low light, and pick moments.

Try to shoot a week without flashes, just to learn, it will help you no end.
 
Ejizz, I see from your website you've already got some service avenues you are offering. Did you start off with the re-touching and then move into photography? I've thought about the re-touching service but I can't really afford the software let alone the training! Are you self taught or did you learn through college etc?

I'm currently trying to think of ways to bring in a bit of money to pay for my hobby which don't involve hardly seeing my family at the weekends!
 
I want to ask who is the girl with the light brown hair?

Walk around the town/park with her and take some candids, see how that goes
 
Ejizz, I see from your website you've already got some service avenues you are offering. Did you start off with the re-touching and then move into photography? I've thought about the re-touching service but I can't really afford the software let alone the training! Are you self taught or did you learn through college etc?

Hey Rojin

Yeh, I started out with an old version of Photochop trying to fix some of my GF's P&S 'snaps', I felt completely lost at first, and it took a little while to get my bearings. I did get the following course which helped allot.
http://www.digitalphotoshopretouching.com/

Let me know once you got PS and I might be able to help you out a little.

Then once I was confident with PS, I decided to get a Camera, as I'd rather take the images instead to begin with.

I currently use both PS & light-room for retouching.
 
What about back up gear, if the worst was to happen, the 550D is a capable camera but its only capable if its working.

i'm impressed with the quality of work after such a short period of time and you definatley show you know your way round a camera.

so get things in place first.

1. insurance both proffesional gear cover, liability etc.
2. Have access to at least a 2nd body.
3. As Raymond Lin advised your formal shots are covered but you need to able to catch the moment. Go to a local event and set out to catch intimate moments between couples. a hug, a sneaky kiss, the reaction to a joke. Learn to pre empt these situations so you can get them spot on.

Thanks 33L

I was planning on renting a 2nd 550D body for the day until I upgraded.
Do you have a any recommendations on which insurance companies are worth considering?
 
Phate and mark can tell you more than i can but the role of a second shooter is to pick up things where the main tog might have missed or can't do.

For example I would be at the front of the church and you would need to go to the back and shoot with something long like a 70-200. In theory you could borrow mine or the main tog as that's an advantage of shooting the same gear, but you won't be able to use flash in a church.

Similarly, if I go with the couple away for 20min to shoot formals you will be picking off candids in natural light of the guests mingling.

In the evening however I think you would be great if you are good with flashes, as it's a lot of flash work. But for 2/3 of the day you need to know natural light, know how to shoot into the light, in shadows, technique to shoot steady in low light, and pick moments.

Try to shoot a week without flashes, just to learn, it will help you no
end.

Thanks, Raymond I will have a go at shooting flashless for a while to get used to not using flash.

I'v also been tempted to get the Jasmine Stare Wedding course that she did with creative live as she's a natural light photographer.
Also I'm going to my GF's cousins wedding on 5th November so that should give me a chance to watch what goes on...

I want to ask who is the girl with the light brown hair?

Walk around the town/park with her and take some candids, see how that goes

That was one of my cousins who lives in Gloucestershire, I decided to take some gear with me when I went to visit.
She's actually extremely shy and was absolutely dreading being in front of the camera, while her sister is the complete opposite and didn't care at all which I found weird.

Hopefully this upcoming wedding will be a good chance to get some practice...
Then after that I might see what event's are going on locally.
 
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