Does the Quality of 2nd Photography Matter? Hell Yea!

Does the Quality of 2nd Photography Matter? The short answer is: Hell Yeah! but not for everyone.

Currently I offer my clients two levels of 2nd photography:

• Premium, and Associate. Premium 2nd Photography costs my clients $200 an hour.
• Associate 2nd Photography is free.

Why the big difference in price?

Premium 2nd Photographers are full-time wedding photographers who happen to be available on the day of your wedding. They are my peers, my competitors, my friends. They are skilled craftsmen and artists whose work I admire greatly. They possess many hundreds or even thousands of hours of experience. They know exactly what needs doing at your wedding, and how to use their gear to get it done. They’re not figuring out f/stops and ISO and lighting. They mastered all that long ago. And their work is outstanding. Here are just a few examples of the gorgeous work from some of the 2nd photographers my couples & I have been fortunate enough to get on their wedding day.

Associate 2nd Photographers work for free. They are willing to work for free for many reasons. They want the practice. They may already be accomplished in family portrait or another type of photography, or they may be just breaking in. They may need to master their gear and learn the ropes in one of the most demanding photography environments there is – weddings. They may need to develop a wedding portfolio for their own websites.

Regardless, while they may produce outstanding work as 2nd photographer for your wedding, I do not expect that, nor should my clients. Which is why they are free.

Associate 2nd photography coverage is a good option for couples who weren’t planning on having a 2nd but welcome the possibility of extra coverage with uncertain results.

And for those couples who expect the kind of outstanding wedding photography that only comes from years of experience, Premium 2nd photography is worth the extra dollars.