It’s been a whirlwind spring of weddings. I’ve been going strong for the last two years and I’m not slowing down anytime soon. I’m so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing couples that consistently remind me how much I LOVE Love.
With the patience, understanding and amazing feedback from my clients, I have been transitioning the future of the second shooter within the Katie Whitcomb Photography family. Having the same second shooter for 15 years, Chris knew what I needed without me having to tell him. When Kaity of OMG Photography stepped in and helped out with my first 5 weddings without him, I was able to learn how to articulate what I wanted and needed from my second shooter. As I continue to learn and grow as a leader to my second shooters, I’m learning so much more about myself and my vision for the KWP couple.
Here are a few changes that I’ll be working through with my couples as we move forward:
What the second shooter will be photographing
All of my clients will have seen (or at least skimmed) what the second photographer is responsible for in my initial pricing guide I would’ve sent with their initial inquiry. In the guide, I clearly define what you’d loose if a second shooter wasn’t part of the day. However, I always found myself doing both my job and Chris’s job even when he wasn’t there. My goal with weddings now is for me to photograph all of the major, important parts of the day and the images from the second shooter is more complimentary and candid in nature.
Whether or not the second shooter will continue with the same responsibilities I expected out of Chris or will they take on a different role as I grow
I am finding that I want to show a consistent look throughout all of the parts of the wedding day. Whether or not this is me wanting to control everything or if this is me just wanting to make sure that my clients receive EXACTLY what I promised them, I find that I enjoy photographing the entire day to its fullest. Sharing my work with Chris, as of late, it’s fun to hear his pride in my work. His exact words “Wow! I think this is better than what I would capture. I think I was holding you back.” I love him and his continued dedication to building me up to follow my dreams.
2nd Primary Shooter vs. Traditional 2nd Shooter
A 2nd Primary Shooter would be what Chris was. He was where I wasn’t. Which, obviously, is what the point of a second photographer is, but Chris took it to the next level where his role was solely formed out of the desire to make sure that I didn’t HAVE to find a way to photograph EVERYTHING. A traditional second shooter would stay with the main photographer, me, and take a 2nd angle of everything I’m shooting.
While I continue to search for the best options for my clients, I am finding that I lean more towards the traditional 2nd shooter. Ultimately, it’s important to me that I create a consistent body of work that rivals what was previously created by Chris. It would be my goal that everything I post in a blog post is 100% my body of work. Although I want to honor my second photographers, I also want to make sure that images of the Groom getting ready and the reception detail photos (Chris’s main responsibilities) are what my clients expect.
I am relatively formulaic by nature. No matter where I am photographing, I want a couple to be able to expect the same outcome that they see in my body of work as they saw at the time of finding my work that led them to book me. I have been consistently pushed with each wedding to out-photograph what my couples saw when they hired me.
Here is my declaration to my clients: your wedding is going to be amazing! I was already on a journey in elevating my work and I feel like my experience through this process has allowed me to create some of my best work.
Download my updated timeline and feel free to get in touch to discuss anything you might need in order to make the most out of your day. I would love to hear feedback from everyone on how this transition is going and how I can better serve you.
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