In August, I got a message from Valentina of Valentina Glidden Photography, a photographer whose work I’ve followed and admired for almost a year now. Valentina was traveling to Orlando from California for a wedding in early September, and the second shooter she’d had lined up had cancelled, so Valentina wondered if I knew anyone who would be interested in second shooting with her. Although I was on one side of the country and she was on the other, as soon as I read that, my hand shot up in the air. I was interested in second shooting with her, and I felt like a kindergarten student who knew the answer — pick me, pick me! I was so excited when Valentina did.

Since Danny and I have always shot weddings together as a team, this was the first time I ever second shot at a wedding. It was a very different experience — in a good way! When Danny and I shoot together, I generally act as the primary shooter. That means that most of the posing and directing, keeping people on task, and making sure everyone is where they should be at the right time falls under my job description. As the second shooter, it didn’t.

When I am the primary shooter, I see my job as helping the couple in every way I can. As the second shooter, I saw my job as helping Valentina in any way I could — getting her food, getting her water, interfacing with the wedding planner, herding the huge (34-person, counting the bride and groom!) wedding party — as she helped the couple every way she could. But my job also involved being her second pair of eyes — shooting the things she couldn’t, or simply shooting from a different perspective. Like Kalee’s gorgeous gown. (I loved that billowy skirt!)I also wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any of the emotional moments from the wedding, especially if Valentina was occupied with something else — like this beautiful exchange between Kalee and her mom, which took place while Valentina was photographing the rings.

Beautiful bride? Yes!Beautiful bouquets? Also yes. I set these shots up while Valentina wrapped up Kalee’s bridal portraits in the church’s lovely outdoor rotunda.Another emotional moment came when Kalee had her first look with her father, right in the sanctuary where her family had worshiped together since she was young. While Valentina took the primary shooter’s position, I looked for creative ways to tell the story. Just a few minutes later, Kalee and Braxton had their no-look in the church narthex. I’m a huge sucker for no-looks — where the couple doesn’t see each other, but still share a really special time together before their ceremony, and, as you’ll see, it produces some truly magical photographs. Valentina positioned herself so she would be able to get both their expressions in each image; I looked around the room and found some fun opportunities.

And then my heart flip-flopped. I could hardly handle the sweetness of it all.I loved watching Valentina interact with Kalee, Braxton, and their wedding party throughout the day. She was there for Kalee when Kalee needed a last minute pep-hug, she bantered with the groomsmen, and made Kalee and Braxton’s parents feel special. Watching a photographer interact with people on a wedding day, instead of being the photography point person, was a great reminder that taking care of our clients has to be as much of a priority to Danny and me as capturing beautiful photographs.

But beautiful photographs — well, they’re pretty important, too. This one took my breath away, just like Kalee took Braxton’s breath away.Married!

As the formal portraits got underway, Valentina did a great job of keeping the large bridal party and the couple’s family happy and ready to go as soon as they were needed for pictures. I tried to help keep people where they needed to be, and got the opportunity to capture some of the candid moments that go on while everyone else is looking into the camera. Usually, I’m posing people for formals while Danny shoots, so this was a new experience for me — and I loved it.Another new experience as a second shooter: Having someone else directing the couple during the bride and groom portraits. While Danny and I hand that job off every now and then, I’m usually directing while Danny finds the photojournalistic-looking angles and goes in for tight cropped shots with the 70-200; I’m usually on my 50. During Kalee and Braxton’s portraits, I was in a somewhat familiar position, because Valentina was using her 70-200; I switched off between my 50 and my 105. But Valentina directed Kalee and Braxton — which was a blast for me, because all I had to think about was finding the most fun angle and making the best use of the dazzling golden hour light.Watching Valentina directing Kalee and Braxton was also a blast, because 1.) I almost never get to watch other photographers direct their subjects, and 2.) Valentina’s preference for couple portraits is for moodier, romantic poses, while I generally go for lots of laughter and exuberance. I loved her confidence as she directed them . . . and I loved photographing them as she directed. . . .

I did shoot at the reception as well (of course!), but I’m going to wrap up my photos with these portraits — and talk a little bit more about what I learned about second shooting vs. being the primary shooter, or half of a photography team. Let’s start with two simple lists. We’ve got The Plus Column, for things that were better, I thought, about being the second, and The Minus Column, for the things I didn’t like as well. Here goes!

The Plus Column:

• Less stress — this was Valentina’s wedding, so the responsibility of the whole event was not on my shoulders . . . but I still treated it as though it were; I just felt more relaxed.
• Less work before and after the wedding — since this was Valentina’s wedding, she handled all the paperwork and prep, as well as the editing and image delivery after the fact. My only job was for the hours I was actually at the wedding.
• Getting to watch another professional at work — and this was a huge plus for me: Lots of fun, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy to see that Valentina handles much of her weddings the way Danny and I do.
• I was free to roam, just be creative, and get the shots I thought would be a fun addition to Kalee and Braxton’s wedding coverage, not the shots I felt they should have.

The Minus Column:

• There were shots that I couldn’t take — which is completely fine in the grand scheme of things: Kalee and Braxton got all their photos, and that’s what matters . . . I just enjoy getting my lens on almost everything at the wedding, from the ring shots to the cake shots to the grand exit. My job as the second often meant assisting Valentina at those times instead of shooting them myself (which was in itself a good experience and should probably be added to The Plus Column!)
• I didn’t get to know the couple — because they were Valentina’s couple and got to know her well before the wedding. I’m all about the relationships we build with our couples, so I really enjoy knowing them before their wedding day.

Well, there you have it. The Plus Column is longer than The Minus Column — which means second shooting, for the first time, was an experience I really enjoyed. It was almost like a chance to recharge my photographer batteries, and it’s something I’d love to do again in the future. Thanks to Valentina for having me come along for such a beautiful wedding, and congrats to the newlyweds!

~ Laura