An Ode to my Second Shooters

(+ a little behind the scenes of the human you’re trusting with your beautiful memories)

I wanted to take a minute to shout out the awesome humans I had the pleasure of working with this year. Having the right people on your team can make a HUGE difference to the energy and the stability I feel is brought to a wedding day. Shooting on film is my home, my safe space, my love, and my life. I will never give it up and I will always thrive in my art form.

If you’re so confident in your art form, why have a second shooter?

Well, honestly it makes my life easier. I have shot weddings alone before, I can, but having someone even to carry extra bags or safely tuck that roll of film away that I was holding in my teeth is kinda nice. The other big part is that I know it makes you guys feel secure, and since the most important aspect of my work is ensuring my clients are happy, I do it for you. I use experienced photographers and expect my second shooters to be fully confident, creative shooters who can take charge when needed and be a positive influence on my clients. I don’t hire seconds just for fun, or to snap pics just because. IF god forbid a roll of film didn’t turn out, I know I would have back up images to use that are of high quality and creatively shot. It’s there in the back of my mind and to ensure you feel secure that there is no way a moment will be missed. And seriously, there’s no way to capture both your faces in a first look with just one shooter. Sorry friends, I don’t care if someone tells you that you don’t need a second shooter, if only for this moment or walking down the aisle,  you want them there.

On that note; I’d like to remind you that losing work is a possibility. Every heard of a memory card failing? There goes your entire wedding in an instant. It’s a slim possibility but it does happen. In my case, a roll of film could get lost, or not be loaded properly. I’m going to share something I’m not proud of, because that happened once this year: one single roll out of all the rolls I shot at weddings didn’t turn out. Why? What happened? It was a freezing cold day, I was rushing to beat the last of a sunset and amidst the rushing and my hands being frozen I didn’t load the film properly. GUYS I CRIED SO HARD. You have no idea how disappointed in myself I was for shooting a roll that didn’t exist. (The last time that happened was in 2011 when I was still shooting exclusively black and white and didn’t have the knack of my old Minolta yet for reference). Thankfully we had lots of other beautiful images and the shots I missed were captured by my second, so the couple probably would never have known if I hadn’t told them. We all make mistakes, my point is, this is the worst case scenario for me; I will never lose all my work even in a mistake, just one of the 15-20 rolls I shot on your big day. Having the digital versions to give in this situation makes me feel better and let’s me shoot without a single worry on the big day.

Started the season with the beautiful Vintage Romance that is Strathmere

Hilary of Hilary Elizabeth photography accompanied me for a strong start to the year. I really appreciated her confidence, patience, and calm attitude throughout this day. She captured some really nice moments of me shooting as well as a few making friends with the curious flower girl.

You can find the gallery for this stunning wedding here if you’d like to see what I was shooting! You’ve gotta see the photos of her in their wedding gallery, just so precious. It’s these extra little moments that make the day so special.
Hilary was booked for my second wedding as well at Temple’s Sugarbush; a favorite venue for my clients this year. I really really love seeing myself in action and appreciating on a wedding day. Seeing these shots brings me back to my memories of the lovely day while I’m culling and editing afterwards. Thanks for these memories Hilary.

Next up was the absolute sweetest first look, me demonstrating some pose, and then the best exit shots I think I’ve ever seen at the Almonte Agricultural Centre with Deanna Wright.

I laughed so hard at the series Deanna got with me in frame when I run from shooting behind the brides to in front and jogging backwards (I was seriously determined to get that shot with their guests cheering in behind). These photos make me so happy. Thank you Deanna.

Back at Temple’s

This next one was pretty cool; I hired Tony of Northern Vows on last minute as a replacement for a second shooter that had to back out. After meeting and hitting it off at a networking event this summer, I’d been wanting to work with him and I think we were both pretty thrilled at the last minute changes Tony put me in a good mood simply by standing beside me; he knows film and thought of all the little ways to help me. This man reminded me of my snacks and water, passed me batteries as if he had a second sense for when they were running low, and even piggy backed me when he noticed me on my tip toes trying to get a shot from a higher angle. That one happened shortly into the day and seriously cracked up the whole bridal party. The laughs were much needed stress relief and set such a beautiful fun tone to the day that fit so well with this couple.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I like to wear black and stay professional yet functional at weddings. I insist on being able to squat and climb and jump if necessary because that’s just the type of shooter I am, so black pantsuits are my go to. They allow movement and comfort and pockets and I’m obsessed!! The fanny and 3 cameras you often see on my body are just the added workout I like to give myself…. A girl’s gotta have options and backups and ten thousand too many extra rolls of film and batteries on her person so as to avoid worrying or being anxious while shooting, ya know? But really, I just always like to be prepared.

The last two here make me super duper happy to look back on. Tony was again at this one with me for a couple hours capturing some BTS. The vibe at this wedding was so me, from the style of the reception to the color palettes.

Last but not least, I finished out the season with Sam of Samantha Marie Photography at a November wedding at Temple’s Sugarbush. It was real cold so my dress code changed a bit, but being around Sam kept my mood high; this girl is a serious hype man. She was super prepared and really knew what she was doing after so many of her own weddings. It was a strong and confident end to the season!

I have to give a shoutout to John from Mobile Music Services for joking around with us all night, it’s really nice to meet other vendors in this industry who really love what they do. The most common comment I hear from my clients friends and family on the wedding day is “wow, you really love your job eh?” And it’s true. I think when you find what you are meant to be doing, it really shows. Having cheerleaders around my encouraging my work makes it even more fun and I have so much confidence shooting and getting more creative. From the smile that never leaves my face to the ridiculous squeals and tears and laughter you will hear coming from my being, I am in my being. I am fully present, fully at peace, and feeling like everything is right in this world. That’s a pretty rare thing to find, and I don’t think you know it until you’ve felt it.
Luckily I get to feel this way every time someone chooses to trust me with their precious moments.

If you’d like to chat send me a quick message or leave a comment

All the love,

Kris