Sometimes brides and grooms are unsure if they need one or two photographers for their wedding day… they believe their wedding is “not that big” and therefore they “don’t need” two photographers.

When it comes to photographing a wedding, it’s all about telling the story. With two photographers, it is possible to tell your story from two different perspectives and angles. When you have two photographers at your wedding, they can truly be two places at once and capture every moment, every detail, every action and reaction that takes place. It is inspiring to see how two people come together on their wedding day… both the bride and the groom deserve to have the best photos to remember it by. A wedding does not just tell the story of one person, it tells the story of both.

There is something important to take into consideration… it is better to hire one very good photographer than two mediocre ones… or one good one with a lousy second shooter. It is not the same to hire one photographer who charges an additional fee for a «second shooter» than two photographers that work hand in hand together offering high quality images.

Overall, one of the major benefits in having two photographers is having the reassurance and tranquility you need because you know that everything you want to be captured will be. Your wedding day is special, and with two photographers every single moment of your day will become a lifelong memory.

Why is it a good idea to have two photographers on your wedding day instead of one?

1. You can have two perspectives of the story; it is impossible for one photographer to cover various angles when certain moments happen so fast. Just think of the bridal entrance, the kiss, the vows, the bride and groom’s exit.

2. Photographers who work alone normally cannot cover the groom’s getting ready as well as the bride’s unless they are getting ready in the same place. Even when this happens some beautiful moments can be missed while the photographer is elsewhere. Having said this, when there is only one photographer hired it is normal for him or her to stay only with the bride, but the groom should be just as important… he’s also getting married!

3. The bride and groom are together forever, but during the night they will surely separate to greet, talk or even dance with their side of the family and friends. When you have two photographers one can follow the bride and the other the groom, making sure nothing is missed and one of you doesn’t end up only with cellphone selfies from those moments. If the bride and groom are together all the time, the other photographer can be more aware of the rest of the guests (the bride and groom don’t have to be in every photo, do they?)

4. One photographer can focus on the small details while the other focuses on the big picture… for example, during the ring exchange, one can focus on wider portraits while the other takes a really good close-up of the hands and rings.

5. The size of the wedding doesn’t really always “simplify” the logistics involved. For example, if the photographer stays with the bride until she’s ready it is probable that when he/she arrives at the ceremony there are already people seated… if he/she gets there before going to the bride the decoration is probably not ready or the sun is still up and the ceremony is at night so it doesn’t look the same and won’t really “fit” anywhere in your wedding album. Same thing happens with the cocktail hour and the reception… decorators won’t light any candles until the ceremony is almost finished, and unless you have a cocktail party totally separated (and locked) from the reception, people will be seated when you get back from your wedding portrait sessions…

6. Worst case scenario, a second photographer provides backup in case something gets missed by the other. Bottom line, you always have a backup. Having said this, make sure your photographers use cameras that have double memory card slots (this is important whether you hire one or two!) this allows them to store photos with an immediate backup on the other. Beware, memory cards fail more often than you can imagine!