I associate shot a wedding for another photographer and this is how it went!
First off let me explain what an associate photographer will do on a wedding day. There are two different types of associates when it comes to being a photographer.
First is being a second shooter a.k.a a second photographer for the day of. This type of photographer will assist the main photographer and be an extra set of hands and get the “extra” shots or a different point of view day of. I will go into more detail about how to be a great second shooter and what I look for / what I do in another blog post.
Secondly an associate main photographer, this is when the main photographer who booked you as a client gets sick or overbooked and they hire another photographer to take their place the day of and cover the day but the original photographer will handle all communication with the client and edit / deliver the final gallery to the client. This type of position can be beneficial to both photographers as the main photographer can take on more weddings a year and the associate can make some extra cash and have more images for their portfolio.
I took on an associate main photographer role a few months ago and had so much fun working with the bride and groom the day of. The original photographer and I are great friends and she just needed some extra help as they got overbooked due to the busy season. The wedding was at the Highlands Chapel in Birmingham, Alabama and it was truly so beautiful. With this not being one of my main clients I do not have to deliver a gallery or be on any “turnaround time” schedule.
This is a service I would not do for just any photographer even with all the pros as I have plenty of my own weddings during the year, but if you’re trying to scale back or stepping back into the wedding space this could be a great stress-free choice for you.
I love answering any and all questions about our special community of wedding photographers/photographers in general! Please reach out if have any questions!
sarahgburkephotography@gmail.com
