Second Shooters/Shadowers

[4mr4do4sho]

Well, I recently met someone while I was working a wedding and she had a conversation with me about weddings and general photography. I have had a couple people stop me during receptions/weddings and talk to me about photography. This lady, however, talked about how much she loved it as a hobby and her husband talked about how much of a great "eye"she has. The woman mentioned she was very interested in getting into the wedding business.

She even held some of my equipment to get a feel of the weight of a gripped 5D and 70-200 and a flash. The point is that she showed some interest and asked questions. She contacted me the other day and I agreed to allow her to shadow an upcoming wedding.

I guess my concerns are:

What should her role be? Should she just be a "shadower"?
Should I "interview" her when we meet up? i.e. - ask her about her gear, intentions, how much she wants to be involved, etc. - how hard should I "grill" her?
Should I make her sign a second shooter/ contractor contract?
Should she get paid?

Opinions or comments?

[smphotography]

shes there to learn, not make money

have her move lights, hold reflectors etc. if she has equipment, let her bring it and take shots. get the proofs from her and see how good her "eye" is. if her eye is good, see how good her PP is.

if all is well, build off of it for a good 2nd shooter.

[jacuff]

What should her role be? Should she just be a "shadower"?
Should I "interview" her when we meet up? i.e. - ask her about her gear, intentions, how much she wants to be involved, etc. - how hard should I "grill" her?
Should I make her sign a second shooter/ contractor contract?
Should she get paid?


She shouldn't just shadow you. She'll just get in the way most likely if she is constantly shadowing you. Use her to extend your coverage, not duplicate it.

You can interview her if you want. I'd focus more on her professionalism than her equipment though. I'd rather have a second shooter than can act professional with mediocre equipment than one that acts childish but has equipment that is similar to mine. Ultimately, their behavior is going to have more of an impact on me than the photos they produce. I can easily discard their photos and never show them, but I can't take it back when they get drunk and start hitting on the matron of honor.

Second shooter contract? Absolutely. You'll need the copyright (or if they are clever enough to insist they need to keep their copyright, you'll need a perpetual license) to print, edit, etc the photos they produce. I prefer they give them to me so I can process them. I let them process them their own way for their portfolio, but they can't use the image I process in my style. Clients booked me because they liked my style, not my second shooters. If their images don't work well with my style, I probably won't have them back as a second shooter. The key for me is that they are only there to extend my coverage, not complete my coverage.

Should she get paid? While she is partially there to learn, she is also there to work. Pay her $10 an hour.

[4mr4do4sho]

Yeah, I don't believe she will be "childish". She is an older woman who seemed professional in her manners and presentation. I've got an idea of what I hope she will accomplish and learn from it. I guess I will talk to her and make sure she is OK with the "duties" that night.

One thing I like to do is have my second shooter go to each table and ask couples/families if they would like a picture. That usually is a good break-in exercise. If they screw the picture up ...no big deal...I usually get pictures of everyone who was at the wedding/reception (whether it be candid or posed).

[tim]

She should be an assistant, and doesn't need a camera. With a camera, shadowing you, people won't know which camera to look at and that'll spoil your photos. No need to grill her. Since she won't have a camera no need for a contract (not in NZ anyway), but if she'll have a camera then yes absolutely you need a contract - she can't use the images she takes. Nope, no skills or experience and it's her benefit to learn, so no pay. If she proves herself and you want her to stay around, sure, pay her.