Do You Need Two Wedding Photographers?

Is having two wedding photographers better than having just one? As a husband and wife team who have photographed hundreds of weddings together, you can probably guess our answer. This post explains why we think two photographers make a real difference to your photographs, when one can be enough, and what to ask if a photographer offers a second shooter as an extra.

Do you need two photographers at your wedding?

Not every couple does, but most weddings move far too quickly for one person to cover everything. With one photographer, they can only be in one place at one time. With two, you get more of the day, more angles of the same moment and a lot less that gets missed.

What two wedding photographers capture that one cannot

During the ceremony, one of us stays at the front for the whole thing so nothing is missed. The other moves around the room to catch your guests' reactions and to photograph you from the sides and the back. That often includes things you could never see yourselves, like the children playing up at the back or a guest shedding a few tears, which always make for great photos.

Wedding days move at a ridiculous pace. With two of us there, there is much less chance that a part of your day goes uncaptured.

Less stress around your wedding timeline

The wedding morning is the best example. When we arrive to photograph the bride getting ready, one of us goes to find everything that needs photographing, like the dress, the shoes, the flowers and the jewellery. The other sets up the equipment, which saves a huge amount of time. We have photographed weddings on our own too, and it would surprise you how long this takes alone, even with a friendly bridesmaid roped in to help.

While one of us finishes the details, the other often photographs the bridesmaids and the bride getting ready. A single photographer stays tied up with the details until they are finished.

The same thing applies all day. Two photographers make it much easier to keep your timeline running like clockwork.

Is one photographer enough for a wedding?

It can be, for a very small or short day. The question is how much you want captured, and how much you want a photographer chasing the timeline instead of the moments. If your day has a ceremony, group photos, portraits, speeches and a first dance, two photographers give you a fuller story and a calmer day. If you are not sure which suits you, send us your plans and we will tell you honestly.

Two photographers who work as a team

Every wedding photographer in Northern Ireland has different strengths. In our case, one of us is more technical and the other more creative, and putting the two together is what makes the magic happen. One of us loves the portraits with our couples. The other loves the emotional moments of the ceremony and would happily spend the whole day chasing every child there for photos. It is probably not hard to guess which is which.

We are so used to working together that our strengths have blended into our own style. That is what we can offer you that a single photographer cannot.

A husband and wife team or a photographer who hires a second shooter

After hundreds of weddings together, everything has become seamless. We always know what the other one is doing without going to look, and we know our roles inside out.

Husband and wife wedding photography team

Many photographers work alone and offer a second photographer as an add on. Often that second photographer is chosen from a pool of freelancers rather than someone they work with all the time. You still get some of the benefit of two photographers, but you are getting two individuals rather than a team. They may never have worked together before, and they may have very different styles. The main photographer takes the lead, but you want the same style and consistency across your whole gallery, and that is harder when two people do not know how each other works.

There are practical issues too that most couples never think about. Most wedding photographers use equipment from one manufacturer, because every camera brand has its own formula for colours and tones. If a photographer hires a second shooter just for your wedding, it may not be possible to find one who is free and uses the same equipment. Even with plenty of editing, images from different camera brands can be difficult to match.

What are the disadvantages of having two wedding photographers?

We struggled to answer this one ourselves. The only thing we could come up with is for couples booking a photographer who normally works alone. They have to hire a second photographer for the day, and you pay an additional fee to cover that cost. With us, both of us photograph every wedding, so there is nothing extra to add.

Questions couples ask about one or two photographers

Do I need 2 wedding photographers?

Not always, but most couples are glad they have them. Two photographers cover the ceremony from more than one angle, speed up the getting ready and catch the guest reactions you cannot see yourselves.

How many photographers should a wedding have?

For most weddings, two. One photographer stays with the couple while the other captures everything else happening around them.

Is it worth paying for a second photographer?

A second photographer is worth it if you care about the whole story of your day and not only the posed photos. Ask any photographer who adds one as an extra whether you will meet them before the day, and whether they use the same cameras as the lead photographer.

Does the second photographer take photos that look the same as the first?

They should, but it depends on whether they work together regularly. This is one of the reasons we always work as a team.

If you are planning your wedding and would like to see how we work, take a look at our real weddings, our pricing, or read more about our approach. Our wedding FAQ answers the other questions couples ask us most. If you are getting married in Belfast, we also have a page on wedding photography in Belfast. When you are ready, get in touch and tell us your date.