Los Angeles Event Photographers Tips on Being a Second Photographer

Getting Started as a Second Photographer

The first challenge for anyone looking to become a professional photographer is developing a portfolio. As I discuss in my complete event photography guide, you need a photography portfolio to get work but you need work to build a photography portfolio.

You do not need to work for free in order to build a portfolio. Rather, my advice is to build your portfolio around the things you are already doing in your life. An event can be just about anything including: street fairs, festivals, music events, birthday parties, etc. But although this will help you build a portfolio, second shooting has its own benefits.

How I Got Started as a Second Shooter

When I first moved back to Los Angeles and decided to make my passion my profession, I was faced with the common dilemma of not having the portfolio I needed to start doing professional work while needing to do professional work in order to build that portfolio. Most of my time during and after college was spent making fine art photography. I was confident in my knowledge of photography, but knew better than to be presumptuous and assume that it would 100% equip me for professional work. In fact I was already teaching photography, so I knew my stuff. When I decided to pursue professional work, the photography market was not as over saturated as it is today. I knew wedding photography was an easy field to get into, so I decided to pursue it. I knew that the best way to learn was by doing and I wanted to learn the trade from someone with experience. But to even second shoot, I knew I needed a portfolio. So what did I do? I shot a wedding for just about free. No joke, I think I charged about $180 just to cover my rentals- I didn’t even have all the gear I needed yet!  But that one wedding I essentially shot for free landed me a second shooting job with the largest wedding studio in Los Angeles at the time. It was my big break in what was quite honestly a very difficult time for anyone: It was 2008 in the height of the great recession.

How Did I Make that Happen?

I’ll be the first to admit I am not a very organized person. But I was serious about pursuing a career as a photographer. So what I did, was make an excel sheet of every wedding photographer In Los Angeles that I could find. In it, I included the name of the studio, the name of the contact person, their contact info, and any notes I had on them. I then proceeded to email each of them and follow up with a phone call. Sadly, very few called me back and pretty much none of them were looking to even hire an assistant. However, a couple of them referred me to the studio that  had the largest segment of the market at the time. So I gave them a call thinking that they would of course blow me off. Strikingly, the next day I got a call! I set an interview, showed up in a suit, shared my limited wedding portfolio, and was hired on the spot! I remember them telling me something like, “well, we have like 100 people interested in a job with us, but you seem good to us.” Not only did they bring me on on the spot, but it was as a second shooter, not an assistant!

How to Be a Good Second Shooter

First off, it needs to be said that what it takes to be a good second shooter will largely depend on the needs of the primary photographer. This is something that should be discussed between the two of you. Additionally, through the experience of working together, you will naturally figure out what their needs and expectation. Hopefully in time, the two of you will work cohesively with little direction. When I first started out second shooting weddings in Los Angeles, I mostly worked with one person. After a while I just knew what he wanted from me: the perspectives he wanted covered, the types of shots he needed, etc. We were in sync and I didn’t need any direction. So although needs will vary, the following information should be universal.

Remember That You Represent The Primary Photographer

When second shooting you are representing the studio of the primary photographer. Be sure to carry their business card and conduct yourself in a professional manner. In just about no circumstance should you ever share your own card. Even if you are giving someone your card for something unrelated to photography, I recommend just steering clear of it all together. It is best to just avoid any confusion.

What is a Second Photographer’s Job?

In the early days of digital photography, cameras were only equipped with one memory card. This of course put the primary photographer at a lot of risk of losing a day of work. In part, as a second photographer shooting weddings, my job was essentially to have a backup of the day. This was also a bit of a hold over from the film days in which you could lose an entire roll from user error to a mistake at the lab.

What Should a Second Photographer Focus On

What a second shooter should focus on will depend entirely on the needs of the primary photographer. This can also vary case by case. Lets talk about some examples:

Wedding Photography

At a wedding a second photographer’s job is often to capture alternate perspectives that a primary photographer just can’t. No matter how fast you can run, you can not be in two places at once and there are some specific examples in which you will need to be. One such example is during a first kiss. When I started out as a second photographer shooting weddings in Los Angeles, during the first kiss, I was always instructed to get over the shoulder shots of the groom, while the main photographer focussed on shots of the bride. Afterward, I was freed up to do more creative stuff.

During the cocktail hour, I was always instructed (eventually it didn’t need to be said) to photograph groups of people (crowd work), while the primary photographer photographed the reception room and detail shots.

When the primary photographer is shooting formals, a common task given to a second photographer can be to shoot candids of individuals in formal groups. These are often shot at a 45 degree angle from them, NOT over the shoulder of the main photographer. You should never be shooting over the shoulder of the main wedding photographer. This can cause confusion over which camera to look at and why would their client need multiples of the same shot only slightly inferior?

Event Photography

As a Los Angeles event photographer, there are times I hire second photographers. However, unlike at a wedding, their job is typically to cover what I am unable to. This can be due to multiple conferences happening at once and that sort of thing.

Large jobs can also call for a second photographer just to add extra coverage. Typically this is the case for events larger than 400 people.

Miscellaneous Tips on Second Shooting

When it comes to usage rights, be sure to have that discussion with the photographer you’re working for. Usually it is understood that you are in part second shooting for experience and to build a portfolio, but do not assume anything!

Always carry the business card of the photographer you’re working with and never give out your own. Even if it is for something unrelated to photography, you do not want any misunderstandings. You represent the main shooter, side dealing is not ok.

This may seem harmless, but it’s not a good idea to show the client the back of your camera to see an image. For all you know, for whatever reason, the main photographer might decide not to deliver that image to the client. This will lead to difficult questions from the client. They may even begin to wonder how many other images they chose not to share and open a whole can of worms. I know it is hard to say no to someone asking to see an image, but there are many polite and reasonable tactics you can use to avoid it.

Conclusions on Being a Second Photographer

I really hope the video at the top of this article as well as this write up gives you an idea of why you should second shoot, but gives you some general advice on how to go about doing so.

For me, second shooting at weddings in Los Angeles was an invaluable learning experience on top of being a great way to build a portfolio. I strongly encourage all beginner photographers to do so!

Los Angeles Event Photographers Review Canon 135mm f2 L.

Event photographers,

In this review I talk about one of my favorite lenses, the Canon 135mm f2 L. I have repeatedly recommended that people start with their “bread and butter” lenses, prior to purchasing something like this, and I stand by that. But when you’re ready to have some fun and open up some “creative” opportunities, this is an excellent choice.

Unfortunately, when I purchased this lens, I didn’t really have all of my “bread and butter” lenses / focal lengths covered. But also, I never really had a mentor advising me on what purchases to make. If there was someone on Youtube giving advice like I do, I certainly couldn’t find one.

I purchased my 135mm on what was a somewhat uncharacteristic whim. I saw it at a trade show in which no tax was being applied, and I decided to just go for it. I more or less spent about $1000- a lot less than most professional level L lenses by Canon, I suppose in part due to it being a prime lens and its age (its relatively old, having come out in 1996).

Why Do I Use This Lens for Event Photography?

In order to talk about when I use this lens, I think it is important to first talk about what sets this lens apart from other lenses.

First off, this lens does something no other lens in Canon’s lineup can do at 135mm (namely, the 70-200 in all its variants), and that is that it can shoot at f2. I have found that the one stop difference between f2 and f2.8 makes a significant impact in what I am able to achieve as a photographer, both practically and artistically.

Being able to open my aperture up to f2, can mean an additional 30 minutes or so of shooting with available light as the sun goes down. It can mean the difference between relying on strobes or not in a dimly lit event, or it can mean the difference between having acceptable noise in my image due to not having to raise my ISO an additional stop.

Going beyond the practical aspects of using this lens, there is just something unique about the shallow depth of field created by the combination of a 135mm focal length and an f2 aperture. I am the first person to say shallow depth of field is overrated, not the end all be all to photography, and actually not the best artistic choice when it comes to personal work like street photography; but when it comes to professional work, shooting with such a shallow depth of field not only achieves specific goals, but has an air of quality and professionalism to the results. Also, in the end of the day, having something visually unique about your work can make you stand out. It could mean the difference between getting hired or not.

When it comes to the quality of this lens, well, its considered a bit of a legend. When it was released, there wasn’t really a comparable Nikon version. It was known to be one of Canon’s sharpest, if not sharpest, lenses and was even reasonably priced- relative to many of their other L lenses.

My subjective take on it? This lens has character and not just due to its fast aperture and focal length combination. It’s sharp as hell when you nail focus and It renders color better than maybe any other EF lens I own.

Events I Use This Lens at

Now that I have covered what’s so great and unique about this lens, lets talk about some specific use cases when photographing events in Los Angeles.

As mentioned before, this is a great lens to use in low light. One thing I specifically enjoy doing is shooting with it wide open at a high ISO in order to get enough ambient light to seamlessly balance it with my strobe, which I’m really just using to improve the quality of light on my subject.

I often bring this lens along, even when I have my 70-200mm f2.8 is, because once I get all my safe bread and butter shots of things like a speaker on a stage, I can experiment with more creative stuff. Also, if size and weight is a concern, I will rock this lens on one body while I have something like a 24-70 on another.

I love shooting portraits with this lens and definitely favor it’s size, weight, aperture range, and focal length to my 70-200mm lens.

One of my favorite uses of this lens is shooting available light during blue hour- the period right after golden hour when the sun has set. Blue and magenta tones seemingly dance together, splendidly, which is further enhanced by the Canon 135mm f2 L lens’ unique character and very shallow depth of field. The result has something of an ethereal feel to it.

I love shooting in tight crowds with this lens. I find I can maneuver through them, while actively shooting much easier than I could with a large, heavy lens. It is also great for when you have to shoot over people’s shoulders or through things because it’s so much less obtrusive.

Lastly, I want to mention that I really just love shooting with this lens because I love shooting with prime lenses and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, prime lenses are sharp and can generally shoot at wider apertures. But I just love the way it forces me to be more engaged with my craft. Having to physically move your body rather than just zoom in or out, is far more engaging and forces you to be more present, and ultimately potentially more creative. You might not agree with me. And believe me, I see the other side of the argument, but in the end of the day I liken shooting in manual and shooting with a prime lens to driving a stick shift car: a modern automatic will go 0-60 a lot faster, but that does not mean it’s as enjoyable.

What I Don’t Like About This Lens

Seriously, almost nothing. My one and only complaint is that it’s not the lighting fast focuser the 70-200 f2.8 IS, is. But that’s not to say it isn’t fast.

Conclusion

I have been using this lens to photograph events in Los Angeles for nearly 10 years. I probably should not have purchased it before buying at least one other essential lens, but hey I have no regrets. Some of my favorite work has been shot with it and it’s seriously a joy to use. Do you need this lens? No, probably not. But if you want to open up your creative possibilities, while having your work stand out, this fits the bill.

This has been a review of the Canon 135mm f2 L lens from the point of view of a working event photographer. If you would like a bit more technical information, I suggest checking Ken Rockwell’s review.

17 Event Photography Tips You Need to Know to Get Started from an Experienced Event Photographer in Los Angeles

Photograph Events in Your Life to Build a Portfolio.

This can be birthday parties, music festivals, concerts, corporate parties, private events, or pretty much anything you’re attending as a guest. You do not need to wait to be a working event photographer to practice your craft and build a portfolio. Many of your life activities can be considered an event. And if nothing else, shooting something as if it were one can be a great way to practice.

Personally, I love street photography as a way for me to work on something for myself, practice new techniques and methods, and yes: I’ve been shooting professionally for over 12 years now but I still add some personal work into my portfolio.

Volunteer Your Time to the Right Organization.

As a principle, you should avoid working for free for people that can and should pay for a professional photographer. Just because something is also good for you does not mean you should do it for free. But unfortunately there are people that are looking to take advantage of the fact that you can be manipulated into doing something free that you should be paid for.

Rather than work for free by someone that can and should pay you, my advice is for you to shoot for something like a non profit organization you believe in as it can be a great way to build your portfolio and support a good cause.

Learn From a Pro.

Start by assisting or second shooting for a seasoned professional. There are so many benefits to learning from someone rather than going it alone. Even if you are pretty familiar with the technical side of photography, you can learn go to settings, all about the gear you need, and other aspects of what its like to cover an event and run a business. By shadowing someone with experience, you can develop a template to follow or make your own when it comes to building your own business.

Leverage Your Connections.

Don’t be afraid to put it out there that you are building a portfolio or that you have already begun a professional photography business. Post your photos on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Post your website, your blog, anything you can to signal to people you know that you’re a photographer. If you’re lucky, you already happen to know event planners and such that you can network with- you just need to let them know that you’re shooting or plan on shooting professionally. Also, you don’t need to start with big corporate events. I didn’t. I started small. Most of my early work as an event photographer was shooting kids birthday parties. Odds are that you know plenty of people with kids that are having birthday parties.

Buy Lenses First.

Camera bodies depreciate in value and by the time you are able to get the most out of one, something better will be released. Lenses, however, hold their value and are much more responsible for the quality of your images than a camera body. Typically you will not need to upgrade your lenses, either. The lenses you buy will likely be a part of your kit for the length of your career as a professional photographer.

Buy the Lenses You Will Use Most First.

Don’t be tempted by niche lenses like a 135mm f2. If you check out my review on that lens, you’ll see I love it and make a lot of use of it, but it by far gets less use than my 24-70mm or 70-200mm lens. I think it’s really important you get all the lenses you need first. You want to both make sure that all your bases are covered and that you are making smart business decisions. Getting a lens with a lot of bang for the buck is a smart business decision.

Buy Fast Memory Cards.

Trust me, its worth it. Not only will a fast card help with shooting speed and recording in certain video modes, but it will also just make the process of uploading your work faster. Imagine shooting a 12 hour wedding day, coming home, and it taking 6 hours to upload all the files. Today, I would probably be ok with putting off my upload, but back then, shooting with a 5d classic which only had one memory card, I needed to make sure I had two copies of my files before getting some sleep. Even though that’s no longer an issue for me, it’s still important that I shoot on fast cards: my corporate clients tend to need very fast turnaround times. Some events I even offer live edits; fast memory cards are especially important for this.

Setting Rates

Start low and incrementally raise them until you see a drop off in how much work you’re getting.

Always Show Up to a Job Early

Not only will this give you peace of mind, but it will also give you time to photograph static detail shots so that you are able to focus on what's happening once the event starts. .

Always Dress Appropriately.

If you’re not sure how to dress, don’t be afraid to ask your client. You should always over dress over under dressing.

Smile to Get People to Smile Back

Most people can not resist smiling back when you smile at them. It’s human nature. If you want people to smile, simply give them a big smile and they will reciprocate!

Make Meaningful Images! Never Take a photo to Take a Photo. Shoot with Intention.

I go into great detail in the full version of these tips. But the short version of it is that you should always be striving to make images that are actually about something. Never raise the camera to your eye just to make an image. Know what it is you are trying to capture. Shoot with intention.

Mix Your Shots up to Tell a Story

Watch the whole video where I cover shot types. Here they are:

Establishing shots

Detail Shots:

Close Candids

Candid Interactions

Posed

Under Promise / Over Deliver

Give realistic turn around times but always give yourself a buffer. If you think the edit will take 3 days, tell them it will take a week.

Cull Your Images.

Meticulously edit down your work. Do not put the burden of this on your client. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your best work, especially when your images will be used for social media or marketing.

Rate Your Photos!

Use my 5 star system or make up your own, but rate your photos now rather than later. You do not want to go through the laborious task of doing this a year from now when you decide to update your portfolio.

Maintain Your Clients

Be sure to stay in touch with your client after the job and develop a relationship. One way to do this is by using a mailing service like mail chimp.

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The most complete event photography guide to date