Megan Howell Photography: Wedding: The joys of being the second photographer :)

Weddings are such fun! There is a lot of planning that goes into them before-hand that can stress even the most organized person out. But when the day comes, it's all about celebrating two people's decision to commit their lives to each other <3

(say awwww.....)

Some (not all) of my most fun experiences of weddings are when I have had the opportunity to be the second photographer at wedding, instead of the first.

(don't get me wrong--being first is fun, too, and I LOVE it! But it also comes with a sharp increase in responsibility and pressure)

Photographing a wedding is all about telling the story of the day, and having a second photographer helps to capture every moment that will help to tell this story to friends and family and future generations :)

Second photographers follow the lead of the first, and sometimes do things that do not require taking a photograph (like fluffing a dress, holding a reflector, or sitting with a crying flower girl so the rest of the bridal party can focus on smiling for their portrait being taken). But second photographers also get to take not-so-standard photos during a wedding day that 1.Help tell their story and 2.Turn out to be amazing!

The photos below are from a wedding that I second-photographed last year. It all happened last minute, and I was hired around 9pm the day before the wedding. Yikes! It all worked out though, and the day went smoothly :)

Second photogs get to hang out with the guys while they get ready before the ceremony while the first photog hangs with the girls. It's a very different experience, as guys tend to be more relaxed and carefree while they get ready than the girls do.

Just because you hang with the guys, doesn't mean there aren't detail shots that are important to capture. Like cufflinks.....

Socks......

Or watches.

Oh! Can't forget the sunglasses either :)

Second photogs can also get some really cute shots of the kids throughout the day like this......

or this!

(I think he was checking to see if his tongue had turned green yet from his lollipop)

Phil looks good (and he knows it!).

As the start of the ceremony approaches, the second photog moves to join the girls as they prepare to walk down the aisle. The first photog will capture their faces as they walk.

But second photogs get shots like this (and the others to follow) throughout the ceremony.

The first photog has to get photos of everyone walking back down the aisle, which leaves the second photog to capture all the candid shots of pure joy as everyone hugs once they have exited the aisle :)

Once the portraits portion of the day begins (usually during the cocktail hour in between ceremony and reception), the first photog has to get all of the official photos that were planned weeks prior. This leaves the second photog free to capture little candids whenever possible (in between shouting for this person to get in the photo and holding drinks for people while they pose :)

I love this shot. I just said "Sarah turn around!" and caught this absolutely beautiful photo of her.

I like this one, too. Got the bouquet, the rings, dress details, AND Phil's sunglasses in one shot :)

Obviously, they are paying attention to the first photog, but having them look off camera for my shot made a beautiful image as well.

Not a traditional shot for speech giving, but still nice. First photog was front and center--I kept to the edges of the crowd to get reaction shots and ones like this.

Another one where Sarah is paying attention to the first photog, but I can still get a pretty shot by lying down on the dock.

For this shot and the next two, Sarah and Phil were paying attention to the first photog, who was photographing their faces (duh). So I decided to take the time to capture some detail shots of their hands with their wedding rings on.