This wedding is one of my favorite experiences second shooting with Lindsay Fauver. It was an extraordinary day, beautiful weather and right on the water in Woodbridge, VA. Driving up to Woodbridge was like a breath of fresh air. One thing I do not miss about Northern VA is the traffic, but there is so much water, greenery, flowers and the weather is wonderful (and those things, I do miss). Norfolk is more of a city and a Naval base, so there is a lot of gray around here.
Another thing I learned about second shooting is the word “flexible”. Once you get to the point where you realize that you should be a blessing to your primary photographer (see earlier post here), then you can be flexible to be whatever you need to be in the moment. Sometimes a second shooter isn’t necessarily there to capture a particular moment that the primary can’t get, but they’re there to serve as an assistant to the main photographer or even as an assistant to the bride. As long as you’re not focused on yourself, you can be flexible and help make the day smoother for the woman who is committing the rest of her life to a man or to the photographer who is preserving those moments forever. And that my friends, is a special and unique job.
As a second shooter, you mind find yourself: grabbing water for anyone who needs it, fetching left behind bouquets, finding important people, reconstructing boutonnieres, scouting out first look or portrait locations, taking detail shots, setting up equipment, fetching equipment, holding a flash, etc. These things aren’t necessarily things that you picture yourself doing when you sign up to second shoot for someone, but they’re so fun! When your attitude is not focused on yourself and how you are going to better your portfolio, you can have so much fun making sure the day is going smoothly for everyone else! I had a great time at every weekend that I was able to second shoot at and I will always be thankful for each and every experience.
I hope you enjoy this wedding set in Woodbridge, VA! Check out Lindsay‘s full post from the day here.
All images are shot with Lindsay Fauver Photography.
Chelsea Batey Photography 