Hey Love, today’s episode is a spicy one. Valerie and Adeline are pulling back the curtain on one of the most important decisions you’ll make when planning your wedding or elopement: whether to have one photographer or two. Spoiler, they have opinions.
From their very first wedding together (20 guests, a fainting grandma, and a restaurant reservation ticking down) to the systems they’ve built over years of shooting together, this conversation is honest, real, and packed with things your photographer probably hasn’t told you yet.
They also get into what “second shooter” actually means in terms of cost, gear, editing, and deliverables because it’s a lot more than just an extra person standing in the room with a camera.
What You’ll Learn
- Why even small, intimate elopements can get chaotic fast and how a second shooter changes everything
- Which moments during your wedding day absolutely cannot be recreated (and why one photographer struggling to capture them alone is a real risk)
- How Valerie and Adeline plan every wedding three days out, including storyboarding, venue research, and working through “what ifs” as a team
- Why ceremony coverage specifically is where two photographers make the biggest difference
- How they use wireless headsets during ceremonies to communicate in real time without disrupting a single moment
- What “safe shots” vs. creative shots means and why having two photographers means you get both
- The real cost behind hiring a second shooter: double the gear, double the editing, double the delivered assets
- Why they’ve built two-photographer coverage into every single one of their packages
This Episode Is For You If…
- You’re in the middle of planning your wedding or elopement and trying to figure out if a second shooter is worth the cost.
- You assumed one photographer could cover everything and you’re not sure that’s true anymore.
- You want to understand what actually goes into the prep work behind a seamless wedding day shoot.
- You’ve been quoted for a second shooter and had no idea why it was that expensive.
- You care about your wedding gallery feeling full, dynamic, and cinematic, not just covered.
- You’re a photographer or videographer curious how another team structures their two-person workflow.
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