Lessons
Class Introduction
26:12 2Capturing Great Photos
17:44 3Getting Second Shooter Jobs
34:30 4Second Shooter Etiquette
19:34 5Compensation and Agreements
24:09 6Sharing Images
06:13 7JD's Gear
07:08 8Basic Photography Overview
30:13Shoot: Ceremony
19:33 10Shoot: Reception
19:29 11Shoot: Bridal Parties
27:59 12Shoot: Cake Cutting
11:31 13Shoot: Bride and Groom
16:05 14Wedding Day Check List
18:07 15Wedding Day Schedule
24:07 16Top Ten Tips
10:33 17Shot List
41:39 18Dress Codes
16:27 19Be a Proactive Shooter
14:35 20Second Shooter Handbook
27:16 21Reviewing Photos from Day 1
40:21 22Working with your Spouse
19:37 23Terms of Agreement
30:15 24General Q&A
11:12Lesson Info
JD's Gear
I'm actually going to start by talking about what's in my bag like earlier uh I spoke about those things that I put in my bag just to be prepared, but now I'm gonna actually get into the lenses that I use on a wedding day and this is not all all the gear we use jasmine actually she shot me she did a really creative life course three years back where she shot a live wedding and she went into detail on everything that she has a fake as a first shooter and also what she carries for for myself for me today I'm gonna talk on the gear that I use just as a second shooter. So, uh again, like I said earlier, I use the chute sec and I'm going to start with my first lens and it's actually start with my favorite lens. The first lens is the eighty five millimeter one point eight now jasmine shoots with all the al siri's lenses, but I shoot with uh the eighty five one point eight and I love it. I couldn't say I'm the reason why I like it so much is because it gives me, uh, if I'm in a pinch in low l...
ight situations aiken push that aperture teo you know as wide as a one point eight and it brings in that light that I need when I'm in a crunch uh but more than that I actually use it a lot because uh it gives me allows me to stand back and not be so close to jasmine when she's shooting and it actually gives me that photo journalistic approach that I want um I don't you know a lot of times I don't want to be in jasmine's way when she's shooting so this lens really allows me to accomplish that that's the first lens uh the second lens that I use on that that's not the second lens that I want to describe is the fifty millimeter one point for now again this is a go to lens for me jasmine jasmine favorite lens to shoot the other day is a fishy uses the fifty the most so as much as I like the fifty I don't bring it out as much because I don't like tio I don't want to get the same look as jasmine so I will bring this out a lot of times during groom crept because the eighty five is a little too tight especially we're in a small room so I'll put on the fifty where I can actually get more of what's going on um and also it's the capabilities of being at a one point four when I'm doing groom prep you guys probably know the lighting is really harsh it's always pretty dark in these hotel rooms so that actually does help me out in time um also with the one point for getting your next um one of the things that I encouraged eddie early on, especially when we were having the groom prepare at a house or in a really small hotel room was that the guy's headed handsy to be really messy, so if you're shooting a guy getting ready and you're shooting it at like an f one point four one like one point eight is like the blur's everything out in the background cause we don't need everything else and so it's carefully cropping and framing and making that photo the wedding the best representation you can by shooting a shallow depth that's great point uh the next lands I'm gonna get to is the twenty four millimeter one point four now uh this is this is a lens that I don't use too often, but I actually love the I love what it does because if usually when I'm shooting the groomsmen there's about there could be sometimes up to ten people in a small little room and the other two letters that I mentioned will never allow you to capture what's going on in the entire room so the twenty four millimeters a wide angle lens and it allows me to capture everything guys especially guys for some reason when I when I'm shooting with when I'm shooting the bridal party or the bride's maids they like to like get together in clusters, which is great because it makes it makes it easier document where guys, they like their personal space so one person will be on the couch. Another guy will be eating a sandwich over here are you know it was wrong. I will be watching tv. All those things are going on, so the twenty four allows me to capture what's going on in the entire room. I also use it for during the reception during the day. Dancing photos allows me to get the full dance floor as opposed to just getting individual shots of one or two people dancing, so I love it for that. Um, let's see, the next lens I'm going to get into actually, er this lens, I actually only put in my chute sack during the ceremony because I don't use it too often. But it's probably the most crucial lens it's probably what you should invest in first, any type of zoom lens. This is the seventy two, two hundred uh millimeter I s two point eight and, uh, this the reason why I say this is so crucial is because I use it one hundred percent of the times and during the ceremony you will never be a ceremony where I want I want I won't use this lens, and it allows me to get into those uh, moments like the exchanging of the rings, the first kiss and I could be far away yet it feels like I'm right there in that moment. Ah, lot of times you can't move around too much on sarah during ceremonies. Uh, and it also allows you to capture candids of guests just hanging out without being in their face with it, so they don't even know they're being getting photos of themselves. So that's definitely must have the last lens that I chose to talk about. And it's actually the only one that these are the lenses that I use is the one hundred millimeter macro. Now, I I talked about this. I'm talking about this last because I just recently last two years incorporated this into my chute sack. Um, but it's made the world of difference. So, uh, when you get some time to save up for that it's definitely worth it, uh, before I would shoot a lot of the details of the groomsmen, uh, they would take him with the fifty, and it was it's a it's, a huge difference when you're shooting with that when you have macro capability. Now I'm really excited to shoot the family heirloom if there's like any type of family heirlooms or cuff links, um if the groomsman is writing his vows, which they're usually not writing there miles, they're just kind of prepping and reading them by the wedding day, but you can actually get text and actually really, I feel like you're in that moment with them, so I definitely recommend being able to get those crisp images if you want. A lot of these photos I've realized are starting to actually come into the into the wedding, the album, you know, a lot of like the cufflinks and things like that, so that's actually really exciting. I love that lens, and tomorrow we are going to be walking through some of the photos that jd focuses on during groom prep, and we'll be showing like when he talks about shooting the cufflinks and using the macro for that lens it's I would say that the macro isn't a necessity as a shooter, it's just definitely a bonus, but before other lenses, you'll notice that we both prefer tissue with prime lenses. Now, when I started, I was shooting with the twenty four to seventy and the seventy two hundred, but you'll notice that j d's range starts from, you know, the twenty four fixed, then he goes to the fifty fixed the eighty five fixed, so the on ly zoom lens that he's using on a wedding day is the seventy seventy two, two hundred. But the range still stays the same as when we did when I was when I first started, the range is still seven. This range is still twenty four to two hundred. So formal, very wide to very tight shot.
Class Materials
bonus material with purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Laura K.
Great course!! As a newly emerging photographer, I just got my first second shooting opportunity a few weeks ago. Since I had never photographed a wedding before (even as a second shooter), I searched Creative Live for a second shooting course and was relieved to find this one. After watching some of the free sample portions, I purchased it. I was happy to find that despite the few negative reviews left before mine, the course is an excellent one for those with no second-shooting experience. Here is what I liked most about it: a) It includes several segments where Jasmine and JD demonstrate how they work together at a wedding. I found Jasmine and JD to be very honest in their representation of how things actually occur during a wedding. Since I had not (at the time I purchased the course) ever photographed at a wedding before, I was desperate to get a sense of how things really work. Jasmine and JD delivered in this regard. I was able to see how things really flow...how to react and photograph in tight time frames...how to stay out of the main photographer's way and still take good images...and what to pack and how to preplan in order to truly support the primary photographer. b) JD and Jasmine were very honest in talking about some of the mistakes they have made in getting to where they are today. I think this must be hard to do - baring your soul and talking about things that have gone wrong. But in doing so, they give something to students like me that some other teachers don't - a truly realistic view (from the perspective of someone who has made them) of the errors newer photographers commonly make, and how to succeed and keep moving forward in spite of them. Jasmine has done this in other courses she teaches on Creative Live as well, and it is very much appreciated. It's such a relief to see that in their early days, seasoned and successful photographers make rookie mistakes too - and to hear how they pushed through them. Everyone makes mistakes. The question is - what can be done to fix them, and how do you avoid making them again in the future. JD and Jasmine address these things in this course. c) JD and Jasmine have different personalities and different approaches to certain aspects of their craft. It was helpful and inspiring to me to see how they work together in spite of the differences. I think their differences actually complement the other. Like JD and Jasmine, my husband and I work together in our newly emerging photography business, and have differences in our personalities and approaches to photography. I really appreciated seeing how Jasmine and JD use these differences to enhance their photography, and how they work through the sometimes tense challenges that can arise in fast-moving wedding photography scenarios. I also liked hearing things from both of their perspectives. d) JD provides lots of solid, tangible, helpful tips in this course, including a list of non-photography-specific items to pack in support of the primary photographer. His advice on second shooter etiquette is solid and includes lots of ideas and concepts that I hadn't thought of prior to watching this course. e) JD provides information about shooting angles and lenses to shoot from/with that help round out the main shooter's wedding portfolio for each client. Again - I learned concepts and ideas that I hadn't thought of prior to taking this course. I watched this course twice prior to my first second-shooting job and it paid off. I felt a lot more prepared, and comfortable, going into the job than I would have without the information presented by JD and Jasmine. I highly recommend this course to other newly emerging photographers who haven't photographed at a wedding before, and who are looking for solid advice for what to expect, how to prepare, how to photograph as a second shooter, and how to support the main photographer at weddings in general. Good stuff!!
Sean
Great course. Jasmine and JD did a great job of teaching this course. They were well prepared, entertaining to watch and provided a lot of useful information.
Barbara Wenz
I bought this course because I had to set things in place for next season and needed to train my second shooter(s). It was really helpful because it takes you to everything you possibly have to think of, when instructing and training with them. I was personally kind of shocked about some (others were superb) the images JD is delivering. I'm much more content with my second shooters, seeing what others deliver after 7 years of experience ;-) But this doesn't make the course any worse. I love it because it's really honest and they share a ton of experience.
Student Work
Related Classes
Wedding Photography