Hi, there! I’m Chad—husband, business partner, and assistant photographer to KT Merry. I guess you could call me her right-hand man. 

I began working with KT about a decade ago as her second photographer, and she’s taught me everything I know—from how to properly expose and compose an image, to the “dos and don’ts” of supporting a lead photographer. My role and responsibilities have grown with our business as we continuously up-level our client experience. 

My goal here is to give you, the lead photographer, the tools to bring out the best in your assistant photographer—as well as insights into what photography assistants need from you as a leader in order to do the best job possible. After all, a photographer and their assistant are a team, so there needs to be a game plan in place for making each job a raging success.

Here are some things I’ve learned throughout the years while being a second photographer for KT. 

Set Expectations for Your Assistant Photographer

Let’s say you’ve found a great second photographer. The first step is to be clear about your expectations. If you’ve never had an assistant photographer before, it’s a good idea to talk person-to-person about what you’re both good at and what you both want to get out of the job.

Let them know what you expect them to cover and specific details of the shots you’re looking for. Do you want them communicating with your client or not? Let them know. Decide where and when they will get any breaks and how you expect them to report to you. Make sure you communicate your expectations about attire, and make sure you give them the opportunity to ask any questions about the day ahead of time.

Give your photography assistant the tools to be successful—set expectations.

Give Feedback to Your Assistant Photographer

Probably most importantly, your second photographer needs feedback after each and every job. I want to make sure my images are up to snuff, and if they aren’t, I want honest feedback about what needs to be better. 

Once the event’s over, I like to get feedback directly from KT. We don’t sit down and hash it out as soon as the wedding ends because—if you’re like me—you’ll probably be needing a drink first. Once we’ve decompressed a bit, I like to hear from her:

What are the things I can do better next time?
What areas can I improve upon?
What did I do that was great?

I’ve been shooting with KT full-time for ten years and she still has feedback for me—after every single event. Assistant photographers are always trying to get better, and I know you are too, so come from a place of kindness and honesty when you offer your second photographer some constructive criticism. 

If you’ve hired the right person, they’ll want to support you and get better; no one wants to waste a full day feeling like they did a crappy job for you–––or worse, have no idea at all how they did. They want to know what you think of their photos. Their job is to get as close as possible to your eye so no one ever knows it wasn’t you. So, it’s in your best interest to help them learn how to do that. 

A Tip for Photography Assistants: The main photographer is super busy editing after the wedding, so sending a well-worded and kind email requesting some feedback is probably a great way to make sure it happens.

Be A Leader

You’re the one doing the hiring, which means you’re responsible for this wedding job and your second photographer has less ‘skin in the game’. It’s just a fact. You’re the main photographer, so you’re the boss––which is why I’d like to go over some management and leadership basics.

Understand Your Leadership Style

As the main photographer, your goal should be to lead your assistant photographer. Even if you’ve never led another person—in the traditional sense—before, I’m sure you can identify some of your unique strengths. Which ones would come in handy as the lead photographer? Likewise, it is important for you to identify your shortcomings. Are you great with clients, but poor with time management? Are you always behind on things? How do you respond under pressure?

Weddings can be crazy stressful, so how you manage stress, or even worse—how you don’t manage stress—often affects your team. Always remember that as the leader, you set the tone for your entire team. If you take your stress out on your team members, it can severely derail the team vibe. If there’s an issue, you want your team to come tell you so that you can manage it, rather than have them keep quiet because they’re afraid of your reaction. So when things get tough, it’s up to you to manage your reactions and keep cool.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Your Assistant Photographer

Next, treat your second photographers with respect. Even if they’re not as experienced as you, they’re accepting the job of assistant photographer because they want to help you and learn from you. They could be doing a lot of other things with their time, especially on a weekend, so please be kind. Be the kind of person you’d want to work with.

Invest in Your Assistant Photographer

Finally, your photography assistant can’t read your mind, so if you have certain ways you want something done, it’s probably best to show them. Sometimes it can seem easier to just do it yourself, but believe me, they want to learn. And down the line, it will benefit you to teach them how to do it so they can carry more weight—which they will—if you do your part properly. And then, you get to move on to bigger and better things. 

Ask them if there are specific things they’d like to learn. Get to know them and why they want to work with you. And then teach. 

As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t have a budget to hire another experienced photographer, I personally recommend finding a newer photographer who’s just getting their feet wet in the business and investing time and attention into training them. 

KT always says there’s enough abundance for everyone, so please don’t feel afraid or threatened that they’re going to steal your business if you help them out. That’s a scarcity mentality and it’s going to keep you small. 

The best way to elevate yourself is to up-level those who support you. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats. If they’re able to match your quality of work faster, then you’re able to focus on efforts to build your business and land the dream gigs you’ve been working so hard for. And, you’ll have help doing it.

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So there you go: what assistant photographers want you to know, but haven’t told you before. Hiring second photographers offers a huge opportunity for you to grow and to up level your business. 

The goal of a second photographer—at least a good one—is simply to learn and serve. They want to create value and feel valued in return. Having help on a wedding day can drastically impact your ability to provide your clients with a better experience.

KT and I know this because we’ve worn all the hats over the years. We started small, we hustled our asses off, and we continue to push ourselves out of our comfort zones to be better every single gig. 

If you found this post helpful, and you want more tips, insights, and guidance on running a kick-ass photography business, you might be the perfect candidate for The Abundance Plan.

Join the Waitlist here to get exclusive resources and training.

Thanks for reading. 

Now, as KT says, “Go do the work”.

QUICK TAKEAWAYS:

1. Give your photography assistant the tools to be successful—set expectations.
2. Decide how you’re going to communicate and stick to it.
3. Offer constructive feedback from a place of kindness and honesty.
4. YOU set the tone for your entire team.
5. Be the kind of person you’d want to work with.
6. There’s enough abundance for everyone. Don’t be afraid someone’s going to steal your business.

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