Jennings Wedding Photographer

This wedding was the first time I got to second shoot for Katie from Reed Through the Lens Photography, and it was awesome (mostly because she’s awesome! =) I haven’t been the second shooter at a wedding in a while, and I gotta say, it’s different, but I love it! A lot of the shots I would always make sure to get as the primary or only shooter, I didn’t need to worry about because Katie had it covered. It was strange not doing any bridal details or bridal preparation photos! At the same time, when I don’t have to think about getting all those photos myself, it frees me up to be more creative and try some different perspectives, which can be really fun!

I didn’t used to love it though. Early in my career when I didn’t have a great portfolio, I knew I needed to second shoot for experience, but I didn’t really like it. I didn’t get to take take any of the pretty bridal detail photos and sometimes I wouldn’t do any couple portraits either because my job was to go on to the reception and photograph cocktail hour. Don’t get me wrong, I like photographing cocktail hour, I just LOVE couple portraits! Now, however, I can look at second shooting as being part of a team. I’m not competing with the main photographer for the “best” shot, I’m working hard to give his/her client a different perspective on an event. I can watch what the main shooter is doing and make sure to shoot with a different lens from a different spot. I’m not trying to build up my portfolio so much as complement his/her images, and it’s really fun!

Speaking of couple portraits, it’s interesting shooting portraits at the same time as someone else from a different angle. You might notice there aren’t many photos of Carl and Jessica looking at the camera in this blog post. That’s because as the second shooter, when they’re looking at “the camera,” they’re never looking at me! That means my best portraits as a second shooter are photos where they’re looking at each other so that’s what you see! Here’s another wedding I shot not long ago if you’d like to compare!

Anyway, enough about second shooting. I’m sure all you really want to know about is the wedding! Carl and Jessica got hitched on leap day, before all the coronavirus craziness. I’m sure they’re super glad they picked that date now, and not just because it’ll be easy to remember their anniversary 😉 I spent most of the time before the ceremony at the church with Carl and the groomsmen while Katie was at the hotel with the girls. I didn’t even meet Katie in person until she got the venue right before the ceremony!

The weather was gorgeous that day and the outside (and inside for that matter) of the church was beautiful! The perfect backdrop for portraits. I loved the simple ceremony and the giving of roses to the mothers. I don’t know Carl and Jessica very well, but the reception just seemed so THEM. The band was awesome, the groom’s cake was completely decked out for LSU, and Carl’s dance with his daughter got me a little misty-eyed. I LOVED their wedding cake, and their serving utensils were from Jessica’s parent’s wedding. How sweet is that? Happy three months Carl + Jessica!!

In case you love what you see, here’s a list of the other awesome vendors involved in this wedding, starting with the awesome primary photographer!

Primary Shooter – Reed Through the Lens Photography

Ceremony – Jennings United Methodist Church

Brides dress – A-Net’s Bridal Boutique

Florals – Betty’s Flowers & Blissful Blooms

Decorator and Coordinator – Wedding Wishes

Band – The Tugboats

Jennings Wedding Photographer