What Is an Associate Wedding Photographer? | UK Wedding Photography
If you’ve been looking for a wedding photographer and have been offered the option of booking an associate photographer, you might be wondering what that actually means.
Are they a second shooter? Are they less experienced? Will your photographs look completely different? And if you originally found my work because you wanted me, is booking an associate actually the same experience?
All very valid questions.
I’ve offered associate wedding photography through Leesha Williams Photo + Film since 2019, so this isn’t a new addition to the business or something I only offer when things go wrong. My associate photographers are an established part of how I work and allow more couples to book my team, particularly when I’m already photographing another wedding on their date.
So, let’s properly talk about what an associate wedding photographer is, what they do and what booking one through me actually looks like.
What is an associate wedding photographer?
Put simply, an associate photographer is an experienced professional wedding photographer who photographs your wedding on behalf of another photography business.
If you book an associate through Leesha Williams Photo + Film, I remain the person and business you book your wedding photography through, but one of my trusted associate photographers will be the lead photographer physically there photographing your wedding.
And this bit is important:
An associate photographer is NOT a second shooter.
A second photographer works alongside a lead photographer, capturing additional angles, different parts of the day and generally supporting the main photographer.
An associate photographer is the lead photographer.
They are responsible for photographing your wedding, managing the photography throughout the day and capturing everything needed to create your final wedding gallery.
My associates are professional photographers in their own right. They have experience photographing weddings independently and use their own professional equipment, backups and insurance.
You’re not getting an assistant or somebody learning how to photograph weddings.
You’re getting an experienced wedding photographer who works for the LWPF team and who is trusted to represent my business.
Why do I offer associate wedding photographers?
I first introduced associate photography into my business in 2019.
There was a pretty simple reason for it: I was having to turn away couples whose weddings I would have absolutely loved to photograph because I was already booked.
Wedding photography is slightly unusual in that there is only one of me and, unsurprisingly, I can’t photograph two weddings in two different places at the same time.
And as my diary became busier, particularly for popular summer Saturdays, I didn’t want being personally unavailable to automatically mean that a couple couldn’t work with my business.
So I built a trusted network of photographers who could photograph weddings on behalf of Leesha Williams Photo + Film.
Several years later, associate photography is still an important part of what I offer.
It means that if you love the approach, values and imagery you’ve found here but I’m already booked for your date, there may still be a way for us to work together.
Who are my associate wedding photographers?
I don’t send a random photographer I’ve found online to photograph your wedding.
That would terrify me as much as it would probably terrify you.
My associates are photographers I know, trust and feel confident having represent my business. Many are photographers that already shoot for me as second photographers for years. Most also run their own photography businesses.
The important thing for me isn’t finding someone who can imitate every photograph I’ve ever taken. It’s finding photographers who understand the way I approach weddings.
That means being relaxed with people, knowing when to give direction and when to step back, being comfortable photographing a room full of different people and being able to capture a wedding without turning it into an eight-hour photoshoot.
Will my associate photographer photograph the wedding exactly like Leesha?
This is probably one of the biggest questions couples have.
And the truthful answer is: they’re still an individual photographer.
I don’t want to pretend that another human being is going to become me for the day.
Every photographer sees things slightly differently.
What I can do is choose photographers whose approach complements mine and who understand what I need from the photographs they create.
I’m very intentional about the people I trust with associate weddings because ultimately their photographs are being delivered through my business.
They understand the kind of moments we’re looking for, the balance between documentary photographs and relaxed portraits, the importance of genuine interaction and the overall experience I want couples to have.
The goal isn’t to create a carbon copy of me.
It’s to make sure your wedding is photographed beautifully and consistently with the reasons you chose Leesha Williams Photo + Film in the first place.
Who edits the wedding photographs?
This is another really important distinction.
Your associate photographer captures the photographs on the wedding day, but they don’t simply photograph your wedding, edit everything in their own style and send you their normal gallery.
The photographs come back into the Leesha Williams Photo + Film workflow for post-production and delivery.
That editing process is a huge part of creating consistency between weddings photographed by me and weddings photographed by my associates.
So while another photographer may have physically pressed the shutter, the final gallery is still created and delivered as part of the LWPF experience.
What happens before the wedding?
Booking an associate doesn’t mean you’re passed over to somebody else and never hear from me again.
You’re booking through my business, so the planning and communication surrounding your photography still happens through Leesha. We’ll collect all of the information we need about your wedding, your timeline, the people who are important to you and anything we need to be aware of photographically.
Then, before your wedding, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with your associate photographer so you’re not meeting a complete stranger when they walk through the door on your wedding morning.
I think that connection matters.
Wedding photography is incredibly personal. Your photographer is around for some very emotional, chaotic and occasionally vulnerable moments, so I want you to feel comfortable with the person photographing them.
How do I choose which associate photographs your wedding?
I look at the wedding itself and think about who would be a good fit.
Your plans, location, personalities and the type of celebration you’re creating can all play a part.
I’m not simply looking at a spreadsheet and allocating whichever photographer happens to be free.
I want the person photographing your wedding to feel right for the two of you.
That’s particularly important because so many of the couples who find my work aren’t necessarily planning traditional weddings.
Associate photographers for multicultural and interracial weddings
A huge part of my work today is photographing multicultural and interracial weddings.
That brings considerations that go far beyond simply knowing how to operate a camera.
Your photographer may be working with multiple ceremonies, cultural traditions, huge extended families, different expectations around group photographs, several outfit changes or timelines that look completely different from a traditional British wedding.
There is also something incredibly fundamental that shouldn’t need saying, but unfortunately still does:
Your photographer needs to know how to photograph different skin tones properly.
If you’re an interracial or mixed-race couple, you shouldn’t have to choose between one partner being beautifully exposed and the other being lost in the highlights or shadows.
Accurate skin tones and thoughtful exposure are incredibly important to the way I photograph weddings, and that expectation extends to photographers representing my business.
Representation isn’t something I want to only talk about on my website.
It needs to exist in the actual experience I’m offering couples.
What about LGBTQ+ weddings?
The same goes for my queer couples.
I photograph LGBTQ+ weddings throughout the UK, and inclusivity is part of the foundations of my business rather than a separate package or marketing campaign.
If you’re booking an associate photographer through me, I want you to feel just as comfortable with them as you would with me.
You shouldn’t have to spend your wedding day explaining your relationship, correcting assumptions or worrying about whether your photographer knows how to work with a wedding that doesn’t follow traditional gender roles.
Your wedding doesn’t need to fit a template to be photographed properly.
Is an associate photographer a cheaper option?
Associate photography can sometimes be offered at a different price point to having me personally photograph your wedding.
That does not mean you’re booking an inexperienced photographer.
You’re still booking a professional wedding photographer and you’re still receiving the planning, post-production and final delivery through my business.
The difference reflects the fact that you’re booking a member of my photography team rather than booking me personally to photograph the wedding.
If you’re interested in working with LWPF but my personal photography collection isn’t the right fit for your budget, it’s therefore always worth asking whether associate photography is available for your date.
What if Leesha is already booked for our wedding date?
This is one of the main reasons I offer associates.
If you enquire and I’m already photographing another wedding on your date, I may be able to offer you one of my associate photographers instead.
Rather than immediately having to start your photographer search all over again, you can still book through a business whose work and approach you already know you like.
Obviously, associate availability isn’t unlimited either, so I always recommend getting in touch rather than assuming your date isn’t possible.
Is an associate photographer just an emergency replacement?
No.
This is probably the biggest thing I wanted to change about the way associate photography is talked about.
Historically, couples often only heard the term “associate photographer” when something had gone wrong: their photographer was ill, there had been an emergency or their wedding had been postponed and their original photographer could no longer attend.
Associates absolutely can be an incredibly useful part of a photographer’s contingency planning.
But that’s not the only reason they exist.
I’ve intentionally offered associate wedding photography since 2019 because it allows me to build a team around my business and work with more brilliant couples without personally trying to photograph an impossible number of weddings.
So if I offer you an associate, please don’t read it as:
“Leesha can’t do our wedding, so this is the backup option.”
It’s much closer to:
“Leesha isn’t personally available, but her photography team is.”
And that’s an important difference.
Questions to ask before booking an associate wedding photographer
If another wedding photographer has offered you an associate, there are a few things I’d always recommend asking:
Who will actually photograph our wedding?
You should know whether they’re an experienced professional photographer or somebody still building their portfolio.
Can we speak to them beforehand?
I think you should be able to establish some kind of connection before your wedding.
Who handles the planning?
Find out whether you’ll continue communicating with the original photography business or move over to the associate.
Who edits our photographs?
This can have a huge impact on whether your finished gallery resembles the work that originally made you enquire.
Are they insured and do they have backup equipment?
They should be operating to the same professional standards you’d expect from your original photographer.
Do they have experience with weddings like ours?
This can be particularly important for multicultural weddings, LGBTQ+ weddings, large cultural celebrations or anything that falls outside a photographer’s usual experience.
Should we book an associate wedding photographer?
If you love a photographer’s work and business but they’re unavailable for your date, a good associate programme can be a brilliant alternative.
The important thing is understanding what you’re actually booking.
For me, associates aren’t anonymous freelancers I send to weddings I can’t attend.
They’re trusted photographers representing Leesha Williams Photo + Film.
They photograph your wedding as the lead photographer. I remain involved through my business and workflow. Your photographs are then brought together into the finished gallery you receive from LWPF.
I’ve been offering associate wedding photography since 2019, and it means I don’t necessarily have to say goodbye to a brilliant couple simply because I’m already holding a camera somewhere else that Saturday.
So, if you’ve found my work and love the relaxed, colourful, documentary approach but I’m unavailable for your wedding date, don’t panic.
