Ask Anything :: Do you work together?

Happy Tuesday! We’ve got another “Ask Anything” post for you today, and we’re answering another very common question we get asked.

“Do you always work together?”

Answer: Yes!

Maybe a pair of full time photographers is uncommon, but we are asked all the time “so who is the photographer?” or “which one of you actually takes the pictures?”. We’ve gotten used to this question by now, but at first it seemed strange that it was so hard for folks to realize that we are a team of photographers, who both work behind the camera, together. When we went into business together it was with the intention of working TOGETHER. So for the two of us to split up, photographing different weddings on the same day seemed like the opposite thing we should be doing. At every engagement session, and every wedding, we are both there with cameras in hand. Each of us photograph our weddings equally. Neither one of us is an assistant to the other. No one takes a lead photographer position. Our couples are always photographed by two, full time, lead photographers.

Ok so why? Well… for starters we wanted to work together because we like working together. It’s fun. Additionally and more importantly, because there are two of us, we get to be in two places at once. Weddings are seamless, stress free, and un-rushed because our couples have two sets of helping hands, two sets of eyes, and two photographers who are there to get them through it. When a Groom is getting ready across town from the Bride’s getting ready location… no problem, Betty hangs with the guys while Maggie hangs with the girls and the couple doesn’t have to rearrange their schedule to accommodate the photographer’s inability to be in both locations at the same time. When the family formals run incredibly late and the reception decor wasn’t set up until after the ceremony ended… no problem, Maggie can cover the family formals while Betty covers the detail shots and cocktail hour. That classic shot of a Bride walking down the aisle… we see it from both angles. By working together we each have the luxury of indulging in our areas of coverage to an extent that wouldn’t be feasible if we were working alone. As a result, there are more moments captured, and the collections of images we deliver to our couples are richer and fuller. Our approach to shooting a wedding, engagement session, and portraits is a well oiled machine. We know each other’s eye, we see things in the same way, but we allow ourselves the opportunity to experience individual moments from our own perspective.

Behind the scenes, during the week when we’re not actually photographing a wedding or session, we do take on different roles to manage the business. Each part equal to the other, and just as essential to the success of BOAF. But that’s a post for another day 😉