Associate & Second Shooting Information

Hey there!  I'm honored to be considered as your associate or second photographer.  As a business owner and primary wedding photographer myself, I understand how important it is to find someone who will be a great match - artistically, professionally, and personally.  Here's some info that might help you determine if we'll make a great team!

  • I have owned my own successful wedding photography business since 2012 and have over 500 weddings under my belt.

  • I’m an award-winning member of Fearless Photographers (sorry not sorry about that flex, I’m super proud of it!).

  • LGBTQIA+ couple? Love is love is love is love is love.

  • Is natural light your style? Do you prefer an OCF wizard? I can do both.

  • I can hold my own hanging with the guys, the ladies, or a combination of both during the "getting ready" portion of the day. (Need artistic shots of details and flat lays? I got you.)

  • I'm totally down with doing whatever it takes to get the shot - including (but not limited to) standing knee deep in water, laying in dirt, or climbing trees. I live for adventure - and great angles!

  • I have years of teaching experience at all grade levels which has helped me hone my toddler, bridal party, and extended family herding skills - I'm not afraid to use my teacher voice when needed, but will do it with a smile.

  • While working as a teacher I also acquired the ability to eat an entire 4-course meal in under 10 minutes, which comes in handy on wedding days.

  • I'm a great problem-solver and fast thinker. (Thanks to those engineering and education degrees I'm no longer using!!)

  • I love dad jokes.

  • I'll arrive about 30 minutes early by default. If you want me to arrive more than 30 minutes early, I ask that I be compensated for the extra time.

  • Forgot your coffee/water/PowerBars/spare batteries? Split your pants? No worries - I can stop and pick some up on my way!

  • I shoot RAW on dual cards and always treat my second-shot images just as I treat my own wedding images. My own backed up copies have saved a few of my primary shooters in the past when they lost their own copies for various reasons.

  • My liability insurance is current and way-more-than-adequate.

  • When I work for you, I will not market myself in any way. I hate that I even have to say that, but I have had a few experiences with past second/associate photographers that made me want to reassure you of my professionalism.

  • I have set my rates based on my lead photographer experience, professional equipment owned, and amount of liability insurance coverage I possess. I ask for $70 per hour for second shooting and $150 per hour for associate shooting, with 8-hour minimums for each (I may make an exception if a location is very close to my home-base). I ask for overtime pay for coverage extending past 10 hours (1.5x my regular rate). If I'm traveling more than 1.5 hours away and/or shooting in a location that requires tolls and/or parking fees, I ask that extra travel expenses be included. I ask for payment when services are rendered and I accept Venmo, Zelle, check, or cash. (My rates are negotiable if I have previously worked with you and we vibe well.)

  • You can provide me with SD cards to return to you at the end of the night, or I can provide SD cards for you to keep ($50/card). Alternatively, I can upload files to Dropbox after the wedding, but my wifi speed varies and it could take a few days for everything to upload.

  • You can view more samples of my work here.

  • You can learn more about me here.

 

I currently shoot with the following gear:

Camera Bodies:

  • Canon EOS R3

  • Canon EOS R5 (x2)

Lenses:

  • Canon RF 15-35mm 2.8

  • Canon RF 28-70mm 2.0

  • Canon RF 35mm 1.8 Macro

  • Canon RF 50mm 1.2

  • Canon RF 85mm 1.2

  • Canon RF 70-200mm 2.8

  • Canon RF 100-500mm 4.5-7.1

  • Canon EF 100mm 2.8L Macro

Lighting:

  • Godox V860iii (x3)

  • Godox AD200 (x5)

  • Godox AD600

  • MagMod Flash Diffusers and Light Modifiers

  • Studio: Einstein E640 Studio Flash Units (x4)

  • Studio: Miscellaneous Paul C. Buff Light Modifiers 

Please contact me via my contact form or email (focus@carriekizuka.com) if you think we'll make a great team and want to chat more!