Crew · For photographers and videographers
How to schedule second shooters and freelance crew
By the bckendIQ team6 min read
The short answer
Book each second shooter or freelancer in writing: date, hours, rate and when files come back. Before the day, send one page with the address, local start time, contacts and shot list.
It is Wednesday after the wedding, and the couple's sneak peek is due on Friday. Your second shooter's files still have not arrived. The address, the start time and the shot list went out in three different text threads. As Fstoppers tells second shooters: "Miss it, and you have made them late to their paying customer."
When should you book a second shooter?
Book your second shooter as soon as the couple signs, not the week before. The good ones work for other studios too, so their Saturdays go fast.
A yes in a text is not a booking. Put it in writing the same day, even if it is a short email. Cover these:
- The date, the venue and the hours you need them
- The rate, the hours it covers and the overtime rate
- What gear they bring, and what you lend them
- When the files come back, how, and in what format
- What they wear, and how they introduce themselves
- Whether they may use the photos in their own portfolio
Day rates, contracts and tax forms have a guide of their own: how to pay a second shooter.
What should you send a second shooter before the shoot?
Send one page with everything they need, before the day. A second shooter who has to scroll three chats for the address will be late, or stressed, or both.
- The venue address, with parking and where to come in
- Start and finish times, in the venue's local time
- Your phone number, and the planner's
- The schedule for the day, from getting ready to the last dance
- The shot list, with the family groups and who is who
- The planner's timeline or any PDF the couple sent you
That page is a call sheet. Our guide covers what goes on a call sheet, line by line, so this post will not repeat it.
How do you handle shift times across time zones?
Write every time in the venue's local time, and put the time zone beside it. "Call time 1:30 pm, venue time" leaves nothing to guess.
This matters most for destination weddings. A videographer flying in may still have their phone on home time. A calendar invite can show a different hour on a phone set to another zone.
Being on time starts with the call time you give. Set it before the first moment you need them, not at it. If the start time moves, tell them once, with the old time and the new one.
On the day, write down when each person starts and finishes. Hours pieced together from memory start pay arguments. Our guide on tracking crew hours on a shoot day shows what to record.
How should second shooters hand files back?
Agree the deadline, the format and the method before the shoot, not after it. Your own delivery date depends on their files.
“Miss it, and you have made them late to their paying customer.”
- A firm date for the files, early enough for your own deadline
- The format: untouched RAW files, unless you agree something else
- How: cards handed over on the night, or an upload by the date
- A quick check that every card made it, before you pay
How bckendIQ handles it
Freelance crew scheduling was the thing our waitlist asked for most. Here is what bckendIQ does for freelance crew today.
- 1
Keep your crew on one page
Contractors is one page with two tabs, Contractors and Guest contractors. A contractor is paid per shoot, and pay can be set in any currency. A fully staffed event takes nobody else.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 2
The job card arrives filled in
When a booking goes live, its job card carries the crew, start time and hours the client gave. Attach the planner's PDF or shot list, and the crew see it on their card.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 3
Reminders in the shift's own local time
Crew reminders show the shift's own local time and come from your studio's name. When a start time moves, the crew is told once, with the old and new time.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 4
Every date shows the year
Every date on the job board and My Shifts includes the year. A wedding next summer no longer reads like last Saturday.
Open it in bckendIQ → - 5
Clock in and out at the venue
Crew have to be at the venue to clock out, just as they do to clock in. Anyone who has already left is clocked out when the shift ends. Still check the hours before you pay.
Open it in bckendIQ →
Running freelance crew: the usual way and with bckendIQ
| Task | The usual way | With bckendIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping track of crew | Names and rates in your phone and old chats | Contractors and guest crew on one page, paid per shoot, in any currency |
| Sending the details | Address, times and shot list across three threads | The job card carries the crew, start time, hours and the planner's PDF |
| Time zones | Times typed by hand, often with no zone | Reminders show the shift's own local time |
| A start time moves | A string of texts, and hope everyone saw one | The crew is told once, with the old and new time |
| Hours on the day | Pieced together from memory later | Crew clock in and out at the venue |
Questions people ask
- What should I send a second shooter before a wedding?
- One page with the address, parking, local start and finish times, contacts, the day's schedule and the shot list. Send a fresh page if anything changes.
- Do I need crew scheduling software?
- Not for one or two shoots a month: a calendar and a call sheet will do. Once shoots overlap or crew cross time zones, one place for jobs, times and hours saves the chasing.
- How do second shooters hand over files?
- However you agreed in writing: cards handed over on the night, or an upload by a set date. Settle the date and the format before the shoot.
- How much should I pay a second shooter?
- Rates vary a lot by city and experience, so set yours against local rates. Our pay guide covers day rates, overtime and 1099s.
Sources
bckendIQ runs enquiries, contracts, payments, galleries and crew for photo and video studios, in one place. Start free, no card needed →