I know, it’s been a while I haven’t shared in the blog, but good news, the team is growing up and we have now more time to focus on creating content!
This week, I’ve shared a few pictures of one of our job in the Middle East, showing my (adorable and super talented) team. I’ve received many messages and questions from photographers, planners, and people in the industry in general. So I decided it was the perfect topic to be back on the blog!

WORKING WITH A TEAM

I’ve been working with a team since forever. I think I’ve worked maybe my first year alone, and then started to hire second shooters. To make my life easier, to secure the important moments, to have a variety of images, and to have someone to talk to during the cocktail!
Now, it won’t even be a option to work alone, even on small weddings, for my personal confort and for my client’s photo safety.

WORKING AS A TEAM

I know, it’s not easy to delegate, specially as a photographer, you want everything to be done your way, with your eye, your frame and angle. To be honest, that is something I’m still struggling with, even if I’ve been working with amazing people. I always want to “double shoot, just in case”, and it’s for sure, safer at the beginning of a new collaboration, but a trap after a while. You need to show that you trust them.

WHAT ARE MY CRITERIAS

I’m lucky enough to receive messages regularly of people wanted to work with us, and I’m super grateful about that. I’m always happy to welcome new people and to work with new faces, also because I’m gonna learn from them as much as they are gonna learn from me. Simply working with someone else is the opportunity to see another way of working. We need to stay humble, we can learn from everybody, everytime.
But of course, before jumping into this adventure with someone I’ve never worked with, I have a few important points I need to be sure we are aligned on:
-The mindset. Even before anything else, the mood, the personality is super important. Someone who doesn’t have the “rage”, the will to do the best for the client, but just to chill and see a beautiful wedding, it’s not gonna work. I like the idea of someone wanted to explore, to share, learn from each other, and that is the main reason why this person would like to be there. Also, someone who says “If I cannot sahre the pictures I’m not interested” is for me a red flag. First, the client signed with us, not with another photographer they don’t even know. How is it possible for them to find their wedding on someone else’ instagram? Same for the planner? And second, we give Memory Card at the beginning of the day and take them back at the end, so my team doesnt have access to the pictures anyway (just to make our “memory card’s life easier as it’s a nightmare to remember who’s card is this one, to give it back etc…) AND, even if you keep the photo, you’ll edit them with your style and preset, which doesn’t make sense for the clients.
Yes as you can see, the clients are my PRIORITY and will always be. I need people ready to fight for them, their big day, their lifetime memories…

-The style. Of course, someone with a total different style will have difficulty to adjust to our signature, and it’s totally ok! Don’t try to be different, keep your style and maybe try to join someone with a similar signature 🙂

HOW TO FIND SUPER SECOND SHOOTERS

It’s definitely not an easy task! I honestly spend hours checking mainly on Instagram, listing people I like the work of, and simply contacting them! I also try to stay open minded when I meet new people! Today my main second shooter is actually a videographer I’m use to work with in the Middle East, and when she helped me on a job one day, I realized she was pretty good actually! And now she’s been working for me as a photographer, besides her videographer job, for years!

I also created a Whats’App group where I’ve put all the people who are interested to work with us, and when I have a job and I need more people, I simply put a post in the group, that was actually one of my best idea! Avoiding to have to contact each separately :p

TAKE CARE OF THEM!

Working in our industry means travelling during hours, dealing with transportations, hotels, being far of the family, working at least one day to 4 or 5 days without sleeping a lot, and coming back home. it’s a lot, it’s heavy, and not everybody can face that. So when you are lucky enough to have found people to work with you, take care of them! A good restaurant the evening before, one room per shooter if possible, try to make their life easier as much as you can ( I have an assistant booking the flight of my shooter in the Middle East, they don’t have to worry about that!). And tell them how amazing they are!<3

I hope it helps you to see my vision of my team, it’s all together fighting for the clients, there is no ego, no “boss”, no level. It’s us and I’m super grateful to have them!

Wish you the best

Maddy