Second photographer
Another angle, simultaneous preparation, guest reactions, details, and coverage that supports the lead photographer’s priorities. We agree on positions and responsibilities before the day.
Jessica Combs · For photographers, filmmakers + planners
Another creative.
On your team.
Second photography, associate lead coverage, filmmaking, and on-set support. Boston-based, with experience across New England, Las Vegas, and destination celebrations.
I’m Jessica, founder and photographer behind The Combs Creative. My approach brings editorial composition, documentary attention, and practical preparation together. For a partner assignment, we start with your brief, your client experience, and the role you need filled.
The right role for your assignment.
Associate lead photographer
Lead coverage for your studio under an agreed brief. Confirm your preferred approach, client communication, timeline responsibilities, image requirements, and handoff before booking.
Film + Super 8 support
Digital filmmaking and real Super 8 are separate services with their own equipment and production needs. Corey leads our filmmaking, audio, and drone work. Specify whether you are requesting Jessica, Corey, or a team.
Assistant + production support
Lighting assistance, equipment support, details, and on-set coordination can be discussed for the assignment. Assistant work and camera coverage have different responsibilities; we confirm the role together.
Partner assignments are scoped individually. Share the hours, location, duties, gear needs, and budget for a current rate. Client wedding collections are not the rate card for second-shooting or associate work.
Prepared, observant, and easy to communicate with.
People + moments first
I look for interactions, gesture, atmosphere, and the details that connect a story. Portrait direction is clear and intentional, with room for movement and genuine expression.
Editorial when it helps
Composition, clothing, light, and the setting all inform the photograph. My background in fashion and visual merchandising shapes how I notice a room and refine a frame.
Your brief shapes the day
Before partner coverage, we align on must-have images, family groups, ceremony restrictions, posing preferences, flash use, and who directs each part of the day. Simultaneous moments need a clear division of coverage.
Respect for your client relationship
Client communication, branding, image use, social sharing, and portfolio permissions are agreed with the hiring studio. Private galleries, personal information, and unreleased work stay within the agreed workflow.
Explore our full approach and production workflow · Read my creative background
Cameras, lenses, light, and sound.
Canon is our primary photography system; Sony is our filmmaking system. This is a working-kit overview. Confirm the exact bodies, lenses, and specialty equipment required for your assignment before booking.
Digital photography
- Canon EOS R6 and R6 Mark II
- 28–70mm f/2
- 85mm f/1.2
- 50mm f/1.4
- 70–200mm f/2.8
- Dual-card recording workflow and professional SanDisk/Sony media
Digital filmmaking + sound
- Sony A7 III system
- 14mm, 35mm, 55mm, 85mm, and 70–200mm lenses
- DJI wireless microphones and handheld audio recorders
- DJI drone coverage, arranged with Corey
Additional Sony bodies are listed in our full studio overview. Confirm the specific kit and operator for your booking.
Lighting + modifiers
- Godox, Aputure, and Profoto lighting
- Light stands and flash accessories
- Diffusers and light-shaping modifiers
- Backdrops for specifically scoped portrait or event setups
Available light, flash, and continuous light are chosen around the scene, the time available, and the lead creative’s requirements. Confirm exact flash models, triggers, power, and modifier compatibility when a shared setup is required.
Analog photography + motion
- Canon EOS Elan 7 and Canon AE-1
- Manual Pentax and compact Pentax/Olympus film cameras
- Holga / 120, Polaroid, and Instax Mini options
- Real Super 8 motion-picture film
- Kodak Portra, Gold, and Tri-X; Ilford; Fujifilm stocks
Film, lab processing, scans, and who holds the exposed rolls are agreed separately. Stock and vintage-camera availability can vary.
A clear plan for the files.
- Before coverage: confirm card ownership, image format, time synchronization, naming, and whether the assignment is capture-only or includes editing.
- After coverage: reconcile media and agree on the transfer method, deadline, backup responsibilities, and receipt confirmation with the hiring studio.
- For our own studio projects: our workflow uses multiple external drives, NAS storage, cloud delivery, and geographically separate digital copies. Partner jobs follow the agreed file-handling instructions.
- Editing, when commissioned: Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Lightroom Mobile, and Premiere Pro are part of our toolkit. Match-to-studio edits, culling, and exports require their own scope.
- Portfolio permissions: establish credit, embargoes, publication permissions, and any client privacy restrictions before sharing.
Our direct-client gallery turnaround times do not set the handoff deadline for a partner assignment. We agree on that deadline with you.
Past work, in context.
Explore photographs, films, locations, and project roles. Client identities are kept out of this overview; credits distinguish our work from collaborators’ photography or filmmaking.
Photography
Wedding days, engagements, elopements, and editorial work, including estate settings, desert locations, and city celebrations.
Browse photography + storiesDigital film + Super 8
Explore full wedding stories and motion work, including New England, Ireland, and Las Vegas. Each project has its own coverage scope and creative team.
Watch filmsWork history + roles
The archive includes documented work across years, with roles, locations, and privacy-conscious project labels. Ask for a relevant full example for the role you are hiring.
Open the work archiveVenues + destinations
Browse documented locations and venue experience alongside the project archive.
Explore places we have workedPeople we have worked alongside.
Selected collaborators in our published archive include Jess René Photos, Taylor Made Photography / Heather Taylor, Lauren Rae Photography, Nicole Hubbs Photography, Elopement Las Vegas, Cactus Collective Weddings, Simply Eloped, and Electric Sugar Elopements.
These are project collaboration credits. A shared credit does not necessarily mean that business hired us as an associate or second shooter, and it is not a testimonial or a reference endorsement. The archive provides the available role and project context.
Explore partner credits + linked projectsFor a hiring reference, ask us to arrange an introduction appropriate to the role.
Published photography. Credited filmmaking.
Featured photography
The Combs Creative’s published photography includes Love Inc. Magazine, Rock n Roll Bride issue 42, and Premier Weddings Fall 2022.
Featured filmmaking
The Loverly feature of a whimsical summer wedding weekend at The Wilburton credits The Combs Creative / The Combs Films for videography. The photography in that feature belongs to its credited photographer.
Professional details + booking paperwork.
Our studio’s published professional overview states that The Combs Creative is licensed and insured. Share your venue or hiring-studio requirements so the current documentation can be reviewed for your assignment.
Insurance
Request current insurance documentation, coverage details, and any certificate-of-insurance or additional-insured requirements before booking. Policy numbers and private documents are not published here.
Licensing + drone operation
Corey is identified in our studio overview as an FAA-certified drone pilot. Drone coverage is separately arranged and depends on the operator, airspace, weather, venue permissions, and safe conditions. Jessica’s photography booking does not automatically include a drone operator.
Contract + onboarding
Send your contractor agreement, requested tax paperwork, confidentiality terms, and studio requirements for review. Confirm the legal contracting name and required documents directly during onboarding.
Confirm the assignment
We agree on the person booked, role, hours, rate, travel, parking, meals, overtime, payment timing, equipment, file handoff, and image-use rights before the date is reserved.
Tell me where you need another set of eyes.
Email your date, venue or city, role, coverage hours, budget, and any required equipment. Include whether you need Jessica for photography, Corey for filmmaking, or a combined team, plus the file-handoff deadline and any insurance requirements.
hello@thecombscreative.com · Usual response time: 24–72 business hours. Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 AM–3 PM Eastern.