Photography & Events

Free Second Shooter Contract Template (PDF)

A second shooter agreement is a photographer-to-photographer contract that sets the rate, assigns copyright in the images captured, and establishes independent contractor status — the document that prevents the most common dispute in second-shooter arrangements: who actually owns the photos afterward.

When to use it

Use this any time you bring in another photographer to assist at an event, or you're the one being brought in as a second shooter and want the terms in writing. It matters most for image ownership: without an explicit copyright assignment, it's genuinely unclear who owns a second shooter's own images, which is exactly the kind of dispute this is built to prevent.

What's typically included

• Event date, venue, call time, and wrap time
• Rate and payment terms
• Image ownership and copyright assignment
• Second shooter's portfolio use rights and credit
• Independent contractor status
• Non-solicitation of the client
• Confidentiality
• Cancellation terms for both sides
• Signature blocks for primary photographer and second shooter

How to fill it in

• Both photographers initial beside the copyright assignment clause specifically — this is the one section worth reading twice, since it decides who actually owns the second shooter's own images afterward.
• Fill in the rate as a flat day rate or an hourly figure, whichever you've actually agreed to, and state clearly whether it's due on the day or on a later invoice.
• If you're open to the second shooter using select images in their own portfolio, say so explicitly in that section — silence reads as "no," which is a common source of friction after the fact.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns the photos a second shooter takes — the second shooter or the primary photographer?

That's exactly what this agreement's copyright assignment clause decides, and it's not automatic under copyright law without one — without a written assignment, a second shooter may retain rights to their own images even though they were hired for the event. Both parties should read and initial that clause specifically.

Is an electronically signed agreement between two photographers legally binding?

Yes, under the U.S. ESIGN Act and state UETA laws, the same as any other contract, as long as both signers consented to sign electronically.

Do I need this if the second shooter is a friend I'm not really "hiring"?

If money or usable images are changing hands at all, it's worth having this in writing — informal arrangements between photographer friends are exactly where image-ownership disputes tend to come up later, precisely because nothing was written down.