Porfolio Exchange Opportunities

How would this work?

I am looking for exchange second/third shooters opportunities of my luxurious South Asian weddings with your luxurious Western-styled weddings. I have hand picked 3 weddings that I believe are great for portfolios –that I would like invite you to join our team as a second or third shooter.

Let’s get straight to the point: we want to get portfolio pieces and I want to try our my best to ensure that you would get what you want ( stunning venue, reputable decorator and gorgeous couple  and etc.) and to the best of my knowledge, I believe these weddings below can offer great opportunities for that. For this to be a win-win for both of us, I ask for you to offer the similar experiences for western-styled weddings.

Here is how the exchange would work:

• – Pick the weddings that could work for you from the list below and let me know. These weddings are fairly big and I have budgeted for third photographers to join if needed. If the dates don’t work, but you are interested in exchanging in the future, let me know too!
• – For these weddings, I actually have a soft hold of members of my team as second/third shooters but you could join as either:
  • – Second Shooter: If you would like to be paid more, this is a better option. Our typical pay for second shooter is $80/hr.  Please keep in mind that Second shooter is usually needed to cover the groom getting ready (but if time permits, you are welcome to join the bride side too) and parts of the cocktail hour (but we will try our best to let you switch with the third to capture details too)
  • – Third Shooter: For weddings that are a bit further out (more than 2 months away) and there are chances that you might get booked and have to bail, I would ask you to join as a third shooter — I understand if a great opportunity comes along. But if you are certain that you can commit to the date, I would welcome you to join as a second. Our rate for third shooter is $50/hr. The third shooter is usually doing the details and will also be working with the lead during the bride getting ready. We usually don’t need third shooters to stay until the end but you are welcome to stay.
  • – Let me know if you would like to join as a second or a third shooter (pending availability of the spot)
• – These weddings are some of the best weddings I have this year, I would also ask for you to offer some of the best portfolio opportunities that hopefully coincide with my availability below. I would also ask that you share similar details (planner, decorator, venue and a photo of the couple)
• – Let me know what wedding you could offer based on my availability below. If you have already hired a second shooter for that date, I would appreciate if you would consider hiring me as a third shooter or else we can simply exchange third shooting service for one another? (we could consider pay the difference if the hours on one wedding is more than the other). I hope to do this in 2024 but for an exceptional opportunity, I could also do 2025.
• – The rate mentioned above is the suggested rate — we can agree on the rate and I would reciprocate the same rate.
• – Unfortunately, I don’t have budget for traveling and I won’t ask for traveling fee the wedding you are offering either. However if this is a deal breaker and if you have a great opportunity for me, we might be able to work something out.
• – Image Usage Term (or please suggest modifications if anything) — let’s agree on the same term.
  • – Usage on your website
    • – Credit: Second Photographer for Nat Wongsaroj on your blog post
    • – No need to credit if it’s part of “best of” images or if there is no good place to put credits
  • Social Media
    • – Allow usage on social media 4 months after the wedding.
    • – Please credit “second photographer for @natwongsaroj”.
    • – No tagging vendors nor clients please.
  • – No submission to publications
• – These are my ideas to make this exchange the best experience for both of us. Please feel free to suggest if you have any other thoughts that I may not have thought about.

What dates are these weddings?

August 17, 2024

Ceremony Venue: Westin Indianapolis
Reception Venue:  Indiana Roof Ballroom
Details: A gorgeous South Asian wedding with a well-known Chicago-based decorator/florist, Yanni Design Studio. The venue has an Italian village vibe, making it a fantastic backdrop.
Photo of the couple
Note: there is also a Sangeet event at the Westin on August 16th (late afternoon) — option to join.

September 21, 2024

Venue: Andrew Mellon Auditorium, Washington D.C  (both ceremony & reception)
Details: A beautiful South Asian wedding planned by CG&CO (the most well-known South Asian Wedding Planner in DC) and decorated by Sophie Felts (Highly reputable decorator). Andrew Mellon Auditorium is an iconic venue and a dream to shoot at. Last time I worked here, I was shooting with Caleb Jordan Lee!
Photo of the Couple
Note: there is also a Sangeet event on September 20th at JW Marriott nearby — option to join.

November 23, 2024

Venue: Fontainebleau Miami (Ceremony & Reception). The ceremony is planned to be outdoor.
Details: A fusion wedding with an Italian bride and Indian groom, decorated by the renowned NJ-based Abhishek Decorators. The historic Fontainebleau Miami is simply stunning.
Photo of the Couple (sorry only have a photo of the bride from her LinkedIn lol)
Note: there is also a huge welcome party on November 22nd  — option to join.
Please note that for this wedding, another lead photographer (Kyle Phillips) will be the lead photographer (we only have two lead shooters — myself and Kyle). The bride booked me but ended up having to move the date to a new date that I am not available.

What dates I am available to second/third shoot for you?

Currently, I am available for second/third shooter for the followings Friday/Saturday dates in 2024:

August 2nd | August 3rd
August 9th (must be in DC area as I have a wedding on August 10th)
September 6th | September 7th
September 27th | September 28th
October 11st | October 12nd
October 19th
November 8th | November 9th
All December weekends are open.
2025 dates are reserved for my own bookings at the moment but open for an exceptional opportunity.

Sunday dates on these weekends are usually open but I didn’t list them above