Two Wedding Photographers: Why Gardères & Dohmen Shoot as a Duo

Photo and video duos are common at weddings. Duos of two photographers are much rarer. Sylvain Gardères and Damien Dohmen have made it their trademark: they are known as "Gardères & Dohmen," and they describe themselves as a couple, not in life, but at work.

Talking with Eloa Landais, photographer and head of training at Fotostudio, they explain how they met, what working as a pair brings on the wedding day and in running the business, how they set their prices and split their revenue, and why they want to spread the word about documentary family photography. A useful episode for any wedding photographer thinking about teaming up or bringing in a second shooter.

Who are Sylvain Gardères and Damien Dohmen?

Sylvain Gardères and Damien Dohmen are a wedding and family photography duo based in Pau, in the Béarn region of southwest France. At the time of recording, in early 2021, they had been working together for eight years, with their business split evenly between weddings on one side and corporate and family work on the other.

• Sylvain went to film school, specializing in cinematography, then started out as a photographer and videographer in 2004, first for local authorities (town halls, tourist offices). He has been photographing weddings since 2008, on his own until 2013.
• Damien spent six years as an HR manager. He took up photography as a hobby to "get his head out of work," devoured books on technique and composition, then changed careers after a burnout.
• How they met: in 2013, Damien contacted every wedding photographer in the region looking for an internship. Sylvain, who didn't want an intern at his place during the week, offered him summer Saturdays, hoping to put him off. Damien said yes on the spot. By the end of the season, they had become partners.

According to their website today, garderes-dohmen.com, they shoot wedding coverage, family sessions and photos for businesses, craftspeople and local authorities, in Pau, in the Vallée d'Ossau and all over France and Europe. They describe themselves as reporters (candid, natural and spontaneous photos), they are trainers and speakers, and they have been Sigma ambassadors since 2015.

1. Why photograph a wedding as a pair?

The idea came from a workshop they attended in 2013 with a Mexican wedding photographer. Her first question to the participants: who works as a pair, or as a team? Sylvain and Damien shyly raised their hands. She explained that in Mexico it's the norm: she covers her own weddings with her sister and her husband. In France, duos of two photographers are still rare, but Gardères & Dohmen shoot 95% of their weddings together. The exceptions: friends' weddings and very small town hall ceremonies.

Two angles, two people on hand

The most obvious benefit for couples: when the preparations happen at the same time, one follows the groom, the other the bride. After that, every key moment is covered from two angles. They also stress a less obvious advantage: there are two people available, who can help the couple in ways other than taking photos. And two creative minds bouncing off each other.

"When we put together the best-of, most of the time we don't know who did what."

Damien Dohmen

Coverage that stays consistent

Two photographers: does that mean two styles showing in the album? Not with them. They share the same view of how to work, use the same camera bodies and the same lenses (same brand, same range) and apply the same editing. The coverage is unified, to the point where they sometimes have to check the EXIF data to know who pressed the shutter. Their website even features photos taken simultaneously from two angles, to show in concrete terms why it pays to be two. That's what a couple expects when they look for a wedding photographer: a complete story, with no gaps.

2. Does working as a duo reduce wedding photographer stress?

Yes, and it's probably the point that comes up most in the episode. Sylvain admits it: when he worked alone, every Saturday morning, he was relieved if he heard a wedding had been canceled. Today, he heads off to a wedding "super excited."

"When I worked on my own, every morning before a wedding, if someone told me it was canceled, I was happy. Now I don't have that stress at all anymore."

Sylvain Gardères

Eloa shares the same experience: she photographed weddings from 2006 to 2013 before stopping. Twelve to fourteen hours on high alert, the fear of missing the exchange of rings, dreams of running through the church without ever getting there in time. On the rare occasions she had an intern with her, she felt much more relaxed. Damien, for his part, was just coming out of a burnout when he started: crowds made him anxious, and having Sylvain there helped him find his place, a 70-200 in hand.

A safety net for the couple

One year, Damien threw his back out three days before the last wedding of the season. Sylvain went alone, and the couple were covered. A solo photographer can't count on that kind of backup. Couples understand this well: there's little chance both photographers will break a leg on the same day.

The stress of running the business is shared too

Working as a pair doesn't just help on the big day. Emails, meetings, responsibilities: everything is divided up. When one forgets to reply to a client, it's not the client who follows up, it's the partner. To make it work, they apply a simple rule, the same as in any couple: talk to each other and say things openly.

3. How much should two wedding photographers charge?

It's the question they get asked all the time: "I charge 2,000 euros on my own. Why aren't you at 4,000 as a pair?" Their answer: because it isn't the same job. As a pair, it's more restful; editing isn't cut in half, but each of them has fewer images to process since the two sets of coverage are combined; and the admin is shared.

Start from the income you need

To set their rates, they started from what each of them wanted to earn over the year, then priced accordingly. They live in the Béarn, where life is cheaper than in Biarritz, and they don't need "5,000 euros a month" to live on. The result, in early 2021: from 2,500 euros for coverage from the preparations through to the cocktail reception, with a simple online gallery. Far from the cheapest photographer, but not double the price of a solo photographer either. To apply the same reasoning to your own numbers, the photography price calculator starts precisely from your costs and your target income.

12 to 15 weddings a year, no more

They once had a season with 19 or 20 weddings. Too many. Their goal is now 12 to 15 weddings a year: enough for their revenue, without losing the quality of the client relationship. The hardest part is back-to-back weddings: eight in a row, even in a season of twelve, is unsustainable. All the more so since they travel a lot, in France and Europe, sometimes from Friday lunchtime to Sunday lunchtime.

4. How do you organize as a pair: legal status, revenue, gear?

Surprise: Gardères & Dohmen have no joint company. They share a name and websites, but each is registered as a sole trader (an "auto-entrepreneur," France's simplified self-employed status). After consulting accountants, they concluded that a joint structure would cost them more and force them to work harder to earn the same amount. The choice suits them in their region; of course, it depends on each person's situation.

A spreadsheet to balance revenue

In practice, one of them bills one wedding, the other the next. They keep a spreadsheet and aim for the same revenue at the end of the year. When a new corporate client comes in, it goes to whichever of them is behind. This kind of setup calls for rigorous invoicing and a clear record of who has been paid for what.

"I think of us as a couple, in the sense that it works the same way as a couple. If you talk to each other and say things openly, it works."

Damien Dohmen

Gear: consistent, not necessarily shared

Each has his own camera bodies (two for Damien, one plus a backup for Sylvain) and his own computer, one on PC, the other on Mac. At first, one shot Canon and the other Nikon: they standardized, with no particular attachment to a brand, simply so the results would look consistent. Their lenses are lent to them by Sigma, for whom they are ambassadors. How did that happen? They noticed they only worked with Sigma lenses, pitched a blog article to the brand, and were then invited to give a talk at the Salon de la Photo in Paris. Their motto: "You've already got the no in your pocket," so you might as well send the email.

An asset for corporate work too

95% of their corporate work comes from word of mouth, from weddings or from their former network. They have covered major international medical conferences, where being two makes a real difference. And when one of them isn't available for a client, the other can go.

5. Second shooter or assistant: what's the difference?

Every year, Sylvain and Damien each shoot at least one wedding as a second shooter for another photographer. In 2020, Sylvain did three; all their own weddings had been postponed to 2021. Following someone else remains a great way to learn.

They make a clear distinction between the two roles:

• The second shooter often comes on their own initiative, to see how another photographer works or to get some practice. They aren't necessarily paid.
• The assistant is brought in by the lead photographer, even if they are sometimes called a "second shooter." In principle, they are paid.

And the photos? That's an agreement between photographers: either the second shooter hands their selection directly to the couple, or they give it to the lead photographer, who adds it to their gallery. Without a clear agreement, conflicts arise quickly ("you stole my clients"). Better to put everything in writing before the wedding, just as you would with your clients in your contracts.

6. Do you need to be married to photograph weddings?

Eloa raises the question after a conversation with Benjamin Brette, a wedding and cocktail photographer, who wondered whether his divorce would change his relationship with couples. Sylvain, who is divorced, feels no disconnect. He borrows a distinction from English: marriage is the union; the wedding is the big day. What he photographs is the wedding.

"I don't take photos for the wedding. I take photos for the people."

Damien Dohmen

Damien, in a relationship since 2011 without being married, takes the same approach: a wedding, a birthday or even a funeral, he treats people the same way. What he looks for is emotion and the interactions between people. It's also what he loved about human resources, the human connection, "without the conflicts and without the employment tribunals."

7. What is documentary family photography?

At the time of the episode, Gardères & Dohmen had just joined the Joyeux Bazar collective, a French group of documentary family photographers. The principle: the photographer comes to the family's home and becomes a spectator of everyday life. No staged lifestyle, no poses.

Photographing what you never have photos of

Sylvain describes a session that started at 5 a.m.: the family had left the door open for him, he waited on the sofa for the last bottle feed of the night, then followed the household waking up until the older kids left for school. His observation, flipping through his own albums: you have no photos of everyday life, of a meal, an afternoon snack, coming home from school. And yet those are the images that gain the most value over time.

"Not looking your best is embarrassing for the first two years after the session. But after that, it becomes hugely valuable."

Damien Dohmen

The wallpaper, the layout of the living room, the overloaded power strip everyone wants to edit out: in twenty years, those details will tell the story of an era. Eloa, who brought a photographer into her own home as a mom, agrees: the image of her child knocking over the jug is one she would never have taken herself.

Bringing clients to documentary photography

Documentary family photography is still little known: many clients still picture nicely dressed children and a dozen posed studio photos. To ease the transition, they offer short sessions (one or two hours) around a specific moment, such as bath time and dinner: you can get things going a little at the start, then the moment takes over and you stop directing anything. A full documentary session lasts about half a day. They admit they are "really bad" at directing people, perhaps because they don't like being directed themselves.

8. Should you sell albums and prints to your couples?

Gardères & Dohmen don't include albums in their packages: they offer them as an option. They deliver the high-resolution files and are upfront with their clients: their albums are high-end, and therefore expensive; if the budget isn't there, couples can make their own. What matters most to them is that the photos end up on paper. For weddings, about half of their couples order their album from them.

They still explain the difference: a professional album means care taken over color accuracy, layout and durability. But after spending 3,000 to 4,000 euros on a full package, not every couple has another 1,000 to 1,500 euros for an album. And they sometimes get lovely surprises: former couples whose homes they visit to find their photos framed everywhere.

"For us, the most important thing is that the story was captured. It doesn't matter how it's printed, what matters is that it's there."

Damien Dohmen

Stay in touch rather than chase

Eloa suggests reaching out to couples on their first wedding anniversary. Damien isn't keen on the practice: he doesn't like receiving follow-ups himself, so he doesn't want to send them. They prefer to stay in touch with former clients, for example through a group reserved for their couples, where they share things like their album maker's promotions. An occasional, useful newsletter can play the same role without feeling pushy. Because former couples are also future family clients: once they start a family, they have no reason to go elsewhere, as long as they know documentary family photography exists.

Episode recorded in early 2021, during the pandemic. Almost all of the 2020 weddings had been postponed; Sylvain and Damien stressed at the time how important public support and the work of the French federation of professional photographers (FFPMI) had been for photographers. The workshops and projects mentioned in the episode relate to that period.

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FAQ: two wedding photographers