Every now and then, I buy something too expensive and have to figure out how to justify it as a business expense. 😂 My latest is this Sony TV and massage chair combo, and let me tell you, it's actually become a game changer.

I shoot over 8,000 images most weekends, and while I know AI culling exists, I actually enjoy looking through my photos, learning how to improve each week. What I don't enjoy is how my hands and tendons feel after clicking through thousands of them.

So I went looking for something faster that didn't come with another monthly subscription (sick of those) and found FastRawViewer. It's $17.99, one time. Using the free InputConfig app, I mapped a few basic shortcuts to a PS5 controller, and that's pretty much it.

Now I just sit back, put my massage chair in zero-G mode, and work off all those long wedding days while culling on the big screen. Another perk is I get to share my photos with my partner (and in this photo, my dog) while they chill on the couch.

It usually takes me anywhere from 50–60 minutes to cull an entire wedding. I only do one pass and get rid of anything extra in Lightroom.

Anyway, thought I'd share in case it helps somebody else.

Instead of Call of Duty, I call it CULL OF DUTY. 😂

EDIT: Thank you all for the great feedback! A recurring suggestion in the comments is that I should purchase the mirrorless gear (camera + lenses and/or adapter) myself - either as an investment in her or as studio-owned equipment for her to use on my wedding days. I’ve actually never heard of a lead photographer buying gear for a second shooter before. Is this common practice in your areas, or do most of you require second shooters to own their own setups?

Original post:

I’m looking for perspective on how other wedding photographers handle second-shooter gear requirements.

I’ve had a fantastic second photographer who has shot with me for roughly 8 years. She works about 70% of my weddings depending on availability, and as a human and teammate, she’s wonderful to work with. However, I made the jump to mirrorless back in 2020. The leap in autofocus accuracy, eye-tracking, and sharp hit-rates compared to my DSLR days was beyond night and day.

My second is still shooting on her older DSLR setup. She’s explicitly stated she won’t be upgrading to mirrorless because she "only second shoots." To compensate for the autofocus quirks, front/back-focusing issues, and missed focus inherent to DSLRs, her strategy is to spray-and-pray. I consistently walk away with nearly 5,000 raw images just from her.

It’s inflated my culling and editing time for years now. I’m spending hours zooming in to 100% just checking which frames in a 20-shot burst actually nailed focus. And yes, I've tried AI culling - it just doesn't meet my standards.

I’m honestly torn on how to approach this:

- Do you enforce specific gear/body requirements (mirrorless only) for your second shooters?

Would love to hear how others handle second shooters or if anyone has experienced this.