How Many Photos Do You Get from a Wedding Photographer?
This is a common question we get when talking to prospective clients, and a great question to have in mind when looking to book your wedding photographer. Each photographer is different in the way they shoot, edit, and deliver their final images. This can make for a daunting task for couples solidifying their wedding vendors!
When thinking about the final product of your wedding photos, do you want a quick turnaround, or a lot of candids? Do you only want a curated selection of fine-art level stunner images? Do you want to receive a gallery of photos you can download yourself, or would you prefer to receive curated prints and albums of your photographs? These are things to think about when talking to your potential wedding photographer.
Here are some common categories of wedding delivery and what they mean:
Highly curated, highly artistic:
This photographer is giving you an amazing gallery of immaculately edited images (probably <50 per hour* of your wedding), and possibly film scans, that are more than likely highly artistic and/or intentionally composed. Your gallery is going to feel like something out of a magazine. This photographer is most likely in the higher price point, offering a luxury service and a beautiful final product. Sometimes, this photographer will offer a limited number of file downloads and direct you to purchase print products to really experience the quality of the images in real life.
If high quality heirlooms and minimal file clutter are the name of your game, this may be important for you to invest in!
Large quantity, minimal stylization:
Some photographers are able to really utilize the convenience of digital, providing a ton of images in their final galleries - probably 150+ per hour* of your wedding. Typically, if a wedding has a higher number of final files, they will either be edited more minimally (no intense photoshop, just a preset or color correction) or will come with a longer delivery turnaround. These galleries will often include a lot of candid shots. From here, your photographer may charge for file downloads, print products, or you may have access to all of the files included in your package.
If having a ton of final photos to choose from is important to you, this may be your best fit!
Quality and quantity:
Some photographers will still provide a large amount of images with thoughtful (not extensive) editing, but you may be waiting a little longer for that delivery. These galleries may have limitations for downloads, options for additional products, or include all of the downloads for your files in your final delivery.
If you’re in no rush, you can get the best of both worlds with a photographer in this category!
So, where do we fit in?
We’d probably place ourselves somewhere between 1 and 3: We value both artistic and candid photographs, and while we love a minimally curated presentation, we have a really tough time not giving you every photo we took – we usually average about 100-150 photos an hour*, and 75-100/hr* for a more laid-back event. We offer luxury-caliber prints and hand-bound books, but we also give you the option to download all of your files at the highest quality (at no additional charge). We love a stunner artistic shot, but we also include goofy outtakes, dance party moments, and real reactions in your gallery.
*There is so much nuance across this spectrum, and every client and wedding is different. While these are general estimates of wedding coverage, your final image amount depends on the location and events of your wedding day!
