If you are planning a wedding photoshoot the common question that will come in your mind is, how many photos can you expect from a wedding photographer? A wedding the photographer takes a large number of raw photos but delivers a lesser number of photos after picking and editing the right ones. A professional photographer picks high-quality photos, for example, 200 photos out of 1000-2000 of raw photographs.
The quality of the photographs is always more important than their quantity. In the article, we will answer the queries related to the wedding shoot, how many photographs you can get and the things you should keep in mind while selecting a wedding photographer.
How many photos do you get from a wedding photographer? You can expect to get an average of 400 – 800 photos from a professional wedding photographer after eight hours of wedding coverage. These are the perfect numbers for a wedding event. Proportionally, for smaller arrangements, after one hour of a wedding photoshoot, the wedding photographer will possibly deliver 50-100 professional-looking wedding photos. How many photos you are going to get from your wedding photographer also depends on the photography skills of your photographer, the size of the event and the number of hours of the wedding photoshoot, etc.
For a good wedding photoshoot, you should prefer the quality of photos rather than quantity. You can also specify the wanted number of photos and give certain instructions to the photographer before the wedding shoot. Talk about the following things with your photographer:
- Ask about wedding packages and prices rates
- Available dates of wedding shoots.
- Pre-plan the whole event with a photographer for excellent outcomes.
- Amount of photos that you are expecting
- Tell the photographer about your preferred style and type of wedding photographs.
Further, in the following sections, you will find tips on how to select a good wedding photographer, how to select a good photographer on a reasonable budget and we will share some of our experience on how you can prepare yourself for a perfect wedding photoshoot? Let’s begin!
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What Should You Expect When You Hire a Wedding Photographer?
Keep in mind, if the photographer is capturing thousand of images. It does not mean that you will get all of them. A professional photographer takes more than 3000 RAW wedding photos and out of them, he selects only perfect photos and edits them. There is always a room for negotiation if you want more photos, you can ask your wedding photographer for this before the shoot.
On average, you can expect around 400 photos (out of roughly 2000 photos) after an 8-hour wedding shoot coverage. For a wedding event, you can also hire more than one wedding photographer for more photos. We would suggest that you do not look at the number of wedding photos.
A smaller number of good quality wedding photos are much better than a large number of bad quality photos. A professional wedding photographer captures multiple photos of a single scene to avoid any errors. Out of these multiple raw images, a few perfect photos are selected and edited for the client.
Every photo is reviewed individually and corrected to avoid the distractions. A wedding photographer normally delivers the edited photos after a couple of weeks of a wedding photoshoot.
Although, the delivery time can vary according to the personal schedule of your wedding photographer. You can also discuss it in advance. It’s better to give the photographer extra time to edit images for quality work.
Tips on How to Hire a Good Wedding Photographer
For a wedding event or a wedding shoot, hiring a good wedding photographer can be a tricky task. The process requires a lot of research and pre-planning. Here, are some tips on how to select a good wedding photographer and to get those amazing wedding photos that you deserve.
Look at the Style and Portfolio of the Photographers
When hiring a wedding photographer, we suggest you take a look at the portfolio or the website of the photographer. Check the reviews and see the style of the photographer and if it suits your taste well. Every photographer has its own aura and style of taking photos. You can select the right person according to your preferred style.
You also need to see the time and venue and see if your photographer is good with it. The venue can either be inside or outdoors. We suggest you hire a photographer that has the best portfolio and style that is similar to your demands.
Create a Budget
Before hiring a photographer, decide a budget that you want to spend on the wedding photoshoot. Keep in mind, you need to book a photographer a few months before the event to make sure that he is not pre-occupied. You can have a hard time finding and hiring a good wedding photographer if you will procrastinate this task.
The budget of a wedding photoshoot varies according to the number of hours and also depends upon the skills of a photographer. You can inquire the wedding photographer about his entire budget and delivery time of images beforehand.
Ask the photographer, if he charges travel fee and does he have a refund policy. It is good to know if they provide retouching or “photoshop” services.
Arrange a Meeting Before Hiring the Wedding Photographer
This will help you understand the potential and nature of the photographer. Moreover, a good client-supplier relationship is necessary to get the best outcomes. If you cannot personally meet with the photographer, then a video call is also a reliable option. Do some homework and ask them about their work and previous clients.
Specify Your Priorities
During the meeting with a wedding photographer, you can specify your priorities and give directions for your wedding photoshoot coverage. Moreover, you can share about your venue, timing and theme of the photos.
Ask the photographer about his reservations, about the style, theme or venue of the wedding shoot. You also need to inquire about the packages, discounts and publication rights of your wedding photos.
How to Prepare for an Amazing Wedding Photoshoot
Time, venue and weather conditions of the wedding event or a photoshoot are the most important factors that can affect the result of your images. Make all the wedding preparations earlier and do your makeup and hairstyling that also looks good on camera. You can also arrange a trial makeup session before the wedding to eliminate the chance of error on time.
If you have planned for an indoor photoshoot or event, select a big room with a lot of natural light and where your photographer can capture images from multiple angles. Make sure that all the important people are there for the wedding portrait.
• Things That Can Make Your Wedding Photoshoot Better
Pre-planning and hiring a skilled wedding photographer is necessary for a good photoshoot. You can ask the photographer about the suggestions that can be helpful to create a perfect shoot.
Right timing, weather condition and fascinating location are the important factors that can do wonders. Be extra careful when deciding on the location and timing of your wedding event or photoshoot.
• Do I Need a Second Photographer for My Wedding Shoot?
If you want photos from a different perspective, do not worry about it because most of the time your photographer will come with a coworker (another photographer). They will have more cameras and will take photos from different angles.
• When Should I Book a Wedding Photographer?
If you want to have the services of a professional wedding photographer, you may need to book him 1 year prior to your wedding event. Most of the professional wedding photographers have a booked schedule for the whole year. It can be very hard to find and select your favorite photographer just before the wedding days.
• What Is ‘Shoot and Burn’ Photography?
When you are deciding on a wedding photographer for your wedding photoshoot, you may hear about the term ‘shoot and burn’. In this process, photographers directly burn your wedding images onto a CD without editing them. It will be cheaper, but the quality will not up to the mark due to the omission of the editing step.
• Do I Need to Tip My Wedding Photographer?
It is appreciated if you want to tip your wedding photographer. There is not any hard and fast rule about giving tips. A generous tip of $50 to $100 is fine if you have a good budget. You can give more or less if you want but it really depends on your budget.
How to Get a Good Wedding Photographer on a Reasonable Budget
A wedding is one of the most memorable moments of the bride and groom’s life. However, if you have a short budget and want a good wedding getting a photographer it can be a difficult task. An average price that a photographer in the U.S charges for a wedding photoshoot is around $2000. However, this price can get lower by keeping the following points in mind.
Pricing and Packages
See the timing and pricing packages of the wedding photoshoot. Photographers can sometimes charge an extra price for traveling to a distant location. In a wedding package, most of the photographers usually include the hours of the photoshoot. If they stay longer they will, in the end, pay you more so be aware of this. Please ask for every detail as it is very important for both sides to satisfied.
Photographer’s Staff
In a few cases, professional photographers hire extra staff or assistants for help. It increases the cost of the package. Some clients prefer more than one photographer for wedding shoots which also increases the cost.
Wedding Album or Printed Images
If the wedding photography packages include a wedding album, they have a huge impact on the overall cost. Many professional photographers offer separate lines of services. For instance, you can exclude printed photos and ask for the digital or online format of images to cut down the additional cost.
Ask the Students or Personal Connections
Another way to get a good photographer for your wedding event is to ask your personal connections and students or interns who are taking a professional degree in the field of photography. You can also ask for referral discounts.
Avoid Peak Wedding Days
If you are planning a wedding event, you can select a working day of the week to cut down the cost of a wedding photoshoot. Feel free to ask for discounts if you have an off-season wedding.
Avoid Unwanted Add-ons
Ask for the discount packages and make an effort to customize it according to your demands. You can omit unnecessary services from wedding packages. Select the format and hours of wedding coverage according to your budget.
However, the prices of the wedding photo shoots vary from pro to pro. You can arrange meetings to select the perfect photographer.
Related: What Should a Photographer Wear to a Wedding: Tips & Guide
Summary
For an amazing wedding photoshoot, you should have a professional wedding photographer, an amazing venue and an attractive location. The quantity of the perfect shots depends on the duration of a wedding photoshoot and on the skill set of the professional wedding photographer.
In general, you can expect to get 400 – 600 good and professional-looking wedding photos out of 2000 – 3000 photos that were shot during an 8-hour photoshoot and around 100 photos if the photoshoot lasted for only 1 hour. As always, we suggest you prefer quality over quantity.
The professional wedding photographer only shares some selected and edited images in the asked format. You can decide the budget and share your priorities for the wedding photoshoot in advance. Pre-planning and homework are necessary to choose the right candidate. You need to book a wedding photographer a few months before the wedding photoshoot to avoid any difficulties.
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