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How many images do you shoot at weddings?

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Dan Desjardins

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I'm curious...

I've only done a couple of weddings and I subscribe to the theory that nearly every image needs postprocessing. I shoot about 150 images and have the impression that other photogs shoot much more.

It would be interesting to know the number of images some of the great wedding photogs on this forum snatch at their weddings.

Des
 
My assistant and I took a total of about 1,200 images at a wedding last night, each using a D200, shooting from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. We will reduce that to about 300 to give to the bride. When I shot film I strived for a 75% keeper rate. With digital I am not so concerned about that as I am about "getting the shot." The bride does not have to know how many we shoot, and she doesn't care; she only wants to see great results.

This next Saturday we have a higher paying wedding and will probably take even more. As I mentioned in another thread, I carry twelve 2GB cards.
--
JohnE
Equipment list in profile

 
Up to 700 last september in France. I hope this has been the last time, too many shots to rework with my pc.. :) :) :)

--



http://italy74.smugmug.com

Photography is the most beautiful way to discover God around us in little and simple things.
My kits under my profile
 
Around 400, Usually, I do not end up with many rejects, just a few.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38519080@N00/sets/72157594443652688/
Dan Desjardins said:
I'm curious...
I've only done a couple of weddings and I subscribe to the theory
that nearly every image needs postprocessing. I shoot about 150
images and have the impression that other photogs shoot much more.
It would be interesting to know the number of images some of the
great wedding photogs on this forum snatch at their weddings.

Des
Click to expand...
 
In my "old days" with a Nikon camera and an Hasselblad I used to do around 250 photos... Flash, natural light, tripod... at bride home lots of portraits... If - IF - I went now on another wedding I would go for 300 minimum...

About PP - I believe with experience you will reduce PP time!

Congratulations on your courage - it's hard to photograph weddings but it pays back - and good work! (show us some.)

Sheers,
--
J P
 
Usually between 450 and 750, depending on how fancy the wedding is, how many people in the wedding party, how many guests, and how many venues. My keeper rate is usually about half.
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Steve

 
Alarming that we should have to post process, don't you think?

Many arguements come out of that, camera performance, photographer performance... The fact that perhaps in the digital age lesss likely to perfect our framing and pre-emptive visualisation of exposure before hitting the button, accepting "Close enough" as "Good enough" as we can fix it in post...

I don't shoot weddings, but if I did I'd be inclined to hunt out the camera the produced the best results out of camera as possible. Might not be perfect, but whatever reduces the post process time is valuable when you're dealing in those volumes!!
 
Denyerec said:
Alarming that we should have to post process, don't you think?

Many arguements come out of that, camera performance, photographer
performance... The fact that perhaps in the digital age lesss
likely to perfect our framing and pre-emptive visualisation of
exposure before hitting the button, accepting "Close enough" as
"Good enough" as we can fix it in post...

I don't shoot weddings, but if I did I'd be inclined to hunt out
the camera the produced the best results out of camera as possible.
Might not be perfect, but whatever reduces the post process time is
valuable when you're dealing in those volumes!!
Click to expand...
I don't think that digital is an excuse to allow sloppy shooting. No, post processing allows you to get the skin tones right, allows you to quickly and easily straighten the horizons, and gives you the opportunity to work on cropping when you have more time. It allows you to fix little blemishes and bad backgrounds that would otherwise be difficult.

Last night I went behind the ceremony area to get a shot of the couple during the candle lighting ceremony, and there right in the middle of my viewfinder, just behind the property, was a big old ugly telephone pole with a transformer on it. I can easly fix that in PP. I have cloned out bright EXIT signs just behind the bride's head during the first dance. I have "fixed" people's eyes that were closed in a given image, etc., etc. PP also allows you the opportunity to delivery some creatively enhanced images to the bride.

I don't consider the PP time a problem, it just allows you to deliver a better product that was possible with film (with 35mm anyway).
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JohnE
Equipment list in profile

 
I shoot about 600-800 and I present them all th my B+G, as I freely give out the copyright.

And they are all 'keepers' ( you Americans have some strange sayings). The point is who has the right to judge what is a good shot and what is not? Your idea of a out of focus image may be somebody elses idea of art. It is very subjective and not a point for a discussion, please.

Rob
 
About the subjective factors, of corse!!! The amount of photos may differ very much deppending on circomstances - sone shell evaluate and act accordingly.

Cheers again,
--
J P
 
Rob-uk said:
I shoot about 600-800 and I present them all th my B+G, as I freely
give out the copyright.
Click to expand...
Both unusual practices.
Rob-uk said:
And they are all 'keepers' ( you Americans have some strange
sayings).
Click to expand...
What's so strange about 'keepers'? Seems quite appropo, actually. I use the term 'heroes', which could be considered strange, I suppose, but I like it.
Rob-uk said:
The point is who has the right to judge what is a good
shot and what is not?
Click to expand...
I think the photographer can make that judgment about his own work. Certainly the paying customer can (and will).
Rob-uk said:
Your idea of a out of focus image may be
somebody elses idea of art. It is very subjective and not a point
for a discussion, please.
Click to expand...
Just because something is subjective doesn't mean it's unworthy of discussion. Quite the contrary - photographic criticism is a huge area of discussion! There are hundreds of books, university courses, discussion forums, websites, even entire careers devoted to the subject.

--
http://www.pbase.com/gzillgi
http://www.pbase.com/gzillgi/wedding_portrait

 
1500 to 2000 frames probably was the average. It is my opinion however that with digital, there is absolutley no reason to need even close to that many images unless you are being paid specifically for a large amount. I personally shoot between 250 and 400 depending on whether or not the dance is included in a package. The weddings I shoot are not super glamorous or involve celebrities or anyone other than the average midwestern personality. A bride may spend in the neighborhood of $600 to $1200 for her dress and the attendants usually number around 4 on each side. I mention this because I think that in different area's of our country (and the world for that matter), what the "money flow" is will ultimatley determine a good deal about what and how much we shoot as wedding photographers. There is no set or recommened number of shots.

Your weddings may well be served by 150 quality images to present to the bride. With digital, they all should be keepers or you simply delete at the time and take another. There are of couse exceptions to this with such times as walking down the isle, etc. But for the most part you "should" have mostly keeper images.

You have gotten advice here from several thousand down to the 150 you initially stated. Any open forum is almost always going to give you such variations because we as people vary so much. You do however get positive feedback with each one and therefore can give you a base to start with somewhere in between.

Good shooting!
Mel
 
on a professional wedding photography forum. Of the 22 people (not including me) who responded to the question "how many images on average do you deliver for a wedding", 7 said 200-399, 6 said 400-599, 4 said 600-799, 3 said 800-999 and 2 said > 999. Nobody delivers 4:1.

So of this particular group of pros, the average is somewhere around 1200-1800 images captured and 400-600 delivered. Only one responder delivers every image he (or she) takes, and nobody delivers

--
http://www.pbase.com/gzillgi
http://www.pbase.com/gzillgi/wedding_portrait

 
The hardest part with photographing weddings is at the park. You really sweat there, organising, posing, moving from one location to another and mainly if it is in summer, you are really exhausted after that. But I found the church and reception part quite enjoyable.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38519080@N00/sets/72157594443652688/
Jos Pereira said:
Congratulations on your courage - it's hard to photograph weddings
but it pays back - and good work! (show us some.)

Sheers,
--
J P
Click to expand...
 
That confirms the well known adage: “Garbage in, garbage out”
Denyerec said:
Many arguements come out of that, camera performance, photographer
performance... The fact that perhaps in the digital age lesss
likely to perfect our framing and pre-emptive visualisation of
exposure before hitting the button, accepting "Close enough" as
"Good enough" as we can fix it in post...

I don't shoot weddings, but if I did I'd be inclined to hunt out
the camera the produced the best results out of camera as possible.
Might not be perfect, but whatever reduces the post process time is
valuable when you're dealing in those volumes!!
Click to expand...
 
I think PP is very important for all the good reasons you give. I also feel PP is important because you can achieve with PP was you once acheived by selecting your film properly. With digital your camera IS the film and you have no choice - other than what you can do in PP.

Today my wedding work is adequate - but I am still learning and not charging a lot. What I have found is that having the right assistant is a major help. Someone who can "round 'em up" and can be "like-ably rude" when necessary. That person happens to be my wife.

Des
 
While I think 2500 photos is rather unwieldy - I think it's important to make sure you don't edit out any photos you don't think are up to par - but may contain the only shot of old uncle Henry who slipped the bride his tongue in the reception line....
ewwww - did I say that?
 
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