Shooting my first wedding Saturday!

[brooke_oftedahl]

<p>Hello! I am shooting my first wedding on Saturday. It will be fairly small and low-key, and they only requested me to be there for 2 hours. It will be a quick ceremony and longer reception (if you know what i mean!). They bride is leaving everything up to me in terms of how many and what photos i take. They are just excited to give me a chance to practice! My question is, how many photos will be fair to edit and present to the couple after the wedding? I've only been doing photography for 6 months now and in an average family shoot i take 500-800 photos depending on the time frame. I'm guessing for this wedding i'll take closer to 2000. I just have no idea how many photos the bride & groom think they will get when it's all said and done. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!</p>

[bobcossar]

<p>You are overshooting by a considerable margin. Slow down! Your camera and you are a precision team, not a machine gun.</p>

<p>2000 pictures? In 2 Hours? That's <em><strong>17 pictures/minute</strong> </em> .........and that's obviously ridiculous.</p>

<p>Plan your shots....take your time and get the images you do shoot as perfect as possible.</p>

<p>Review the plan you have for the various parts of the wedding.....assign yourself a number of shots....a <em><strong>reasonable</strong> </em> number, discuss your plans with the Bride and Groom....and go from there....regards...Bob</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>2000 photos in 2-hours? That would be like a photo every 4 seconds or something. Your average family shoot is 500-800 photos? How long is that session? Based on that information alone it seems you are shooting under the theory that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. I personally shoot a lot of frames. I will step out from behind the camera for more personal interaction but keep pressing the shutter button if something is happening, but even then I don't think I could come close to 2000 frames in 2-hours. I won't reach 2000 frames after 8-hours. I think you need to develop more or a plan on <em>what</em> you want to capture and <em>how</em> you intend to capture it. Otherwise just give them a video. Finally, I would definitely clarify the expectations with the bride & groom. Preferably in writing.</p>

[matthew_newton]

<p>How long are your family shoots? I guess with film I am just not used to numbers that high, but 500-800 for a family sitting seems like a lot and 2,000 in 2hrs is incredible.<br>

Going for my first real wedding in a week for my wife's cousin (I did my brothers, but small ceremony, no real reception). Or at least I am shooting the hindu ceremony, the actual wedding photographer is shooting the christian ceremony and reception a couple of days later. Admitedly film, but I am planning on around 300-400 pictures for the day (getting ready, ceremony, speechs and dinner afterward, probably about 2-3hrs of heavy shooting and a little 'casual shooting' for a couple of hours after that during dinner/dancing). I'll have film for more then that, but my plan is 8-10 rolls.<br>

With my wedding, also shot on film, we received about 700 pictures from 10hrs of shooting (From 11am getting ready till about 9pm when we departed the reception, yes we gave the poor photographer lunch and dinner). Extremely excellent pictures.<br>

Of course I don't expect I'll be quite his equal considering his much greater experience having shot weddings for 20 years.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Are you being paid to shoot the wedding? If you are, this issue should have been ironed out before now.</p>

<p>If you aren't, then give them what you want to give them. There is no 'fair' number of shots. As to what the bride and groom think they will get, why don't you ask them if it will affect your decision? If you are shooting for free, I wouldn't ask them, I'd just give them the number I felt covered the wedding well.</p>

<p>As for the numbers you are describing, they seem high, even if you are shooting photojournalistically. There <strong>are</strong> good reasons for shooting a lot--just be sure you are not shooting a lot for not so good reasons, such as covering up lack of confidence in one's shaky technique. This is called the 'spray and pray' method. I'm not saying you are doing this--just that generally, your number is high for a 2 hour event, even though there is a wide range among wedding shooters.</p>

[missy_kay]

<p>lol!!!! 2000 images??? oh my goodness! I usually give about 100-120 images per hour of shooting. So if I photograph an 8 hour wedding, I give the bride between 800 and 1000 images. Keep in mind I always take 10 of each group shot in case someone is blinking so I only give 1 of those. I would say take the advice of others above and slow down. Check your LCD and histogram as frequently as possible. Take your time! I know you only have 2 hours and want to get a lot of images but its better to get 300 great images then 2000 rushed images.</p>

[brooke_oftedahl]

<p>I'm not very experienced, so i definitely take more pictures than necessary in a shoot. I know as i become more comfortable behind the camera and in doing shoots, i'll have more technique and won't have to take as many pictures. But with a wedding i just have no idea! Yes i am getting paid a small amount and they asked me to do this with no pressure, so we haven't really discussed much. The bride just told me i can mostly do what i want and they will follow suit. They are extended family so i know them, so it's not completely out of the blue. Thanks for the advice so far! I do appreciate it!</p>

[brooke_oftedahl]

<p>Thanks Missy! Those numbers give me a better idea of what to work towards. :)</p>

[davebell]

<p>Last Saturday's wedding was about a 2 hour event and I shot a grand total of around 250 images. This will be edited down to around 100-180 as I take multiples of the groups just in case. That's realistic and comfortable from my perspective. Print out 100 photos and lay them out on a large table, it is a lot!</p>

[gary van schaick]

<p>2000 shots in two hours IMO is the shot gun approach. Again IMO this makes a photographer appear as a non-professional. Plan your shots. Plan your time. You do not need 150 shots of the bride walking down the isle. You only need one good one. You do not need 25 shots of the bride's father kissing the bride, only one good shot. And there are more critical issues shooting a wedding then the number of images you shoot. Do a search on this website for first weddings, there's a lot of information. Do you have back up equipment of every thing? How are you going to handle the ring ceremony? What parts of the ceremony are you going to have to recreate after the ceremony is over? Are you doing portrait shots before the ceremony of the individuals? Which family members are being included in photos after the ceremony? Even photo-journalistic shooting requires some kind of "setting the stage" or "recommending the B&G do this and that". What do you have planned for this? And above all - relax - If your stressed the bride will probably notice it and get stressed out herself. A calm and reassured photographer does a lot to calm down a stress bride.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

[mark_t5]

<p>i dont think i even shoot 2000 in my 10 hr wedding coverages..</p>

[william-porter]

<p>Brooke,</p>

<p>I just want to repeat and emphasize what's already been said. SLOW DOWN. Think before you shoot.</p>

<p>There's no prize for "most pictures taken." Actually, if there were a prize, I think most of us would award it to the photographers who take the FEWEST shots to generate whatever number of photos they actually deliver. I don't see how you can shoot 2000 photos in a period of a couple hours without simply pointing your camera and clicking the shutter over and over. And that's a recipe for mediocre results.</p>

<p>The questions that matter are: (1) How many photos does the client expect me to deliver after the wedding? And (2), What moments during the day does the client expect those photos to cover? Figure out the answers to those questions, and go from there. Strictly from a business standpoint, it's to your own advantage to take as few photos as necessary to meet the demands of those 2 questions. Fewer photos taken means fewer photos to go through after the wedding. But this isn't just about business. It's also about quality. I can virtually guarantee that the photographer who works slowly and deliberately will not only take fewer photos, but that a higher percentage of those photos will be good. </p>

<p>For example, I tell my clients to expect around 150 photos. Sometimes I give 'em more than that, but not too many more. This number allows me to cover most of the standard moments during the day. And 40 of those photos (approximately) may be the formals. In order to generate 150 photos I'm willing to share with the client, nowadays I take 500-600 photos. (The number varies depending on the nature of the coverage, of course, but this is a pretty fair average. Note that this number includes my exposure tests.) I used to take more photos. I will be honest and say that, when I started shooting digital (after decades of shooting film) I was actually excited about taking tons of photos, PROUD of how many photos I shot. What makes me proud now is when I feel I have nailed the shot the first time and no follow-up photos are required. </p>

<p>Every event I shoot now, I cut down a little on the number of photos that I take. This isn't just because I'm a more experienced shooter than I used to be. Actually, in my case, it doesn't have a lot to do with experience at all, because I was pretty experienced before I started doing weddings a couple of years ago and also because I don't do THAT many weddings to be able to claim tons of wedding-specific experience. No, I think the real reason is that, in the last few years, I've learned to go back to shooting more the way I used to shoot on film - CAREFULLY. Working more carefully, more deliberately slows me down and makes me more confident instantly. It's just a matter of experience, it's a matter of method.</p>

<p>Try this thought experiment.</p>

<p>You've just put fresh batteries and a fresh storage card into your favorite camera, when an angel appears and says to you, "You have 1 hour to take 2 really good photos, subject to the conditions in this envelope." And the angel hands you an envelope. Inside the envelope there's a card that says, "You must take 75 photos in all, and in addition to the two really good ones, another 50 have to be at least decent. And no two photos can be of the same scene or subject." What's the result? You will get busy immediately trying to take 75 shots, and you'll just cross your fingers and hope that 50 are decent and 2 are really good.</p>

<p>Now imagine that, instead, the card said, "You don't need to take more than 2 photos, but they need to be of different scenes or subjects and one of them should look good when converted to black and white." This is a challenge, too. But would you not rather have the second card? Of course you would. And I will add that, if it was your bride client who was putting this test to you, she would probably - in the long run - prefer to have two really good photos than 50-75 mediocre ones.</p>

<p>By the way, this experiment really is kind of fun to think about. You could even do it. If a master were given the second card, I like to think that the master would do nothing but walk around, take meter readings, perhaps look through the viewfinder, look at things and think hard for about 55 minutes. Then in the last minutes or two, the master would take the 2 photos and both would be prize winners. I'm not a master yet and I don't think I'd wait until the last 5 minutes to start shooting. But I think I'd walk around at least for a few minutes before I started shooting. And I would really prefer NOT to be under the pressure to come up with a lot of mediocre photos.</p>

<p>Good luck with the wedding. Relax, be prepared for something unexpected to happen, and when it does, don't panic.</p>

<p>Will </p>

 

[sfcole]

<p>Math time:<br>

2000 images. One minute each to check, correct, crop, sharpen, maybe try some effects.<br>

2000/60=33 HOURS of your time. Oy.</p>

[picturesque]

<p><strong><em>I'm not very experienced, so i definitely take more pictures than necessary in a shoot. I know as i become more comfortable behind the camera and in doing shoots, i'll have more technique and won't have to take as many pictures.</em></strong></p>

<p>This is troubling to me. The idea that you would end up taking fewer pictures the more technically experienced you get is a false idea. There are two kinds of shooting done at a wedding--posed or set up, and unposed, totally candid.</p>

<p>For the first kind, one has the time to get things right, so shooting a lot here does not make any sense. You end up with a bunch of similar looking files that one has to edit and process. For the second kind, the subject is long gone (from doing whatever was interesting) by the time you shoot a bunch of frames without purposefully setting up your camera.</p>

<p>Since you are getting paid, I would strongly recommend you establish the details of the package you will give to the couple and get a contract together. Even if this is for extended family, you still can get into a lot of trouble if what you have in mind isn't what the bride has in mind, and believe me, she has something in mind, even though she has told you anything is OK with her. You will not be the first person to stress family relationships by not treating business as business.</p>

<p>If the sum total of your experience with a camera is 6 months, I would also suggest you use Program, get and use an external flash, have back up for everything, and bring plenty of memory cards and extra batteries--even for a two hour event. Two hours or ten hours--the camera or piece of gear does not discriminate when it breaks.</p>

[kristina hill]

IMO - What is more important than how many photos you are taking, is how many you hand over. While I don't necessarily

think it's the BEST way to learn, I understand the desire to overshoot when you are still learning.

 

My advice, regardless of how many you take in those two hours, be sure you really cull the images and hand over only the

best of the best - remember it is YOUR name and reputation you're putting out there when you hand these over to a client

- friend or stranger.

 

No one wants to sit through 2000 mediocre photos, but even 10 stunning ones could get you a new client!

 

Just be selective. Good luck and have fun!

[railphotog]

<p>Awesome! I did weddings for 25 or so years on film, doubt I shot 2000 photos in total! What would you do, keep your camera on high speed and blast away, hoping for a few good shots? I can't imagine the bride and groom having to, wanting to, sift through a couple of grand photos. Imagine them all on a DVD, and them inviting friends and family over to view them all. Could be a whole day event! Less is more!</p>

<p> </p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>I kind of think what Kristina says about the quality versus quantity thing is a good measure.</p>

<p>I typically deliver around 1k +/- with two shooters for 6 - 8 hours.</p>

[William Michael]

<p><em><strong>"My question is, how many photos will be fair to edit and present to the couple after the wedding?"</strong></em><br>

<br>

Somewhere between 20 and 40. But only the best you have. </p>

<p>It is important that this selection include "MUST HAVE" shots. My opinion of the total number will likely be somewhat less than most opinions here, but I think most of my Professional Colleagues agree with the thrust of Kristina Hill's advice: <strong ><em >“</em></strong><strong ><em >hand over only the best of the best”</em></strong> </p>

<p>The other most important issue you face is formalizing what the Bride expects: I too strongly recommend this is cleared up today . . <strong ><em >. “</em></strong><strong ><em >they asked me to do this with no pressure, so we haven't really discussed much. The bride just told me i can mostly do what i want and they will follow suit.” </em></strong>is not a good place to be, and apart from it possibly being dangerous from a legal standpoint and or possible stress on family relationships . . . <br>

<br>

It is just plain silly going into any shoot without having a plan and some “expected outcomes” - as you are new to this, talking a plan over with the Bride will give you a guideline and defined goals, lest you will be wandering aimlessly, I think. <br>

<br>

There are also previous threads about what are considered general "MUST HAVE" shots. <br>

<br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>50 max. Maybe less. 500! 2000! And definitely no burst frames. Single shots, preferably with a camera with a silent mode. You are entering a demanding professional business where you will be competing with top quality, portrait photographers who ask for $3000 up front, and who might only show the b & g 15-20. Each one a memorable keeper.</p>

<p>Each shot needs to be carefully framed from a discreet distance, exposed accurately the first time, and your presence must not intrude. You need to treat this as a privilege.</p>

<p>You need to record, with a series of memorable emotional images, the time line of the events of a couples most important day in their lives so far. You have to take your shots as events unfold, so you tell the progressive story of their wedding.</p>

<p> </p>

[markonestudios]

Aim for quality over quantity. Regardless of whether this is a relative's wedding or not, a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and as such MUST be taken with due diligence and seriousness. Keeping your camera glued to your eye and your finger glued to the shutter is a sure way NOT to shoot a wedding. You end up missing *moments* and substituting them with *snapshots*. Seek to tell a story. If a picture is worth a thousand words, do you think two million words (based on 2000 images) will tell a story or be a bad case of "repetitivitis"? ;-)

<p>Pace yourself, see the moments, concentrate on getting good exposures and framing, take deep breaths to calm down. Plan your shots.

<p>It is also critical that you manage your client's expectations. Have it in writing what you will deliver and have them sign off on it. You only have today I guess, but it's so important! Do it by all means.

<p>Lastly, as now it is pretty late for any major changes to gear, etc., you would do well to visit http://www.planteneil.com/tangents and learn about creative use of flash...

[StuartMoxham]

<p>Take as many pics as you need to get the job done. But don't just shoot any old rubbish. Try to get quality shots. Get some decent B&G portraits as well.</p>

[JRCrowe]

<p>When I was doing wedding photography it was with a medium format film camera and I thought I went crazy when I shot six rolls of 220. I expected every shot to be properly exposed and posed with some candids thrown in too. I would be afraid if I shot 2000 I would be missing something important by not concentrating on what was truly necessary. I think you want to concentrate on quality not quantity also making sure you get the shots of the people that are important to the B&G and of course tha standard shots too. Look for that dramatic or decisive moment when you are shooting. I found a local photograhers work that I really admire, take a look at yellowflowersphoto.com they seem to capture the emotion of the the day and not just snap a bunch of photos.</p>