Amount of Edited Images for Free Wedding Shots

[stacy_geske]

<p>Hey Guys,</p>

<p>I'm new to wedding photography. I took some photos at a friends wedding reception as a favor, and to build my portfolio. I didn't charge her as this is my first time doing anything of that nature.</p>

<p>I ended up with about 280 images that I feel are good enough, but I'm not sure how many I should offer to edit. Does anyone have any advice on this?</p>

<p>I wouldn't want them using unedited images and I understand they may want a lot more than I can offer at first. Maybe I could offer up to a certain amount, and then suggest that if she wants some more she may have to pay for them? What sounds reasonable?</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

 

[Jochen_S]

<p>If you are going to get into the wedding business it might make sense to build up your business connections now. There seem PP artists in low wage countries like Eastern Europe India or China that will do a better job than you if you charged minimum wage.<br>

Find a promising one, have your files treated on the brides expense. <br>

Reasonable: IMHO (lazy amateur!) not more than 72fr. <br>

Personally I try to work on what I consider outstanding keepers (x<24) and ditch the rest of the RAWs on the interested friends. - Picasa is quite capable. <br>

I'm not very familiar with the wedding business, but for a regular invitation its not unusual to make a restaurant bill & stuff covering gift. - How many semi edited images does that mean?</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

You really need to be the one setting limits on your

free favor to your friend.

[pete_s.]

<p>I don't know what you mean by edit? Are you talking about making the image look like they should (correct color balance, exposure correction, highlight recovery etc) or are you talking about retouching? Or perhaps you are talking about slapping on some instagram filters?</p>

<p>If you are talking about delivering images that are looking the way they should, I think you should do them all. All 280 of them that you think are good enough that is.</p>

<p>If you were doing it professionally that's what you would deliver (unless agreed otherwise), and if you're preparing your portfolio it would be good practice for you. Workflow is as important as shooting, perhaps even more so for a pro.</p>

<p>PS. Lightroom is a popular tool for this type of work so if you don't already have it, you might want to look into it. There are others too but LR is the most commonly used.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>I've photographed a few weddings as gifts for family and friends. The number of photos delivered has never been an issue. I choose the photos. No one ever asked for more, or for the unedited raw files, or to see every photo I took. It just hasn't been an issue.</p>

<p>When I shot film I gave them the negatives and proof prints, usually discarding the handful of mistakes. With digital I shoot much more freely and expect more discards. It's a reasonable exchange for better spontaneity. I choose the best photos to edit, without regard to number, percentage of the total frames exposed, etc. I'm not going to give anyone the raw files or mistakes. It's a gift. The issue should never even come up.</p>

<p>And if you're shooting to build a portfolio you should choose. There may be differences between the photos you choose to give the couple, which may include photos you might not use as part of your portfolio. But that's to be expected. You don't need hundreds or even dozens of photos from a single event as part of your portfolio. Ten or 12 at most should do as demos for your website.</p>

[Dave Gardner]

<p>After i cut the ones out that i'm not going to use...i edit all of them...as far as color correct, brightness/contrast...etc. Any that i consider great shots...i'll edit deeper. I'll keep maybe 5-10 for portfolio.</p>

<p>As someone said...you only want your best out there.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>It's impossible for us to say what is reasonable: you gave your friend a gift, and she may have certain expectations, or maybe not (which would make things a lot easier). You should manage that expectation, not tell them a limit, but manage with her on what you can deliver, and when. If you find they really expect more than you can do in the short term, choose friendship and a good workling relationship over 'business attitude' and explain it will cost time for you to do what they ask.</p>

<p>If you really want to set limits on what you'll deliver as end product, it should have been agreed upon before the shoot. Doing it now, afterwards, would leave a pretty bad impression, and that's not the reputation you want while just starting out. And a next time, put these things in writing before you do the shoot ;-)</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>I took some photos at a friends wedding reception as a favor, and to build my portfolio. I didn't charge her . . . I'm not sure how many I should offer to edit. <strong>Does anyone have any advice on this?</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ten is a good number - if you want a number.</p>

<p>If you are the Stacy from Illinios, then according to your Pricing Policy that would be way in excess of a $200 value to your friend, considering the time that you would have been shooting.</p>

<p>Whatever the case and how many you choose to provide to your friend, I suggest that you make sure that they are the most excellent that you can achieve.</p>

<p>I also have a strong view on this point: I suggest that you do NOT keep any images from your friend and then use those images as advertising for yourself. I think that would be potential for stuffing up a friendship. It would be different if the arrangements were more rigorously arranged with a 'client' as <em>quid pro quo</em> and not as a "favor for a friend" - as to be at the reception you were probably an invited guest and any arrangements with the Bride were probably quite loose, ad hoc and possibly at the last minute.</p>

<p>*</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Maybe I could offer up to a certain amount, and then suggest that if she wants some more she may have to pay for them? <strong>What sounds reasonable?</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>That is UNreasonable to my thinking. That amounts to giving a favour and then adding a caveat for self-gain.</p>

<p>The arrangement was that you provide your skill and your time to shoot and provide some (yet to be determined number of) Photographs in return for the use of those Photographs for use in your Portfolio. That was an arrangement without money, it seems to me to be unreasonable to introduce money now.<br /> <br /> I think if one is going to give something, then one decides what is given and then it should be freely given, without caveats or expectations.</p>

<p>WW</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>You agreed to shoot your friend's wedding for free. That commitment has already been made, so this is not the time to start asking for money if you want to maintain the friendship. Along the lines of what Pete said, I would treat this the same as if your friend were a paying customer and deliver finished versions of however many pictures you think are appropriate. Only include the very best -- your friend doesn't know you have 280, so if 150-175 is as many good ones as there are or as many as you want to work on, make it that number.<br /><br />Edting/post processing/etc. have different meanings to different people. Editing, to me, means culling down the 1,000 or so frames you might have shot to come up with the 280 or whatever number of good ones after the bad exposures, out-of-focus, blinks, bad expressions, duplicates, etc. have been eliminated. Post processing to me is tweaking color and exposure. Every shot needs to be looked at, but if you are getting the settings right in-camera, that doesn't mean each shot needs work.<br /><br />Retouching is another whole level that might or might not be required. It means eliminating zits, wrinkles, scars, smoothing skin tone, etc. Standard practice in an individual portrait but not something you would typically do on 200 pictures.</p>

[pete_s.]

<blockquote>

<p>Editing, to me, means culling down the 1,000 or so frames you might have shot to come up with the 280 or whatever number of good ones after the bad exposures, out-of-focus, blinks, bad expressions, duplicates, etc. have been eliminated.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I actually agree 100% on that definition Craig and that is actually what someone who works as a photo editor do.</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>I always wonder what to think at this point. A question was asked and folks gave their time to thoughtfully answer, yet no further participation from the OP. Did we give bad advise, or wrong advise... or just said things that aren't comfortable to hear?</p>

[pavl_kay]

<p>Brian S., I think the OP has taken the advice that works for her, implemented it, and carried on.</p>

[emilybrown]

<p>Editing price is too low. Where editing includes clipping path service, image masking, hair & fur masking, photo enhancement, photo color correction, photo retouching, glamour retouching and photo restoration. I'm a Graphics Designer and I've a specific idea about it.</p>

 

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