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Just wondering what your views are on the B&G selecting photos for there album?
Do you show them 100, 200, all the images? Is there anyone that doesnt offer them the choice?I usually end up with 800 to 1200 shots depending on the wedding and currently choose 200 with no post production for the B&G to select there album images from.
I shot a friends wedding recently and they wanted to see every shot, it took them 2 weeks to select 160 and they ended up with about 10 images that i hadnt selected already! And even those were just a variation in composition. It all seemed a bit pointless and to be honset it annoyed me that they couldnt trust my professional judgement. Maybe this only happened because the groom was a friend of mine and thought i wouldnt mind?
Anyone else have a similar experience?
I usually discuss this with the bride & groom beforehand and advise them that I will “offer” between 150-200 shots from the day. Most are very happy with this and it would usually be one area where I wouldn’t budge unless I had a few particularly good sessions on the day.
What I also do is to show them a “mock” album of how the photos could look like depending on the album style they had picked and more often than not they go with 90% + of what I suggest. Remember that couples are choosing you based on your style so you should stick with what you normally do.
From talking to other wedding photographers many are pulling back from offering 300-500 proofs as there is often a huge delay in choosing the final shots. Just tell the couple that you believe in quality over quantity and they will find it hard to disagree with you.
Rgds
Kevin
I cull / edit about 1000-1200 shots down to 300-350. These all get basic PP and some will get advanced PP.
The images then go into an online gallery for viewing. I then do the album picking the layouts and photos myself. I’ll show the spreads to the couple letting them know they can edit as they like (swapping or removing photos). I usually end up swapping a few photos of guests & family and it’ll be finished. I find it much quicker and less painful then letting the couples direct the process.
B&G get from 250-350 in their preview book. These are the only images they’ll ever see, and they’re all PP already. They never get to see SOC images. Also, if it’s b/w it’s staying b/w and vice versa with colour.
Images for the album are chosen by myself and an initial design is done. B&G are allowed to make changes, and generally 3-5 changes are all that’s required. This speeds up the process as it’s difficult & slow for them to choose 60-130 images out of 300. As the photographer, you should be choosing the best images that tell the story of the day, and your favourite ones. They can then swap in their own few favourites if them images haven’t gotten picked.
2 weeks to select shots isn’t long. Not every couple wants their album straight away, granted some do and thats great. But inevitably life takes over and the album process gets dragged on. By doing an initial design, you leave it in their hands to get back to you, so they can’t be saying that the photographer took forever to get the album done.
I’m glad to see a thread on this subject, it’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while. I need to come up with some straightforward process and stick to it. I did a wedding for a friend recently and took 1200 shots. I’ve edited this down to 700+ all PP’ed (mostly just Lightroom, some CS3). Bit of a nightmare to be honest. In the future I think I’m going have to narrow down a lot more. This was for friends though so I suppose you’re always going to take more.
In terms of the album, I would obviously like to design it how I’d like while taking their suggestions on board. I’m thinking of asking the couple to pick out a certain quantity of their favourite shots and I’ll incorporate them into the book. I’d prefer this to them selecting every shot for various reasons, including that I don’t know exactly how many will end up in the book! As mentioned above, a large part of the couple choosing you as their photographer is because of your album design.
Anyway, sorry, that’s not a great reply to the question is it :DFolks can I give yee my 2p worth,but I think you are all mad shooting over 1000 photos for a wedding.
A very good wedding photographer friend told me years ago 600 to 700 photos is more than enough and then half that for the B&G to view.I think some of you are going OTT with your shooting.
How many images would a photographer take & how many proofs would the B&G see, before digital?
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!
1200 images is total overkill.
I was on holiday in USA for three weeks recently, and took 1200 images.
I show the B&G 100-120 finished images, and I’ve never had anyone say “is there more?”
You’d totally confuse the poor people showing them hundreds and hundreds of shots.
You’re only with these people for part of a day. There’s only so much variation you can do, before it becomes OTT
for you, and an intrusion for them.The guys who cut their teeth on a Hasselblad, a handful of rolls of 120, and a back-up, must be chuckling to themselves when they hear 600, 700 and 1200 images.
It should be quality, not quantity.
Ease up on the trigger finger!jb7 wrote:
one roll, 12 on 120.
Happy Couple superimposed on a brandy glass extra.
Here was me thinking this was a photography forum, when it appears to be a” wise ass one liner, or in this case, two liner” forum
I never said one roll of 120.
Actually, to achieve a high quality wedding album (and I’ve seen some excellent images taken on film, without PP) shooting mabye eight or ten rolls of 120 requires something different.
Now what was that? Oh yes, photographic skill …and a good eye.
And in case you think I’m someone who shuns the arrival of digital, I only began wedding work around the same time digital became viable quality wise.
So, if you think good photography only started with the arrival of compact flash, you should think again.eas wrote:
whatever you say Rog. :roll:
As above regarding the one liners.
The wedding work I do is all referrals.
ie: My album is seen by someone who likes my work, who in turn contacts me up to see would I be interested in doing their wedding, so I must be doing something right.
I’ve also had images published in several British newspapers and books.
And I’ve never shot, apart from the previously mentioned 3 week holiday, 1200 images of anything!Why not go to the next level.
When the 5Dmk3 comes out, with super movie mode & high-res grab, shoot the whole damn thing on video, and have 25,000 images to choose from.
That should get the pulses racing for the B&G.
“We have to pick one of these 200 shots of the signing of the register…hmmm”In my book 1200 images is OTT for a wedding, in your book obviously not.
However, I shoot 300-350 images, trim it down to 90-100 pages, and the couple are so happy with the result they refer me to others.
You shoot 1200 images, and presumabely get a simular outcome.
So, are you saying my more effecient way of working is wrong?
You have to edit 900 more images than me, for the same result.
Also,I think “whatever you say” has little argument, apart from sounding smug.Rog wrote:
The guys who cut their teeth on a Hasselblad, a handful of rolls of 120, and a back-up, must be chuckling to themselves when they hear 600, 700 and 1200 images.
Rog wrote:
Here was me thinking this was a photography forum, when it appears to be a” wise ass one liner, or in this case, two liner” forum
I never said one roll of 120.
No, if you check back, you’ll find that it was I who said it.
You cited your old timers with the Hasselblads, I cited my old timers with the Rollieflexes.
Because that’s how it was done.
Yes this is a photography forum, so let’s see some.
It was the Hasselblad brigade that you mentioned that produced some of the most formulaic and unimaginative wedding pictures imaginable,
including the supremely tacky brandy glass superimpositions-I don’t much care when you came to photography, or how many pictures you take on your holidays.
If you want to be taken seriously around here, post some pictures.
joseph
I think you should lighten up Rog, and realise that jb was actually accepting your point that wedding photographers should shoot less not more. And FWIW, I reckon he could also produce a great album from 1 roll of 120………
jb7 wrote:
If you want to be taken seriously around here, post some pictures.
joseph
Nope… that doesn’t work either. I post picture all the time and no one
takes me seriously…With regard to numbers, or volume, different strokes for different folks.
I shoot less than five hundred, usually, and present 150 to the bride and
groom to choose their album from. But that’s just me, and it suits the way
I work. I don’t mind having to choose one from two or three identical images,
but I’d only piss myself off if I had to choose one from ten to twenty identical
images, which must surely be the case for anyone shooting over a thousand
pictures of the same group of people over a twelve hour period…My tuppence…
…and yes Rog, let’s see some photography…
well Rog – you’ll have to excuse me assuming your post was a troll.
smug? How about you telling people how they should be shooting weddings? Or statements like “It should be quality, not quantity.” ?
I’m happy you have a system that works for you and your couples. But don’t come around thinking that because it works for you it’s the only way of doing things. I know of world class weding photographers who shoot 2000+ images a day.
I’m sure your 1200 holiday snaps are great. From memory when I used to take my 35 on holidays I’d have been pushing things if I took 6-7 24exp over a 3 week period. Come to think of it, my last 2 week holiday I only took about 40 shots total, and that was with a d300.
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