# Wedding photographers, how many photos do you actually use from the reception?



## shefjr (May 17, 2015)

I am not a wedding photographer and I do not aspire to ever be one. I ask this question though because I got roped into taking a single photo at my sisters wedding (the father daughter dance).

So my question is, how many photos do you as a wedding photographer typically expect to turn over to your client just from the reception? I'm looking for a general idea 10-20 or average of 20+/-, not a specific 55 every time type of answer.

I ask because I decided to have fun with it and play (take photos) of other key points of the reception. I didn't put much thought into how many special moments there are just at a reception. I came away with about 250 photos. Not that all of those were special moments lol.


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## pixmedic (May 17, 2015)

it really depends on how many we shoot, and how many of those we dont feel are either duplicates (or close) or have other flaws that mark it for the circular file. we dont have any real number we shoot for.


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## shefjr (May 17, 2015)

pixmedic said:


> it really depends on how many we shoot, and how many of those we dont feel are either duplicates (or close) or have other flaws that mark it for the circular file. we dont have any real number we shoot for.



Thank you for the response Jason. I wasn't clear with my question and have edited it in my op. I wasn't looking for an exact number. I was looking for a general answer like, and example of between 20 and 50 or average 20+/-. Taking into account your average wedding and not including the anomaly weddings where it's an intimate group or something different from the norm.


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## pixmedic (May 17, 2015)

shefjr said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > it really depends on how many we shoot, and how many of those we dont feel are either duplicates (or close) or have other flaws that mark it for the circular file. we dont have any real number we shoot for.
> ...



well...the same answer kinda applies. 
some receptions are very short with few people and so we get less shots. 
some receptions go on for hours with tons of people and we get hundreds of shots. 
even for a small reception we probably deliver more than 20 pictures. 
i would say between two shooters we probably deliver around 50-80 reception photos, not counting any B&W conversions.


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## shefjr (May 17, 2015)

pixmedic said:


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Thank you. I'm not sure I will deliver 20. As stated I have around 250 and I'm happy with a high percentage of them but, some things like the first dance I have multiple photos of and am having a tough time choosing a winner. Then aside from that, the more I like the more I am editing which is no easy task for me or at least it's adding more time sitting in front of a computer and editing. I'm glad that she only wanted the dance and that's it.


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## bratkinson (May 17, 2015)

I'm not a wedding photographer but I do shoot church and other events with anywhere from 20 to 300 people.

I don't ever 'set a number' as to how many pictures I keep.  I simply go through the shots I took, getting rid of the easy ones like: eyes closed, over/under exposed (unless it's an important shot and nothing similar), subject/camera motion blurred, etc. 

Of course, shots of 'the VIPs' of that event would be perhaps 30-50% of all the shots taken.  Most of those shots are group shots with family members, friends, etc.  My own experience at group shots is take a minimum of 5, and increase in multiples of 5 shots for every additional 5-6 people in the group.  Why?  It's close to impossible to get everyone looking at you, smiling, and all eyes open unless I take 'a lot' of shots.  Throw in the fun and games caused by florescent lighting in some of the areas, and I take even more shots! 

In short, my keeper rate is somewhere in the vicinity of 30-40% of what I shoot.  Note that I am somewhat in the 'spray and pray' camp, but it's not so much 'pray' as 'get everyone smiling, etc'.  Looking through the viewfinder doesn't show where they are looking, are they frowning, or even yawning, etc.  So my shooting is more CYA.  Obviously, the more I shoot, the more I have to choose from.

As mentioned previously, it doesn't make sense to shoot, say, 200 frames of a wedding reception with only 20 guests.  But then, if lighting were particularly difficult, I'd be comfortable with 125-150 shots of the reception, more as insurance than shoot anything than moves...twice.

During post processing, and again, afterwards, I make yet another pass through what I've kept and eliminate near duplicate shots, etc.  Sometimes, it comes down to the smile on their faces, or somebody/something in the background that detracts from the photo that can't be cropped out, or maybe just a bit better lighting, exposure, or even their posture. 

Of course, the 'really important' shots like the B&G with the parents, grandparents, siblings, for example, automatically in the 'keeper' category, subject only to duplicity issues.  One never knows if they'll ever be together again, etc.  Of course, the 'rules' of wedding reception photography dictate shots of all guests, preferably not at tables eating (my 'rule').  And don't forget the 'formals', and other 'required' shots taken during the reception.

So, if I were to put a number on it, I'd figure anywhere from 30-40 for a small reception, to 125-150 for a big reception.  I'm not talking printing, just the number I'd put on a CD for the happy couple.  It's up to you to provide some kind of package deal options on how many and how large will be printed, etc.


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## Austin Greene (May 18, 2015)

shefjr said:


> I am not a wedding photographer and I do not aspire to ever be one. I ask this question though because I got roped into taking a single photo at my sisters wedding (the father daughter dance).
> 
> So my question is, how many photos do you as a wedding photographer typically expect to turn over to your client just from the reception? I'm looking for a general idea 10-20 or average of 20+/-, not a specific 55 every time type of answer.
> 
> I ask because I decided to have fun with it and play (take photos) of other key points of the reception. I didn't put much thought into how many special moments there are just at a reception. I came away with about 250 photos. Not that all of those were special moments lol.



To give you an idea, all my clients are on contract for *36* images *per wedding. *Usually a bit more if they go into the 6+ hours of coverage range. Do they normally get more? Sure. 

The point is, you should never be concerned with the volume of shots you're turning over. Think about quality, and make sure that your clients value the approach you take. Make your shots count, don't count your shots.


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## shefjr (May 18, 2015)

Austin Greene said:


> shefjr said:
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> > I am not a wedding photographer and I do not aspire to ever be one. I ask this question though because I got roped into taking a single photo at my sisters wedding (the father daughter dance).
> ...



Fortunately for me she's not a client just my sister and she only wanted one specific photo, which I got. Since she had no other photographer at the reception I took it upon myself to take other shots that I thought were important. The basic reason I asked is that I feel like I have a large quantity of photos to now edit. Even after culling many back and so it basically got me thinking, "holy crap wedding photographers who handle the whole day really do have their work cut out for them." Which then made me wonder the question I asked above.


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## Austin Greene (May 18, 2015)

shefjr said:


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Yep, I hear you. IMO wedding photography is hard, no doubts about it. But it doesn't have to be impossible. Folks who advertise 500+ images are just setting themselves up for failure. Not only does that make it more stressful, but there is no way that those people aren't making a quality vs quantity tradeoff.


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## shefjr (May 18, 2015)

Austin Greene said:


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I don't know how someone could offer that 500+ photos. I would almost have to guess that they have either never photographed a wedding or they are just handing over every photo they are taking. On top of that there aren't 500 special moments at a wedding. As you said quality vs quantity. Not that I will ever do another wedding reception but, I did learn about some of my habits that I need to work on. It was a great stress free learning experience.


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## Overread (May 18, 2015)

Most offering "500photos" are indeed just taking what they shot and sticking it on the CD. Sometimes that is all they do; the slightly better ones will take out bad shots, but they are often only totally bad (eg flash missfired and they got a black shot) and lots of substandard shots remain. 

They rely upon the idea of buying volume to help drive their company advertising because they know its one area they can "win" in over many others (this also explains why people running this sort of model tend to be at the lower standards end). 


Honestly offering that many shots is daunting for most; even a full day shooting where you can get easily 500 is a lot work through even just for a pre-view thumbnail if you want a good display. So yes many who are at the higher levels wouldn't dream of 500 pictures unles they have a small team and it was a big wedding. 

There's also the fact that if you're selling prints and building albums then less is more. Which is to say if you have less shots your client has both a higher appreciation of your talent (because you're typically raising the average quality bar up as you cut down more and more); and also an easier time choosing what they do an don't want (which prompts them to make print orders sooner rather than later).


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## Vtec44 (May 18, 2015)

However many photos you need to tell the story .


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## Big Mike (May 20, 2015)

I usually find that the number of photos that I deliver from the reception, is as many 0r more, than the number of photo from the rest of the day...and that is mainly a result of the reception having a higher percentage of unique shots.

Think about it this way...the pre-ceremony (prep) may or may not be great for photos.  If the girls are in a nice salon, then I'll get lots of photos, but if they only want me to show up right before the wedding, then it's usually just a few shots of the bride and/or groom with their parents, & wedding party.   I might take a lot of shots, but I'll only 'keep' the best few of the bunch.

For the ceremony, I'll shoot lots of photos.  But with most weddings, it gets pretty redundant because everyone is in place and there usually isn't a lot of movement or changing...so you get '50' photos that all look relatively the same, or the same scene from different angles.  Shots of family & guests helps to fill in, and hopefully there are little kids being cute.

Similar situation for the formal shots.  You get them into family groups and take a lot of shots, but you only need one photo of each group.  Same thing with the more artistic B&G shots, you take plenty but you only need to deliver the best ones.

Then it's on to the reception.  There are times, like during the speeches, when it can be hard to get unique shots.  I take a lot, trying to get a great expression or emotion on someone's face.  If there are more good emotional photos, then more of them will get delivered.  Then when it comes to the 'party' part of the reception, the photos tend to become more and more unique.  I get shots of as many of the guests as possible, usually candid type shots.  I try to get photos of everyone who is dancing and having fun.

I try to keep in mind that I'm not taking these shots to be impressive portfolio shots (although I try to be as artistic as possible and I get creating with my lighting)....I'm taking these shots to create a lasting memory for the B&G, so that they can see the moments that they were too busy to observe themselves, and so that they can look back and see how much fun their guests were having.  I'm also aware that this may be the last time that some of the older guests may be all dressed up etc.  You never know when you will get a request from a former wedding client, asking if you have any photos of 'Nana' who recently passed away.

I also tend to get more extreme with my lighting for the reception.  I like to set up one or two studio strobes in strategic places around the room.  I then position myself so that the lighting is dramatic on people.

I almost forgot, but I also make sure to photograph as many details as possible.  The food, the decorations, the location (inside and out) anything and everything.

I realize that 99% of the photos from the reception are not going to get blown up and hung on a wall etc, but they end up being important to the B&G.  And as the photographer, you don't always know the reasons why one thing or another will be extra special, so I capture as much of it as possible and turn over as many different photos as feasible.

Just as an example, I had a bride almost in tears because I happened to get a shot of her big brother with a big, genuine smile on his face.  Apparently they didn't have any photos of him smiling because he didn't like getting his photo taken and seldom did.  It's easy to overlook shots like this, they usually aren't great photos in a critical sense, but they can mean the world to someone.

And that is why I turn over a lot of 'reception' shots.


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## dennybeall (May 20, 2015)

Years ago, when I did weddings, my goal for candid reception photos was to include every guest in at least one photo. If I could get good shots that was great. This is where I learned to hold the SLR high up in the air and tilt at the right angle to get the people instead of the ceiling..............Digital cameras with tilt screens takes the fun out of that skill.


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