Hey look! It’s a new blog series! Yesss. I love emailing with new brides/potential clients- it’s a great way for me to get a feel for their personality, and I get to answer lots of questions! Answering questions is one of my favorite things to do- I think it stems from my love of being a know-it-all. You know, that kid in class that can’t stop themself from spitting out the correct answer to everything the teacher asks? Only now it’s not annoying- it’s helpful. YES! (I think I’m secretly related to Hermione Granger. Just sayin.)

There are a few questions that I get asked more often than others, so I figured I’d share them with you all! (*disclaimer* This is what works for me. I’m still learning my own way, so feel more than free to disagree with me. I in no way pretend to be an expert or authority on anything.)

Without further ado, the questions…

1.  How many photos do you take? How many will I receive?
This answer can differ a LOT from photographer to photographer, so I’ll just answer with how I do things. The number of images I shoot (and thus, the number you’ll receive), depends on three major factors: the amount of time you give me for couples portraits, how much detail you incorporate in your wedding day, and the number of hours I’m there to photograph.

If the schedule gets crunched and I only end up with 15 minutes for portraits, the result will be you’ll receive a much smaller number of images than someone who gives me 45 minutes. If you’ve incorporated a ton of details, DIY projects and personal touches to your wedding, I’ll have a lot more to photograph (yay! details make me so happy!), which will naturally result in more images. And lastly, if I’m only there for 6 hours on wedding day, it’s only natural that the final number of images will be fewer than if I’m there for 8-9 hours.

To answer the second part of the question- “how many images will I receive?” I usually guesstimate that my couples will receive a final number of 300-500 edited images. I’ll never give you less than 300, but if I end up having 700 great images? You can have them all! I’ll never put a cap on the number of photos I’ll give my brides and grooms. You’ll get as many good ones as I have. (side note- I’m working to shoot more. With every wedding I photograph, that final number climbs higher!).

Meet David and Chrissy- they gave me close to an hour for portraits on wedding day and we have SO many clutch image as a result!

2.  Do you have one second shooter that you always work with?
Nope! I have a pool of about 4-6 photographers in the area that I feel 100% comfortable asking to shoot with me. I only hire second shooters that are also professional photographers in their own business- I’ll never bring a student or someone who’s just looking to learn as my second shooter. My second is there as an insurance policy for me- if something tragic happens, like I fall down a flight of stairs and break my legs (GOD FORBID), I need to be 100% comfortable with my second shooter stepping in and taking over. I can’t do that with a student or someone who’s just looking to learn.

*Update* I am a huge advocate of spending a lot of time assisting/second shooting weddings before you attempt to shoot one as the primary. I DO allow people interested in learning to come along as an assistant or a third shooter.

3.  How long do family photos take?
This is another complicated question- it really does depend on how large your family is. If you have 47 cousins, both sets of grandparents, 15 uncles and about a dozen nieces and nephews running around, it’s going to take considerably longer to round everybody up for formals. I always tell my brides and grooms that they need to allot 2-4 minutes PER posed photo. That means 2-4 minutes for one of just the immediate family, another 2-4 minutes for one with all of the aunts, uncles and cousins, another 2-4 for… you catch my drift. I’ve found my key to family portraits is to peel down- start with the brides entire side, then peel off from there (I learned that technique from an installment of a Jasmine Star video– thanks Jasmine!). It saves quite a bit of time and allows you to be the most efficient with those 20-30 minutes you have for family formals.

Have any questions about wedding photography from a client’s perspective? Sound off in the comment section! I’d love to do my best to answer them in the next “Questions From The Audience” post. 🙂

Also- our Nerds grand prize winner is…. Tessa! Shoot me an email with your address so I can send you box of happiness!

Happy Friday!