“So, how many wedding photos will i get?”
“We want as many as possible!”
This was a question that I was recently asked. Right from that moment I knew this was going to lead absolutely nowhere, as it was kind of heading into an area which I find boring. Experience has taught me this. The conversation to this point was hardly inspiring. I’m absolutely positive that the style of photography was an after thought. The fact that I work effectively as an Unposed Wedding Photographer didn’t come into the conversation.
After a run where I was having some really excellent conversations about the way I work with potential clients. And what to expect to a degree. It is a missed opportunity to focus on what to me is a rather mundane point. I have an idea of what the final number may be. What does it matter? Is this a case of quantity over quality? I certainly think so. This is not a good idea because it must be about quality.
A few months back, I received an email from a former client. Their wedding had been held some while back. They had lost their set of images. Given that this wedding was held some years previous, I think there was a concern that given the time in between that I did not have them anymore. I had. They were absolutely thrilled.
What was very interesting is the final number of images.
Two hundred and forty three
This would have been an average amount from that time. And at that quite comprehensive. Put this into context. My last wedding, which was just the ceremony I may had, contained somewhere in the region of 500. Of course the work has evolved over time. I certainly include many options these days. A lot of that is due to the fact that I work at a swift pace. As a documentary wedding photographer it is par for the course to move swiftly. Plus the demand for more is also there. So the final numbers have crept up
Nobody asks me how many pictures they will receive. Or very rarely they do. I prefer to talk about the style of work. The advent of social media death scrolling is partially to blame for this malaise. Often scant time is given to an image. Thinking about the next image when hardly a thought went into the previous.
Once during a consultation, I recall the potential client going trough my portfolio at a savage rate. I had to say “You’re not looking at the pictures. Go back to start and really look at the pictures. Look at the relationship to the image next to it, allow the sequence to guide you somewhat as the story builds”. And that advice seemed very exciting as the client then really engaged with the images.
A wedding is a one shot job. I deliver a healthy set of final and finished images. It’s not a numbers game. It is about how you connect with your wedding photographs. The story they tell. I could have a final set of pictures that could be lets say at about one hundred pictures. That would be a concise and coherent set. If somebody prefers to book with someone offering a couple of thousands pics… Be my quest. The focus is not where it should be if it’s really about “How many wedding photos will I get” because that tells me nothing about how the day may go. I’d really prefer to talk and articulate about photography. And the client I attract does too. They enjoy the conversation. Everything else will fall into place.
