Over the past couple of years wedding photographers have become increasingly easier to find and their wedding photos packages increasingly easier for regular people to understand. Unlike in the past photographers no longer mention how many rolls you will need or how many you can buy but rather the number of actual pictures that you want. However, arriving at the right figure can be somewhat tricky and many wedding couples are clueless as to which package they should choose. If you choose one with five hundred photos chances are that you’ll have more than you need and pay a lot more than if you choose one with a hundred photos but not everyone and everything may be adequately covered in just a hundred photos. So, what is the magic number? Well this really depends on a number of factors as we will look at below.
The size of the wedding venue
One of the things you should be considering when it comes to the number of wedding photos is the size of the venue. A large venue will obviously require more coverage and hence more photos as compared to a small venue. Generally if it’s an average hotel lobby you’ll need to have around a hundred photos in order to make sure every aspect of the wedding’s décor, guests, lights, etc. are covered. So, the larger your wedding venue the more photos you’ll need. However, if you have a large venue but just a handful of guests, then the number of guests will take precedence over the size of the venue.
The number of people at the wedding
This is another important consideration in addition to the size of the venue. As a rule of thumb you’ll want two photos on average for regular guests and special guests like your close friends and family members will require five photos on average. Then throw in another 20% more photos just to be on the safe side. However, there are exceptions to this rule, one exception being that you may not want the guests to be covered while they are eating, dancing or mingling. If this is the case than you can take the 20% margin of error out of the equation. That said sometimes wedding photographers will take more photos that what is offered in the package this is because your guests may ask that the photographer photograph them with their family and friends. This can be rather tricky so you can allow the photographer around 50 or so extra photos if some guests insist, after all you do not want to displease your guests.
Do you want to be photographed at the church?
If you are getting married in the Church or cathedral then you need to consider if you want to be photographed. There are many churches or cathedrals that do not allow photographs inside if this is the case then you will have to compensate for photographs outside the church. If you are going to be photographed in the church then add around two dozen to the figure above. Ideally, you’ll want to be photographed from every angle as well as the guests in some instances. But this really depends if it’s technologically possible because if its dark in the church and the flash cannot be used then those photos will be ruined. You may want to ask the photographer for their professional opinion; since many wedding photographers have worked in most churches around the city they should be familiar with their policies.
Buy a wedding photos package with some flexibility
The package you buy should have a degree of flexibility i.e. you give or take a dozen or so photos. Rose2Ring Studio which is one of the leading & affordable photography services in Australia recommends that wedding couples use the above formula to arrive at a figure and then buy a package which is nearest to it but allows the company some flexibility. This means that if the photographer sees something interesting he should be able to capture it without having a number in his or her mind. The great thing about this is that you’ll walk away with an album full of memorable photos and not just regular poses like is the case with some services.
Mark has been a wedding photographer for over two decades. He was around when film cameras with large and heavy lenses were considered state of the art. Today his wedding photos are regarded as being the best in the business because they are creative and fun. Wedding couples can walk away with an album that helps them re-experience their wedding.
