Wedding photographers processing methods

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120 f/4 S

10/15/2008 10:23:00 PM · #1

I'm just wading through my first wedding shots, and wondering if I'm going about it the right way.
Can anyone who is shooting pro weddings tell me how you're handling your shots in terms of selection, what and when you're showing your clients, how many of them you post process before you let them see them, etc?

ericwoo

Nikon Z7II

10/15/2008 11:08:12 PM · #2

I use LR to go through them all initially and either select them or reject them. Then I go through the selections to make sure lighting and focus is correct, as well as making sure that I don't show too many duplicate images. Then I upload them initially corrected selections and let the clients have a look.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

10/16/2008 12:01:30 AM · #3

There are many ways to do this as each person's 'style' is different as to what works for you/me/them.

I'm still working on moving to LR2- I do my seniors and portraiture there but not my weddings (completely) yet, but close...

I DL each card to it's own directory. Many reasons, but one is I don't want to see one directory with 1200 images in it!
I mark the keepers and move them to another directory marked 'selects'. These I backup to DVD. the rest I can erase...but rarely do. I'm pretty consistent in what I shoot, and show/deliver about 500 proofs for a typical wedding.

Formals are easy - the best one of each pose. Same for detail shots. Ceremony is probably the one area that is heavy on 'duplicates' as I run my camera, my ass't and often a third, remote camera. Many angles of the same thing. Cutting down reception shots is pretty easy too - they don't need 10 dance shots. Pick a few and move on.

I then take these and WB/CC and exposure adjust, crop / straighten and call them proofs. LR2 has been great for this as I was using DPP and there was no way to straigten an image there. LR2 also allows quick localized adjustments like lightening a face or removing yellow from the BG if the lighting was different, etc. Makes cropping fast and easier too. I then seperate the images into the different categories for uploading to the web proofing site - again, much easier with LR than how I did it before.

Now some photogs will show a lot few images and PP every single one - but for all that time you better get more money.

Patrick_R

Canon EOS-60D

10/16/2008 12:02:06 AM · #4

Same as eric here. Or I use a batch process in photoshop. Lately I've been batch processing with a plugin called phototools. Works great the images look a little more refined than LR and it takes less of my time. (unless I need my computer in the 4 hours it takes to go through 200 images.) then it takes away from my time. I usually do it before bed though.

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

10/16/2008 12:49:39 AM · #5

Thanks guys. I've done all that you're saying, but I'm trying to work out just how far to go with b&w, blurred effects, dodged and burned images etc. I don't believe most clients really know which shots work best with effects/refinements added, and as its my first wedding I can't really show them many examples other than of their own wedding. So I've gone through and vamped up quite a few images - the ones that I think are the best, in my opinion.
Do you do that, or do you give them straight images and wait for them to ask for extras later?
Its taken 2 full days of post production to get this far, which is fine, but I'm wondering if I'm just going too far for the money (they did book my budget priced package - $500 for the wedding, no reception, all images on disc in an emailable size, and 2 8x11 prints). The perfectionist in me just can't let out images unless I'm creatively satisfied......other than my challenge entries it seems - they seem to go out in desperation ;-). But I'm thinking there probably needs to be a balance?

lentil

Canon EOS-5D

10/16/2008 01:05:45 AM · #6

I usually have an entire wedding online within the week, but bare in mind this is my full time job.

I normally come home from a wedding and immediately download off cards, open in lightroom, do a quick check. Burn a copy on dvd of raw images, then start working on them the next day.

The next day entails me going through each individual shot in LR, doing 90% of my edits in there, then converting to jpg.

I then open each in PS, clone out sensor dust, pimples. Once each photo has been "cleaned" I then decide which I want to do as black and whites. The couple normally receive between 300-700 shots depending on the package they choose. Whenever I change a photo into black and white they always get the original colour as well.

After that, I have a break and look at them again later to see if I missed anything, I also run it by my husband to get his opinion before I put them online.

One thing I would say that has definitely helped me in speeding up the processing is having a decent computer. It used to take me alot longer but now I have had a new computer for about a year it is amazing the difference it makes in time.

Hope this helps you :)

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

10/16/2008 01:11:21 AM · #7

Originally posted by lentil:

Thanks Lentil, it sounds pretty much the way I'm going, you're putting my mind at ease. I have a great computer (a huge imac) so its all fine, although I think I'm going to need some more RAM soon. Do you have an online gallery on your website? Thats one thing I don't have, I'm just handing it over on CD, which I guess is ok, but I'm about to redo my website. Time challenged.....

lentil

Canon EOS-5D

10/16/2008 01:16:46 AM · #8

Originally posted by jettyimages:

Originally posted by lentil:
I usually have an entire wedding online within the week, but bare in mind this is my full time job.

I normally come home from a wedding and immediately download off cards, open in lightroom, do a quick check. Burn a copy on dvd of raw images, then start working on them the next day.

The next day entails me going through each individual shot in LR, doing 90% of my edits in there, then converting to jpg.

I then open each in PS, clone out sensor dust, pimples. Once each photo has been "cleaned" I then decide which I want to do as black and whites. The couple normally receive between 300-700 shots depending on the package they choose. Whenever I change a photo into black and white they always get the original colour as well.

After that, I have a break and look at them again later to see if I missed anything, I also run it by my husband to get his opinion before I put them online.

One thing I would say that has definitely helped me in speeding up the processing is having a decent computer. It used to take me alot longer but now I have had a new computer for about a year it is amazing the difference it makes in time.

Yeah I have an online gallery on my site with a client login. Its great, I size them 470x900px (standard for bludomain sites) and its a good size to view at and not to large to download.

Hope this helps you :)

Thanks Lentil, it sounds pretty much the way I'm going, you're putting my mind at ease. I have a great computer (a huge imac) so its all fine, although I think I'm going to need some more RAM soon. Do you have an online gallery on your website? Thats one thing I don't have, I'm just handing it over on CD, which I guess is ok, but I'm about to redo my website. Time challenged.....

TCGuru

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/16/2008 01:16:49 AM · #9

Originally posted by jettyimages:

I start by sifting out the duds. Photos that just don't look as good as the rest get trashed right off.

I then choose the best of the best (usually about 20 or 30 images) and process those special. I do some quick B&W conversions on some of them and show them both ways because it doesn't take that long and it gives the client more options.

I very rarely upload details shots to the portrait/purchase album for online viewing. People just don't want to buy those individually, they want them in their album :)

I, also, usually end up with between 4 & 6 hundred per wedding :)

I'd say your pricing is about right for that type of job but you need to understand that a lot of their shots they are not going to want heavily processed. You may want to let up a bit on that :)

lentil

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

10/16/2008 01:17:24 AM · #10

Originally posted by jettyimages:

Originally posted by lentil:
I usually have an entire wedding online within the week, but bare in mind this is my full time job.

I normally come home from a wedding and immediately download off cards, open in lightroom, do a quick check. Burn a copy on dvd of raw images, then start working on them the next day.

The next day entails me going through each individual shot in LR, doing 90% of my edits in there, then converting to jpg.

I then open each in PS, clone out sensor dust, pimples. Once each photo has been "cleaned" I then decide which I want to do as black and whites. The couple normally receive between 300-700 shots depending on the package they choose. Whenever I change a photo into black and white they always get the original colour as well.

After that, I have a break and look at them again later to see if I missed anything, I also run it by my husband to get his opinion before I put them online.

One thing I would say that has definitely helped me in speeding up the processing is having a decent computer. It used to take me alot longer but now I have had a new computer for about a year it is amazing the difference it makes in time.

Hope this helps you :)

Thanks Lentil, it sounds pretty much the way I'm going, you're putting my mind at ease. I have a great computer (a huge imac) so its all fine, although I think I'm going to need some more RAM soon. Do you have an online gallery on your website? Thats one thing I don't have, I'm just handing it over on CD, which I guess is ok, but I'm about to redo my website. Time challenged.....

Yeah I have an online gallery on my site with a client login. Its great, I size them 470x900px (standard for bludomain sites) and its a good size to view at and not to large to download.

oops dont know what happened with the double post

Message edited by author 2008-10-16 01:18:00.

10/16/2008 08:56:54 AM · #11

I go from cards to website/proofs in about 4 hours (1000 ish captures to 500ish images to show). Anything that is purchased (for prints or chosen for the album) then get edited. I have a saturday wedding online for viewing the following thursday by noon.

If your samples are heavily processed then you need to show them heavily processed images - it's what you 'sold' them so to speak. My work is more 'photographic' in style so I don't do a lot of filters/effects/blurs/etc on the images.

There are things you can do when you are new to the biz that you can't do later on. In the beginning you are very enthusiastic and searching for a style (yours, one that sells, one that sets you apart in the marketplace) and you have lots of time. Get busier and you find there aren't enough hours in a day or week to get everything done. It may take a couple of years for this to happen, but then you have to decide what to do - turn away work or work yourself to death, cut back on what you do in some way (editing, proofing, customer handholding, etc) or raise prices so work will self-select you. If there is more demand for your services than you can provide your prices need to go up - supply and demand! As long as you're getting paid to spend 5 hours (or more) a week/wedding editing images that may never get bought then it's not a problem. If you could spend those 5 hours shooting a senior and making a $600 sale then those 5 hours are worth $125 each - so be sure you're getting paid enough for the time you're spending.

Message edited by author 2008-10-16 08:57:47.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/16/2008 06:08:37 PM · #12

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

Thats good advice, I appreciate and understand what you're saying. I do tend to try to give people more than they expect, and can clearly see that not only will it be taken advantage of, but it will be expected further down the track. I have contemplated putting my prices up if and when that happens, but as I'm still building the business I have to take care that people don't then become annoyed that I become more expensive than the last job etc. We live in a relatively small town (65,000 people) so people talk. Then again, I'm charging much lower than the other pros - my $500 wedding package equals other pro's $1000 packages, so there is room for movement. As I only started the business this year I certainly didn't want to jump in and dare charge higher, I don't have the experience yet, but I also don't want to get on all the other guys bad sides by gaining business through charging less and offering similar to what they're offering. Its a tough call either way.

Simms

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

10/16/2008 07:33:38 PM · #13

Originally posted by lentil:

Simms

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/16/2008 07:37:29 PM · #14

lol - so predictable..

Message edited by author 2008-10-16 19:55:41.

10/16/2008 09:34:37 PM · #15

Originally posted by Simms:

Everyone certainly does have their own style.. after a wedding I get home, back the cards up to the PC, back up the directories then don't return to the wedding for at least 3 - 4 days, the reason being is when you come back to the wedding with a fresh pair of eyes it is far more enjoyable than having to relive the whole day immediately afterwards. This way I find my interest doesn`t wane and I get through the images far quicker, usually having the images up by the Friday - I tell the couple that the usual time is 7 - 8 days before they go live on the site, but its rarely that long. On the days between I work on previous weddings albums.

Originally posted by lentil:
I usually have an entire wedding online within the week, but bare in mind this is my full time job.

I normally come home from a wedding and immediately download off cards, open in lightroom, do a quick check. Burn a copy on dvd of raw images, then start working on them the next day.

The next day entails me going through each individual shot in LR, doing 90% of my edits in there, then converting to jpg.

I'm with you there - I find that I need a break from seeing the two same people kissing and carrying on, they start to make me sick after a while! lol

10/16/2008 09:47:19 PM · #16

Originally posted by jettyimages:

As I only started the business this year I certainly didn't want to jump in and dare charge higher, I don't have the experience yet, but I also don't want to get on all the other guys bad sides by gaining business through charging less and offering similar to what they're offering. Its a tough call either way.

I understand the mindset you have there, but most all folks, even new to the field or job, don't get 50% of the regular pay for that job. If a new store opens in town they may have a grand opening special but generally charge what everyone else charges. If a new doctor joins a practice he may get paid less, but the practice won't charge less for what he does vs the other doctors.
If you can do the job, then you should be paid the going wage/rate for it. That means charging the going rate for your services in your market. If you feel you're not delivering that quality, then go take a class at a PPA school ($1000 or less for a week) and then you'll feel much more confident. Charge even $900 for your next 2 or 3 weddings and you've made your $1000 back and then some.

10/16/2008 09:57:34 PM · #17

You're probably right there Prof, and I know it can be a bone of contention, particularly for the other photographers around town. Here there does seem to be a wide variety of pricing, and there are some absolute charlatans charging $500 for pretty disgusting photos. I know I can do it, I'm really happy with my shots (at least from the wedding I've done and a mock wedding shoot I did for a marriage celebrant's new website), so I don't feel I need to take a course (not that one is available here anyway!). Its really a matter of trying to balance humility based on lack of experience with good business sense. And not cutting out people who are on a really low budget. On my website (which I'm revamping today) I have three price brackets - $500 for elopements/low budget 2 hour sessions, I give them small files on disc and 2 prints; then $1250 for a longer coverage, more prints, and a coffee table book; and for $2500 I'm theirs for the day, give them the coffee table book and 2 magazine books for their parents, plus prints and small files on disc. Taking it that I'm in Australia and the exchange rate has to be factored in (woeful at the moment), and that I'm in a small regional city, how do you think it compares?

Edit...the other guys in town don't offer the $500 service at all, they start at $1000 and go up to $3000, so I'm only coming in under them by $500 at the top end, but definitely lower at the shorter end. I just don't think its fair to charge really struggling people so much if they only want the service covered and a few portrait shots.

Message edited by author 2008-10-16 21:59:06.