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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Wedding Shots - Standard shots - The Couple
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 06/20/2007 10:47:20 PM · #1
OK, so summer is upon us and people are taking advantage of the sun to get MARRIED. Woo! Who doesn't love the summer? Well, I guess the guy who has to hold the reflector above people's heads for 4 hours to block the direct sunlight, but who cares about him! :)

What I am looking for in this thread are some different points of view for what comprises a COMPLETE PACKAGE for a Wedding Shoot.

I have done some asking around and I've been told that 24-30 pictures is a good range. These pictures are shots that the Bride and Groom are HAPPY WITH and that are of ACCEPTABLE QUALITY from your point of view as a photographer. This discussion is for results that speak WELL of you as a professional photographer, so it should go without saying that if there is a shot that the couple are happy with that you must have gotten the technicals down.

Because the size of families and bridal parties varies so greatly, I am only going to discuss shots of the VERY BASIC Bridal Party. Obviously if you are shooting a gay wedding, make your own substitutions for words. This is ONLY about the pictures. Same difference if the Maid of Honor happens to be replaced by a guy (often the case if the bride chooses her brother)...

To define some terms for this discussion:
Bride
Groom ======= The couple

Father of the Bride
Best Man
Maid of Honor ========= the Basic Bridal Party

Additional Bridesmaids
Officiator (Justice of the Peace/Minister...)
Ring Bearer ========== Additional Interest Parties

So to get started, it's probably best to keep it simple. For this Discussion, I would really like to focus on JUST the pics of THE COUPLE. If the thread does well, I may add others to examine shots for the Basic Bridal Party and Additional Interest Parties. Therefore, for all of the pics shown here, please adhere to this and have ONLY the pics that are exclusively of A - The Groom, B - The Bride, or C - The Couple.

Please feel free to include shots of these types:
Ceremony - Bride Entering, Walking down the aisle - distant/close, Bridge+Groom during ceremony, The Vows, Putting on the Ring, THE KISS, Signing
Portraits - Headshots, Torso, Full Body, Together, Individual
Environmental - Portraits with setting included both In Focus and OOF.
Close-up - Hand, Hands, Bouquet, Dress Texture, Ring, Holy Book, Veil, Shoes, lips, eyes
Artistic - Angled shots, Effects Shots, Anything special with the photographer's touch.

This discussion is not about HOW to make the shots. It is about WHAT shots to take/make. For the purposes of this discussion, please assume that every shot you take is perfect technically. We are talking about results, not the process. The number of pics you take is part of your decision process. The number of pics the clients choose is up to them and up to the package you have priced... this is not really relevant here.

Here are some questions, again, all specific to the Couple, ignoring all other people:
#1 - When preparing for a wedding, How many pics do you plan to present?

#2 - What types of pics and how many of each type?

#3 - What special shots do you like to take?

I guess in the end it's 3 pretty simple questions...

Let's get some feedback loops going! Thanks for your time!

Message edited by author 2007-06-20 22:47:47.
 07/02/2007 12:49:06 PM · #2
So much depends on your style of photography and your business plan/sales methods.

I know photogs that stage every shot, use flash with every shot, shoot everything at F5.6, sell a 30 page book with 30 8x10s. No other options exist. Every wedding is treated the same.

I tend to follow the PJ route a bit more - available light and wide open with storytelling thread. I shoot. I don't worry about how much I shoot, and at times i shoot too much. My albums are collage style and aveage 3.5 images a page, so that 30 page album will have about 100 images in it.

I don't categorize images as you have done there. I have done only 1
My special shots...them wearing the rings I do the same and 95% of the time a very similar shot of them together, like this (engagement shot)


somethiing fun like this


And of course, romantic ones like


But ones like this one are not every wedding occurrances (but I wics they were!)


Message edited by author 2007-07-02 12:49:39.
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