Do Wedding Photographers Give All Photos? (2024)

Ah, a double-whammy question – do wedding photographers give all photos, and do they give the RAW ones? These questions are asked multiple times a year on many different wedding forums. Let’s tackle them one at a time.

Do Wedding Photographers Give All Photos? (1)

Do Wedding Photographers Give All Photos?

The straight answer? No.

In a full wedding day shoot your wedding photographer will take thousands of photos. Among these are duplicates, test shots, and inevitably, a few where Uncle Bob blinked at the wrong time or a waiter walked in front of the lens just as you took a picture. It happens.

Part of our job as professional photographers is to go through these shots, selecting the cream of the crop and making sure you get the very best images that tell the story of your day. What you receive is a carefully curated set of photos that capture all the key moments, without you having to wade through a sea of near-identical snaps. Trust me, it’s all about quality over quantity.

Do Wedding Photographers Give the RAW Photos?

No.

Now, the RAW question comes up a lot on forums. Most photographers – myself included – typically don’t provide RAW photos. But why, you might ask? It’s because RAW files are like unfinished paintings – they need more work to be at their best.

The short answer is, you actually don’t want the RAWs.

They look a bit crap, are massive, clunky to work with (I’m assuming your computer isn’t as fast as mine) and you can’t do anything with them until they’re processed.

As photographers, we put a lot of ourselves into not just taking the photo, but also the post-processing work – adjusting the light, the colour, the contrast. This is where the magic happens, where we make those images really come alive. Giving you the RAW files would be like a baker giving you a cake before it’s been decorated. Sure, it might taste alright, but it’s not the final product they’d be proud to present.

The other issue that comes with handing over RAW files is control. In your contract there will no doubt be a clause that the images remain the Copyright of the photographer, but that you have a license to use them. This is important as it stops anyone from using copyrighted images and claiming them as their own. As soon as you give over copies of the RAW files then proving Copyright becomes a lot harder.

So there you have it! We photographers may not give all photos or RAW photos, but that’s just because we want to ensure you get the most memorable, beautifully finished images from your big day. Remember, we are on your team! Hire suppliers that you trust and you know that they have delivered the absolute best.

I’ve written more information on relevant topics on my resources page, topics related to this one include; does the wedding photographer own my pictures and can they use them without my permission?

Do Wedding Photographers Give All Photos? (2024)

FAQs

Do Wedding Photographers Give All Photos? ›

A good photographer will take 2,000-4,000 images on an average day, but that doesn't mean you're getting all of them. Duplicates, ones where someone has their eyes closed or perhaps not everyone is looking at the camera, blurry ones, and ones that just didn't turn out because of poor experience all take into account.

How many pictures does a wedding photographer give? ›

Ordinary number of pictures delivered by hours

To give you an idea, the average number of pictures delivered by a wedding photographer for one hour is between 50 up to 100 wedding photos. Most of the time I will deliver 800 to 1000 digital files for 12-hour reportage.

Why don't photographers give you all the photos? ›

A professional photography doesn't want to give you the raw files because they are not the final images, they may not look great, they won't have been edited to match the photographers style, remember you have picked a wedding photographer because you also like their style of photography, you like the way the photos ...

How many photos do you get from a photographer? ›

As a general rule, you can expect to receive between 50 and 100 photos per hour of shooting time. But there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Of course, this depends on various factors such as the type of shoot, how many people are involved, and what you want to achieve.

How many photos should you expect from a wedding? ›

For a small wedding, I'd typically deliver over 600 photos. For a larger wedding that would typically be over 700 photos. My editing time for 9 hours of coverage is typically around 20-30 hours. To summarize, I think they key thing to focus on is coverage of wedding day events rather than specific photo number.

Do wedding photographers give you all the photos? ›

The straight answer? No. In a full wedding day shoot your wedding photographer will take thousands of photos. Among these are duplicates, test shots, and inevitably, a few where Uncle Bob blinked at the wrong time or a waiter walked in front of the lens just as you took a picture.

What is the average amount spent on a wedding photographer? ›

In general, wedding photographer prices in the U.S. tend to range between $1,150 and $3,000, with the average wedding photographer cost hovering around $2,000.

What to do if a photographer won't give you your photos? ›

If this is happening to you my advice is to make all contact attempts in writing via email/text if possible. Make every effort to resolve any dispute or issue with the photographer in this way so you have evidence that you can use later if necessary.

What is a common mistake that photographers make? ›

Out-of-focus images are probably the most common of all mistakes in photography because it's such an easy one to make. One small move by a subject or misinterpretation by your camera and you're in for an unpleasant surprise when you review your images later.

Do you tip photographer at wedding? ›

Photographer and Videographer

While it is not necessary to tip your photographer or videography, we highly recommend handing something out to them, especially if you feel they provided excellent service. For an assistant, we recommend around $50. For the main photographer, around $100 to $200 is typical.

How many photos for a 5 hour wedding? ›

The Average Wedding Photographer Follows a Standard Rule for Photo Delivery. Broadly speaking, wedding photographers typically deliver 50-100 photos for every hour of coverage they provide.

What is the #1 rule of photography? ›

Use the rule of thirds.

It involves evenly dividing the frame between two equally spaced horizontal and vertical gridlines, creating a three-by-three grid. In order to create balance and flow within the image, compositional elements should be placed where these lines of the grid intersect or segment your image.

How many photos do photographers give for weddings? ›

On average, most couples can expect to receive around 800-1500 photos from their wedding day.

Is 3 months too long for wedding photos? ›

Average wedding photography contract deliver images within 6-8 weeks after the wedding date. However, typical turnaround time can vary depending on the factors mentioned above. Some photographers may be able to deliver images within a week, while others may take several months.

How many wedding photos will I get? ›

Seriously, though, how many photos do we get? At this point in our wedding photography career, we're delivering around 50-75 photographs per hour of shooting. So, for example, if we're shooting your wedding day for 12 hours, you'll receive somewhere in the neighborhood of 600-900 final images.

How many photos should an event photographer take? ›

Set clear expectations with your client.

Let your client know how many final images you expect to create and never over-promise. A reasonable offer might be about 50 to 75 images for an hour-long event.

How many cameras does a wedding photographer need? ›

two reliable, durable, dual card slot camera bodies (our pick) We love having the flexibility of two camera bodies: a primary camera body and a spare. However if we are going superlight, we will each take one. If you are a solo photographer I suggest bringing two camera bodies wherever your shoot takes you.

How long should you have a photographer at your wedding? ›

8 Hour Wedding Photography Timeline

Eight hours is the most popular option because couples generally want getting ready photos, and it also allows for some travel time as long as your getting ready, ceremony, and reception locations are fairly close together.

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