I like quite a few things in the events world…but I’m only truly passionate about a few small parts of our industry. Of course planning and clients are at the top of that list…as is one of a kind events and right under phenomenal clients is Photography. I often get asked how long it will take to get event images back…or why do clients have to wait 6-8 weeks to see their wedding pictures. And I know the answer to these questions…but it’s sometimes hard to explain so I reached out to one of the most sought after wedding and portrait photographers in Hampton Roads (and really the nation) to get input from a photography professional…Mr. David Schwartz.
There are a lot of factors that go into amazing images, and while a picture straight out of the camera can be nice an edited image can be breathtaking. I left the topic kind of open ended to Dave and just asked for his input on what clients should expect and the length of time to anticipate when waiting to see their wedding images and in true David Schwartz form he gave me a very candid, very honest, very straightforward response.
"Wedding Photography is a business, period. A solid, reputable, seasoned, wedding photographer should be providing their clients with input as to how long it will take to deliver images back to the married couple. Many wedding photographers in Tidewater have been photographing events for less than three years. It is very difficult to dial an efficient workflow in when he or she has shot less than 20 weddings in their career so far. I have been in business photographing weddings for six years with hundreds of weddings under my belt. I am a computer geek, and the technology is constantly changing and forcing people to spend time learning the various programs that photographer's use to polish their images. It is imperative that a couple have a complete understanding of the process their photographer is going to follow from booking to delivering an album. There should be no grey. It should always be black and white. I tell my clients it can take up to 6 weeks to deliver online proofs once a wedding is photographed. I will however work up 30 to 80 images to post on my blog within two days of their wedding. This allows them to feel even better about their experience with my company. Plus, my blog link is forwarded to many of their family members and guests. This extra touch always receives a favorable response. If a photographer takes less time to get images online, the reason might be that the images don't stack up to the better photographers in their chosen market. It may also be that they are photographing 10 weddings for the entire season. I do an average of 34 weddings a year, and it takes time to cull images down to select that the client will see. They have to be perfect before it leaves my studio. Any artistically polished images take me up to 20 minutes to work a single image. The art involved in post processing is where the rubber meets the pavement. The difference in photographers should be clearly evident after the artistic processes are applied. All my album prints receive this level of treatment. Let's face it, sometimes good things take time. However, this does not excuse the fact that many photographers do not lay out expectations properly on the front end. Don't be afraid to get a commitment from your photographer in writing/contract as to how long the various processes will take."
I appreciate that David took the time to give me honest feedback and a good basis on how to answer the question: “why does it take so long to receive my wedding images?”
As an added bonus David Schwartz sent over a few “before and after” images so you can see what an edited and non edited image looks like:
(By the way...after you are done checking out these beautiful images go check out Dave's site at
http://www.davidschwartzphotography.com/ and his blog at http://www.davidschwartzphotography.net/)
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