A wedding photographer in Spain usually delivers around 50 photos for every hour of coverage. A 10-hour wedding is quite common, and at that rate the collection comes to about 500 photos. When the photographer only covers the wedding up to the first dance because the contract has a limit on hours, the delivery usually falls between 300 and 500 photos. At a very large wedding, with more than 250 guests, the figure can reach 3,000. Many more are taken during the day, often between 4,000 and 6,000 shots. The couple receives a selection of those photos. A professional delivers every photo in that selection edited, not just a few.
What the number depends on
Telling the full story of a wedding takes far fewer photos than people usually imagine. Some photographers with many years in the trade put that minimum at between 140 and 200 images. Anything beyond that adds detail: the mother arranging the veil, the cousins at the table at the back, the grandfather dancing. The final figure varies for several reasons. The first is the hours, because the delivery is not the same if the photographer arrives for the preparations as if they arrive for the ceremony. The second is the number of guests. The third is each photographer's way of working. Those who take more photos tend to deliver more. Some accept almost all of their images, while others discard a lot and scrutinise every photo closely. If a second photographer attends, the average can rise from 50 to between 65 and 70 photos per hour. Some deliver each image in colour and in black and white, so the apparent total doubles even though the scenes are the same. Booking video as well does not change the number of photos. Some packages advertise 1,000 or 1,500 photos. A high number usually brings near-identical images that add nothing to the story and end up becoming tedious.
What to ask the photographer
The next step is to ask each photographer how many photos they deliver per hour and in total, and to ask them to put it in writing in the contract. Many give a range and make clear that it applies if the wedding runs normally, without major delays to the schedule. It is also worth asking whether black and white counts separately and whether the price includes a second photographer. To compare, the most useful thing is to see a complete collection from a real wedding, not just the best photos on the website. When the delivery arrives, sorting the images into folders by moments of the day helps you find them years later.
