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A full wedding album usually has around 50 pages and between 140 and 200 photos. That's enough to show the whole day in detail: the preparations, the "I do", the cake and the dance. There is no single number. Every photographer will give you a different answer. Even so, 50 pages and that many photos is a sensible starting point. One thing is worth clearing up first. Today's albums are not like the old ones, which were blank books with loose prints stuck in. Nowadays an album is designed on a computer. That is where the photos are chosen, along with their size and position. It is then sent to a lab that prints it as if it were a magazine. The photos are printed on the page itself. Whatever goes in stays there for good.
What changes the number of photos
How many do you need? That depends on several things. Photographers differ a lot. For some, 80 photos are more than enough. Others won't include fewer than 300. The first thing that matters is the size of the album. A size of about 30×30 lets the photos shine. Below 30×25 cm, the photos look smaller and don't stand out in the same way. The second is the number of photos per page. If you put six on a single page, they will look tiny. That is why some people prefer fewer, larger photos. In a 40×30 album with 50 pages, that approach suggests no more than 100. It's another way of doing it, meant to make the most important photos really big. The format matters too. A portrait album works very well with two photos per page. Many photographers prefer square. With good design, any number can work in any format, by playing with where each photo goes and how big it is. Then there is the wedding itself. A long wedding with lots of moments calls for more photos. A simpler one, fewer. And there is a limit that has nothing to do with size. An album packed with photos ends up being boring. Seeing the same moment over and over gets tiring. If two photos are very alike, keep just one. Nor does everyone need to appear, nor do both families need the same number of photos. That can take away from the quality of the album. Opening and closing photos help the album avoid starting or ending too abruptly.
Photo from evsimon.com · Book your wedding
How to decide with your photographer
So what now? Before choosing photos, agree with your photographer on how many pages the album will have. With that number you'll know roughly how many photos will fit. Then split them across the different parts of the day: preparations, ceremony, reception and party. That way no part is left short. Also ask who chooses the photos, you or the photographer, because every photographer works differently. If you're in Asturias and would like to talk it over without any rush, Evan & Natalia Simon do wedding photography and video from Gijón. A simple conversation is all it takes to get started.
Photo from evsimon.com · Book your wedding
