During the wedding day, how many images are you shooting? Chances are, you shoot hundreds of images from the wedding day (based on these most important moments) – most of which don’t make it to the final set you send to your clients. And, based on how many images clients really want, the culling process may force you to spend your time getting rid of a ton of images to get to your final total.
Culling your images in Lightroom is not the only way to start the process of delivering a set of the best images from the wedding day. You can start the process earlier by updating your process, and even culling in camera. The biggest question is, can these techniques save you time in your workflow? Here are a few steps you can take to eliminate the number of images you need to cull on your computer during your post-wedding workflow.
Step 1: Shoot What’s Needed
The first step is to start the process before you even take the first set of images. Achieve the best shots possible by properly posing your clients in a place where the background is ideal, the light highlights them, and you know it will be a memorable image. Or, if it’s something you cannot pose, position yourself in the best angle for the image. Before you take the photo, make sure you know it will result in an image that contributes to the overall story of the wedding day. If you only focus on the images that matter, you won’t have to spend as much time on your computer afterwards.
Image Compliments of Sam Stroud Photography
Step 2: Limit Duplicate Photos
A second step is to limit the amount of photos you take that are of the same moment, pose, or reaction. If you take 5 shots that are the same, you just have more to cull later. This goes back to knowing exactly what the best shots are to capture, and how to ensure they will be the best option. Think about it – after your images are edited by a wedding photo editing company you likely send your clients 500-700 images. You aren’t going to send them 3 images of the groom in the same pose, with the same facial expression, and lighting. This cuts down the amount of culling you have to do for the entire wedding.
Related: How comfortable are you with lighting and posing during the wedding day shoot?
Step 3: Cull in Camera
If you have downtime during the wedding day, go through and review your images in camera. If you notice there are photos where people are blinking or the lighting is bad, delete them from your camera. If you get into a habit of doing this throughout the day, you will have a number closer to your delivery total. Wouldn’t it be great to eliminate a majority of the time from your post-wedding workflow?
Related: Are you using these 9 time-saving tools in your business?
So, what do you think? Try out some of these methods in your workflow and decide if they work for you. Anything you can do to save time during your post-wedding workflow is helpful. How can knowing what the best images from the wedding day are to take, help you shoot less images during the wedding day? Our Guide, 127 Memorable Images You Must Capture, provides you with a photography playbook to the wedding day, so you can focus on those images (helping you already cull down your photos!). Grab it today!
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