I thought it would be super fun to tell you what photographers do! One huge misconception about wedding photography is that we show up for a day, take some photos, and cash a check. That couldn’t be further from the truth! There is so much prep work that goes into a wedding as a photographer! Making sure that you are capturing this hugely important day for someone perfectly. But something that I think people know even less about is what goes on after the wedding. What happens during the weeks between us leaving your reception and the day we send you your full wedding gallery? I decided to lift the curtain this week and give you a behind-the-scenes peek. 

So after I leave a wedding and get home the first thing I start to do is import and back up images. This means I am copying all the images from the memory cards I shot, to multiple hard drives which keeps your images as safe as possible. I do not take chances with anything happening to your wedding photos! I make sure the images are backed up on multiple sources so that no matter what could happen, I have your photos. This process alone can take hours. It takes a lot of time to import all of those photos to a computer and back them up to hard drives! 

The next step to preparing a wedding gallery is to cull the photos. Culling means that I am going through every photo that I took at your wedding. Selecting the ones to edit for you! This is a huge part of the process because it takes time to sort through all the images. I think sometimes people worry that photographers aren’t delivering them “all the photos”. But trust me, you would not want all of the photos delivered! This is where culling comes in. Because we cull out any photos of you with your eyes closed, your spouse sneezing, and anyone talking!  

Once I have culled a gallery it’s time to edit! Editing definitely takes a large portion of time. I make sure that each photo in your gallery is properly edited in my signature editing style, cropped or tilted correctly, and overall looks great. I also think another common misconception about editing is that you put a filter on the photo. It takes one click of your mouse to edit a photo. While many photographers do use presets (sort of like a filter on Instagram but much more customizable and intricate), they are not one-click edits! Presets are a starting point but you do have to adjust them from photo to photo. 

For example, a photographers signature style may also be to have highlights turned high and the temperature a bit cooler. So they may have a preset that will make all photos have higher highlights and a cooler temperature. That doesn’t mean the photo will be ready. They may have to adjust the contrast, exposure, color tones, luminance, etc. Once you get the coloring and edit right you may also need to edit out a car from a background or a stray hair across the bride’s face. This is one of the most time-consuming portions of prepping a wedding gallery but also the most satisfying. It’s where the magic comes in. You transform those RAW files (basically unreadable files if you don’t have the proper programs to view them) into gorgeous photos that are ready to be delivered to your client! 

After I have edited the gallery I make sure to go through the photos one more time to make sure I didn’t miss anything or have any small changes. Once I have done that round of approval, it’s time to export the photos. I export those RAW files into JPEGs and then upload those new JPEGs to an online gallery. This is where the final step comes; delivering the gallery! 

All of these steps are the reason that wedding photographers often deliver galleries within 8-10 weeks and not 1 week. There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes that we don’t let our clients in on. It’s really the nuts and bolts of wedding photography. Above all, I want you guys to know that I absolutely love that I get the opportunity to photograph, edit, and deliver wedding galleries to my clients. I take pride in the work I create! All these steps are worth it so that you have your memories preserved the way you deserve. What did you guys think about this behind-the-scenes view on what happens after the wedding? Did anything surprise you?

If you’re seeking a photographer who values artistry, intention, and exceptional client experience, I invite you to contact me here!