enggement session, how many photos?

12sndsgood · Mar 1, 2012

So I did some photos of friends the other day and it was basically there engagement photos. I'm just wondering what most of you guys/girls do as far as the photos are concerned. I have about a dozen or so that i like and will edit up for them. I was just curious what most of you do for that type of shoot.

I think I have read in the past that some will give all of the photos on a cd. Me personally, if I dont' like a photo enough to edit it, it's not something i would want going out to someone. I prefer to only send out what i find good enough and I think my friends will be happy with the photos I give them (fingers crossed).

MLeeK · Mar 1, 2012

30, If you provide too many there is too much to choose from. Generally a 1 hour session yields 30 images, one from each pose/background change. Don't give out multiple shots of the same pose. Instead limit it down to the absolute best of the best.
If you spend any real time in your post processing/editing process you'll find that doing more than that for a single session also kills your profitability/time investment.
I also don't proof perfect on every image. I will choose the best of the best to completely re-touch: Skin softening, zit removal... all of the very time consuming. That way they can see what total polish will look like, but you don't have to totally polish 30 images when they may well only order 1. That's a huge waste of your time. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the two, but that fine work can eat up your time!

tirediron · Mar 1, 2012

As many as you are happy with. Don't give out images that don't mean your QA criteria.

You're pretty prolific MLeek; I'd be suprised if I got 10/hour.

MLeeK · Mar 1, 2012

Flow posing. And a 1 hour session is never just 1 hour... I proof somewhere between 20 and 30 for each session. Where did I come up with 30? Some seminar I went to somewhere long ago. I use it as my maximum # of images.

I can come up with a LOT more than 30 in an hour by flow posing!

MReid · Mar 1, 2012

2 hour shoots. I generally take about 200-350 pictures if I am shooting natural light, depending on how relaxed and fun the couple is. If I don't have to help them pose, it is at the upper end, if I have to help them pose it is the lower end. Very seldom do I have to do much posing.
If the setting or lighting conditions require that I use flash I take 150-250 pictures.

I typically deliver somewhere in the range of 60-120 fully processed images.

I usually spend 2-4 hours processing them all, then I hand them a disc with all their fully processed ready to print images.
I only give them the best photos.

DiskoJoe · Mar 1, 2012

MReid said:
2 hour shoots. I generally take about 200-350 pictures if I am shooting natural light, depending on how relaxed and fun the couple is. If I don't have to help them pose, it is at the upper end, if I have to help them pose it is the lower end. Very seldom do I have to do much posing.
If the setting or lighting conditions require that I use flash I take 150-250 pictures.

I typically deliver somewhere in the range of 60-120 fully processed images.

I usually spend 2-4 hours processing them all, then I hand them a disc with all their fully processed ready to print images.
I only give them the best photos.

Who would need or want 60-120 pics for an engagement shoot? I would think the 30 maximum would be more realistic for an average shoot and them picking maybe 12-15. If I was doing this for a friend on the cheap I would give them 12 I though were good and not worry about proofing. That is for people paying full price.

MReid · Mar 1, 2012

Evidently a lot of people

.

Here's one with 120:
http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Engag...Boise/17663472_KBndGq#!i=1346993045&k=PkJRWfg

DiskoJoe · Mar 1, 2012

MReid said:
Evidently a lot of people .

Here's one with 120:
http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Engagement-galleries/Palina-and-SteveBoise/17663472_KBndGq#!i=1346993045&k=PkJRWfg

Did they buy all of them?

MReid · Mar 1, 2012

They bought all of them before I shot them. But that works for me, I have been doing this a long time and am turbo fast.

For the op she is doing the right thing, start out slow and manage the shoots to the level you are comfortable with and to the expectations of your client.

Once in a while I get a client that only wants a few shots, but normally they want as many as they can get.

rfernando · Mar 1, 2012

Thanks for the useful information! I'm actually doing my first engagement session this Sunday. 30 sounds like a good number. When I got married our photographer gave us all the images that she took. It was somewhere close to 120 images. Though they were all beautiful images my wife and I only really used roughly 20-30 for print purposes. The rest are sitting on my computer.

12sndsgood · Mar 1, 2012

well looks like i'll be a little shy on this one. I have around 20 or so right now on my first go thru. im sure i'll decide to dump a few more before i edit. was a bit less then i had wanted but they will be happy. she was great to work with, him (my friend) is the " i hate pictures" type. and he had some really squinty eyes that just made it look like his eyes were almost closed on allot of them. and his eyes are somewhat deepset (should have used some fill flash) an to be honest it was a warm day and we ended up going out to the park and i used my 50-200 and it was probalby the first time in way to long that ive used that lens. ive definatly spent too much time indoors and i think camera shake hurt me on a few too many.

I don't mind the editing right now because thats another thing im still learning. but I am getting to the point where im finding out what mistakes are costing me in processing time and im definatly learning to work a little more on getting it right in the camera versus processing. esp with things like backgrounds. spent way to much time fixing background issues lately. but i defintaly don't process them all. i just pick the best ones and clean those up. I used to get in the habit of shooting more and now im working on shooting less and gettig more right.

and im a guy.

Bossy · Mar 1, 2012

My photographer for our engagement session gave us 132 images, all different, all clean processed, and all awesome. For what we paid, I wouldn't have been ok with 30 pics.

12sndsgood · Mar 1, 2012

guess it depends on the person. i know when we had ours done i really didnt care about them. it was the wedding photos that i cared about. just seems like it would take an awfully long shoot to have 100+ all diffrent poses. of course posing isnt something im great at yet either. esp with people who arn't into it to begin with

Bossy · Mar 1, 2012

12sndsgood said:
guess it depends on the person. i know when we had ours done i really didnt care about them. it was the wedding photos that i cared about. just seems like it would take an awfully long shoot to have 100+ all diffrent poses. of course posing isnt something im great at yet either. esp with people who arn't into it to begin with

We walked around Time Square and Central Park, so that time flew by

And my husband doesn't do much with the photos, so that might make a difference too

We were AWFUL at posing, but she did a great job at helping us relax and be ourselves and just walk together or cuddle or hold hands etc. Unfortunately she wasn't able to shoot the wedding but we are planning on having her do a reshoot of sorts with our attire, since our wedding lady blew it and only got a couple. We just love her.

MLeeK · Mar 1, 2012

12sndsgood said:
well looks like i'll be a little shy on this one. I have around 20 or so right now on my first go thru. im sure i'll decide to dump a few more before i edit. was a bit less then i had wanted but they will be happy. she was great to work with, him (my friend) is the " i hate pictures" type. and he had some really squinty eyes that just made it look like his eyes were almost closed on allot of them. and his eyes are somewhat deepset (should have used some fill flash) an to be honest it was a warm day and we ended up going out to the park and i used my 50-200 and it was probalby the first time in way to long that ive used that lens. ive definatly spent too much time indoors and i think camera shake hurt me on a few too many.

I don't mind the editing right now because thats another thing im still learning. but I am getting to the point where im finding out what mistakes are costing me in processing time and im definatly learning to work a little more on getting it right in the camera versus processing. esp with things like backgrounds. spent way to much time fixing background issues lately. but i defintaly don't process them all. i just pick the best ones and clean those up. I used to get in the habit of shooting more and now im working on shooting less and gettig more right.

and im a guy.

The eyes are a common problem with a LOT of people and because of it you REALLY have to watch your light source and how the subject reacts to it. For portraits I often say on the count of 3 open your eyes wide and say... Fuzzy pickles is one to get great expressions...

Why is shake an issue? If you were shooting outdoors you should have been able to have an extremely adequate shutter speed.

You hit on something HUGE in your last sentence.. used to shoot more and now you're working on shooting less-That's my main theory. Shoot less, talk more. If you are interacting with your subjects more and more you are getting genuine expressions and interaction with them and you. If you just happen to shoot at the same time you get a good image. Of course before you can really master that you have to get the exposure spot on for EVERYTHING-flash, background, subject, etc.
Don't rush to get a hundred images. Stop after that first shot that looks great. zoom in on it and LOOK at the eyes of the subjects and read your histogram. Decide if those things are how you WANT them to look when you get to the computer.
The histogram can be beautiful, but the eyes hollow and not so nice if you don't stop and look close.
When you start doing that it will feel funny and you'll feel like you aren't going to get enough shots, but you are. How? the shots you do take will be better, well put together shots than a million not so well put together. It'll feel funny for a while and maybe even like you are under pressure, but when you see how it's working for you it will be a LOT less pressure.