Planning a wedding can be a daunting task when you take into account all of the vendors you’re searching for and talking to. I’m here to help you plan for your wedding photography so your workload is a little easier.

How many hours do I need for photography?

Your hours needed for wedding photography depends on several factors.

How important is photography to you? You could have someone photograph your entire day for 12 hours and get a detailed photo story filled with emotional moments, or you could plan on just having enough photo coverage to document your main events like the ceremony, family photos and a little bit of dancing. Here’s my general guideline based on the amount of hours that I’ve covered during my 15 years of experience photographing weddings.

4 Hours – Perfect for elopements or micro weddings where you don’t have many guests.

8 Hours – Ideal for brides who only want the major events photographed like the ceremony, toasts, and first dances. However, this may not leave much room for exploring multiple photo locations. Also, there’s less time for me to capture smaller but impactful moments that don’t include those main events on your timeline. I’ve found that the best moments are unplanned. Moments like when a hug between the bride and a family member brings tears and laughter. Or when a bridesmaid suddenly starts dancing around the bridal party during the bridal prep stage and everyone joins in on the fun. You just never know what can happen at a wedding because they bring out some wild emotions that most people don’t display in everyday life.

10-12 Hours– Great for brides who don’t want to stress about missing any big moments. (planned or unplanned) This leaves room for location changes and opportunities for having micro moments captured like friends laughing together, kids playing, exit photos back to the hotel, etc. You’ll have peace of mind that you get a full photo story that encapsulates the entire wedding day.

I book most of my weddings at 10 hours and I include a gift that comes with a second photographer. A 10 hour package is like the sweet spot in a goldilocks tale. It’s just right because it offers enough time for me to tell the story. It also allows myself more freedom to get creative with photos, unlike my 8 hour package. While 12 hours of photo coverage is more flexible for scheduling and photo experimentation, it can leave some down time with nothing going on to photograph. It really just depends on how you structure your day though. The benefits of having me for 12 hours is that I can travel with you to more photo locations and/or you’re guaranteed to have the entire photo story covered that’s filled with unplanned moments.

What are the main benefits of having a second photographer?

The biggest benefit of having a second photographer is assurance of getting the must have shots like the ceremony kiss. While I’m an experienced photographer with over 15. years of photographing weddings, shit happens. It’s very seldom but one time, I missed getting the ceremony kiss because my camera wouldn’t focus on the couple. I’ve also had an instance where a guest stood up in front of me and used his phone to capture the moment, not realizing that he was blocking my shot. One other time, the couple rushed it and actually pecked each other real quick instead of a normal duration of a celebration kiss. Like I said, shit happens so it’s good to have a backup photographer to capture those big moments.

Another benefit of having a second photographer is to cover separate locations at the same time. Sometimes the groomsmen are getting ready at one location that’s a 15 minute drive away from where the bridesmaids are getting ready. It makes sense to split those locations with two different photographers.

A third benefit of having a second photographer is that they offer a different perspective either because of gear or seeing things differently. I’ve had a second photographer that was able to capture details up close like hands and facial expressions because they used a longer lens than me. We each had different equipment which turned into different perspectives of the same moment. They also captured moments that I didn’t see because I was in another spot. As a result, the couple received photos that offered more variety and depth then what I offer when shooting alone. A nice benefit for the couple.

What if I don’t have 150 guests but want to have you cover my entire 10 hour wedding?

My packages are based on years of experience of hearing what couples need out of their photographer. However, there’s always exceptions so I’m happy to build a custom package for you. Schedule a call with me and we can go over your specific needs.

What deliverables should I expect?

I include a photo gallery of high resolution images that includes a print license for all of my packages. Add-ons include second shooters (included in my 10 and 12 hour packages) albums, and engagement sessions (also included in my 10 and 12 hour packages). Contact me here to receive a detailed price guide.

How long will it take to get my photos?

The final delivery of your photos are delivered within 3-5 weeks after your wedding.

Other things to consider:

• I’l share an entire gallery from a previous wedding that shows what you can expect from a full day, not just highlights.
• As I mentioned above, I’ve photographed for 15 years and counting and have shot over 300 weddings.
• I carry liability insurance that’s required in some venues here in Colorado. It insures you and your guests if anyone gets injured at your wedding from my equipment.
• My equipment includes two camera bodies, multiple lenses and flashes along with plenty of batteries and SD cards.