I met with a photographer last week and he told me that they average about 250 pictures. This includes 1 assistant and is for a 5 hour reception and ceremony. Should I worry about how many pictures they take or quality over quantity.
I certainly don't think 250 proofs is enough for the entire ceremony, a one-hour cocktail hour, and a four hour reception!!! If you think about it, that's like taking less than 35 pictures in an entire hour, but if there will be portraits and posed shots before the wedding even begins, then it's much less than 35 pictures an hour. That's not enough. I received over 750 proofs, although the average is usually about 500.
The photographer I used averages 250-300 proofs. I cannot tell you how hard it was to pick my pictures. They were all fabulous. We actually added pages to our album because we could not decide. My SIL got married before me and decided not to use him. She preferred quantity over quantity. She was so sorry when she got her 1000 proofs all dumped in a box. She did not like as many as my 250 presented in a book.
You need to talk to your photographer about the style you want captured in your pictures. Style dictates the amount of pictures he'll need to take. For instance, with posed photos, he'll need to take more b/c someone might close their eyes, look away, not smile or something goofy like that. But with a more casual style, people's expressions are not as important b/c the objective is to capture the moment as it truly was. You don't need to take as many photos. I would say a good combination of these is preferred. There's no right or wrong amount. My photographer took about 500 pictures. I have started to choose pics for my album (we contracted for up to 90 pics) and I am only half way through and already chose about 55 pics! So, it is definitely quality over quantity, but you have to be clear about your expectations for the day.
With a good photographer, you shouldn`t have to choose between quality vs. quantity. You should be getting both. We have over 700 proofs & they are gorgeous & of high quality. HOWEVER, just because a photographer`s average is 250, that doesn`t make him 'bad'. If that number is acceptable to you, then that`s what matters, as long as you trust him to deliver 250 quality photos.
Good luck!
