More isn’t always better

More isn’t always better. Don’t let quantity necessarily be a determining factor in choosing your photo and video vendors. Let me explain.

I’ve heard stories and actually experienced situations where clients ask, “hey how many pictures are am I expecting to get back?” Then I give a ballpark and say, “500 to 700” (for example)

OR… they ask, “How long is my film?” and the pro will say a number and then the person will respond, “Oh wow! That’s not long…”

But the truth of the matter is that these numbers that vendors give you are ballparks. Let me be real:
It’s really hard to say how many photos a couple will get or how long their film is going to be if we haven’t shot the wedding. So, these are just averages based on past experience. Even though your potential wedding may look like someone else’s or be similar, there may be less quality content so you may get fewer pictures or your film may be shorter.

You want to be careful not to use that as a determining factor to choose your vendor because you should always prioritize quality over quantity.

The last thing you want is to pressure a vendor into delivering a certain number of pictures or a certain length of film and then they end up doing something I call “Stuffing”

Stuffing can be represented by the following thought:
As an editor, I agreed to deliver a film of 15 minutes but I only have 13 and a half minutes so now I’m going to put in a lot more redundant shots and maybe drag things on a little bit longer instead of tightening up the edit. Now I can get the video to 15 minutes.

Whereas if the editor had that freedom to use their discretion to keep it as long as it can be without getting boring, then you wouldn’t have that issue.

Stuffing is similar in the context of photos. The editor would include more mediocre shots to get to the quote. Come to think about it: even 500 or 1000 pictures are a lot of pictures to go through and some of those will never see the light of day after you’ve chosen your favourites anyway.

So, it’s important to not get caught up on the number but focus on the quality that you’re getting. You also want to make sure the key moments and many candid moments will be captured.

And don’t forget: quality over quanity.

As we narrate together


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