What Happens To My Photos After the Wedding

By Jada Parrish

Posted: 06/05/15

Category: Wedding Tips

A lot of people think being a wedding photographer is such a glamorous gig where you only work on the weekends and photograph constantly. They tend to think that after a wedding we go home, upload all of the photos, and BAM we're done! I wish it was that simple. So many hours of work go into each wedding and photo session after all of the actual photographing is over. Here's how our process works!

1. Upload Photos

As soon as we get back from photographing a wedding, the first thing we do is upload all of the photos to our external hard drive. 

2. Choosing + Organizing Photos

We take a crazy amount of photos at every wedding we photograph, but that doesn't mean every single photo is a keeper. Once everything is uploaded, we sort through the photos and organize them into categories (details, getting ready, ceremony, portraits, reception, etc.). During that process we also edit out the less than perfect photos. By that I mean we choose the best frames and versions from all of the posed photos. We remove any photos were peoples eyes are closed, the flash didn't fire, or are just plain goofy looking. Pretty much, we choose the highest quality images to present to our clients. 

3. Backup Photos

A wedding is a once in a lifetime event. Most people pass their wedding photos down for generations to come, so it is incredibly important to backup these precious images. We backup the chosen images from each wedding onto a second external hard drive that lives in a secure location separate from our working hard drive.

4. Editing Photos

This is by far the most time consuming part of the process. We edit, color correct, and do basic retouching on every photo we present to you. This makes the photos look their absolute best and ensures that your photos will print beautifully. We deliver between 800-1200 photos to our clients from their wedding day. Editing all of those photos can take a great deal of time, but it is incredibly important to us that we give each and every photo the time and care it deserves.

5. Online Gallery

Once all the photos are finished, we create a password protected online gallery for you to easily view and share your photos with friends and family. We separate the photos into albums (details, getting ready, ceremony, portraits, reception) so that you can easily view the different parts of your wedding day. 

6. Blog Post

We create a blog post for every wedding we photograph. This is one of my very favorite parts. We lay out the photos so that they tell the story of your day from start to finish. It's a really great way to quickly relive your day and share with friends and family who might not have been able to attend.

7. Printing

Seeing your photos on the computer is one thing, but it is definitely worth having your favorite photos printed. We also provide a printing service and do in-house printing for all of our photos. It's great to have large prints made or an album with all of your favorite photos.

While all of this is happening, we are still going out to shoot engagement sessions, boudoir sessions, family portrait sessions, meeting with potential clients, and making sure we are prepared for all of our upcoming weddings. It keeps us VERY busy especially during the peak of wedding season from May-October. 

As you can see, a whole lot of love and hard work goes into your wedding photos. We are so grateful to be a part of a couples wedding day, and want to make sure you have gorgeous photos that will last the test of time.