How long do I actually need a photographer for?

How long you need them depends on how you've structured the day and on what shots are important to you.

The shortest I've done was under 2 hours (and I've done maybe half a dozen weddings like this, but I don't tend to do short shoots anymore). The ceremony is a registry wedding or a small outdoors wedding in a park. I get shots of guests arriving and of area being set up (30 minutes). I get shots of the actual ceremony (30 minutes). The bride and groom take a short break. Then there's a photoshoot with bridal party and couple (60 minutes).

The longest was 2am or 3am until midnight. So, 20 hours plus! (But I've spoken to photographers from India and Europe for whom it's normal to cover past midnight, because the party still goes till the next day.) The long hours are because the ceremony was very early. For example, with Indian weddings, I think they consult with someone on what an auspicious time for the wedding is; and for some reason, it's often early in the morning! 

A "normal" wedding in Sydney maybe goes like this:

1:30pm: groom arrives at church, sets up whatever needs to be set up

2pm-3pm: church wedding

3pm-3:30pm: family photos at church

3:30pm-4pm: travel to photoshoot location

4pm-5pm: photoshoot, sometimes involving travel to a second or third location

5pm-5:30pm: travel to reception venue

5:30pm-6pm: video/photo sets up, and takes "room shots", "detail shots" of the room

6pm-6:30pm: guests arrive, do cocktails

6:30pm: guests enter and are seated

7pm: bridal party enters

7pm-9pm: reception events, which might include

--- "table shots" -- couple goes round to each table and gets photos

---- five speeches -- parents from both sides, best man, chief bridesmaid, groom

---- mains usually served at same time as speeches

---- entertainment (Spanish dancers, Indian dancers, magicians, Elvis impersonators, whatever)

---- games (most commonly, the "shoe game", where you hold up a bride or groom's shoe to answer a question)

---- cake cut, first dance

9pm: open dance floor, dessert served, sometimes night-time shoot with the couple; at some point, there might be a bouquet or garter toss

11:30pm: finish (usually either archway, or sparkler exit, or sometimes people form a circle and couple goes round to farewell everyone, then getaway car)

It's of course possible to compress that time! So, it just depends how you structure the day. And then, what shots you need are entirely up to you.

-- I actually love doing "bride prep", "groom prep" shots in the morning. But, sure, some couples haven't wanted this at all, or have only wanted it for the bride's side.

-- You'll almost definitely want shots through the actual ceremony. That's the key part of the day.

-- You'll probably want some photos of the people who came to the ceremony.

-- You'll want at least 30 minutes of couple photoshoot. At a minimum, some nice shots of the both of you together, but also shots with the rest of the bridal party.

-- And then the rest of it is more "optional". I mean, there's the speeches, the first dance, any entertainment, and dancing. Do you need/want these shots? Well, most brides do want them, but it's your day!

Most photographers, as you know, offer 4-, 8- and 12-hour packages. So, if you're very budget-conscious, and your day fits something like the schedule I described, then maybe go for 8 hours, and plan for everything important to happen wtihin that time period. You can do the first dance and cake cut and speeches right after you enter, for example.

As for your second question, as to the difference between different price points of package, to put it very briefly, there are maybe four main variables:

-- how many photographers (usually one or two)

-- how many hours they're there

-- what the deliverables are (eg digital download, printed album, printed canvases)

-- what the photographer can get away with charging (for instance, if they're well known, or have so many inquiries that they're turning people away, then they can command a higher price).

The difference between 2K, 3K, 4K package I'd suggest is more dependent on that last factor than anything else. You're paying for someone's unique skills and creativity, so it's not as easy to set a price on as it is for other sorts of trades. In Sydney, the normal range for wedding photos is $1,500-$4,500, with some photographers charging around the $7k-$10K mark, and some even charging around the $20K-$20K mark.

In my experience a standard coverage time for couples is 8 hours, sometimes extending up to 10 hours. That said, i've photographed for over 15 hours on some weddings because that's what the couple wanted. On the other side some couples just want their ceremony and portraits covered which can be as short as 3-4 hours.

For most couples, a good guide is to start your photographing when the bride is getting her hair and make-up done, and a good finish time is usually 15-30 minutes after the first dance. After this time it's usually very dark and you get many of the same time of photographs (people may be very drunk too!). Every couple is different and if I have to say what couples absolutely must-have photographed, it's the ceremony and some beautiful portraits

together. The majority of weddings I photograph are 8 hours long.

Some cultures have many ceremonies scheduled on the same day, so you might be looking for much longer than 8-10 hours which is fine, just ask your photographer to build a custom package and compare a few photographers whose styles you resonate with.

A good photographer worth their salt will design a photo package to suit your needs.

Id say 4-10 hours depending on how much time is spent having to change venues. 

Your photographer will definitely work with you if you've already got a timeline in mind (and a super organised type), otherwise having a meeting with our photographer is extremely important to discuss this, and I love doing the timeline! Here's what a full day will look like, so you can work out what's most important. A full day is usually 10-12 hours.

1.5 hours, for Bride getting ready with bridesmaids. How many bridesmaides? How many ladies getting hair and makeup done. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour per person. The bride gets ready last so her makeup and hair stays in tact the best throughout the day! The photographer can either come in for the last 1.5 hours for the bridge and to capture shoes, jewellery, the dress hanging etc, or more and include champagne celebrations, snaps with your girls. Allow a minimum of 1.5 hours.

1 hour, the groom getting ready with the men. This is usually after all suits are on and the photographer captures the jackets going on, cuff buttons being put on, the lapel, pins, flowers in place and then portraits with the men and or family, plus travel there from bride getting ready.

30 minutes for the ceremony coverage. Sometimes a little longer depending on nerves, access to location, and just how late the bride is (haha)... 

30 minutes for friends and family portraits at the ceremony location especially for guests who will be going home, and not attending the reception. This is the time for congratulations shots and the big group shots too!

1.5 hours for the bride and groom special location shoot, including the bridal party. Allow extra travel time here if the distance between ceremony location and reception location is more than half hour.

2.5 hours for the reception. Some receptions last 2.5 hours on average from guest arrivals, and room and setup pictures through to the arrival of bride and groom, formalities such as cake cutting, speeches, and the first dance. Some couples want to include fun and festivities so therefore allow extra time, and definitely employ an MC or similar who will work with the photographer on the reception timeline! I've spend up to 5 hours at a Reception before filled with ritual, fun and formalities.

Now that you have a timeline guide, you can choose what's important for your photographer to cover, add up the time and get back to us!

We like to get to know you better on the day so that you become more relaxed in front of the camera and we capture who you really are not just a group of photos and ideas from our head. Most couples these days after the candid photojournalistic look not high-end staged and posed.

So we like to spend some time with you during prep so by the time we get to the ceremony and the bridal shoot you are very relaxed and we are seeing who you two are is a couple.

When it comes to the bridal shoot we need at least 90 minutes of photography time.

When trying to decide how long to book your photographer for, you should make an appointment with your photographer to discuss your plans.  

We provide a suggested timeline for our clients based on their dream day.  Here is a guide for timelining your day.

Hope it helps

https://www.3lphotography.com.au/timeline/

This generally comes down to your budget and how much of your wedding day you want documented. 

Personally, we find that most people opt to cover the whole day (from getting ready to late night celebrations), as they have already spent a fair amount on decorations, food, the venue, etc. and why not have photos to show how it all tied together. Most of the couples who don't opt for full day coverage end up extending by a few hours on the day as well.

Each photographer's package will vary based on their years of experience in the industry and what is included in their full package, such as unlimited images or a set number.

How long you want the photographer there for really depends on you as a couple and what is important to you. Perhaps you wish to have them there to capture every precious moment and memory, or perhaps you just wish to have the ceremony documented. The choice is yours - and that is why we often offer a variety of packages. Every couple is different, and that's the beauty of it.

To give a little further insight however, let's break down a typical wedding day:

Getting ready photos - 2 hours with bride, 1 hour with groom

Ceremony and family photos - 1 hour

Photos of the bride and groom - 1-2 hours

Reception photos - 3 hours

Travel time - 1 hour

If you would like the photographer there to capture everything, you are typically looking at 9-10 hours. 

The reason why price can vary so much depending on the length of coverage is because the longer the photographer is there, the more photos they will take and the more they will have to edit also. Other factors that can influence price are: experience of the photographer, whether print products are included, number of photos that are delivered, additional photographers, quality of photography gear, etc.

That's a really good question!

And the respond dépend on you and a bit the photographer. While talking to photographers, they might give you different options that will suits your day. It also depends on the organisation of the day, as an example if you get ready close to the ceremony or far away / if the room you are getting dressed is stunning, you might want some precious pictures of that moment. And then, more time=more various pictures=higher price :)

Look at what is include in the packages, and what you will have at the end. I personally include wedding albums in a lot of my packages as it is actually something you can touch, read and share and I think what it brings is too important to have it as an option. Some photographers might include prints/albums... 

From Make up to first 2 hour of reception which should include cake cutting and dance with groom etc.

Ideally