You’re planning a wedding and wondering… how many photos should we actually get?
Some say 500. Others say 1,000. The internet? Confused.
As a documentary wedding photographer, I don’t believe in delivering everything that moved.
I believe in capturing the real story – honestly, thoughtfully, and with just the right amount of images to make it unforgettable.
So how many photos do you really need? Let’s clear things up – gently.
How many wedding photos do couples usually get?
Most couples receive between 400 and 600 photos for a full-day wedding.
That’s enough to cover all the key moments, tiny details, and magical in-betweens – without drowning in duplicates.
You get a story. Not a slideshow.
How many wedding photos will we receive?
Let’s bust a myth right away:
More photos ≠ better photos.
A carefully curated gallery of 300 images can tell the story of your day with more depth, clarity, and emotion than 1,000 random snaps taken “just in case”.
When every photo has a purpose, your story shines.
Less noise. More meaning.
And no, you won’t miss those 47 variations of your bouquet sitting on a chair.
A typical full-day wedding gallery from me includes around 400–600 images.
You can find out what’s included in my wedding photography packages.
Is 100 photos per hour a realistic expectation?
You might have come across suggestions online like “50–100 photos per hour” as a standard. But let’s do the maths.
If I delivered 100 images per hour, I’d need to take one photo every 36 seconds. That’s not storytelling – that’s a stopwatch with a shutter.
Yes, there are moments like the confetti throw or your first dance where I switch to burst mode. But that’s only to catch one perfect second – not to deliver 47 frames of your dress flying at slightly different angles.
We live in the digital age. We use digital tools. Digital cameras allow us to shoot hundreds or even thousands of images, thanks to their incredible speed and memory card capacity.
But I started my photography journey back in the analogue days – when memory cards didn’t exist and film rolls had room for 36 frames. Sometimes even less.
Every shot mattered. Every shutter press was a decision.
Today, I shoot digitally, but that analogue mindset stays with me. It’s the reason I simply can’t shoot 5,000 photos at a wedding – even if my camera could handle it.
Some photographers proudly share they’ve taken 8,000 or 10,000 photos in a single wedding. Honestly? I’d rather focus on moments worth remembering.
Why are there fewer photos in your online galleries?
You might notice that my website galleries often include only 50–100 photos.
That’s entirely intentional.
The galleries aren’t there to show every single photo I delivered.
They’re there to tell a story – with rhythm, structure, and space to breathe.
Just because an image isn’t in the gallery doesn’t mean it’s “not good enough”.
My clients receive many more images than you see online. But showing hundreds of photos in one gallery? That would be visual overload.
No one needs to scroll through 800 pictures to feel something.
My job isn’t to showcase everything. It’s to show enough – and to make you want to see more.
Want to learn more about how I work?
Here’s a look at my documentary wedding photography approach.
Do you really need hundreds of wedding photos?
Let’s be honest – do you really want 12 identical shots of your wedding rings from slightly different angles?
We live in a world of excess. But your wedding story doesn’t need to be a 900-image spreadsheet of everything that moved.
Sometimes, one photo of you laughing with your best friend says more than 40 pictures of shoes, centrepieces, and guests chewing.
Final thought
Would you rather have 1,000 photos you’ll never fully go through…
or 300 images you’ll fall in love with over and over again?
Want to see what a curated wedding gallery looks like?
Explore this Insole Court wedding – a beautiful story told in just under 100 frames.
