How long should it take a photographer to edit photos?

Imagine a commonplace scenario in which you have just completed preparing the family camera for use. You made sure everyone looked great, the shoot went off without a hitch, and now you can't wait to see the final cut!

You can't help but feel let down when you contact a photographer about turnaround times and are told it will be many weeks before you receive your photographs. You might be asking why it takes such a long time to complete. Can I expect a photographer to spend a few weeks editing my gallery if they do it themselves?

What exactly is editing, and why does it take so long before I can see my finished photos? This is a common query, and it is a great one! If you hire a professional photographer, chances are strong that they make all or nearly all of their living from photography.

To keep a business operating efficiently and entice customers to return on a regular basis, certain tasks need to be completed on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, just like any other kind of enterprise. Visit Wild Romantic Photography to learn more about our wedding photography packages and services.

If the photographer was just in charge of "your wedding," you shouldn't have to wait longer than a week, and ideally no more than a few days, to get the photos back. In the vast majority of cases, this is not something a photographer would typically undertake. They have to think about the needs of their business and the many other people for whom they are making images and other items in addition to your beautiful wedding.

Each of you has been informed of this, I'm sure, by your photographer. I'll get those pictures back to you as soon as I'm done with the editing. You've heard this statement before and maybe even nodded your head in agreement, but do you know what it means? Most people's knowledge of picture editing stops with adding an Instagram filter on a mobile camera snap. A photographer will likely do more than this to your images before they are ready for you to view, but it's technically an edit (and if they are, you should run in the other direction).

Even though everyone knows this to be true, it rarely comes up in everyday discussion. To set the stage, let me clarify something. There are numerous open-ended questions that might be interpreted in a positive light, and the extent to which photographers post-process their images is no exception.

In Other Words, It's No Big Deal

I'm not saying someone is intentionally being dishonest; usually, it's just that there are some details that haven't been filled in. So, what's the big deal, anyway? As a matter of fact, there isn't even a major problem here.

When I was initially getting into photography, you can find it very difficult to isolate the effects of the photographer's skill from those of the equipment, the processing, or the falling. It takes time, effort, and practise to become a skilled photographer, so it makes sense that established professionals would wish to guard their methods.

What the Heck Happens After a Session? 

Modern photography's reliance on post-processing techniques

In the viewpoint of the public, post-production only became a thing following the launch of digital photography. Yes, this is true to a certain extent; nonetheless, it is important to not generalise all image editing techniques. It was still able to make substantial changes to the final image by adjusting the aperture, the shutter speed, the ISO, the white balance, and the image's overall aesthetic, despite the film's age.

It's true that making these sorts of changes was more inconvenient in the past (you had to physically swap out your film, etc.), but we shouldn't equate the ease with which modern technology makes these sorts of changes with dishonesty. It is still required to "tune" the final image in order to get something closer to reality, even with the capabilities of modern cameras and other technology. This has been the case ever since photography was invented. The truth is that even the most proficient photographers make adjustments to their photos.

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Standard Procedures

The single most crucial piece of advise I can give is to use as little post-processing as possible while still achieving the desired result. If you have a solid concept in mind and set out to produce an image that is faithful to your surroundings, you should have little trouble doing it. It's probable that additional time and effort will be required if you're aiming for a more aesthetic end product.

My fundamental post-processing technique is relatively uncomplicated as a result of the fact that the majority of the images are either travel-related or portraits. For the most part, you should follow the five processes below when taking photographs, though there are times when I employ other methods to get desired results. Please note that I always shoot in RAW and use Lightroom as my primary processing programme.

• Modify by Cropping and Straightening: For the purpose of perfecting and correcting the compositional errors.
• Uniformity in White: To eliminate colour distortion and enhance colour accuracy in the image.
• Visibility: To enhance the image's tonal range and contrast.
• Precision & Transparency: For significant emphasis, by highlighting previously hidden details and restoring lost intensity.
• Enhancing: The final step is to use selective sharpening to highlight any content that needs to stand out.

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The Two Minute Limit

When you are initially beginning, it is vitally necessary to commit part of your time to honing your processing skills. Conversely, as you get the hang of things, you must start improving your efficiency. Not only will this keep you from wasting time in front of the computer, but it is also the most efficient method for minimising the risk of over-processing. The "Two Minute Rule" is, without a question, the single most useful piece of professional advise I've ever received, and it has completely revolutionised the way I approach photography.

The idea behind this suggestion is that no one image should require more than two minutes to process. Suppose you only needed two minutes to do everything required to make a concept look exactly how you intended it to. If you need to spend more than two minutes editing an image, you might want to reconsider whether it's worth your time.

Not a second of your time is going to be wasted on me trying to convince you that I strictly adhere to this regulation. Despite this, it's a great method to focus your post-processing work, and you should give it some serious thought as a possible addition to your routine. Setting a limit on the amount of time spent in post-processing can keep you from wasting time trying to salvage poor photographs and will give you an idea of when you've gone overboard.

The "So Now what?" for Newbies

It's safe to assume that the vast majority of the pictures you view have been altered in some way after they were taken. Most photographers will edit their photos in some fashion, either to improve upon the results naturally or to achieve a specific aesthetic.

It's counterproductive to dwell on the actions of others when your focus should be on perfecting your own methods of producing the desired results. In order to improve as a photographer, you should prioritise learning the techniques that will help you create the image you have in mind. If you are successful, you will soon be able to modify other aspects of your images.

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How Long Should it Take to Edit My Pictures?

Use presets

One of the various presets I've made for Lightroom will be applied to any image that is imported into the programme. File naming conventions, metadata, and the option for automated file development are all part of the default configuration. If you notice that you are repeatedly editing the same photo of mine to include the same information, I would appreciate it if you could just tell me once and then I could add it to all of my images.

However, having it applied immediately during import is a huge time saver. It is best practise to return to the development settings and make fine-tuned adjustments after every import. Still, with the preset in place from the get-go, the initial point of departure is often a lot closer to the ultimate destination than it would otherwise be.

Synchronise settings

Lightroom makes it possible to synchronise numerous editing parameters for multiple images simultaneously. After adjusting the settings to your liking, you can examine the next few images to see if they were captured in the same or similar lighting. If that's the case, you can synchronise the development settings so I can bring those photos far closer to appearing their finest in less time. The results are hit-or-miss, but the time saved by not having to repeatedly click the same things is significant.

Stage One: Editing process is the culling of unwanted images

This is a concern that may sometimes be difficult to solve. Photographers frequently take multiple shots of the same or slightly different poses in order to achieve the desired results (in terms of angle, focus, etc.). When there is a great degree of similarity between several potential shots, the photographer must decide which one is the best.

Keep in mind that not every picture taken of you will be a masterpiece, that the camera's shutter can catch you in the middle of a blink or a sentence, and that it's simple to delete blurry, funny-looking, or blinking shots.

Stage Two: Adjusting the RAW files to produce the best colour, contrast, sharpness and exposure

Most photographers, though not all, shoot in RAW to have the most flexibility in post-production and better realise their vision. Then, what, precisely, is a RAW file? The term "RAW file" refers to a file that contains raw, unprocessed data.

This means that the file has not been compressed or otherwise altered in any manner, either by the camera or the computer. The vast majority of digital camera users take pictures in JPEG format, which reduces file size and improves colour accuracy and contrast. This means that the majority of the time, the photograph looks great just after it has been captured. A RAW file, on the other hand, keeps everything intact so that it can be edited in the future to bring out the best in the photo.

In order to accomplish this, it would be beneficial for you to have access to photo editing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom. After your photographer has finished the RAW conversion process for the images they plan to edit, the following step is to style those photographs.

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Stage Three: Adding the magic

Over time, every photographer develops a style that is uniquely their own when it comes to both taking pictures and editing them. It is the reason why you are interested in their line of work. The consistency of the photographer's editing is often their calling card, but the definition of "consistency" can be subjective.

So, why a few weeks?

What an ingenious query! All photographers maintain an editing queue, or a list of sessions that still need to be edited. Your photographer's turnaround time for your images will change based on a number of factors, including his or her workload, the number of photoshoots scheduled per week, and the time of year. We see a spike in business in the autumn due to the high volume of weddings and other social events. You can rarely get two consecutive weeks in the fall that are alike.

The days before and after a day or two of small sessions are always scheduled. At some point in the future, If you would like to photograph both the sunrise and the sunset.

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How long is it reasonable to expect before I get my images back?

It's very uncommon to see posts in Facebook groups for brides like "It's been eight months, and If you still have not received my wedding images, is this normal?" Despite what most people think, I'm going to hazard a guess and suggest that's not the case. If your photographer hasn't been seriously ill or otherwise incapacitated and hence unable to work, there's no good reason for the delay.

Your images will likely arrive anywhere from one week to three months after placing your order. However, your photographer should be in touch with you and able to easily react to any issues you may have about deadlines. Please note that during the peak season (May–October), you may have to wait substantially longer to obtain your images. The end of summer and beginning of fall are consistently my busiest times of year. Since It also takes portraits of families and hosts fall mini sessions, If you spend a lot of time frantically editing my photographs.

In the end, it's crucial to be able to communicate with your photographer, so if they don't answer your queries or return your emails, you might want to be wary. However, it is not a good idea to constantly bug your photographer with questions about the progress of your photos or whether or not they have talked with you.

Keep in mind that most of the effort will be put in after the wedding day, not on that day. This is a time-consuming process because it requires you to refine your photos and send them to you. We know that the anticipation of receiving your wedding photos is killing you; you can't wait to relive the happiness and splendour of that special day again and again. However, like with many things in life, perfection is worth waiting for, so it's well worth the effort to ensure that the memories you create are as wonderful as they can be.

Conclusion

When you hire a professional photographer, chances are strong that they make all or nearly all of their living from photography. A photographer will likely do more than this to your images before they are ready for you to view, but it's technically an edit. Visit Wild Romantic Photography to learn more about our wedding photography packages and services. Photographers post-process their images, and the extent to which they do so is no exception. As a matter of fact, there isn't even a major problem here.

The single most crucial piece of advise I can give is to use as little post-processing as possible while still achieving the desired result. The "Two Minute Rule" is the single most useful piece of professional advise I've ever received. The idea behind this suggestion is that no one image should require more than two minutes to process. Setting a limit on the amount of time spent in post-processing can keep you from wasting time trying to salvage poor photographs. Photographers will edit their photos in some fashion to improve upon the results naturally or to achieve a specific aesthetic.

Lightroom makes it possible to synchronise numerous editing parameters for multiple images simultaneously. Photographers frequently take multiple shots of the same or slightly different poses in order to achieve the desired results. Most photographers shoot in RAW to have the most flexibility in post-production and better realise their vision. The term "RAW file" refers to a file that contains raw, unprocessed data. A RAW file keeps everything intact so that it can be edited in the future to bring out the best in the photo.

Images will likely arrive anywhere from one week to three months after placing your order. During the peak season (May–October), you may have to wait substantially longer to obtain your images. Most of the effort will be put in after the wedding day, not on that day. This is because it requires you to refine your photos and send them to you.

Content Summary

• If the photographer was just in charge of "your wedding," you shouldn't have to wait longer than a week, and ideally no more than a few days, to get the photos back.
• Most people's knowledge of picture editing stops with adding an Instagram filter on a mobile camera snap.
• A photographer will likely do more than this to your images before they are ready for you to view, but it's technically an edit (and if they are, you should run in the other direction).
• Modern photography's reliance on post-processing techniques In the viewpoint of the public, post-production only became a thing following the launch of digital photography.
• The truth is that even the most proficient photographers make adjustments to their photos.
• The Two Minute Limit When you are initially beginning, it is vitally necessary to commit part of your time to honing your processing skills.
• The idea behind this suggestion is that no one image should require more than two minutes to process.
• Setting a limit on the amount of time spent in post-processing can keep you from wasting time trying to salvage poor photographs and will give you an idea of when you've gone overboard.
• After your photographer has finished the RAW conversion process for the images they plan to edit, the following step is to style those photographs.
• Your images will likely arrive anywhere from one week to three months after placing your order.
• Please note that during the peak season (May–October), you may have to wait substantially longer to obtain your images
• In the end, it's crucial to be able to communicate with your photographer, so if they don't answer your queries or return your emails, you might want to be wary.
• This is a time-consuming process because it requires you to refine your photos and send them to you.