How Many Photos Should You Get From Your Photographer? An Honest Answer From a Lake Charles Photographer
When you’re searching for a photographer—especially for a wedding or portrait session in Lake Charles—you’ll find big promises and strong opinions. A big question among clients is how many photos should a photographer deliver? Between buzzwords like “unlimited” and different pricing models, it’s hard to know what’s normal.
Q: Should I expect to get every photo taken?
A: Not necessarily. Most photographers curate your gallery to highlight the best moments—avoiding duplicates, test shots, and unflattering frames.
What Clients Deserve: Clarity Over Hype
As a client, you deserve clear expectations. “Unlimited photos” might sound generous, but it’s often a vague promise. Does it mean hundreds of fully edited images? Or just a bulk dump of everything shot—including test frames and duplicates?
Photographers should communicate not just how many photos you’ll get—but what those images will actually look and feel like.
Why Professional Photographers Curate Your Gallery
A great gallery isn’t just everything we shoot—it’s everything worth remembering.
During any session, I may shoot hundreds or even thousands of images. But not every frame tells your story. A curated gallery includes the strongest, most meaningful moments—carefully chosen, professionally edited, and delivered with intention.
This process takes time and experience. Curation isn’t about holding images back—it’s about delivering work that reflects the best of your day and your story.
Curation is part of the artistry. When your gallery is intentional, it becomes timeless.
How Many Edited Photos Should You Expect From Your Photographer?
The number of final photos you receive depends on the session type, the photographer’s style, and how much time is booked. While every photographer works a little differently, here’s a general guideline:
Weddings
Full-day coverage usually results in 400–800 professionally edited images, sometimes more if there are multiple shooters.
Elopements or Micro-Weddings
Shorter events typically yield 150–400 edited images, depending on the flow of the day and number of locations.
Portrait Sessions
A typical 60–90 minute session often results in 30–75 edited images, curated for quality, emotion, and variety.
(H3) What About RAW Files?
Most professional photographers do not deliver RAW files. These are unfinished, unprocessed, and not intended to represent the final product. Instead, clients receive fully edited JPEGs that reflect the photographer’s complete vision.
According to PetaPixel, a standard expectation is to receive approximately 50 to 100 edited images per hour of wedding coverage. This means for an 8-hour wedding, couples might anticipate between 400 and 800 final photographs, depending on the photographer’s shooting style and the day’s events.
“Unlimited Photos” Can Mean Unedited Clutter
When a photographer promises unlimited photos, ask what that really means.
Sometimes it means everything from your session—edited or not. Other times, it’s used as a sales hook, suggesting that other photographers who deliver fewer images are somehow less generous or more expensive. That’s simply not the case.
High-volume galleries can be overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. What matters most is thoughtful selection and consistent editing—something truly professional photographers prioritize.
Why Some Packages Include Image Counts
It takes time to edit each image. Setting expectations around how many finished photos are included isn’t about being restrictive—it’s about being respectful of time, workload, and client clarity.
When I offer packages that include a specific number of images (with the option to purchase more), it’s not about “upselling”—it’s about providing choices. Some clients want a small, focused gallery. Others want everything. Either way, you should know exactly what you’re getting.
And here’s something not often mentioned: if a photographer promises 500+ fully edited images from every wedding or session, there’s a good chance they’re outsourcing the editing entirely.
While outsourcing isn’t inherently bad, it’s important to understand what that means. It often removes the photographer from one of the most creative parts of the process. Editing isn’t just about correcting exposure—it’s where style, tone, and storytelling come together. When I deliver your final images, you’re seeing them exactly as I intended—not filtered through another person’s presets or batch processing tools.
If the editing is outsourced, part of the photographer’s creative voice gets lost.
–Dalton Barron, The Faded Lens
Real Red Flags vs. Fear-Based Marketing
A real red flag? A photographer who can’t show full galleries, skips contracts, or avoids answering questions.
Not a red flag? A photographer who communicates clearly about what they offer, including how many edited images you’ll receive.
If someone uses scare tactics to steer you away from other professionals, that says more about their insecurity than your safety as a client. You deserve information, not intimidation.
Final Thoughts: Ask Questions, Expect Honesty
Great photography isn’t about flooding your inbox with files—it’s about capturing real moments that matter. You deserve a photographer who listens, delivers what they promise, and focuses on quality from start to finish.
Ask questions. Expect honesty. And know that the number of photos you receive is far less important than the emotion, meaning, and craftsmanship behind them.
Whether you’re booking a wedding or engagement session, understanding how many photos a photographer should deliver helps you make confident decisions. As a Lake Charles photographer, I believe clarity beats hype every time.
📌 Last updated: April 2025
As editing techniques evolve and styles shift, one thing remains constant: clients value galleries that feel intentional, emotional, and complete. From photo culling to consistent color grading, editing is a vital part of how photographers deliver quality.
