wedding photographer – Bronwyn Katzke Photography

26/09/2024

How Long Does It Take to Get Your Wedding Photos?

All that planning and excitement led up to your big day; you’ve said your I do’s and partied with your friends and family. With your wedding day over the only way to relive it is through your wedding photos, and you’re probably now wondering just when you will have them from your wedding photographer.

What is the Typical Turnaround Time for Wedding Photos?

Each photographer is different, however there is a generally accepted industry standard for when you can expect to receive your wedding photos. In South Africa you should expect to wait anywhere from 6-12 weeks from the date of your wedding for your photos.

Remember that the time of year you get married strongly influences how long you’ll have to wait for your wedding photos. In South Africa, peak wedding season runs from Spring to Autumn, or September to May. During this time wedding photographers typically have packed schedules and will cover multiple weddings in a month. That means more editing and of course, more time to do so. That said, your photographer should keep you up to date throughout the editing process and send you a few sneak peeks to share to your socials.

Thanks to many years in the industry and plenty of experience in both Photoshop and Lightroom, my wedding clients can expect their photos to be delivered within 2-3 weeks of their wedding date.

Why Does it Take So Long?

If you assumed that the bulk of a wedding photographer’s work is done on the wedding day, you’d be wrong. The reality is capturing photos is only the beginning.

Your photographer will take thousands of photos on your wedding day and those all need to be manually sorted through with only the best shots being selected for editing. Then the work truly begins as your photographer edits each photo, making changes to colour, contrast, exposure and more, along with cropping, straightening and removing any distractions; and that doesn’t even cover any retouching that may be needed. When your photos have finally run through the editing process, they’ll then be converted to jpeg files in a colour profile your devices can read before being delivered.

While all of that is happening your photographer is also still running a business; managing admin, covering other weddings, capturing portrait sessions and of course, balancing all of that with their personal life too.

How Will Your Photographer Send Your Photos?

With edited completed your gallery will be delivered to you, typically in one of two ways. In South Africa the most popular methods are USB delivery where your photos are loaded on to a USB drive for you, or online delivery where your photos are uploaded to a private online gallery for a limited time.

While a USB drive will give you something tangible to hold, they are easy to lose and you will still need to upload and resize your photos if you want to share them online. With an online gallery your photos are easily accessed on any device with an internet connection and browser via a link. That means you can instantly view your photos and share with your friends and family.

What Should You Do with Your Wedding Photos When You Receive Them?

Make an event of it! Instead of hurriedly scrolling through your photos, make the experience something special you can share with your partner. Get some champagne and take your time together as a couple to go through your wedding photos and relive the experience.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to be responsible. Download your photos and store your photos in multiple places like a device or two and on the cloud in a Dropbox or Google Drive folder. By having several copies of your photos you’ll be guaranteed you don’t lose all your photos if a device is stolen or becomes corrupted.

Of course you can also now print your favorite photos as canvases for your walls, or have a album or photobook designed and printed as a keepsake. Having a tangible reminder of your wedding day in the age of all things digital will always be special.

16/09/2024

20 Tips from a Photographer for Your Wedding Day

With a decade of weddings under my belt from the local Middelburg area and well beyond, you can believe I’ve seen my fair share of weddings from beginning to end. So here are my top tips for the best wedding photos of your special day.

Ceremony Time

Not sure when to schedule your ceremony for to get those gorgeous sunset photos? Look up the sunset time for your wedding day and schedule your ceremony to start 2.5 hours before then. That gives you enough time for a 45 minute ceremony, your grand exit and portraits with family and friends.

Footwear

If you’re wearing heels, practise wearing them before your big. A lot. Plus, if you’re getting married in the rainy season, try get your hands on a pair of heel stoppers for walking over grassy areas. They’ll save you from sinking into the grass with every step.

The Bridal Suite

The room you’re getting ready in matters. Coloured walls, especially brightly coloured ones, reflect the light in the room on to your skin, creating a colour cast. This will show in photos and make makeup application harder too.

The Wedding Party

Always remember that the bigger your wedding party of bridesmaids and groomsmen, the more time you’ll need to set aside in your schedule for getting ready and for group photos before or after your ceremony.

Lighting

If you’re using fairy lights for your reception, take whatever amount you think you need and triple it. The more lights, the more magical your reception photos will be.

Garter Toss

Use a small rugby ball for the garter to go around when it comes to the garter toss. It makes it easier to throw and a fun souvenir for whoever catches it, plus it looks great in photos.

Down the Aisle

Brides and bridesmaids, your walk down the aisle is a journey, not a race. Take short, slow steps as you walk down the aisle, and don’t forget to look up.

Congratulations

Plan for an extra 15 minutes after your ceremony as you will be swarmed by your loved ones eager to congratulate you and often, snap a quick pic.

Dancing on a Cloud

There’s a BIG difference between a smoke machine and a fog machine when it comes to your reception. A fog machine is what gives you that lovely mist along the dancefloor and makes for the best dance photos. What most DJs use is a smoke machine that just blows bursts of smoke everywhere and hides you in them for your dance photos.

Let’s Party

Your guests want to party, so it’s best to get the formalities out of the way earlier in your reception. It also ensures your photographer captures those key moments before your package time runs out.

Light it Right

When it comes to your reception lighting, you should have enough light that your guests can see their food and the decor you chose, but not so bright that it feels uninviting.

Rainy Day

If you’re getting married in summer outdoors, always have a plan B in place for any outdoor activities like your ceremony and couples photos.

The Dress

Remember that you’ll be wearing your wedding dress for well over 8 hours of walking, sitting, eating and dancing… and usually in the heat of an African summer. If that sounds uncomfortable, you can always have a more comfy alternative for your reception.

Hanging Around

Don’t forget wooden hangers for your dress and your groom’s blazer. Trust me, plastic ones don’t look great in photos.

Be Yourself

Be uniquely you. You don’t have to have a cookie-cutter Pinterest wedding. You can add elements to your wedding that reflect who you are as a couple and as individuals. You’re also free to ditch the traditions you don’t like or create your own- it’s your day after all.

Simplicity

Keep your confetti choice simple. Rose petals or similar always work best as they float through the air perfectly. Also remember that the smaller your confetti is, the more likely it will get stuck in your hair or detail work of your dress.

Lighting Matters

For an indoor ceremony, light matters. A lot. If your space is dimly lit it will affect your photos, meaning your photographer will have to use flash and/or high ISO that adds a grainy look to your photos.

Go Unplugged

Going unplugged for your ceremony ensures your guests are engaged in the special moment with you during your ceremony, and not passively viewing it through a screen. Plus you won’t have Tannie Barbara’s ipad blocking your face as you walk down the aisle.

First Look

If you’re anxious about seeing each other at the altar or having a day wedding, consider doing a first look and your couples session before the ceremony. It takes the pressure off and means you can go straight from your ceremony to canapés and your reception.

Ask for Help

Your photographer has seen way more weddings than you from start to finish. They will happily help you plan your timeline knowing how long each aspect of your wedding takes to happen.

Hello, I’m Bronwyn but you can call me Bron, or simply, B. I’m a Middelburg portrait photographer who looks for the positive in each day and tries to spread as much of it as I can.

I’m passionate about helping people on their journey of self discovery and self love, as they navigate their way to their truest self. It’s their stories I most love telling through portraits they can connect to. If that resonates with you, then I can’t wait to help you tell your story through artful portraits.