You're delivering too many photos (and it's killing your work)

Hey,

I know. It's been a minute.

Life got messy in the best and worst ways. Travel, work that wouldn't quit, and then my body decided to remind me I'm not invincible. The kind of sick that makes you question if you've been running too hard for too long.

But here's the thing about stepping away, even when you don't want to: you see things clearer when you come back.

I've been editing a lot. Thinking a lot. And I caught myself slipping back into old patterns I thought I'd unlearned years ago.

I was editing a wedding this week, 4 hours of coverage, and I caught myself doing the math.

"Okay, 4 hours... that's 200-350 images, right? Industry standard."

Then I stopped.

Why the fuck am I letting an arbitrary "images per hour" formula dictate my curation?

I've been ruthless about this for years. I know better. But that voice crept back in. The one that whispers "maybe they'll want this" or "include more just in case."

A friend once called it Inventory-style photography.

The difference between storytelling and creating a visual catalog. Between choosing what matters and just documenting everything that happened.

Who decided we should work this way? And more importantly, does it actually serve the work?

Spoiler: It doesn't.

It's Fear. That's the Whole Thing.

Here's the thing photographers don't talk about:

The "50-90 images per hour" rule isn't based on quality. It's based on fear.

Fear that:

• Clients will think you didn't shoot enough
• You'll get complaints about "missing moments"
• You're not giving them their "money's worth"

So we pad. We include the okay shots. The almost-great ones. The "maybe they'll like this" ones.

And what happens?

Your galleries become bloated. Your strongest images get buried. And your couples have to scroll through 400 photos to find the 30 that actually matter.

You're not doing them a favor. You're overwhelming them.

Stop Counting Hours. Start Counting This Instead.

Let me be honest:

The number of images you deliver should have NOTHING to do with how many hours you shot.

It should be based on how many MOMENTS happened.

Not minutes. Not hours. MOMENTS.

Because here's what we're actually doing: We're not documenting time. We're documenting emotion, connection, story.

And some moments need 10 images to tell properly. Some moments need 2. Some moments need 1 fucking perfect shot.

When you edit based on "images per hour," you're thinking like a vendor, not an artist.

Two Questions. That's It.

Not every image I deliver would make my portfolio. I'm not that awesome, and that's an unrealistic bar.

But I also don't just throw everything at them and hope they sort it out.

Instead, I ask myself two questions:

1. "Does this image tell part of the story that hasn't been told yet?"

• If you have 10 shots of them laughing, keep the best 2-3.
• If it's 10 different people hugging them, each one tells a new story.

2. "Even if this doesn't excite me, would THEY want to see this?"

• You're not curating for your portfolio. You're curating for their memory.
• If it matters to their story, it stays.

The goal isn't to only deliver images that thrill you.

The goal is to deliver images that matter to THEM, without burying them in 400 photos where only 50 actually count.

This is NOT: "Give them everything, even filler, because they might want it."

This IS: "Be brutal with repetitive moments, but generous with different people and relationships."

Forget Everything. Do This.

So here's what I do instead:

1. FORGET THE CLOCK

Don't think "4 hours = X images." Think "What actually happened in these 4 hours?"

2. MOMENT-BASED EDITING

For each real moment, ask:

• How many images do I need to tell this story completely?
• Does each image add something new?
• Even if it doesn't excite me, would they want to see this?

3. THE BRUTAL CUT

If you're keeping an image because "maybe they'll want it," you're already wrong.

Your job isn't to give them everything. Your job is to give them the BEST.

4. TRUST YOUR CURATION

You're not a hard drive. You're a storyteller.

They hired you because they trust your vision. So trust it.

Here's What 1 Hour Actually Looks Like

Let's break down a real scenario:

1 HOUR OF GETTING READY

Industry thinking: "50-90 images"

My thinking:

How many actual moments happened?

• Details (dress, rings, shoes): 8-12 images
• Prep process (hair, makeup): 15-20 images
• Emotional moment (tears, laughter): 5-8 images
• Candid connections: 10-15 images

Total: 40-55 images

Not because a formula told me.

Because that's what the STORY needed.

Quick side note on those details: Honestly? I think flat-lay detail shots are a little overrated. But clients expect them, so I try to shoot them my way.

I aim for context. For life. For cinematic use, like props in a film.

A dress hanging alone? Fine. A dress as someone's hand reaches for it, backlit by window light? That's a moment.

Rings on a table? Okay. Rings being slipped on, over-the-shoulder POV? Now we're feeling something.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes I absolutely suck at this and end up with the boring flat lay anyway.

But I'm always asking: how would this look in a movie? How do I give this object emotion?

Because even detail shots should tell part of the story, not just document that the thing existed.

Be Ruthless

Here's my challenge to you:

Next time you're editing, don't count hours. Count moments.

And then ask yourself: "If I could only deliver 150 images, would this make the cut?"

If the answer is no, why are you including it?

Your clients didn't hire you to be generous with quantity. They hired you to be ruthless with quality.

So be ruthless.

What do you think? How many images do you typically deliver? Hit reply. I read every one.

Hugs,
Bjørn

For the hearts still beating—keep creating, keep pushing, keep giving a damn.