For The Lovers Searching For Their Perfect Wedding Photographer For 2025, Here's Part 2 In This Series!


My first post in this series (Storage of Images) was so well received and I'm excited to continue the education! If you're new here, this series is aimed help couples like you better understand the world of Wedding Photography. While I can’t speak for every photographer out there (or every market), I can share insights from my own journey and how my offerings, services, and experience have evolved over the years and how that's affected my rates.


Through your searching, you've probably seen a wide range of offerings as well as quite a range in pricing as well. There's a reason for that! Pricing can range anywhere from $2500 to $6000+ (and sometimes even higher) for 6-8 hours of Wedding Day Coverage. I just recently saw someone offering $3500 for all day coverage. Why is there such a wide range in rates?? Let’s continue this journey today by talking about the importance of Double Recording. break it down and start uncovering the reasons behind these numbers.

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Ever Heard a Wedding Photography Horror Story?


You’ve probably heard the heartbreaking tale: Memory Card Corrupted / Couple Looses Entire Wedding Gallery. You can't help but ask...How did this happen?


A memory card can get corrupted in a handful of ways: improper ejection, power loss, file system error, physical damage, virus or malware, overuse / age, incompatibility, card formatting issues, etc.


When a photographer’s SD (memory card) gets corrupted, they're lucky if they can recover some of the data. If not, they're SOL and so is the couple. It’s a nightmare scenario that sometimes happens, but there's an easy way to mitigate this loss of data, which is to simply record to two memory cards...so double recording as a backup!

The Double Recording Difference: $2500 vs $6000+ Photographers


Here’s how the practice of double recording can differ between photographers at different price points:

 

$2500 Photographer


  • Might have camera with only ONE Memory Card slot
  • Images recorded on ONE memory cards
  • Memory card formatted right after images are transferred


 

$6000+ Photographer


  • Most likely has cameras with TWO Memory Card slots
  • Images recorded on TWO memory cars
  • Keeps memory card(s) until the gallery is safely delivered, then formats cards
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jelau photography wedding photographer brothers ranch enhance workshops wedding industry education glam luxury wedding california
jelau photography wedding photographer brothers ranch enhance workshops wedding industry education glam luxury wedding california

Why Does This Matter?


There are several key reasons why your photographer / videographer recording to multiple memory cards during a wedding is important:


  • Peace of Mind and Data Security

As the client, you want to be sure that your wedding memories are protected. Recording to multiple memory cards ensures that, in case of a card failure or technical issue, there’s a backup of your footage or photos. This reduces the risk of losing irreplaceable moments.


  • Guaranteed Coverage

Weddings are fast-paced events with many special moments happening simultaneously. By using multiple cards, the photographer or videographer ensures that there’s enough storage throughout the day, minimizing the risk of missing key moments, whether it's the vows, first dance, or candid interactions between guests.


  • Higher Professionalism and Reliability

When the photographer or videographer uses multiple memory cards, it shows their commitment to ensuring the best possible outcome for your wedding. It demonstrates they are taking extra precautions to avoid technical issues, ensuring they don’t miss important moments and can deliver the high-quality results you expect.

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The Bottom Line


If the idea of losing your wedding photos is unthinkable, you’ll want to work with a photographer who takes image security seriously. Double-recording your photos gives you that extra layer of protection.


However, not every photographer prioritizes this level of redundancy or some are newer in their journey and can't afford a camera with 2 memory card slots or hundreds of memory cards - everything in this field is expensive.


You might be more focused on staying within your budget than on the added security of double recording, and that’s totally understandable! The key is finding a photographer who aligns with your priorities and understands what's most important to you.

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Questions to Ask Wedding Photographers


If security of double recording images from one of the most important days of your life is important to you, here are some questions to ask photographers during consultations:


  1. Do you use dual memory card slots in your camera for double recording?
  2. What’s your backup plan if a memory card fails during the wedding day?
  3. How do you store and back up the images after the wedding?
  4. Have you ever experienced a situation where a memory card failed during a wedding? How did you handle it?


Stay tuned for more in this series as I dive into more factors that separate photographers at different price points (based on my own experience).


It 100% fine to stay within budget, I just want to make sure you're making the most informed decision. Your wedding photos are priceless—they deserve to be treated as such.