Most couples spend months choosing the right photographer. But one thing that often gets overlooked? How much time they actually give them on the day.
The quality of your wedding photos is directly tied to the time in your run sheet. No amount of skill, gear, or experience can compensate for a portrait session that’s 20 minutes when it needed to be 60.
What 20 Minutes Actually Looks Like
Twenty minutes for couple portraits sounds like enough until you break down where the time actually goes.
5 minutes getting from the ceremony to the portrait location. 2-3 minutes for the photographer to assess the light and find the best angles. 3 minutes for the couple to decompress and stop thinking about what they look like. That leaves approximately 10-12 minutes of actual shooting time.
In that window, a skilled photographer can get 3-4 genuinely good setups. Maybe 5. For a gallery of 400+ images from an entire wedding day, 3-4 portrait setups is a very thin foundation.
Why Timelines Compress — And How to Stop It
Portrait time gets compressed for a few consistent reasons:
- The ceremony runs long. Every 15 minutes the ceremony overruns is 15 minutes taken from portraits.
- Family formal photos take longer than expected. Getting 40 people into the right position for 15 different family groupings takes time.
- The couple doesn’t protect the time. When family members ask for just one more photo, the answer is almost always yes.
How Much Time Do You Actually Need?
For a standard Indian wedding with a single ceremony and one reception:
- Couple portraits only — minimum 45 minutes, ideally 60-75
- Family formals — 30-45 minutes separate from couple portraits
- Getting ready coverage — 60-90 minutes for the bride, 30-45 for the groom
The Practical Fix
Build portrait time into your timeline as a fixed, protected block. Share the timeline with your MC, your wedding coordinator, your family, and your photographer. Brief your family specifically that portrait time is not optional and that you will not be available for additional photos during that window.
The couples who get the most beautiful portrait galleries are not the ones with the most expensive photographers. They’re the ones who gave their photographers enough time to work.
Written by
Rattan — Rav Cine Captures
7+ years · 150+ South Asian weddings · Melbourne & Sydney
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