A Look at Culling, Editing & Gallery Delivery
The session is over. The wedding is done. The swords have been put away, the LARP battlefield has gone quiet, or you've finally changed out of that cosplay you spent six hours wearing.
And somewhere, sitting on my memory cards, are a LOT of photos.
So… what happens now?
There is quite a bit that happens between me clicking the shutter and that beautiful little “Your Gallery Is Ready!” notification landing in your inbox.
Let's talk about it.
First: Your Photos Get Backed Up
Before I start worrying about which photo has the perfect dramatic cape flip, I'm worried about keeping your images safe.
After your session or event, your images are transferred and backed up before I begin the editing process.
Especially for weddings and large events, we're potentially talking about thousands of individual images.
And no you definitely don't want all of them.
Trust me.
There are test shots. Blinks. Missed focus. Accidental duplicates. Someone halfway through making a facial expression. The photo right before the amazing photo. The photo right after the amazing photo.
And, occasionally, the extremely artistic photograph of my own hip because I bumped the touchscreen on my camera.
That's where culling begins..
What Is Culling?
Culling is the process of going through every photograph from your session or event and deciding which images belong in the final story.
It isn't simply:
Good photo = keep. Bad photo = delete.
I'm looking at the entire collection.
I'm looking for emotion, character, movement, relationships, important moments, variety, and the images that actually help tell the story of your day or event.
During culling, I'll remove things like:
Missed-focus images
Accidental duplicates
Test shots
Unflattering transitional expressions
Accidental camera shots
Multiple nearly identical images where one is clearly stronger
Images that simply don't add anything to the final story
If I take six photographs during the same three-second interaction, you probably don't need six almost-identical photographs.
You need the one or sometimes two that absolutely nailed it.
But what about LARP and large events?
Event photography gets a little different.
I'm not just looking for the biggest battles or the loudest characters.
I'm paying attention to the people who made up the event.
That means looking for camp interactions, quiet character moments, combat, roleplay, ceremonies, funny moments, relationships, NPCs, staff, environmental details, and all the little pieces that make the world feel alive.
When possible, I also try very hard to get each participant at least one image that makes them go:
"Yep. New profile picture."
I can't guarantee every single attendee will appear in every event gallery especially at very large events but representation across the event is something I'm actively thinking about while photographing and while culling.
So… Do You Give Out the Unedited Photos?
No.
And there's an important reason for that.
Taking the photograph is only part of creating the finished image.
The RAW photograph straight from my camera is essentially the starting material. My editing process is part of the finished work and part of the style you hired GamerGurl Photography for.
If you've looked through my portfolio, you've probably noticed that I lean heavily toward dark, cinematic, fantasy-inspired imagery.
I want your images to feel like stills pulled from a dark fantasy film not just documentation that someone happened to point a camera in your direction.
That happens both in camera and in editing.
What Does Editing Actually Mean?
This is another area where there can be a lot of misunderstanding.
Editing doesn't mean I'm completely rebuilding your photograph.
My goal is to enhance what was already there.
I work with things like:
Color. Contrast. Light. Shadows. Cropping. Composition. Skin tones. Distractions. Atmosphere.
I may darken an area that is pulling your eye away from the subject, remove a distracting object, adjust colors, straighten a horizon, clean up something temporary, or bring attention back to the moment I photographed.
For portraits, there may also be some additional cleanup and retouching depending on the image and session.
But my philosophy is pretty simple:
I want to enhance the world that existed not manufacture one that didn't.
If the light was gorgeous, I want you to feel that light.
If the battlefield was muddy, chaotic and dramatic, I want you to feel like you're standing in it again.
If your wedding venue felt romantic and moody, I want the photographs to carry that atmosphere.
If you spent months building a fantasy costume, I want your final image to feel worthy of the character you created.
Editing is where I take everything that was already present and guide your eye toward what mattered.
Why Does Editing Take Time?
Because I'm not applying one filter to 2,000 photographs and hitting export.
Every gallery needs consistency, but individual photographs often need individual attention.
A wedding might move from a bright getting-ready room, to an outdoor ceremony, to golden-hour portraits, to a reception lit entirely by DJ lights.
A LARP might move from harsh afternoon sun to dense woods, firelight, torchlight and nighttime combat.
Each environment behaves differently.
And I want your entire gallery to feel like it belongs together.
That's why turnaround times vary depending on the type and size of the event.
For GamerGurl Photography, you can generally expect:
Sneak Peeks: Around 48 hours when applicable
Weddings: Approximately 4–8 weeks
During the busy fall season, galleries may take closer to the full 8 weeks.
Private Drachenfest Sessions: Approximately one month
Large Drachenfest / Media Galleries: I generally aim for around 1-2 months
Other sessions and events will have their expected turnaround communicated during booking.
Those aren't arbitrary waiting periods. That's the time I'm using to actually build your finished gallery.
But I know myself, and I tend to hyper-fixate on getting your gallery delivered as quickly as I can. I may spend hours—or even days sitting in front of the computer, editing and refining your images.
Sneak Peeks Aren't the Whole Story
I know.
You saw the back of my camera.
You know there are pictures in there.
GIVE THEM TO ME.
Sneak peeks are my way of giving you something to enjoy and share while I work through the complete collection.
They're usually some of the images that immediately stood out to me but they aren't necessarily every "best" image from your session.
There are often photographs I don't fully appreciate until I'm sitting at my editing desk and looking at the entire sequence.
Sometimes the quiet little moment ends up being one of my favorites.
So don't assume you've already seen the best of your gallery just because you've seen your sneak peeks.
Then Comes the Best Email: Your Gallery Is Ready!
Once everything has been culled, edited, checked and exported, your photographs are uploaded into your online gallery.
GamerGurl Photography galleries are delivered through Pixieset.
From there, depending on your gallery, you'll be able to browse your photographs, create favorites, download your images using your provided PIN, and access available print options through the gallery store.
And please:
DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTOS.
Don't let your online gallery become the only place your photographs live.
Download them.
Back them up.
Put them somewhere safe.
And then, for the love of all things nerdy, PRINT SOMETHING.
Your wedding photos deserve to exist somewhere other than your phone.
Your incredible cosplay portrait deserves wall space.
That photograph of your LARP character looking like they're about to become the final boss absolutely deserves a ridiculous giant print.
Digital photographs are wonderful.
Physical photographs hit differently.
One Last Thing: Your Gallery Is a Story
When I deliver a gallery, my goal isn't to hand you the largest possible number of files.
More photographs doesn't automatically mean a better gallery.
I want to give you a collection that feels intentional.
For a wedding, that means the nervous moments before the ceremony, the huge moments everyone remembers, the tiny interactions you didn't see, your people losing their minds on the dance floor, and everything in between.
For a portrait or boudoir session, it's the progression from settling in to that moment where you completely own the camera.
For cosplay and fantasy work, it's creating something that feels like your character stepped out of their world.
For LARP, it's documenting not just what happened but what it felt like to be there.
That's what I'm looking for when I cull.
That's what I'm building when I edit.
And that's what I want you to feel when you finally open your gallery.
Because the goal isn't just:
"Here are your pictures."
It's:
"Holy shit. That was us."
And that is worth taking the time to get right.
