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So we'd been planning these pictures for MONTHS.. outfits, cute props, cute poses.. etc. I bought $30 worth of props and used two... I'd bought several outfits and only two really got used and I told her they weren't the main ones I wanted.
Our photographers sessions are supposed to be 3 hours long, $350, and you are GUARANTEED 25 pictures on a disk with rights (not necessarily GOOD pictures, just pictures). She knocked off $100 because we had alot of miscommunication setting the pictures up. So we paid $250. I posted a week or so worrying about the pictures here.
It was definitely quantity of snapping pictures over taking time to pose and evaluate pictures. We ended up with 70 pictures on the disk. Alot of them also don't include us, they are our props. She took HUNDREDS of pictures. About 20 are mediocre in our minds (Alot of awkward posing and things like my necklace was majorly crooked and would have taken a minute to fix before snapping a pic, but I didn't know.) Everything felt extremely rushed. Picture taking time was only about 2. 5 hours instead of the full 3.
We LOVE like 15 and 7 of those are of my ring and props, etc.
I just read this board about how others got alot more useable pictures.
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/in-the-end-how-many-good-engagement-pictures-did-you-actually-get
We didn't get any FI with him FACING the camera front on, and this bothers both of us. Poor FI said that "She must not have liked my face!" :(
We didn't get any for our Save the date idea (making a movie poster style save the date)
We didn't get any worthy of a Jones soda bottle custom label.
We told her about ALL of these creative ideas at our meeting the week before our shoot.
What to do?!
I'll make a photobucket album of our favorite and of our EH ones.
What are your opinions?
EDIT:
Here are our EH pictures!
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d69/mandigrl04/Our%20EH%20Pictures/
These are the ABSOLUTE best of. What do you think?
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d69/mandigrl04/Best%20of%20Pictures/
Tell you are not thrilled with them and she if she would do a reshoot. You are paying her for a service. It is not your fault she chose not to listen to what you were looking for. It is also not your fault she rushed you.
I'm sort of having the same issue with my photographer right now, so I feel ya on this!
If your photographer is any sort of professional at all, she will do a reshoot for you guys. If not, I'd ask a friend to shoot some pictures and find another photographer for you wedding day.
Good luck with all of this and hope you get it all figured out!
Is this woman supposed to be your wedding day photographer? If she is I would speak up and let her know that your extremely unhappy and you don't feel you got what your money was worth.
If she isn't I would consider cutting your losses and having a friend do some or wait until you find your wedding photographer and seeing if they could possibly do a mini session to rectify your loss of usable photos.
I'm so sorry this happened to you! Do you think she just wasn't listening to you or that some how what you wanted was misinterpreted into what you got?
we were in a similar situation. She offered to give us a discount on our wedding photos.
I would tell you are really dissatisfied with the quality of the pictures and you want a reshoot. Like a PP said, you are paying for her services, and she did not deliver. I hope that she will work with you because it sounds like you had tons of cute ideas that she did not even try to get to.
This probably isn't helpful to you, but I think you're overreacting. Most of the pics you posted are really cute! And the "messy hair" ones look better than my hair in most of our e-pics. I understand that you're disappointed but I definitely believe that we are our own worst critics. From where I stand, the pics look great.
I just looked at your pictures and honestly, I dont think they are bad at all. The ones that you think are awkward, I think I only think one of them looked a little awkward (#2 cause of your FI's leg). The ones where you said your faces are covered, like #14, I actually really liked! Your face isnt covered but, he's kissing you, so natually you wont see all of his. If there were NONE with both of you facing the camera, I'd be upset too. (From my wedding pictures, we only had ONE good posed picture we were both facing the camera.. I was pretty upset about that for a while)
I think we are all more critical of our own pictures and have really high expectations. But if you are unhappy with what you got, I'd definitely tell her if she is your wedding photographer also. If not, you could try to tell her what you dont like and do a reshoot. But I'd definitely do a shoot with whoever your wedding photog is so that you can do the same critique and let them know the specific style and shots you want.
Quality wise, they aren't bad photos... and I've only seen the "eh" ones. I think you are over reacting.
BTDT. If you look back to early August, you'll see my posts about the same situation. Turns out that I am my worst critic, and once I came to peace with myself, I loved our photos. There are still some that I don't find flattering, but that has less to do with our photographer and more to do with our outfit choice for that photo series and the fact that it was wicked hot and humid that day. Mr. LK and I were just spent. And the few poses I didn't like, I made sure to commmunicate to our photographer so that she would know. Our wedding photos exceeded our expectations, and I am so glad I stuck with our photog.
@JM1217: Yeah, as of right now we're NOT using her as our wedding day photographer. I just don't want to be a bitchy bride.. I kinda don't feel like there is any good way of going about this. :(
@MsBrooklynA: No we havn't booked anyone for wedding pics yet. I think we might just go and have a friend do the stuff we didn't get. I'm not sure if she just didn't listen.. or what, she just seemed EXTREMELY rushed.
@efitzger: Well that's good at least that you got a discount!
@callirome: Oh we had TONS! I told her alot of specific ones that we didn't get..
@iheartnerds: Well I had way more that were mediocre like that... I just didn't put them in the album. Most of them were really "meh." It's not just me either! We went to a resturant after we got the pics and we looked at them, the waitress agreed that they were really mediocre. :( haha
@pinkshoes: Well I mean our pictures aren't like of us sneezing or anything! lol, but they are just REALLY mediocre.
We don't have any of us both facing the camera at all... FI feelings are really hurt that his face is covered or in the background of the pictures. :(
I probably am being slightly over-critical, but it's bad when a waitress oversees your pictures and makes a comment how they are "off" lol
@lovekiss: Yeah, I do remember yours.
Well, I had other outfits that were better too.. she chose not to use them (I even had pictures taken by a friend with me IN THE OUTFITS. ) I told her which ones I wnted to use the most and she didn't go by it either. :(
I'm glad your wedding photos exceeded your expectations though!
I understand how you feel... but I think the photos look great, honestly, there's a lot of cute ones there.
@mandigrl04: I think the issue is more with the photographer not listening to your requests and making you feel rushed. Was the photog telling you which outfits to put on? It looks like you got 2-3 different outfits, which is typical. And while it is strange that there are no photos of your FI looking directly into the camera, I wouldn't take it personally. He looks so adoringly at you. Maybe the photog just wanted to capture that emotion.
For whatever it's worth, I think your photos are cute and have loads of personality. I am really sorry that you don't like them. Maybe you just need some time with them. And maybe a photog Bee will come in here to deliver some technical perspective.
I think your overreacting. I really loved some of your Eh pics like #9 and #11.
@mandigrl04: Do you have a link to the rest of the photos that were taken? I'm curious to see them.
I'm also confused as to why you didn't start with the outfits you absolutely wanted to get photos in.
@lovekiss: Yeah we really only had two outfits, and she told us which ones to wear. I had a few more that I thought looked better. The third outfit change we were only in 10 minutes before she called it quits, and we only got one okay picture of us in it. Yeah he's taking it personally though :(
His senior photos were done at Kmart and he was looking forward to good quality pictures. :(
@hotchocolate: I think there's a couple cute ones. I wouldn't really say alot though... lol
It's probably not going to help much, but I think you have some really good, really cute pics. Without knowing what results you were expecting, I think you've got some great photos.
I would let her know your concerns. I LOVE #2 on your second link, I really think it could be used for your save the dates. Its romantic.
Off topic, your hair is amazing.
I'm really sorry you were not happy with your e pics. I think you just have to chalk it up to a bad choice of photographer if you and FI were not happy with them.
IMO you paid for them to take pictures and you got pictures. Service provided.
Just be glad you have not signed them up for your wedding already and now know you are not happy with their pics and can choose another one.
I think if you got a little creative with positioning, cropping and photo shopping you'll be able to use those pics for your save the dates and soda labels.
GL!
@MidwestBride2012:The rest were just doubles with eyes closed and such.. or they were too bad to be posted. lol
Well she wanted for us to start inside the library, so I had an outfit picked out for that. It's not what I wanted for majority of the pictures. She didn't want me to change though.
@mandigrl04: Question - did you and the photographer discuss whether her shooting style was candids or focused on more posed, portrait shots?
These seem great to me if you don't like straight-on photos. I personally prefer candid, and I suspect you prefer portrait. As a businesswoman she should know how to manage expectations by clearly articulating her style. But if you didn't have a shot list or didn't talk about candid vs. portrait, then it's not a breach of contract and therefore you shouldn't ask for any money back.
But I *do* think it's worth politely asking for a short portrait session (like 30 minutes) to get those portrait photos. You'd probably be most successful in getting that by providing positive feedback on the candid photos and ephemera pics, and then saying something like "I feel we didn't communicate well and there was a misunderstanding as to the type of photos I wanted. There were a few photos I feel I'm missing - could we do a short session to capture them? Here's the shot list I have in mind..."
For what it's worth, I think your pictures look awesome! I see a lot of engagement pictures on here and to be honest there aren't many that I like. Since many others also think they look great, it seems like what has happened is that the photographer chose the outfits and poses that she thought were most artistic/photogenic/whatnot. So maybe the issue is that her artistic style just doesn't mesh with your preferences. Which is ok- everyone has different preferences. And if this is the case then yeah, it would be a good idea to find a photographer who's stle matches more closely with yours for your wedding. Maybe you can find a new photographer who has an e-pic session included in the package price.
@Daenerys: haha thanks! This was actually a not so good hair day.. the curl fell flat. But I have a really good hairstylist! :)
@jjmomma: I think we were expecting a few more really good pictures, like a few traditional ones with FI face front on. We did get some cute ones, just not as many as we expected to get.
@mandigrl04: I do see that. It looks like a lot of stylized (is that correct?) shots... maybe she'd be willing to reshoot a few traditional? You are gorgeous, btw~ my mother's side are redheads, so I'm loving your hair!
@mrscheetos: We like that one too. :)
Not sure if it would be worthy of a movie poster styled save the date though :(
For a normal pic and save the date it would be adequate though. Which is what we might have to do.
@Gerbera: lol yeah.. I've already messed with some of them for recropping... in fact some of them I already tweaked before I put them on photobucket! lol
@zagora: I told her that I didn't want super pose-y pictures that I wanted them to seem more natural. She told us what to do for every single one. I kinda figured that there were be atleast a *few* portrait style ones.. I guess I need to be REALLY specific for wedding stuff. Whoever I end up choosing.
Yeah I didn't think I should really ask for money back either, I just left it as a choice for bees to choose. Asking for a few minute portrait shoot might be doable though.. I think maybe we'll consider that!
@kayakblondie: Yeah I think I might look around for another photographer and broaden our milage, we just stuck to our small hometown.
@jjmomma: LOL thanks! I'm not naturally a red head.. my mom is, so I fake it. It looks better than my natural mouse-y brown.
Honestly they're not as abad as you think. The problem here is that you and her don't have the same idea of good photos. I don't particularly think full on face shots are the best for example, it's not about "not liking someones face" but more that an angle is more flattering.
I think several of those shots catch you in cute, spontaneous moments, which to me is optimal.
You said you wanted more poses, perhpas that's not her style...
I boil this down to you and the photographer not being on the same style page. Because the photos do not lack in quality (such as angles and lighting) they lack your stylistic vision.
I'd cancel her services for your wedding as you don't "match".
@mandigrl04: I wish I had been very specific with my wedding photog. She was amazing, but I was clueless and just assumed we'd get what I saw on her website. To her credit, she did ask for a shotlist, but I was so frazzled I never wrote one for her. Just a thought off the top of my head, but you might consider going with her again, for the simple reason that you already had a trial run. Your pics are great. They convey emotion and personality. You didn't get exactly what you wanted, but it sounds like a communication issue and not a quality problem. You can tell her exactly what you want (more traditional shots) and, from what I see, she does a good job of "telling a story". Just my opinion. If you start over with someone new, you face running into the same expectation problems.
I actually really like the pics, but it sounds like your style and this photographer just don't match up. Glad you don't have her booked as your wedding photog! When choosing that person I'd make sure to check out their websites and look for someone with a variety of photos that you like - honestly a lot of engagement photos that look candid are posed, but it sounds like you need someone who does more true candid shots and some more portrait style pics.
To be honest, most photographers only really give you one or two outfit changes. It's rare to get more than that. I don't think engagement shoots are about props and more so about the couple as a whole and their relationship. I think they are supposed to capture your interactions together and your personalities. I think having props sometimes makes it distraction and the pictures should not have been about your props alone, but I think once you bring them into play they tend to focus on those more than they should (or in her case, she did). Also when you tell them specific pictures sometimes they lose the rhythm and creativity, which could by why she did not post them until later. It seems like you wanted too much out of her IMO. I'm not sure if it's the photographers job to tell you to fix your necklace, however.
2 1/2 hours is actually a long time to get pictures taken. I have had two engagement shoots and they were only supposed to be 2 hours, but we got about 2 1/2 hours of photographs. It should not have felt rushed. 2 1/2 hours is plenty and more than enough time.
Also, sometimes photographers tend to focus on the woman more then the guys. I know mine got most mainly of me and less with him. My FI never expressed anything upsetting about them but we did have some with both of us looking into the camera. Also, I think they do it to show his affection and make them look more adoring.
I would not reshoot with her again. I would find a new one. Maybe one who is more accomodating to what you want.
So, as a photographer, I'd like to make a couple of points here:
1.) Your photos are technically pretty solid, which sadly is more than I can say for the vast majority of photos I see posted on the BEE - yours are better than I'd say 75%.
2.) Your photographer did EFF not taking any "mom pleasers" of just the two of you looking at the camera straight on, and none focused on your FI. I can tell your photographer was very focused on finding flattering angles for you, which she did very well - you look stunning btw! - she must have slipped up and forgotten about your fiance :(
3.) I think your expectations for the shoot were a little unrealistic. First, you got it at a discount, second you got almost 3x the number of photos promised, then you factor in that you absorbed so much of her time making sure you got pictures of all these props you bought, three outfits, and an overload of ideas. Expecting her to execute all that in three hours is a little much... seriously, it sounds like she needed a shot list for your Eshoot!
4.) If you were at a restaurant looking sad about your photos, the waitress is going to agree with you and commisserate. These people work off tips, and her opinion is worth pretty much jack. Listen to all the people here telling you your photos are nice - they're telling the truth! I'M also telling you your photos are very nice, and A.) I'm a photographer so I know better than a waitress, and B.) I RARELY do that :P
I think you should be happy with what you have, and if her rates are in line with your esession rates maybe even snag her for your wedding. A friend is NOT the way to go... your photos will be much worse. At least here you got flattering angles, good processing and exposures, sharp photos that you look great in! The solution to your problem is as simple as just next time making sure you get a few photos of you two looking at the camera.
Sorry to be blunt, but I think you're over-reacting, the pics are very nice!
@mandigrl04: Okay, that's a good point - I think the words "posed" and "portrait" are very different for a photographer, whereas they don't seem that different to us. I think you were trying to convey that you didn't want to feel awkward (i.e., didn't want to be told what to do), but that didn't mean that you didn't want portrait (face straight-on) photos. Is that correct?
BTW, yes I totes agree with everyone else. Your hair is to die for! (And to dye for, if I wasn't so olive-skinned!)
I know it's all a matter of preference and clearly what you wanted was not what the photography thought you wanted, but I would be really excited to have pictures as great as yours!
From what I saw a ton of them are really pretty....I think you're being too hard on yourself and too picky. Especially for $250.
@mandigrl04: There's a huge variety in these photos and quality wise they're good. If I was the photographer I wouldn't feel like there was a need to do another session with you, honestly. You admitted you told the photog you wanted natural, more candid photos, so when we hear that we tend to shy away from the "smile and say cheese!" poses. You also said there was 2.5 hours of shooting time . . . I imagine the other 30 minutes was travel in between locations? A 3 hr shoot or a 2 hour shoot is the time from start to finish with travel included, not 3 hours of shooting plus travel. So it doesn't seem like the photog shorted you on time.
What creative ideas did you talk about that she didn't implement? It seems like you had a whole lot going on through this shoot and it looks like your photographer tried to incorporate as much as possible in the time you had. What was left out?
I don't think they are bad at all. A lot of ones that you state look 'awkward' cannot be blamed on the photographer- more your comfort on being photographed and knowing your angles from what I could tell / see.
There are some awesome shots in there. They can't all be winners!
Despite what I have written above, I do think that you should get a new photographer for your wedding, as I do not believe you will be satisfied unless you do.
I originally voted for "ask for a re-shoot", but I hadn't seen the best of album yet. Now I'd like to retract my vote and second everything @LBPhotography: said. The best of album is great.
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