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I know how you feel - I was REALLY unhappy with our photos, and cried when I saw how badly they turned out. Like you, she missed the shots of the details, even though I had given her a shot list detailing everything, missed some important moments, and took blurry pictures at our reception - not artistic blur, just blurry.
I was the same as you - what's the point of saying anything to them since it's not like they can fix it? I was so upset I didn't even want to broach the idea of a partial refund, and figured that wouldn't make me feel any better anyway. I do like some of the pictures she took, and that's what I try to focus on. I just can't believe the amount of money we spent on pictures that, in my honest opinion, any family member could have taken.
My husband has been contacting all our guests for pictures and set up a photobucket account for them to upload pictures to make me feel better, and it's helped - some of my favourite pics are ones that have been uploaded to that site. I'm hoping that the anger will fade away over time. I just hate that I don't want to look at my wedding pictures.
I think if the photos are very disappointing its definitely worth it to discuss a partial refund, or compensitory sessions (perhaps a credit for a future family session or something alonog those lines). After spending so much money for a pro, you should not keep your mouth shut if you are unsatisfied with the result.
Its a business transaction, not a gift from a friend. You don't have to appreciate that they tried. Articulate your dissatisfaction to your photographer in a professional and civil manner and leave the ball in their court. They may offer you something to ease your mind a bit.
I'm really sorry you don't feel great about your photos!
Awww, I'm so sorry, hun. You have every right to be upset if the photos weren't what you wanted.
The only thing I can think of as far as refunds go is if in your contract with your photographer, it was stated that the quality of the images was to match the quality of the photos advertised on the photog's blog, website and portfolio. Our photog has a clause in our contract that stated this, but it also didn't state anything about a refund if the quality didn't match.
But I really like realeastcoaster's suggestion. Send an e-mail to all your geusts (or, have your parents do it), and ask that they all upload their pictures to a site like photobucket or something. You might be surprised! And it'll probably make you feel a little better.
You can't make a work of art out of a messed-up picture; but you'd be surprised by how much you can fix with Lightroom or Photoshop.
Maybe talk to your photographer, especially if there are a few that you really like that could be tweaked? (Areas can be spot-adjusted for exposure, etc.)
Sorry for your frustrations!
@ poli2b & realeastcoaster: I'm so sorry you're not happy with your pics! :( That really stinks!!
If I were in your shoes, I would definately talk to the photographer about it. I realize there is no way to go back in time and take the pics again, but still, he/she should definately be informed of how unhappy you are so they can refund you at least part of your expense! If you went to a restaraunt and the food was undercooked and overpriced, that would be unacceptable and most people would request a refund and/or a re-make of the food. Wedding pics are WAY more important and bottom line is, you paid for a service/product that was unsatisfactory, and therefore you are entitled to some sort of compensation!
Wow - Reading these posts makes me very nervous. I am getting anxious about my own photos, and really want some great pics of the big day. I have seen her portfolio and her website, and she seems very talented and knowledgeable, so hopefully it won't be an issue.
Did the package you purchased include photo editing, or do you know if your photographer is skilled with editing? If so, you should express your dissatisfaction and he should work on editing them for you.
To be perfectly honest, I think lots of photographers miss shots that would have been important to the bride and groom. They can't be everywhere at once. Did it seem like the photog was slacking off at the wedding? or was he always busy taking shots? Also, there's not much the photographer can do about the lighting at your ceremony and reception besides work with what it is... but hopefully he will be willing to help you edit the pictures (or you could try to do it if you have photoshop or a similar program).
I'd focus on the ones you like- you only need a couple of good ones to frame or put in the album.
Thanks for the insight and advice.
@realeastcoaster - that does stink. I'm sorry that happened :(
There are definitely enough great ones to make an album. I'm going to double check with my photographer about the missing detail shots. My main concern is that he seemed kind of stressed/flustered while shooting. I found that the better images were the ones with fewer people around (like when it was just my husband and I or the wedding party). Or It could be that his wedding was the weekend after mine. It's very strange because a lot of the images are fantastic, but many of them also look completely raw. No color correction, awkward cropping/alignment. It could be that I have to tell him my favorites before he puts in the long hours in photoshop.
But that hardly seems right. We had an engagement set done with a different photographer and all the pics looked very professional and polished. My wedding photographer did throw in a free bridal session. I'm thinking I can do a pick-up for a few missed shots.
I think a lot of people feel the same way you did- I had never heard of a must have photo list and we gave our photographer free range. We missed a lot of shots we would have loved, but got some really great photos as well. I started my own wedding photography company and make sure the bride and I sit down and talk about must have shots and she shows me some of her inspiration photos.
He can color correct some of the pictures or help re-touch the photos that you don't like (black and white or sephia).
When you choose your photographer, did you request to look at a full wedding album? If you choose them based on just their website of their portfolio, it's misleading because you think that all pictures are like that. I'm so sorry - I know that it's disappointing.
I have a couple of questions for you, the first being, how many photos are you going through? He may have given them ALL {every shot he took} to you, which means the crap ones too. The industry saying is you are only as good as your worst photo. So this may be the case that your photo selection hasn't been refined enough so that the good ones stick out. They are buried in there.
A lot of photographers will post their raw or slightly edited {not retouched} photos and wait to see what the couples choose before they spend all that time in photoshop. Can any of the shots be cropped in to get some of the details.
As for missed photos, not much you can do there. I'm sorry that some photogs don't realize how important capturing the details are. Did he/she have a second shooter? My FH and I {we shoot every wedding together} have a system where he shoots with the telephoto and I shoot wide. It's just part of our individual styles and makes it easy for us to get both those looks.
When looking through their photos in their port or on their blog do they show a lot of details? {For those still looking for a photog.} You should hire someone who has all the things you are looking for in their portfolio, and focus less on giving them a list of what things you want. This way you are allowing the photog to do what they do best and you know they are going to get the shots you want because it is there standard to get those things. We provide our couples with a worksheet but our must have shots are mostly focused on important people, it can be very frustrating to a photographer with a three page list of things to shoot. Stuff is missed when we are constantly working of a sheet rather then letting their creative juice flow.
I think it may be a good idea to talk to your photographer about your disappointment. You may not get a refund but they might have some photos that didn't make it into the take they gave you or can provide you some kind of discount or upgrade on your album.
I agree, you should let them know and see if they'll issue you a partial refund or if there's anything you can do. And if you do get some of that money back and want to do a bridal session, I'd take it and go to another photographer--maybe the one that shot your engagement pics. That sucks.
@Pizzuto, thanks for going over some of the things I was about to say. I know brides feel that by creating a long "must have shot list," they are ensuring they will get every photo that they want. Unfortunately, this REALLY stresses photographers out, and can ultimately work against them in the long run (especially if they only hired one shooter). Like Pizzuto said, they get too crazed trying to get every little detail on the list, they don't have room to be creative or could miss a hilarious moment because they are off searching for your 3rd cousins nephew or something to fulfill the list lol.
I'm definitely not trying to shift blame here, just a caution to future brides about long shot lists. I always ask clients if there are "must have shots" but they understand it's a place to list only a couple of things that are especially important to them. It really is disappointing to hear about brides who don't love their photos, but I definitely feel like there is stll hope for you. It does look like your photog gave you ALL the images or just way too many and it's hard to see the good ones. Once you gather together your favorites and he edits them nicely odds are you are going to be very happy or at least much happier :) Like the others said, he probably just didn't want to waste time on photos you might not want.
i am a little disappointed too. especially since i had to wait a loooong time for my photos. I should have known since i hired the photog as part of a married team - well they got divorced before the wedding, so i only got one photographer - during the event she wasnt great at directing us, so there are some ackward poses, then when i got the photos back none of them are in the great style i hired them for. oh well.
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I just saw the photography proofs from our wedding. I briefly scanned, but basically there are a couple of things I'm a little bummed about. For one, our ceremony photos are really wide. There weren't any close-ups of the rings and in general, they lack subject focus. Second, it seems like the exposures are off, like weird shadows and overly bright on our faces. Plus, he overshot some things (like 10 pictures of our wedding sign) but only 1 shot of the table decorations.
Although there's a lot of really fantastic ones, I feel like I'm missing some important shots or they didn't come out as good as I had hoped. (And I discussed everything with my photographer beforehand & provided a shot list of things I wanted captured).
Should I mention anything to the photographer? It's not like he can go back in time & change anything. For those of you who got your photos back, did you feel the same?