(Closed) What should I do? Not happy with my wedding photos. HELP!

posted 6 years ago in Photos/Videos
Post # 1
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

I just don’t know what to do.  I am disappointed with my wedding photos.

We hired our photographer after countless hours of research, even though a friend of mine had her at her weddingand really liked her, I still wanted to make sure she was the right choice.  This photographer has a beautiful profile and has been featured in magazines and won awards.

Here are my issues:

Professionalism:

E-photos were late.  Before our wedding we specifically asked that there would be no props or costumes in the photo booth except a chalk/whiteboard, as we wanted the booth to simply capture our guests since we had any coming in from Australia. This was ignored or forgotten. Our DVD package came late, and when we received the DVD photos were missing, including an entire folder. It has now been over two weeks since I requested the outstanding files, but we have not received them. The contract specified thank you cards but we did not receive any. Also, my dad said that the photographer was rude to him on the wedding day!  On the day I asked for portraits taken by a willow tree I loved but the photographer said it was “boring”so we went elsewhere; We asked for a sunset photo and the photog said she’d come and get us but that never happened. The head photographer acted like she didn’t really want to be there and all I’ve been seeing from her is posts on Facebook about how tired she is because of too many weddings and she can’t wait until they are over.

Content of Photos:

When we finally saw our wedding photos we didn’t see the standard of photos in the portfolio/blog, especially in terms of portraits. They looked lazy and uninspired. We talked in our meeting with the photographer about our at-home, garden wedding, and how we wanted soft, warm, rustic portraits. I even wrote points down and gave a list of wedding photos taken by this photographer that I liked as a guide.

I was REALLY excited to get my wedding portraits taken. But on the day my husband and I were stressed about the lack of direction/feedback and we kept asking questions but didn’t get any response.  I was worried when I saw the teaser (eyes closed, weirdly sharp and unflattering). When we got the DVD we found we didn’t even include a lot of portraits and most of the ones we got looked quite modern, stark, which was the opposite what we had talked about. The photos just looked cold, awkwardly posed and flat. I didn’t know I had so many freckles, blemishes and circles – they weren’t so apparent in life! My family actually laughed when they saw some and said I looked like I’d been punched! Not what a bride wants to hear!

There were NO bridal portraits of me alone in my dress or of my face! There were some lovely ones taken of my bridesmaids though (???). There were several things missing including a simple portrait of my husband and I, a photo of my mom and I (we got one but eyes are closed), and several more. All of the candid photos at the reception are really unflattering and unfocused and there isn’t one good photo of the bridal table.

I really hate to be like this, as I am usually really kind and easy to work with. But we spent a huge chunk of our entire budget on our wedding photos, and it was a lot of money for us (we’re both teachers!). For the rate we shouldn’t have these sorts of issues, especially with digital photography. What do you think?

Now here is the problem I’m having now: what should I do? Is there any point in telling the photographer that I’m unhappy? I don’t know what solution there could be; the wedding day is over.  It’s more about the great photos we were promised than the money.

I would SO much appreciate any advice!

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Post # 3
Member
1716 posts
Bumble bee

Go down the list of your photos. Tell her exactly what you dont like about each one. Talk about your contract and how you felt she did not live up to it. Talk about the list you gave her. Also, if I were you I’d ask for my money back, or deposite or..something, due to breech of contract.

I suggest then you find a photographer you like and who will work with you to get some nice shots of you and the bridal party in your fancy duds where YOU wanted them to be done in the first place. Other photogs are usually very understanding about this sort of thing and will gladly help you out.

Post # 4
Member
511 posts
Busy bee

I’m not sure that she’s in breach of contract but you should definitely let her know that you are not happy with what you have received so far.  Perhaps you should make an appointment with her to go over what you feel she didn’t provide and ask her what your options are.

I get it that you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but if you go in with a hostile attitude she will definitely be less accommodating than if you calmly and logically explain to her where you’re coming from.

Best of luck!

Post # 5
Member
1158 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: April 2013

Wow.I am sorry that you are dissapointed.Maybe you could arrange to have additional photos taken.Tell her how you feel…

Post # 6
Hostess
7561 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
  • Wedding: January 2013

I would simplify your complaint if you want to make an impact. It’s unfortunate that the style wasn’t what you requested, but that wasn’t part of the contract.

The things you should complain about are that you didn’t get your thank you cards and that you don’t have a portrait of you in your dress. I would suggest you ask for a make-up session instead of a refund. 

Post # 7
Member
1000 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: September 2009

@Bunnyang:  I agree with alwayssunny, you have but a couple of legit complaints in here but most of them are unfounded. Try to take the emotion out of it and focus on the points that are not subjective.

For example, your face looked how it looked on your day – the camera doesnt put blemishes and bags where there are none. Also things like the “rustic” style you requested… in order to create that kind of look you have to provide the photographer with the proper setting, rustic elements if you will. A willow tree is not rustic either – other than by way of some hoaky processing a photographer cant create an element to the photos that isnt there in real life.

Post # 8
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

Thanks, everyone.

 

Post # 9
Member
1314 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: May 2006

It doesn’t sound like there was a very strong personal connection between this person and you, and it does sound like the photographer had some lack of professionalism.  The blemishes aren’t the fault of the photographer, but they can be retouched… and a lot of us just do that because it’s part of our process.  Not sure what you meant about “For the rate we shouldn’t have these sorts of issues, especially with digital photography.”

We haven’t seen your photos so we can’t speak to the mood of them, but to play devil’s advocate when we do our consultations we talk about a client’s vision of their wedding and often times the descriptive words they use are nowhere near what the actual atmosphere of the wedding is like.  The reception candids sound like this photographer had issues with the lighting, but I’m not sure why they ever would have turned over blurry or unflattering photos to you.

Weddings are tough – you’re commissioning an artist to tell a visual story of a fast paced day.  It sounds like your photographer missed some things they shouldn’t have.  The big question is what to do now.  

Options:

1. Contact them first and tell them what you are missing in the off chance that some of it might have been captured that didn’t make their edit.  

2. See what your contract states about missed photos.  Most photography contracts will limit the liability – meaning if I shoot your entire wedding and screw up 10 photos your recourse isn’t going to be a full refund, but limited to the percentage of moments lost.  So you have to do the math from the total time.  That can get somewhat subjective.

3. Re-shoot.  If you still have your dress getting awesome portraits of you is still a very real possibility for either that photographer or another one to take.  Your husband can get back in his suit, etc.  

4. Ask for compensation in the form of product credit.

Ultimately if your photographer is established it’s in their interest to make you happy enough to not write negative reviews about them online.  While I’m not suggesting that you hold their good name hostage indefinitely, if they legitimately screwed up they should take measures to appease the situation.

Post # 10
Member
94 posts
Worker bee
  • Wedding: August 2012

Im not a professional but I somewhat disagree with the above poster who say that photography can’t “create”: blemishes or dark circles where there are none. Sure, a photo may not be able to create a blemish, but, in my experience, bad lighting can REALLY enhance a blemish or line. It can also cast shadows and make dark circles more obvious.  I have seen amateur photographs of myself where, because of shadowing and lighting, my typically faint dark circles look horrible and any small blemished is emphasized. I am not a pro, but lighting, etc. makes a huge difference in how pretty I look in photos. (personal experience) HUGE. Is this what you are talking about? For the record, it sounds to me like your complaints are pretty legitimate. That said, I’m not sure that you have an actual legal complaint in that there does not appear to be a breach of contract. I would, however, sit down with this photographer and try and work out a reshoot or something. So sorry this happened to you

Post # 11
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

@continuumphotography:  Thank you so much for this great response. I realize that this can be an emotional thing and I have to calm down, be reasonable and find a solution rather than dwelling on the problem.

I can really understand the pressure of being the photographer at a wedding. It’s such a full-on day and there are so many moments to catch.  I also understand that you can’t read a bride or groom’s mind and often have to use imagination and intuition.

I also appreciate the devil’s advocate approach, I am willing to take some responsibility for the feel of the photos.  Maybe I didn’t do enough. I thought it would help if I wrote down te shoots of weddings she had done that I liked, even noting the settings and filters I loved and individual photos.  The thing is, I’m just a nerd like that – I always overthink and overanalyze. Embarassed

I like option 1 because it’s not too demanding.

Last resort I guess would be a re-shoot, but I hope not, because I hate inconveniencing people and I don’t want them to think I’m a princess or unreasonable.  However, I really want some nice photos of my husband and I for our wedding album.

 

Post # 12
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

@carolsdaughter:  Thank you! This is exactly what I’m talking about! We hired professionals because we wanted photographers who knew how to work with lighting, setting, etc. Isn’t it part of the job to make the day look as great as possible?

I knw there are a couple of breaches of contract, but I don’t want to get into it unless really necessary. I would rather try to resolve things amicably and see what we can come up with.

Thanks. 🙂

 

Post # 13
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

The truth is, I had enough trouble getting my husband to go along with the photo shoot the first time around, as it made him feel awkward and frustrated; he had never had his photo taken professionally and he felt a bit at a loss posing for photos, as I did! I wonder if there are a lot of grooms who feel the same way.

Has anyone here had post-portraits done?

Post # 15
Member
94 posts
Worker bee
  • Wedding: August 2012

Also, if your friends and family our upset with the quality of the photos that lets me know that you probably are not overanalyzing this. PLEASE don’t fall into the trap of trying to be “nice” to the point where you don’t stand up for yourself. I’m not saying that you should be a b*tch to this woman, but if you paid good money for her to take decent pictures and she didn’t hold up her end of the bargain, then you have every right to stand up for yourself. I’m having problems with one of my vendors (not my photog, my caterer- they did not have enough food) and I am finding it very difficult to stand up and say “you screwed up.” I’m so busy trying not to be a bridezilla, etc. But, here’s the thing: these people are in business and if they legitimately did not turn over a good product then you need to speak up.

Post # 14
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

@AlwaysSunny:  

@AlwaysSunny – I think you’re definitely right and simplifying is better; the missing photos, portraits and cards are the biggest problem.  Thank you.

 

Post # 16
Member
725 posts
Busy bee
  • Wedding: July 2012

@anothersmith:  

I definitely agree that being reasonable and patient is always better than being hostile! I do plan to calm down and when dealing with my photographer just stick to logic and be open to any suggestions. Thank you.

 

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