Need to vent....photographer

soontobemrsbuccheri · August 2013

So, shortly after we booked our church and reception venue, I started looking into photographers. I had contacted Josh Lynn, Russ DeSantis, and our current photographer Masterpiece Studios (Scott Caster). I have always loved Josh Lynn's work and I also like Russ DeSantis' style. Both were available for our day and seemed to be right on par with each other price wise. Then we contacted the photographer that we eventually booked. He had done my fiance's mother's wedding, his sisters wedding and he also did my brother's wedding. He recognized my last name and of course when we mentioned my fiance's mom and sister, he knew who that was as well. He gave us a decent price and even knocked off editing pictures as a "gift" to us. We booked with him because my fiancé made the decision and well, I went with it.

After booking, I looked at my FSIL's photo album as well as my other SIL's photo album and I was bored by the pictures. They seemed so "standard" or "generic." Don't get me wrong, they are wonderful photos, but I don't want to be looking at my album after we get married and say that I hate our pictures. I've spoken with our photographer a few times in regards to pictures that I would like taken and one of them he said "we'll have to see what the lighting is like and weather is because it all depends on that." I've also been told by him that some of the pictures that I wanted to see taken were "something that he has only seen done but never done himself" or "I've done that type of picture but it never winds up in the photo album." I don't want to hear these things. I want to hear "Sure we'll do it! I'll make it happen." Ya know?

I just needed to vent...But, am I wrong for wanting to be able to look at my photo album and be happy?

njdoxie · August 2013

No, you're right to be concerned. To me the pictures are probably the most important thing because you'll have them forever. At the end of the day nobody, not even you will remember half the stuff at your wedding and your pictures and video will all you have to remember it by.

Is it too late to switch photographers? I'm sure the one you have is good, he may even be great, but if it's not your style then he's not the right one for you.

Will FI be mad if you switch?

silver0319 · August 2013

I agree with njdoxie. It's important to have a photographer that captures your wedding in a style that you like. If you're disappointed in your photos after your wedding, there isn't really much you can do.

If you decide to go with someone else, can you get your deposit back?

bereasonable2 · August 2013

Looks like you're getting what you paid for.

Gordo2014 · August 2013

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with bereasaonable. It sounds like you hired the amateur artist down the street and now you want him to paint like Michelangelo. There's a reason expensive photographers are expensive; they're probably better at it than photographers who are not.

I don't think there's anything wrong with going to your photgrapher and asking them if they can create a photo like this or a photo like that. And they can try and do the best they can and you get what you get.

But what you're really saying is that you don't like the work of the photographer you hired. It doesn't sound like he misrepresented himself; you failed to do your homework and now you're asking him to do things that he personally states are beyond his experience and maybe even his ability. Well it sounds pretty clear to me; you hired the wrong photographer for your needs and wants.

Don't vent about your photographer. Fret over the fact that you made a poor purchasing decision and see what you can do to change that without costing more money than necessary. But staying with a photographer that you alreadly know won't make you happy is certainly not the right approach no matter how much money it costs to get out.

soontobemrsbuccheri · August 2013

Gordo2014 said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with bereasaonable. It sounds like you hired the amateur artist down the street and now you want him to paint like Michelangelo. There's a reason expensive photographers are expensive; they're probably better at it than photographers who are not.
I don't think there's anything wrong with going to your photgrapher and asking them if they can create a photo like this or a photo like that. And they can try and do the best they can and you get what you get.
But what you're really saying is that you don't like the work of the photographer you hired. It doesn't sound like he misrepresented himself; you failed to do your homework and now you're asking him to do things that he personally states are beyond his experience and maybe even his ability. Well it sounds pretty clear to me; you hired the wrong photographer for your needs and wants.
Don't vent about your photographer. Fret over the fact that you made a poor purchasing decision and see what you can do to change that without costing more money than necessary. But staying with a photographer that you alreadly know won't make you happy is certainly not the right approach no matter how much money it costs to get out.

I'm a little late checking out the responses on this post as I was busy with work and home life.

The photographer we hired has 40 something years of experience, but isn't into the whole "photojournalistic" vision that others are now getting. I have spoken with him numerous times and he is going to get the shots that I really want, especially some of the "out of the ordinary" ones that he hasn't done.

We didn't just go with whomever we wanted, we contacted numerous photographers (a total of 5 as I listed 3 in my OP - and contacted 2 others that weren't available for our day). We went with him due to the fact that he knows our families and got a nice gift for being referred by not one but 3 former clients. So, I don't consider it a poor purchasing decision. I just felt that his pictures were 'standard' and generic. I went to his studio and looked through other wedding albums and feel better about our decision.

bereasonable2 · August 2013

soontobemrsbuccheri said:

Gordo2014 said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with bereasaonable. It sounds like you hired the amateur artist down the street and now you want him to paint like Michelangelo. There's a reason expensive photographers are expensive; they're probably better at it than photographers who are not.
I don't think there's anything wrong with going to your photgrapher and asking them if they can create a photo like this or a photo like that. And they can try and do the best they can and you get what you get.
But what you're really saying is that you don't like the work of the photographer you hired. It doesn't sound like he misrepresented himself; you failed to do your homework and now you're asking him to do things that he personally states are beyond his experience and maybe even his ability. Well it sounds pretty clear to me; you hired the wrong photographer for your needs and wants.
Don't vent about your photographer. Fret over the fact that you made a poor purchasing decision and see what you can do to change that without costing more money than necessary. But staying with a photographer that you alreadly know won't make you happy is certainly not the right approach no matter how much money it costs to get out.

I'm a little late checking out the responses on this post as I was busy with work and home life.

The photographer we hired has 40 something years of experience, but isn't into the whole "photojournalistic" vision that others are now getting. I have spoken with him numerous times and he is going to get the shots that I really want, especially some of the "out of the ordinary" ones that he hasn't done.

We didn't just go with whomever we wanted, we contacted numerous photographers (a total of 5 as I listed 3 in my OP - and contacted 2 others that weren't available for our day). We went with him due to the fact that he knows our families and got a nice gift for being referred by not one but 3 former clients. So, I don't consider it a poor purchasing decision. I just felt that his pictures were 'standard' and generic. I went to his studio and looked through other wedding albums and feel better about our decision.

Yeah, good luck with that. A photographer that has been doing things his way for 40 years isn't going to be able to just flip a switch and get the "out of the ordinary" ones that you want ESPECIALLY if he's never done them before.

Gordo2014 · August 2013

I agree. If you spent just 60 seconds looking through his gallery, you would have known that his photos were "standard and generic" and very specifically NOT what you were looking. But you hired him anyway because he had done work for the family; work that you later discovered to be bland and uninteresting. The issue is that you hired a photographer without looking at his work until AFTER you hired him. And now you want to "vent" on this board.

I don't mean to call you out on his, but let's call it what it is; an ill-informed purchasing decision on your part.

FutureMrsN3312 · August 2013

Gordo2014 said:

I agree. If you spent just 60 seconds looking through his gallery, you would have known that his photos were "standard and generic" and very specifically NOT what you were looking. But you hired him anyway because he had done work for the family; work that you later discovered to be bland and uninteresting. The issue is that you hired a photographer without looking at his work until AFTER you hired him. And now you want to "vent" on this board.
I don't mean to call you out on his, but let's call it what it is; an ill-informed purchasing decision on your part.

I have to agree. My FSIL hired a really nice photographer for her wedding last July. When he gave me his card I held on to it and checked out his website shortly after. All of his photos look the same. All the albums he shows on his website look the same. I didn't want our album to look just like hers. Nor did we want 1,000 posed pictures. I'm thankful we took 10mins to poke around his site. We knew after a few mins he was a nice guy but wasn't for us. I wouldn't hire someone hoping that they would shoot my pics the way I wanted them.

Good luck.

shannyb41 · August 2013

I understand that you want a specific type of photographer but it doesn't look like that's what you got. I know you had references but everyone has different taste. You saw his work and you're not happy with it. I don't think he should just agree with all of the pictures you want. If he knows its something he cannot do well I think it's actually nice that he's being pretty honest with you. I would be more upset if he would yes me to death and then the finished product is a mess.

You what a photographer with a more photo-journalistic edge...that is not this photographers style. He has 40 years of experience but its very different from what you want. I don't see a real reason to vent here. If you don't like the work he does then you can find someone else. There are hundreds of photographers out there. He may have given you a discount which is great...but is it worth it?

stk29251 · August 2013

I actually feel bad for bereasonables husband. You could could give your answered without being a jerk about it.

JoanE2012 · August 2013

soontobemrsbuccheri said:

Gordo2014 said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with bereasaonable. It sounds like you hired the amateur artist down the street and now you want him to paint like Michelangelo. There's a reason expensive photographers are expensive; they're probably better at it than photographers who are not.
I don't think there's anything wrong with going to your photgrapher and asking them if they can create a photo like this or a photo like that. And they can try and do the best they can and you get what you get.
But what you're really saying is that you don't like the work of the photographer you hired. It doesn't sound like he misrepresented himself; you failed to do your homework and now you're asking him to do things that he personally states are beyond his experience and maybe even his ability. Well it sounds pretty clear to me; you hired the wrong photographer for your needs and wants.
Don't vent about your photographer. Fret over the fact that you made a poor purchasing decision and see what you can do to change that without costing more money than necessary. But staying with a photographer that you alreadly know won't make you happy is certainly not the right approach no matter how much money it costs to get out.

I'm a little late checking out the responses on this post as I was busy with work and home life.

The photographer we hired has 40 something years of experience, but isn't into the whole "photojournalistic" vision that others are now getting. I have spoken with him numerous times and he is going to get the shots that I really want, especially some of the "out of the ordinary" ones that he hasn't done.

We didn't just go with whomever we wanted, we contacted numerous photographers (a total of 5 as I listed 3 in my OP - and contacted 2 others that weren't available for our day). We went with him due to the fact that he knows our families and got a nice gift for being referred by not one but 3 former clients. So, I don't consider it a poor purchasing decision. I just felt that his pictures were 'standard' and generic. I went to his studio and looked through other wedding albums and feel better about our decision.

Unfortunately, it was a poor decision based solely on recommendations and not viewing the end product before booking. I don't care how many people refer me to someone....I want to see their work first before I book.

Also curious....what kind of photos are considered "out of the ordinary"?

soontobemrsbuccheri · August 2013

Gordo2014 said:

I agree. If you spent just 60 seconds looking through his gallery, you would have known that his photos were "standard and generic" and very specifically NOT what you were looking. But you hired him anyway because he had done work for the family; work that you later discovered to be bland and uninteresting. The issue is that you hired a photographer without looking at his work until AFTER you hired him. And now you want to "vent" on this board.
I don't mean to call you out on his, but let's call it what it is; an ill-informed purchasing decision on your part.

Actually, you are wrong. We did sit down with him prior to booking and looked at his photos...At the time I liked the work, because A) I hadn't seen my sister-in-law's photo album and

I hadn't seen FSIL's album. After we booked him, we saw both of the albums and noticed that they were identical. Maybe it's because they both wanted the same kind of album and had chosen to put similar photos in it, but it looked "generic" to me. I returned to his studio, with out FI, to look at the more recent albums and I was pleasantly surprised by the albums and work. He even showed me a few pictures from a wedding he shot a few weeks prior to me coming back to the studio. I was surprised and have re-thought my decision of wanting a different photographer.

It was ill-formed decision....it was me over-reacting to "generic" looking albums and not fully seeing everything he had to offer, until after the fact.

stk29251 said:

I actually feel bad for bereasonables husband. You could could give your answered without being a jerk about it.

Thanks @stk29251 I couldn't agree more. I feel bad for her husband too. My FI thought she was a jerk with the response. But then again, you can't really have a correct "feel" for the tone of the response. It could have been taken many different ways, but with you and FI feeling the same about the jerk response, I guess you can say you're right.

) Thanks again!

shannyb41 said:

I understand that you want a specific type of photographer but it doesn't look like that's what you got. I know you had references but everyone has different taste. You saw his work and you're not happy with it. I don't think he should just agree with all of the pictures you want. If he knows its something he cannot do well I think it's actually nice that he's being pretty honest with you. I would be more upset if he would yes me to death and then the finished product is a mess.

You what a photographer with a more photo-journalistic edge...that is not this photographers style. He has 40 years of experience but its very different from what you want. I don't see a real reason to vent here. If you don't like the work he does then you can find someone else. There are hundreds of photographers out there. He may have given you a discount which is great...but is it worth it?

Actually, we saw some of his work, prior to booking. What I didn't see was the most recent, like with in the last 6 months, work. I have since gone back and what I saw has given me some reassurances. Thankfully. And yes, the discount is totally worth it - my fi's parents are divorced and his father has remarried....the package we got included 2 parents albums, so he threw in the 3rd for free, knocked off the $300.00 editing of photos fee, and knocked the if you have under x number of photos in your album you don't get all the photos clause. We'll be receiving ALL the photos. After visiting him, he is even throwing in our Engagement Photos for free (a package up to $1500) so I'm pretty happy now.

Gordo2014 · August 2013

Sooooo, not to take a preposterous thread that you began and make it even more presposterous . . . if you like his style, he is willing to shoot your wedding your way, he has 40 years experience, and he's giving you free this and free that . . . to quote your own title to this thread, what are you venting about? Sounds like you're actually happy with him and your deal and venting is not especially necessary . . . but you're doing it anyway? Hmmm, maybe it's your FI we should feel sorry for?

soontobemrsbuccheri · August 2013

Gordo2014 said:

Sooooo, not to take a preposterous thread that you began and make it even more presposterous . . . if you like his style, he is willing to shoot your wedding your way, he has 40 years experience, and he's giving you free this and free that . . . to quote your own title to this thread, what are you venting about? Sounds like you're actually happy with him and your deal and venting is not especially necessary . . . but you're doing it anyway? Hmmm, maybe it's your FI we should feel sorry for?

When I originally posted it, I was getting mixed responses from my photographer. Shortly after posting my OP, I went and sat down with my photographer and hashed everything out. My vent was just that, a vent and now I'm feeling better about it.

njdoxie · August 2013

Well I'm glad you're feeling better about things. I'm sure it will all work out.

Need to vent....photographer

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