The pictures are TERRIBLE!

Cortney1982

If any of you remember I had been concerned about ever receiving my photos.   The photographer has yet to give us our photos.  Long story short, we were able to obtain a file of the photos and now I know why she had been feeding us lies.  Most of the pictures are crap and the two most important photos to us are f-ing blurry.  Why she only got one each in is beyond me.  The first kiss as husband and wife, and walking back down the aisle (I forgot to take my bouquet back from MOH!)  I am beyond livid.  I can take better photos myself with my unfancy 9 year old 4 MP camera. 

Marrin713

Wow!  That's crazy.  I don't know much about photography, but I think I could have done better than these two.  I am so sorry.

ChristineNB

I am so sorry your pictures did not turn out.  Is there anyway you could see if someone more photo/tech savvy could try editing them to maybe make them a litle better?

walgrrl

OMG!  I am so sorry this happened to you!  If I were you, I would demand every penny back from that photographer!  No way should you have to pay for photos that bad.

HobokensFury

So sorry that happened to you.  Are there any decent ones? Have you asked your family and friends if they have any photos?

TaraMc728

I am sorry you are dealing with this.  I would be livid too.  I am no professional wedding photographer, but I could take better pictures than that.

Cortney1982

We didn't have many guests and I don't believe anybody had their camera out during the ceremony because we had a photographer.   My husband is going to ask some family members if they have anything. 

I just can't believe she couldn't check those photos during some time into the reception and saw that they didn't turn out and given us at least the opportunity to recreate them even though the at the moment feeling would have been gone.

There was only a handful of pictures that were acceptable.  My flower girl coming down the aisle was also blurry, and there was no photo taken of my MOH going down the aisle. 

Tough lessoned learned ladies.  Get a seasoned pro who has done a crap ton of weddings.

BostonGIrl4732

Did you hire a "professional" photographer?  Did you sign a contract?

If you hired a professional, you might be able to legally do something about it.  If they sell themselves as professionals, they should have professional equipment and should take quality photographs, something these pictures clearly are not.

Best of luck!

thejucheidea

Oh dear.

amberlopez2

I know they are bad. Try editing them to black and white photos, or sepia. I do alot of editing on  pictures, and it does make a differerence in 80% of the pictures. I am sorry that they did such a bad job of taking the pictures. I agree with the others, You should get every cent back. If they were a professional, you may even get more back.

If you still have you dress, you could take some "mock pictures" after the fact. I had some taken before the wedding already (my wedding is 3 weeks away), so that we will have less to take the day of.

[Deleted User]

I am so sorry you had this happen to you!  I hope some of your friends and family got some decent shots. 

Cortney1982

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_the-pictures-are-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:12Discussion:5da197c0-adab-4534-83f4-c50f0517a399Post:570ffe66-c436-4623-a4c0-b78f74d8d211">Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE!</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you hire a "professional" photographer?  Did you sign a contract? If you hired a professional, you might be able to legally do something about it.  If they sell themselves as professionals, they should have professional equipment and should take quality photographs, something these pictures clearly are not. Best of luck!
Posted by BostonGIrl4732[/QUOTE]

As far as professional goes, I know she has a Facebook page with her assumed business name.  I looked up the business name with our state, and it belongs to somebody else.  Obviously she is dumb and has not registered.  We didn't sign a contract, and as things progress (or in this case, not) I think it will come down to asking for some of the money back. 

Agh, even the group photos were bad.  Apparently nobody knew which direction to look or when the photos were being taken, and everybody was spread out too far.

smartlypretty

Oh jeez. Consider filing a claim in small claims court against her (you can do that even if she isn't a professional/doesn't own a business). If you take those photos to court, you ought to be able to get at least some of your money back. This is why small claims exist. You don't need a lawyer or anything, you just show up and explain the problem to the judge.

rlavach

Oh you poor thing. I would immediately ask for all of your money back, not just some. That is totally unacceptable. If they try to dodge you, then get the Better Business Bureau involved. File a complaint & they are usually quick in following up. Hopefully you won’t have to bring it to small claims court, but like PP said, it’s there if you have to. I’d also do a trash the dress session, with a reputable photographer, so that you can get some good shots. It may not be the same, but it’s the best that you can do right now. I hope you get your money back!

LMaines83

We had a similar problem with our [Knot-referred] photographer. I was devatstated, but someone suggested that I create a Shutterfly account and invite my wedding guests to be members - they can post their photos, videos, etc. Maybe someone snapped a great shot of you walking down the aisle using their iPhone, or got that perfect unobstructed view of your first kiss with your husband (anything is better than the one taken by your so-called photog!) I even had guests that forgot they had taken pictures until I sent them the Shutterfly e-mail request, so it ended up being quite a helpful!

thejucheidea

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_the-pictures-are-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:12Discussion:5da197c0-adab-4534-83f4-c50f0517a399Post:e2ca5c64-c2b0-4c3c-b922-86c9cdec4724">Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE! : We didn't sign a contract, and as things progress (or in this case, not) I think it will come down to asking for some of the money back.
Posted by Cortney1982[/QUOTE]

Wait, why wasn't a contract signed? I thought that these things required contracts?

JoanE2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_the-pictures-are-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:12Discussion:5da197c0-adab-4534-83f4-c50f0517a399Post:e2ca5c64-c2b0-4c3c-b922-86c9cdec4724">Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE! : <strong>As far as professional goes, I know she has a Facebook page with her assumed business name.</strong>  I looked up the business name with our state, and it belongs to somebody else.  Obviously she is dumb and has not registered.  <strong>We didn't sign a contract</strong>, and as things progress (or in this case, not) I think it will come down to asking for some of the money back.  Agh, even the group photos were bad.  Apparently nobody knew which direction to look or when the photos were being taken, and everybody was spread out too far.
Posted by Cortney1982[/QUOTE]

I'm so sorry this happened to you.  But why wasn't a contract signed?  Also, FB doesn't = professional. 

Scaponigro

This really sucks but I would get right back in my dress, hire a professional reliable photographer and get my new husband and go out and take some great shots. Run around and have a blast with it. You can even get some fun unusual ones. This is in addition to getting your money back from your previous photographer like the nice ladies above me have mentioned.

MrsKathyC

I feel your pain.  I had a crappy photog as well!    I would contact her asap about getting some or all of your money back.  Next, I would write a review on every site I could think of where an upcoming bride might see it!  It's too late for us, we can't do our weddings over, but we can warn other brides!

RailWayWife

OMG I am so sorry. I would be so upet if this happened to me. I hope your family will come up with some pictures for you...

Cortney1982

We didn't have a contract.  I don't think we had a contract for 1 single thing related to our wedding.  Just quotes, receipts, etc.  Anyways, it was discussed before the wedding that we were to get all the original photographs, unedited as we were told she has the tendency to over edit. 

We didn't pay that much, but sheesh, we really only have 10 great shots.  I don't know a ton about photography but one of the big problems seems to be that she took the photos from too great of a distance because I cannot zoom in the photos so you can actually see facial expressions and crop without them being too blurry.  For some of our group shots she must have been 30 feet away from us.  I was going to say something, but I thought she knew what she was doing.

I don't think I'd be this upset if she came clean about the crappy job she did right away, apologized, fixed up the photos the best she could, and offered us a second chance at getting in photos.

We won't end up taking her to small claims.  We live in a small town and my husband knows a lot of people.  Word gets around, she will not be getting work much longer.

annieoldfield

Did you not see her portfolio before deciding to go with her? Like what sold you on this particular photographer? The price must had been ridiculously cheap. 

rlavach

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_the-pictures-are-terrible?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:12Discussion:5da197c0-adab-4534-83f4-c50f0517a399Post:adc0a2ae-7e56-4b7d-8d53-ffb931e606d9">Re: The pictures are TERRIBLE!</a>:
[QUOTE]We didn't have a contract.  I don't think we had a contract for 1 single thing related to our wedding.  Just quotes, receipts, etc.  Anyways, it was discussed before the wedding that we were to get all the original photographs, unedited as we were told she has the tendency to over edit.  We didn't pay that much, but sheesh, we really only have 10 great shots.  I don't know a ton about photography but one of the big problems seems to be that she took the photos from too great of a distance because I cannot zoom in the photos so you can actually see facial expressions and crop without them being too blurry.  For some of our group shots she must have been 30 feet away from us.  I was going to say something, but I thought she knew what she was doing. I don't think I'd be this upset if she came clean about the crappy job she did right away, apologized, fixed up the photos the best she could, and offered us a second chance at getting in photos. We won't end up taking her to small claims.  We live in a small town and my husband knows a lot of people.  Word gets around, she will not be getting work much longer.
Posted by Cortney1982[/QUOTE]
<p><span style="font-size:9pt;background-color:white;">Wow, no contracts for any of your vendors? Well, it’s done now, so doesn’t really matter. Going with a photographer who is known for ‘over editing’ may not have been the best choice. The photography sucks because the photographer is inexperienced. They don’t have to be up close to get good shots. They can be 50 feet away, but if they have a high quality camera and knowledge on the subject, they can make it look like they are 2 feet away. My photographer stayed at the back of the church for the majority of the ceremony, yet it looks like he was right next to us in most of the shots. </span></p> <span style="font-size:9pt;background-color:white;">In a small town, you’re probably right that word will get around quickly & likely slow down her work. I’d still try to get the money back. She didn’t live up to her side of the bargain. It’s worth a shot. You can’t take her to small claims court because you don’t have a contract & verbal contracts are very hard to prove. At least try for some of the money back & then use it for a trash the dress session. Better than nothing. </span>

mattycam

I would seek some reimbursement as well. So sorry that this happened.

CaptKDB

 That sucks, but if it makes you feel any better, our photographer didn't even bother to show up to our wedding. We had hired a wedding planner who was in charge of all of this. Found out the photographer slept through our wedding. We did get our money back and got a free "Trash the Dress" photo session that I don't think we'll do because I love my dress. 

 The thing that saved the day?? All of our friends and family that took pictures. 

flower_diva

so sorry,I tell my brides that the photographer is not someone you should look for a bargin with. And get referals from your friends and family. and by all means ask to see their portfolio.  I have fun into a few problems with people using images of my work and presenting it as theirs. There are somethings that will be in your pictures for ever, so don't scrimp please.And I say this from experience. My dad had a friend who "did" photography. He missed the picture of my dad and I walking down the aisle....and since our church did not allow cameras other than his....I have no pictures of this.

KimbyK

I am a graphic designer. These CAN be fixed by finding a graphic designer / photo imaging specialist! However, it will cost a lot of money. Talk to the photographer, and either have them pay for the photo editing or have them refund whatever you paid them. Hope this helps you!

KimbyK

I am a graphic designer. These CAN be fixed by finding a graphic designer / photo imaging specialist! However, it will cost a lot of money. Talk to the photographer, and either have them pay for the photo editing or have them refund whatever you paid them. Hope this helps you!

mabrown5

A similar thing happened to my friend with her photos. My suggestion is to try to get your money back. Once you do that, I would go to another photographer and ask them about recreating some of the pictures. My friend did this and the new photographer took immediate family, bridal party (those who could make it) and bride/groom pictures for 1/4th of her typical fee. The hall they got married in and the pastor were super nice and let them use the space for free. They were able to recreate almost all of the pictures. I know this isn't ideal and doesn't make up for what has happened but you may be able to have some pictures this way.

pomundson0

Photography is a huge hobby of mine, and from seeing just those few, I really question how long this person had been behind a camera.  By all means try to get ALL your money back.  I really hope the guests you had were able to capture your special moments even if you didn't know they were taking pics  Had you used this person before or how did you find them? I wish you luck, hearing stories like this always make me cringe

brommel

A)  Get your money back, or at least a portion of it

 It is against the law for her to operate without a business license - there are actions you can take to make sure you are awarded your money, or at least a fraction of it ... it would also most likely guarantee that she pay a fine, bring her into some trouble with tax evasion (if she is earning money and not claiming it), etc.

The very least she could do, is edit whatever pictures are salvageable for free, or offer you a 'trash the dress' or 're-do' session with unedited pictures to be downloaded onto your computer the same day.