How long should it take to get my photos?

clarestone

I need some advice. I was married in November 2011. We hired an amazing, very well known photographer and paid about 6k for her services, including her second shooter and photo book. We got to see our 1,500 photos about a month after the wedding and the pictures are amazing! Only issue is it will be 6 months until we get the disk of pictures. This is in our contract, and when I signed it, I had no idea that this was not standard. It seems like a long time to wait. The only way to get photos now is to buy them off of the hosting site she uses, and she makes a profit from every sale. I think this is awful, but again, its in our contract. Also, when we met with her before booking, we looked at a gorgeous photobook of a wedding. The package we bought included a photo book, which i assumed was of the wedding, but as it turns out, was of the engagement shoot. I am disappointed as we looked at a wedding album, but when I reviewed  the contract, it did say engagement album, so i'm stuck there. The only way to get the disk earlier is if we purchase a wedding album for an additional $500. I wish I had not been blinded by excitement when we booked her. I guess my question is if the 6 months is reasonable or not. It's been two months but I cant imagine waiting another 4! Again, engagment photos and wedding photos are amazing, but I feel a little taken advantage of on the business end. Thoughs?

atomicphoto

It varies from photographer to photographer, and if it was all in your contract it is not like they lied to you about anything, so i definitely would not say you were taken advantage of in the slightest. As you said, you were just "blinded by the excitement" and didn't notice the specifics. There are photographers that do not release digital negatives up to one year later, there is no normal, this is all based on the photographers business model.

Also, you have to realize that up until recently couples never got their negatives (digital or film), this was unheard of in the business. In the days of film (only a decade or so ago) it would cost you thousands, yes THOUSANDS, to buy your negatives from your wedding photographer. Since buying the negatives was buying rights to the images and also buying away that photographers livelyhood. Whether you get a disc or not, photographers are still dependent on the print and album sales after the wedding to keep their business a float and still afford to survive themselves. 

I don't think your photographer is out to screw you, I think they are just trying to run a business. In doing so they have decided upon a business structure and are sticking to it. The good news is that a lot of photographers manage to get their disks out earlier than their contracts state. So just be patient and you will have them before you know it. 

atomicphoto

[QUOTE]The only way to get photos now is to buy them off of the hosting site she uses, and she makes a profit from every sale. I think this is awful, but again, its in our contract. [/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Also, this is an absurd way to look at it.. thinking that its awful that the photographer dare make a profit. You do realize that every store you have ever shopped at makes a profit on everything that you buy. This is how ALL business' work. If a business did not make a profit. They would go out of business really fast. 

</div>

photogbride12

Every photographer has different business practices. I know of many who do business this way - I even know some who don't give the disc until one year after the wedding or don't give a disc at all and only sell prints. You're not being taken advantage of, you just chose a photographer who might not have business structure that matches up with what you wanted but you agreed to everything and it's all laid out in the contract so there's really nothing you can do but wait a few more months. A photographer has the right to make money from print sales and giving a disc right away greatly reduces the chances they'll sell any prints. It's just business.

toothpastechica

Depending on the rest of her life 6 months may or may not be reasonable (our engagment photos took 2 months to get back to us during wedding season and that was not nearly as many shots as a wedding would be), if she has put it in the contract that way it may be because she leads a busy life (and does lots of weddings so is pressed for time to edit), and had given herself more time because of it. Either way if thats what is in the contract...you signed it so reasonable or not, it was your choice. I beleive our photographers have said 8-10 weeks, but they are not "high end photographers" so are not that busy even though they take amazing pictures.  

angybanez

With 1500 images...imagine multiplying that with her other clients prior to your wedding. It does take a long while to edit photographs, plus getting to the event to even start editing it. If there were 5 weddings before yours, plus the photographer doing in between sessions for portraits, then a few months could be reasonable. My sister got her pictures and album about a year later. 6 months is a breeze compared to her lol. Another friend got her pictures in 4 months. If your contract specified a time frame then the photographer will abide by that time frame. If they go over then see if you can get a discount on a future album or something...although unlikely since many photographers may not be willing to do that. Best of luck and hope you get your pictures sooner!

Heater2010

I think it depends on what she's planning on doing with them.  Are they already edited or were they just all the shots and she still needs to work on it?

But like the above replies said...because you signed a contract, you can't go against it unless she violates it in any way.

However, I do understand the agony of waiting...it has been 6 months for me, the pictures have been done since October and he keeps saying he'll send me the pictures but doesn't.  My problem is...I hired my cousin because he cut me a deal and he does a nice job.  Totally regret my decision, but it's frustrating nontheless.

Nomer

This is weird to me. She is obviously done editing your pictures- since you've seen them. It sounds like she is just trying to get some more money on print orders by making you wait. It is in the contract so it isn't exactly sneaky of her but I would just give a detailed review on weddingwire and some other sites cautioning other brides about her "tactics". Then, when you get the disk of photos you can make your own wedding album for cheaper than the $500 she wants to charge you (which actually isn't that much considering she charge you $6K for the photography WITHOUT a wedding album).

cliffordmatheson

Various photographers have different business models. Some like to make all their money on their labor and very little on the pictures. Others make most of their money on the picture orders, reprint orders and book orders.  you have learned that you need to read your contract very carefully before signing and if there is anything in there that doesn’t suit you, discuss or negotiate different terms before ratifying a contract.  You didn’t state whether your contract included "editing" and "retouching" of images.  Six months is somewhat longer than the average but there are certainly some photographers that take a year.  Clearly your photographer's business model includes making some profit from the picture sales.  Their thinking is that after six months, all efforts to make picture sales will be stale and you might as well have the images at that point.  Some photographers will never let you have the full resolution images.  It seems you just have to wait it out.  I am a successful full-time videographer in the DC area and after hundreds of events; I feel I am qualified to offer this advice.