Major Disapointment with Wedding Photographer, what to do?!

shanliann

We got married last year, just got our disc from our photographer since we did a payment plan and I am completely 100% disappointed. We paid over $2,000 and I feel like the quality is maybe $600-$800. They look very un-professional. A lot of them look like, something you could easily take with your cell phone. There are a lot of shots I feel are missing and the "posed" shots are not posed. They are just people standing next to each other. And the group family picture of hubby's side of the family, there is a glass elevator in the background and you can see a big light reflection from his lights In the glass. It looks like a ufo floating over my sister in laws head. lol. I thought about posting them but I didn't want to bore you with my wedding pics.

 

My question is, how did others in this situation deal with us and move past it? Should I send the photographer an email just to voice my concerns, to prevent other brides from feeling the way I'm feeling? Obviously not much I can do since the day is long gone.

 

Just really disappointed and looking for some advice.

 

Thanks ladies!

itzMS

shanliann said:

We got married last year, just got our disc from our photographer since we did a payment plan and I am completely 100% disappointed. We paid over $2,000 and I feel like the quality is maybe $600-$800. They look very un-professional. A lot of them look like, something you could easily take with your cell phone. There are a lot of shots I feel are missing and the "posed" shots are not posed. They are just people standing next to each other. And the group family picture of hubby's side of the family, there is a glass elevator in the background and you can see a big light reflection from his lights In the glass. It looks like a ufo floating over my sister in laws head. lol. I thought about posting them but I didn't want to bore you with my wedding pics.

 

My question is, how did others in this situation deal with us and move past it? Should I send the photographer an email just to voice my concerns, to prevent other brides from feeling the way I'm feeling? Obviously not much I can do since the day is long gone.

 

Just really disappointed and looking for some advice.

 

Thanks ladies!

I'm fairly positive that a lot of photographers give a disk of "un retouched" photos.

This is the incentive to order prints for the retouching.

Can you call the photographer and ask if these are the retouched images?

shanliann

He posted the album on his website, and had me go through and make  list of what edits I wanted(which ones I wanted black and white, etc) and then said he would edit all the others as needed and then burn the disc. I'm pretty sure getting anything else out of this guy is not going to happen. He didn't even do all the edits I asked for.....

manateehugger

What does your contract say? Are there details in it about edited versus unedited photos?

shanliann

It does not. His company provided DJ and Photography Service and the majority of the contract is about the DJ Service.

 

I don't even know if editing them or retouching them would help.

Dreamergirl8812

@shanliann - what company did you use?

Ajuliana

There was a girl once who wanted to take her photographer to small claims court and ruin his life.

But that wasn't about actual wedding pictures, just of a pretend wedding three years after they actually got married after saying they were not married yet to every single person they knew including their families.

Dreamergirl8812

Ajuliana said:

There was a girl once who wanted to take her photographer to small claims court and ruin his life. But that wasn't about actual wedding pictures, just of a pretend wedding three years after they actually got married after saying they were not married yet to every single person they knew including their families.

^^^ I remember that. Ridiculous.

shanliann

It was a local guy. He is well known radio dj who has also done dj service on the side. Then about a year before our wedding he added on phototgraphy service.

 

I'm sitting at work looking more and more over the pictures and thinking of everything and I just want to be sick. This really sucks. I just don't know what, if anything I can even do. The wedding is obviously over. Even if we offered to refund us, as great as it would be, it still wouldn't solve the problem of the pictures being  just....s%&t.

 

 

shanliann

my best friend, was my maid of honor. only wedding party we had was maid of honor, best man. There is 1 picture of me and her and we are literally standing next to each other. like we look like complete strangers, awkwardly standing in the same picture.

Ajuliana

Look...it sucks. It really does. That ship has sailed. But did you marry the man you love?

If your answer is yes, then your wedding was a success.

melbelleup

shanliann said:

We got married last year, just got our disc from our photographer since we did a payment plan and I am completely 100% disappointed. We paid over $2,000 and I feel like the quality is maybe $600-$800. They look very un-professional. A lot of them look like, something you could easily take with your cell phone. There are a lot of shots I feel are missing and the "posed" shots are not posed. They are just people standing next to each other. And the group family picture of hubby's side of the family, there is a glass elevator in the background and you can see a big light reflection from his lights In the glass. It looks like a ufo floating over my sister in laws head. lol. I thought about posting them but I didn't want to bore you with my wedding pics.

 

My question is, how did others in this situation deal with us and move past it? Should I send the photographer an email just to voice my concerns, to prevent other brides from feeling the way I'm feeling? Obviously not much I can do since the day is long gone.

 

Just really disappointed and looking for some advice.

 

Thanks ladies!

Read your contract. Mine has a policy where once I get my photos I have 30 days to voice my concerns about them, where if they can't do anything to fix them will give you some of the money back.

melbelleup

It does not. His company provided DJ and Photography Service and the majority of the contract is about the DJ Service.

 

I don't even know if editing them or retouching them would help.

Stuck in the box... Does he have a website that lists the details of the photography package? Did you see their work prior to choosing them?? Do they have a portfolio online?? thank god I keep track of everything in my packages in print outs in a binder. This is where that would of helped you. If their portfolio shows better work online than what you received you might be able to fight for your money.

melbelleup

double posted.. and still stuck in the box.

Teddy917

Write a review

itzMS

shanliann said:

my best friend, was my maid of honor. only wedding party we had was maid of honor, best man. There is 1 picture of me and her and we are literally standing next to each other. like we look like complete strangers, awkwardly standing in the same picture.

Okay, but your photographer...no matter how good he is...can't force you to pose like you look like BFF supermodels.

I hired one of the best and most expensive photographers in my city...and even she didn't tell me how to smile or look like I liked my bridemaids...

If he was giving you pictures where your eyes are closed or you're picking your nose...then I'd be concerned.

shanliann

He didn't have anything that showed packages, he pretty much just made up packages for each customer. Our package was directed more so at having the disc then having prints, I've seen where other customers of his have been getting a lot of prints.

 

Yes we went to his studio and saw his work, work from one or 2 weddings as well as family, senior portraits etc.

 

He does have a website that has different albums from different customers.

 

I'm not saying we wanted to look like supermodels but we were not posed at all. We were just literally standing there. My aunt took a picture of my moh and I before the ceremony and I is better posed!!

 

And I personally don't think it is ok that there is only 1 picture of me and my moh. If he had taken more then 1, I probably wouldn't care so much that this one looks so terrible, because I'd have others to chose from. I've seen a lot of peoples wedding pictures and never has there been just one of the girls wedding party.

 

Also there is not even one of the hubby and his best man. again, his best friend, the only person on his side in the wedding.

 

I'm going to post a couple examples of what im talking about. I hope that is ok.

shanliann

This is the one im talking about of me and my moh.

shanliann

surely a professional photographer would have noticed the mirror hanging there, right?!

lizpanjian

You should never have gotten a picture with the photographer in the mirror.  That is ridiculous!!  Does he not own Photoshop?

JoanE2012

shanliann said:

surely a professional photographer would have noticed the mirror hanging there, right?!

That camera looks like the kind everyone has....I would expect much better from a professional photographer.  

WinstonsGirl

I know you're not happy with it, but personally, I really like the one you just posted of you and your MOH.  I like the different angle you are both at, and I think you both look so pretty and happy in it.  But I agree that I'd be pissed with only 1 photo of myself and my MOH (I also had only a MOH).  

The one with him in the mirror is kind of awkward.  What does your contract say??  If you do want anything to happen with this, you need to get on it now.  You can't come back at him in the future and ask for it to be fixed.  

shanliann

Thank you guys for making me feel not so crazy for the quality of these.

 

The one of me and my maid of honor I don't hate, Its just average. Certainly not something I want to hang a 16X20 of.

 

The contract hardly says anything about the photography service, it's more worded about the dj service. I have it digitally if you want me to upload it on here.

shanliann

Just for comparison sake, this is the one my aunt took of me and my moh. with her phone.  obviously between the 2 you can see that this is the one I will be framing

marshmallow1982

it sounds like maybe he's not a professional photographer, just a DJ who has added on photography to his services, so many people are doing this now with no qualifications

I would make a complaint and see what his response is. Perhaps you will get some of your money back

ZeroOrchestra

FWIW, you said these pics are unedited. How many pics were there total? Our photog did a blog "preview" and you can see the second shooter in the background of the walking down the aisle shot, and when we received our disc he was edited out. There was also a giant mirror behind our cake and in one of the shots you can see the camera in it, then there is another right after in which he adjusted his position probably after realizing the mistake.

As far as poses, you were probably more relaxed in the candid shot taken by a family member. Unless you have the photog a list of pics you wanted, he probably made the rounds of "must-haves" and used his own discretion for the rest. It would have been ideal to have another shot or two of you and MOH, but there is not too much that can be done about it now.

If you feel badly about it, let him know what you are disappointed with, maybe you'll get a little discount or something. At least he will know and take these things into consideration in the future.

Jame1987

I'm Sorry that your photos turned  out that bad however I do agree with the previous posts that he simply sounds like a DJ that just added on photography as a new revenue route. Personally I would never consider combining the two simply because I would want pictures of people dancing and things and how is a DJ/photag going to pull double duty?  However what's done is done, was the $2000 for just the photographer portion of for the DJ/Photag package? If it for the package he may argue that it is just a bonus for the photos however if it was seperate you could complain and seek some type of compensation.    Another Idea is to do a phot shoot on your 1st or 5th anniversary in wedding attire as a "redo" one of my Photographer friends has had a real increase in these types of shoots.

WonderRed

I'm curious what the cost would have been for just DJ services.  I can't comment on the quality of the pictures vs. what you paid without knowing how much extra the photo part was. If the DJ part was $1500 and the photo's $500 extra I, unfortunately, think you got what you paid for. If the DJ part was $500 and the photos $1500, that would be a whole different story.

Regardless, I'm really sorry you aren't happy with how the pictures came out.  Your wedding day memories can't be properly documented by someone refunding your money and that just sucks.

shanliann

In total we paid him almost 4,000.
See why I'm angry. Lol

WonderRed

shanliann said:

In total we paid him almost 4,000. See why I'm angry. Lol

Ugh, ok.  I missed that.  Yeah then you have every right to be pissed as hell.

climbingsingle

WonderRed said:

shanliann said:

In total we paid him almost 4,000. See why I'm angry. Lol

Ugh, ok.  I missed that.  Yeah then you have every right to be pissed as hell.

This. I would be furious.