bad photographer

Thanks guys! Yeh I am thinking the same that she doesn't even have the pics. But then I want my money back. When we were at the small claim an restraining order court...she kept saying ...oohh Jarka will get both, money and pictures. lol lol .....nothing. that was in February. Never mind. I just have to get something back.

Spend the money and lawyer up. Review everywhere she is. Get together with the other couples and contact a new station who does stories on bad business practices, like a "Watch Dog" type of newscast. But first send a certified letter that states exactly what you want and when, what the repercussions are, a copy of your contract, then follow through. This will be exhausting but I think it's the only way you'll get her to take you seriously.

I mean if it makes you feel better, I have no clue in the world why someone would still hire this woman. When you Google just her name a bunch of scam information and court document come up first for her business. Best of luck, but I think you did a great good job for others.

Thank you! Back to it

I'd be fearing that something happened to them.

Well we found her online...she had good reviews back then... and she did our engagement pictures too. which was ok and she was fun to work with. so I decided to hire her. ;( ....who knew that it will turn like this. thank you guys...I will continue ....

Lawyer up, local media, and ripoffreport.com for starters....I'm sorry, but I'm with the others that she may not have them...so shitty. I'd be latching on like a pit bull, keep us posted.

I second the local media. In Orlando there was a wedding planner who stole $50k+ from several different couples and it wasn't until the news got involved that she started cooperating.

Thank you all. I know.. I am thinking she doesnt have them but act like a professional. Say I am sorry and return the money. That's that easy.

Did you have wedding insurance? Not just liability for the venue. If so file a claim. If you paid by credit card, dispute the charge.

You need to now take legal action

Hi! Professional Photographer here, and I have a different opinion, and I hope some helpful advice.

If she's doing this to 7 other people that you've found, it sounds more likely that she DOES have the pictures, but got overwhelmed with too much work, and is WAY behind in editing.

That's a common mistake for newer people who take on jobs at too low a cost (another reason to go with a photographer that charges a regular price of at least 2,500 (that's at least in the LA area, maybe more or less other places).

So here's my advice on things to try BEFORE contacting a lawyer or persuing legal action.

1- OFFER HELP

I would start by saying you've been thinking a lot about what's been going on, and instead of being angry, you would like to know if there is anything you can do to help.

Ask would she be open to your helping to pay for an outside photo editor or editing service to help her finish this particular set of photos?

Mention that you've been told they cost around $300 and could help save her a tremendous amount of work.

Ask if that could be helpful to help her get the images edited to her specifications correctly and alleviate that work! (notice very carefully how I'm phrasing that... you want to specify that it will be done to her specifications... if she goes this route, feel free to contact me with a message through here, or my website and I'd be happy to give you a few services to recommend. )

2- SPECIFY COMMUNICATION

Say that you've thought long and hard and the most important thing to you isn't to hold on to the past, but to have communication about what she's been going through to get the photos done, and what can be done to help the process.

3- OFFER LOWERED EXPECTATIONS!

Ask if will help to only deliver a simple edit on the photos of ONLY basic color adjustments and contrast?

Tell her you don't need any fancy filters, or special adjustments on the photos, and you would be more than happy with just the basic adjustments, and don't expect anything more than that. You can even offer if that's below what she normally delivers you'd be happy to sign a document that would specify you couldn't represent these images as her work so she wouldn't have to worry about having her name attached to something below her standards.

If she's a perfectionist, then lowering expectations could help her deliver photos sooner, and not have to worry about a seemingly exhausting quality control (for someone having trouble doing lots of edits).

The most important thing here is opening a line of communication and at least trying the "honey" approach.

Photographers that start to get big often get overwhelmed. It's a tough transition time. Being a friendly understanding person can POSSIBLY help.

If this stuff fails, I'd recommend going the lawyer route, but paying for an editor will probably end up being a lot cheaper.

Does this help? and would it be all right if I asked how much you paid originally and for how many hours?

Hi Josh...thank you! Well we did all of that. On the beginning of this...I offered her help with editing. I am not professional but I would love to learn. Then I offered 300$ extra and then all of us just want " raw" pictures. She told us few times that the pictures are ready to pick up and when it came to it...nothing. she also said she has friend photographer helping her and the pictures will be done for everybody on the end of March ( i believe) then it was April.....and nothing. People are offering her help, but she doesn't want to accept it. About the price....it was 2500$ I think for 10h.

She keeps telling us that we will get our photos that she is working on people before us. But when you look at her reviews there is some Sarah who got married in November last year ( we did in July) and she already has her pictures! So what that means?

Jenka, so sorry for what you're going through!

Let me give you a little insight that might help (although it might be time to get a lawyer... but this might help anyway).

When an amateur client offers a photographer to edit the photos for them, or to just take the raw files, it actually doesn't feel helpful to the photographer. Let me explain... and offer a better approach.

A photographer is judged on the final quality of their work. If you send out unedited files, people get upset. And RAW files are usually considered things you don't want to send out both because theey don't look good without editing, AND they contain all your details about how you shot the photos (ISO, Aperture, Shutter, etc...).

Since sending unedited photos usually results in negative judgements, the offer to take unedited photos or RAW files, and then edit them yourself, would also be bad for the photographer because there's a lot of tricky things to getting photos right that an amateur wouldn't know, and could make the photos look bad.

I, and most photographers I know, actually restrict editing of our photos in our contract! specifically so people can't throw filters on the shots that they think are cool (which are usually trendy and can ruin the photo quality and represent it as our work.).

INSTEAD that's why I specified offering to pay for a professional editor or editing service to edit them to her specifications. This way she knows they will be edited correctly, AND she wouldn't have to do it.

Does that make sense now as to why I specified it that way?

Review her everywhere, multiple times if they let you. Get a lawyer with the 7 others who are in this situation with you (pool money together if cost is an issue). Go to the media. Take turns waiting near her office and warning people even. Report her to the business bureau. She has to return your money if she doesn't have your pictures. I'm sorry you had to go through this. I hope it works out. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

Josh, this situation is way beyond any of that. It sounds like she is clearly just taking people's money. She filed a restraining order and has given no compensation even after being taken to small claims court. She broke her own contract and at this point it's theft plain and simple. I don't understand why as a professional you are justifying this behavior. Amateur or not it's on her to provide the product or compensation or both.

As to why she delivered photos for the november wedding before yours, there's a few explanations that would apply (not that anything makes it acceptable).

When someone gets behind in editing they could try to kick out weddings as they come up so they don't get FURTHER behind.

Or the november wedding could be smaller (only a few hours?) and easier to edit, so she kicked it out first.

In either case it is a good sign that she's delivering weddings, she just sounds totally overwhelmed.

If she was trying to get your photos edited just a month or two ago, I would try a few of the things I mentioned above, and I absolutely would not mention a lawyer, even with threats, until after you have one.

The not mentioning lawyers is advice I got from a lawyer, because when that happens, people get threatened, and retreat, which is what you would like to avoid unless it's unavoidable.

In the meantime I would try sending messages once every two weeks, asking for an update. Say that you would understand (to keep the pressure off), but would just appreciate understanding the status. Specify that what's confusing isn't that there's no photos yet, but that you feel lost not understanding where the images aren't in the process, or not getting any communication the last 2 months.

Basically I'm trying to offer ways to take the pressure off her, so she can feel she can communicate. Once she starts talking, she'll probably feel more obligated to meet her own deadlines.

Thanks Josh I totally understand. I hope You are right. It's just weird that she doesn't show any sign of trying. One girl had wedding in june last year and last time she talked to her was august last year! And she also doesn't reply to the other girls as much . It's just weird.

@lucio@Last

You're absolutely right. This photographer is not acting like a professional AT ALL.

At the same time, remember the goal here is for the OP to get her photos. That's my primary concern and I'm giving tips on how to deal with a photographer directly when the photographer is obviously overwhelmed and struggling delivering edits...

I am in NO WAY justifying this behavior AT ALL. I'm giving tips that I've seen work in other cases for the sole purpose of getting the photos.

You say this woman is "just taking people's money" but that's not true. The OP has said she's delivered other weddings since her wedding. That means she's doing some edits, just obviously in over her head in a backlog of weddings.

Based on that, I'm trying to offer ways I've seen work to deal with deadbeat photographers. (of which I think horrible things), so the OP can try some different techniques in getting her photos.

Notice, I'm not saying she SHOULDN'T get a lawyer! I'm saying to not mention it to the photographer when talking with them.

Get a lawyer. Start getting advice. Be ready to sue.

In the meantime here's a bunch of techniques I've seen work when trying to talk to deadbeat photographers, which it sounds like the OP has.