Disappointing wedding photos

Wowwwwww did you research the company before you paid them? I would be pissed!!!!! There's two things you dont go cheap on. Photography and DJ. They don't sound like they were professionals.

Thanks MNA, yes that's what I was getting at. Not that a client should have to ask all those questions about how they do their jobs....but at least being very familiar with their process, overall accountability, what steps they take to protect your interest etc....all comes into play and there is a lot about a photographer you can ascertain by learning their processes. (You can even do this with organic conversation rather than scripted lists of questions.)

We hired her based on her beautiful portfolios online and physical shots we saw from past brides she shot with. (yes, I scheduled several sit downs with past brides, two of whom are friends of mine)

Unfortunately, our photos were nothing like the high quality we were expecting based on her previous work. The getting ready shots prior to her battery dying were nice, but, not central to the day. The shots at our venue were just terrible - and the venue was absolutely stunning. There was no reason for bad pictures. Beautiful day, etc.

I'm not sure if this mishap truly made her anxious and she was not able to do her job and recover from it. I can only imagine it was as humiliating for her as anxiety producing as it was for us.

And yes, I am aware of what questions to ask. I know most brides are new at wedding planning and are not sure which questions to ask, but I am never one to be unprepared. I sent the list of questions to our planner prior to our meeting with the photographer and she added accordingly the questions you all have suggested (knowing which questions to ask re: equipment, malfunctions, etc). I recorded our meeting and sent it to our planner who then suggested follow up questions. I am obnoxiously Type A and organized, which is why when this happened... I literally had no idea what to do! I obviously appreciate all of the advice, but I do know that I did my homework, which is why this is so frustrating for us!

That LOL language protects the photographer to just her fees and prevents the bride/groom for suing for other damages. What % of the photo's meet the quality and expectations you were shown in her portfolio? That is the percentage I would suggest you counter as the final cost/refund due.

It won't bring back that day - so I would consider what PP's have suggested and get dressed up again and get some portraits done. I don't know if I'd trust her to shoot them.

She had to have known she was delivering you sub par work - and yet she didn't step up and say I don't feel right charging you. That sucks... and I'm so sorry you are dealing with that.

BUT...unexpected occurrences happen at weddings. Granted, this SHOULDN'T have....but that's part of the job. Don't let it take your eye off the ball. She crumbled after that, I agree. From an emotional standpoint I agree with you, a partial refund for unused time doesn't cut it....from a legal standpoint, that may be all you can do, because quality of work and all that is then left up to interpretation of the court if it has to go there. If she offers to settle for that, I'd consider taking it, and still leaving reviews that reflect your experience.

@Meghan: As I said before, she had a brand new and unfamiliar to her camera to work with from that point forward.

Cameras are not all the same. Each one has quirks and she already had her old camera calibrated to how she shoots. She didn't have time to do that with the new one. She was unprepared.

You hired an amateur professional photographer. That's just the bottom line. Lots of people can produce beautiful photos, but it sounds like she didn't do much editing (one mark of an amateur photographer), she had no backup plan in case of equipment issues (mark #2), she got flustered and anxious when the issue happened (#3), I could go on and on.

Your best bet is to get a refund (the issues were very obviously on her) and find a reputable photographer to take some bridals. It sucks, yes, but you can't just go off of portfolios and prior work, you need to ask the relevant questions, and it sounds like you didn't.

If you have high resolution files, perhaps something can be done in Lightroom or Photoshop to make them a bit less painful. Hard to say without seeing. Not sure if she did anything to them already.

Agreed on knowing equipment....I shoot with rangefinders, 2 bodies and prime lenses....mirrorless cameras eat batteries in comparison to DSLR bodies....I have 2 for each body I keep in my side pouch when shooting, plus 6 extras and I swap out at dinner break. I'd be sick knowing I took on someone's wedding without that prep work being done.

Thank you everyone for the advice. We will see if we can work something out with her refund wise, it seems like we should be able to. A special thank you to the vendor, Jay Farrell Photography - we will see if adjustments can be made to make the photos look more bearable!

Good luck to you!

No worries, hope this helps! Let me know if you would like me to look at them, if you have an online proof gallery or something. If you need to contact me direct, ***@*********************.*** I'll tell you what I think at least.

I appreciate that! I will let you know

I'd request a full refund because while you did get some pictures, they were not of the quality that you paid for and that is ridiculous.

I am sorry this happened to you. It is nice to know that you didn't let it stress you out or mess up your day. I probably would have cried as soon as I learned that the battery had died. I can't handle when things don't go the way I pictured them. I truly hope something can be done about it.

Was she a professional or a friend of a friend kinda thing? Did you look up her reviews? This is terrible for you. The wedding photographer was the one thing I was super picky about. I checked I think 30 different photographers before I settled on one. I checked reviews and past work they have done and anyone that did not have a professional business was automatically excluded. My mom tried to get me to use her friend she knew because it would be free and save me money. I told her just because someone owns a camera and takes pictures doesn't make them a professional. I was willing to spend a heavy amount for my pictures. I'd ask for a partial refund and leave her a negative review on her website or Facebook page.

So sorry this happened to you! hopefully the advice @Jay gave you can help out. and i really hope the photographer takes responsibility for this. What kind of photographer doesn't charge their camera battery!? my FH charges his before his week long trip to canada for fishing, you would think a professional would think about that!

That's unfortunate. Sounds like she was unprepared. Not sure if you have insurance or if this is covered by that but at least you should get some sort of discount for poor service..

I would agree she has to do something to make this right.

I'm sorry. No pro depends on one set of equipment; not even me. I always have a copy of the ceremony on my IPAD in addition to a paper copy, multiple copies of readings and vows; my car is stocked with unity candles, hand fasting cords and sand, JUST IN CASE.

I think she should refund every penny. Her lack of professional behaviour not only robbed you of actual photos, but the sense of calm you should have from the minute she arrives. Instead of enjoying your day, you're now worried about the photos. And when she did replace her camera, she was flustered and it doesn't sound like she ever recouped her composure.

Obviously, I'm not a photographer, but if I screwed up a ceremony, every cent would go back to the couple.

It stands to reason that you are entitled to at least a partial refund. I'm assuming you paid a decent amount for her services, and the fact is, she was supposed to be shooting your wedding, not driving to Best Buy. On top of that, I think any civil court judge would agree that a professional photographer should have provided the couple with a choice of posed wedding portraits, not just two candids of them cutting the cake. Not bringing back-up supplies is unforgivable. I'm not a photographer, but if I were, I would have a second camera in my vehicle. What would happen if I tripped, fell, and broke the camera? I'd either run to the car for the other camera, or I'd literally want to disappear into the floor. It's a horrifying thought.

If I told you all of the supplies we carry with us to every single wedding (from floral tape to extra vases to wire to glue guns to pins to scissors to ribbon to anything we used in putting together the pieces), you'd realize why we always travel heavy. You HAVE to be prepared for mishaps in this business. You've got a short window of time, it can't be redone, and it has to be right the first time.

While this particular message may not apply to the OP, this is a good opportunity to remind all of you to do your due diligence in vetting your vendors. Reviews are a great place to start, but all you need is a different IP address to review yourself under the guise of a happy client. Pros don't need to do that, but amateurs do (and they do). Do reverse image searches on photos you see on their websites. You have no idea how often amateurs steal photos of work they did not do. I remember one very high end florist (from a floral page I belong to) talking about being approached by a potential client who asked her if she could duplicate the work another competing florist had done. When the high end florist looked at the picture, she said, "I should be able to. After all, I created that." This kind of thing happens all the time. In this day and age, it's not that difficult to fake it. Check out prices, and ascribe meaning to them. Of course, you'll get someone who'll quote $3,500 and another who will quote $3,150, but if a third quotes you $1,700, run. You have no idea how many amateurs are willing to work for the cost of materials because they cannot compete on an even playing field (they either do the work because they want to tell their friends they're business owners, or they believe they'll eventually work their way up to industry standard pricing).