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Devoted August 2021

How do i tell my photographer i need the wedding photos to be better than the engagements?

Holly, on November 4, 2019 at 5:38 PM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 13

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Sorry for the long title and long message. We got our engagement pictures taken in July, got them back in August, and I love probably half of them. I love the photographer and chose her based on the work that she showed online/social media, even going above our budget to get her. When we first got the photos back, I noticed a good deal of them were out of focus in weird places (ie only showing my face or my fiancé’s face, or blurring out both our faces and focusing on the background or a piece of our clothing) but tried to brush it off. Well I can’t really ignore the disappointment anymore and feel I need to say something. I asked a mutual friend who also used this photographer for her engagements/wedding and she said she noticed it too but though it was just a fluke.

I don’t know if this is just her editing style (that she doesn’t show online) or if she was just having a bad day, or what...but how do I go about bringing this up in conversation with her before my wedding? I know if half my wedding photos turn out like the engagement duds, I won’t be able to forgive myself for not saying anything. Gah I don’t know what to do! I know it’s not a skill-level issue, I’m just confused why it would be an intentional style technique.

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Latest activity by Sherry, on November 19, 2019 at 11:56 AM

Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on November 4, 2019 at 5:45 PM
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There's probably a better way to phrase it than "I need you to do better." I would just say, "Hey, I noticed some editing differences in our engagement photos that I didn't see in your online gallery. It looks like some of our photos (provide examples) only focus on one of us at a time. Was this intentional or is there any way that we could avoid this for wedding photos?"
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Master September 2019
Sarah · on November 4, 2019 at 5:46 PM
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Have you actually seen a full gallery of her work? Social media is a representation of an artist’s best pieces so that other people hire them so even if her social media is great, a full gallery would show whether this is her style or in fact a fluke (which I’d doubt if your friend had the same experience). If it’s her style, I honestly don’t know how you’d bring up to her that you don’t want that because while most photographers will work to get you the poses/locations you want, it’s pretty rare that one will completely change their editing style for you. I suppose you could ask if it’s possible to purchase all the raw (unedited) images so that you can have them the way they were taken.
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Expert September 2021
Ka-Rina · on November 4, 2019 at 5:50 PM
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Yikes id feel awful also but I'm sure there is a way of saying something without offending her. My photographer dedicates time for a pre wedding appointment where she goes over everything for the wedding day. She wants to know what poses and shots i want indefinitely, what to avoid, what type of story I want her to tell with the photographs, etc. Vision board creation basically. If yours is doing something like that, it would be a perfect moment to bring up your concerns. If she isn't, maybe ask that she meets up with you to do something like that? That could be a good opportunity to say something like hey btw I loveeeeed the pics you took for our engagement and I keep showing them to everyone but something caught my eye and I wanted to ask about those "out of focus shots".... Then depending on what she says express u prefer she didn't do that if possible blabla
Hope it works out!!
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Devoted August 2021
Holly · on November 4, 2019 at 6:21 PM
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I like the phrasing of this, thanks! I totally agree you can’t be blunt about it. Especially because I’m otherwise still happy with the photographer and the other photos.
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Devoted August 2021
Holly · on November 4, 2019 at 6:32 PM
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I saw her portfolio and all tagged pictures her precious clients posted on social media, but not a full gallery of a couples session. Most of the photos are wonderful, but 10% aren’t and it’s a bummer that I can’t even use them. For context, pic #1 is a randomly blurry one (my fiancé’s face is in focus, but I look like a ghost in the background?) and #2 is a focused picture that I love.
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Devoted August 2021
Holly · on November 4, 2019 at 6:33 PM
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Posting those pictures from the ww app and now they both look blurry 🤦🏼‍♀️
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Devoted August 2021
Holly · on November 4, 2019 at 6:34 PM
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Thank you, this is a great suggestion! I will definitely make sure this is something we can arrange. Probably better to do it in person anyway so my tone isn’t misconstrued via email.
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Super October 2020
Megan · on November 5, 2019 at 7:52 AM
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The first pic you posted is an example of your photographer focusing on the wrong subject (the obelisk) rather than you. It’s not an editing problem. I definitely agree it’s something to speak to her about, though.
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Super August 2020
Alex · on November 5, 2019 at 5:04 PM
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I kinda felt the same way, but I figured out it was because I am much more critical of pictures of myself than strangers. I just sent comments about what I liked and what I didn't like. I don't think there is any problem with being honest; however, I wouldn't say "do better." I would be specific about your preferences.
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Dedicated October 2019
yung_coconut · on November 13, 2019 at 8:28 PM
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Megan is right. This isn't an editing style. Your photographer just doesn't know how to work their camera properly. If they're shooting manually and they're a professional, they should understand how to work the camera to get the right focus and depth of field. Just looking at your photos, the composition, lighting and color editing is really nice, but it just doesn't seem like they 100% know what they're doing when shooting.
Caitlyn's answer is probably the best way to handle it. But you should make sure you get a good answer to where you feel confident with this photographer. When they were taking your engagement photos, you and your FH were standing still and posing. If the photographer can't get the focus right, how are they going to take photos while you're moving around during your wedding? I wouldn't be too worried if only 10% of their photos turned out like this, but it is something to consider.
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Savvy May 2020
Katie · on November 14, 2019 at 11:43 AM
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If it is only the editing that you disagree with and not the overall quality of the shot or her style, I would ask her if she wouldn’t mind sending you some of the originals, unedited in addition to her edits (for the engagement and the wedding). You can always say that you enjoy her edits on some photos but for some photos want them to appear more natural- most photographers would be willing to supply this as it is no extra work for them and as long as you are using them for personal use only (they may not want the unedited photos to appear as advertisement for their work).
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Dedicated October 2020
Amber · on November 15, 2019 at 6:23 PM
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As a photographer, I agree with some of the other comments. This isn't an editing problem, it's that the aperature is wrong. She has too narrow of an aperature so it's only focusing on a smaller area or she's completely focusing on the wrong thing. The only way to fix it is if she researches how to to use her equipment better. If you're fine with just posed pictures looking good then you should be okay, since she only seems to do it to a few. But, if you keep her you can't really expect great photos in motion unless she gets better before the wedding. Did your friend have ant good photos in motion? I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I'd rather give you all the info so you can make an informed decision of how to move forward.
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Master September 2019
Sherry · on November 19, 2019 at 11:56 AM
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I would just bring up the differences that you noticed in your photos but that weren't in any of the photos you saw online. You love her work but just wanted to point it out before the big day in case it was an issue with the camera lens, editing program etc.
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How do i tell my photographer i need the wedding photos to be better than the engagements?

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