Why Did A Wedding Photographer Delete Photos?
By Jeffrey House, Magnolia Photography SC
One of the most anticipated, exciting and treasured aspects of a wedding is the wedding photos.
Can you imagine - in the middle of your wedding - your photographer deleting them before your very eyes? Recently, this really happened. But before you start hating on the photographer wondering how they could ever do such a thing, let’s take a closer look at the story.
The Backstory
Before we answer the question - “How could a wedding photographer delete a bride and groom’s wedding photos,” let’s look at the backstory.
It obviously begins with a couple looking to hire a wedding photographer. But this particular couple was looking to hire someone cheap. Long story short, the couple wound up hiring their friend and dog groomer. Yes - that’s right - they hired their dog groomer to photograph their wedding. The story could probably end here and it would make perfect sense as to why it ended badly. The dog groomer takes lots of pictures of dogs and posts them on Facebook, and Instagram. She comments, it’s “my thing” if that makes sense.
I think we can all agree that it does make sense. A dog groomer taking pictures of her dog grooming work, and posting the pictures on social media so people can see what she does. Apparently, the couple looking to hire a wedding photographer, believed dog grooming photos somehow qualified her to photograph weddings.
The couple approached the dog groomer to photograph their wedding, and it was agreed she would photograph their 10 hour wedding for $250. She was trying to do them a favor as their friend to help them out. It’s worth noting the average cost for 10 hours of wedding photography is at least $3,500. Unfortunately, a 10 hour wedding is NOT 10 hours of work. It’s 10 hours of photography, 30-40 hours of editing, etc. To really put this into perspective, ask yourself this question.
Would you work 2 full weeks of work for $250?
The Wedding Day
On the day of the wedding, the dog groomer started photographing the day around 11 am. She was expected to follow the bride and take pictures as she went from appointment to appointment prior to the ceremony. This, of course, was followed by taking pictures of the bride and groom’s ceremony and reception. Around 5 pm when the wedding guests were preparing for dinner, she approached the groom about taking a break so she could get something to eat. Even though she had RSVP’d to attend the wedding as a guest, her seat had been given away and she was asked to essentially baby sit the couple’s young child while they enjoyed their meal.
The dog groomer admits she started to question why she ever agreed to this. She was exhausted and apparently the wedding venue was scorching hot because the air conditioning was not working. The groomer then said to the groom, “I need 20 minutes to get a drink and something to eat” to which he replied, “either be a photographer or leave without pay.” She asked the groom if he was sure about this decision and he affirmed it. It was at this point she showed him the pictures she had taken and then deleted them from her camera! She then stormed out of the reception and said, “I’m not your photographer anymore!”
You Must Be Kidding
Following the wedding, the couple took their honeymoon. As you can well imagine, it wasn’t long before friends and family started asking the couple to see some photos. Like most things in the life, the truth eventually surfaces. It appears the groom was dishonest with his new wife. He told her they didn’t have any photos from the day due to camera issues and lost photos. It’s unclear when the beans were spilled, but apparently the groom eventually came clean with his wife.
You don’t need to be a relationship expert to know this lie wasn’t going to go well. Did he really think his wife wasn’t going to be looking for these photos? He had to realize these pictures would be hugely important to her. He used “camera issues” and “lost photos?!?!”
Here’s The Kicker
The wife later reached out to her friend - the dog groomer - asking if they could essentially repair the friendship and schedule a new photo session to get some pictures of the “rings,” and some “artsy fartsy” type shots. The wife also let her know they would be willing to pay her the original $250 they promised her.
This story makes me sick to my stomach. Not only did the couple skip out on paying her a “sweatshop fee” of $250 for the entire wedding day, but now they expect the friend/dog groomer to spend additional time doing another photo shoot for same $250??? This couple is one of the most unreasonable, spoiled and entitled couples I’ve ever seen.
What Are The Lessons To Be Learned?
Contract
The first lesson here is to never, ever work without a contract. Contracts are a must because they protect all parties involved. The responsibilities of the photographer and the couple should be clearly indicated in the contract. The photographer should also clearly indicate the price of the products and services being purchased, and they should provide in exact detail everything the couple will be receiving in exchange for this price. Never work with any wedding vendor that doesn’t use a contract. This is a huge red flag and makes it very easy for them to scam you.
expectations
I always let the couples I work with know that I will be eating when the guests are eating too. This is a perfect time because pictures should not be taken during dinner. No one wants a camera in their face while they are trying to eat. Taking pictures of guests during dinner is a sure way to ruin their wedding experience and day. This ultimately reflects poorly on the couple for choosing an insensitive photographer.
In the nearly 9 years I’ve been a wedding photographer, I’ve never had a couple tell me I can’t take a break to eat. In fact, it’s always been the opposite. Most couples go out of their way to make sure I have eaten, and I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I know how crazy the wedding day is for couples and the fact they take the time to make sure I’m okay, is amazing.
Hire A Professional
This is just another story, in a long line of stories, that ended poorly when a friend or family member photographed a wedding. A lot of couples try to save money by going this route and it rarely, if ever, works out. I don’t care how nice of a camera they have or how much they love photography, they’re not wedding photographers. I have seen countless stories of friends or family members photographing a wedding as a favor and it destroyed the relationships.
It starts off with the best of intentions and you’re probably thinking - “that would never happen to me.”
Until it does.
That’s what everyone thinks. If you don’t really care about your photos, this might be the way to go. But if you want photos that aren’t blurry, too dark, too light, etc…, hire a professional. And if you want to make sure you get photos of the important “moments,” hire a professional.
