I think wedding photographers have one of the toughest photography jobs out there. Photographing a wedding is hard work. There is a lot of pressure, the hours are long, and after the actual day, there are thousands of photos to sort through and edit. Aside from all that, there can also be equipment problems, guest that get in the way and moments that are, unfortunately, missed. It’s very stressful, but it’s probably one of the most reliable ways of making a living as a photographer.
Hopefully, when it’s all said and done, the couple is left with a photo album of their wedding that they are happy with. But when they aren’t thrilled with the photos of their day, the resulting fall-out can range from cringe-worthy to libellous. Take a look at these unhappy situations:
- A photographer was awarded over $1M when an unhappy couple apparently bad-mouthed her business. According to the article, this wasn’t even a dispute over the quality of the images, but rather due to a dispute over a CD cover.
- Another wedding photographer’s business was damaged when a bride refused to pay due to her displeasure with the quality of the photographs.
- A wedding couple sent their wedding photographer a 30-page document noting, in excruciating detail, all the ways in which they were displeased with photographs. The document was replete with diagrams and notes of compositional and technical errors. Yikes.
The single most important tool a couple has when selecting a wedding photographer is that photographer’s portfolio. Either the style of the photographer is going to match your vision or it isn’t. It’s usually a bad idea to bring samples of what you’d like and ask a photographer to match that. Instead, you should usually select a photographer based on their style being compatible with your desired look. That being said, it’s also incumbent on the photographer to be honest about what they can produce, so try to do a little research as well. A photographer shouldn’t have any issue with you contacting some of their past client’s for references.
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Feature Photograph of the Week - NYC Watertowers
Watertowers visible from the High Line