I got a call today from a distraught bride. Not my client. Could have been. But, sadly they weren’t. This is the third time I’ve gotten a call like this, but unlike the others this bride had what I can only deem a true disaster on her hands and she was devastated by it. To make a long story short, this bride had what I would call a significant budget wedding, beautifully thought out with details that she had worked on for over a year. It was at a gorgeous venue and she was thrilled. The day was perfect except for one thing.
Uncle Bob shot her wedding.
Let me explain for any of those who may read this and don’t know who Uncle Bob is. He’s really not a “real” person. In fact, he’s not always a he. Uncle Bob is the name given long ago in professional circles to the relative or friend who well intentioned couples get to shoot their wedding. Sometimes it’s someone they know, sometimes it’s someone that a relative or friend vouches for as someone who takes “great pictures”. But, the bottom line is that in more cases than not, it’s a cost cutting move that has the potential for broken hearts when one of the most important days in a couple’s life is left in the hands of an unskilled amateur with less than adequate equipment and experience.
From all I can tell of the situation with today’s caller, that is exactly what happened. The photographs are awful, there’s very few of them, none of the details were captured, some family members are missing from the lot, and the portraits are nothing more than them standing there in nice clothes. She pleaded for me to help her out. She was even willing to recreate some of the details. rent another tux for the groom, and try to salvage her photography as best she could. She asked if I could take Uncle Bob’s photographs and make them look like mine.
I truly felt sorry for her, but frankly, there’s really not enough money that makes me want to come behind a mess that someone else created and clean it up. It’s just not fun. The day is done and you just can’t make it right.
I did offer to help by suggesting that she contact her guests and ask for all of their photos to see what she could find. I gave her the name of an album designer that may be able to work some magic and put something together that will be better than what she has. So, I emailed her a link to their contact information and that is when it became apparent that this all could have been avoided. Her email address was in my database and sure enough in June of 2010 I had received an email from her asking for my price list. I send it to her and never heard back.
I sometimes wonder what happens to those folks. Now, I know.
Hi Kemper,
I believe that if you ask someone for a free haircut, you shouldn’t complain if you don’t like the results.
I have several friends and relatives who are extremely gifted photographers, and offered to be my official photographer for the event. I told them, no, they are my guests, and I just wanted them to enjoy the day with me.
For my first wedding (a big formal “do” in the Greek Archdiocese in NYC) I hired the guy who was supposed to be the best in the town where I lived in NJ. It didn’t occur to me to ask, “Will you be doing the photography, or one of your “assistants?” By the time I had that answer, it was too late to book another. I had to explain a whole list of things I did NOT want: the cutsie starlight lens thing, and couples in a champagne glass, tapping the bridal party on the shoulder during the ceremony to get a shot (I actually saw this happen during a wedding at the same venue) Even so, this assistant thought it was OK to make several very rude comments to me during pre-ceremony shots ( I was twenty minutes late, he was ready to leave: I had a wreck on the way driving myself to NY from NJ.) He was happy to take a 45-minute break and help himself to to food & drinks being served at the reception. I used to work for MY uncle Bob, who IS a professional photographer, and we would never have dreamed of doing such a thing–we were there to work, not invited guests. Actually, the best pics of the event were made by friends & relatives who attended. I was happy to keep the proofs with nothing else. There were other “professionals” who disappointed during the event. It made the ones who gave extraordinary service true stand outs.
PS-I’m from Roanoke!
I would agree. Unfortunately, this particular bride received her photography as a “gift” from a family member, who alleged that this person was a professional. But, still, the very fact that she made an inquiry to me shows she was actively involved in searching for a photographer. The person who did the wedding didn’t even have a website, which tells me that they are not a professional, at least not an active one, and the bride should have known better had photography been important to her.