Very Troubling TV New Series

[Icon72]

I would have had to have seen the show myself to make up my final opinion on the matter but from what I read in the news story there was more to this than just a few photos the brides thought were bad. Not delivering photos for over a year? Having a subcontracted photog sitting down with a plate of food and not even realizing the first dance was over already? That kind of stuff is a bit concerning no matter what their price might be. The news story said there is a string of complaints against the people. Is there more to it than just some bad photographs? Obviously everyone can't afford a high end photographer to do their wedding. I couldn't afford to spend a couple of thousand dollars when I got married 7 years ago and I still couldn't afford it today. We paid $500 for our photographer and they did a fine job. They documented the event, they were where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be. We had no complaints. It was obvious that they cared about what they did for a living. We didn't have electric cords in our photos or anything like that but the photos were by no means glamorous or awe inspiring. They are nice photos that documented the event for what we paid.

Obviously this has struck a nerve with you Elsaspet but please take care when mentioning what you perceive to be "cheap ass brides" so frequently. Not all of us can afford photographers in the $2000 - $3000 range.

 

[elsaspet]

from looking at his website, his work isnt horrible....its not like he's delivering a bunch of blurry/ out of foucs fotos.....they just lack any style, creativity or umph...........dont people look at the work before hiring someone?

The unfotunate fact is cheap ass brides WANT Bussink, but they opt for the lowest bid.
And when they get it, they gripe. In this case they called the news.
This could happen to ANYONE.

 

[elsaspet]

Here is the deal. I want to start some sort of support for this guy. He's not a member here.
But at the same time, if we aren't willing to help this guy, who is ALOT like some of the wedding photogs here, I'm not willing to help anyone anymore.
Either you see his plight, or you don't. If you don't, don't expect help when the photo police come for you.

 

[wildmaven]

For that amount of money, you have a ligit gripe.

:hugs: Thanks.

Here's the page on the photographer for the Better Business Bureau:
http://www.dallas.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=90011820

I think this should be a lesson to us all. If you get a complaint, answer it! Reply to it! No matter how trivial or stupid it seems, because once you get multiple unreplied complaints, you're setting yourself up for a fall. I hope none of us ever have to face what this gentleman is facing.

 

[Jeepnut28]

Here is the deal. I want to start some sort of support for this guy. He's not a member here.
But at the same time, if we aren't willing to help this guy, who is ALOT like some of the wedding photogs here, I'm not willing to help anyone anymore.
Either you see his plight, or you don't. If you don't, don't expect help when the photo police come for you.

I'd be willing to support the guy, if answers to the questions regarding his business practices were to come.....it is one thing to take a plain jane photo, it is another thing to make business promises and not deliver on them.......that is what will give wedding photogs a bad name and make things hell on the rest of us.....if I say you get an album, them you damn sure are to get an album from me......if I say I will have your edits ready in three weeks, you get them in two and half from me.......I may not be a GREAT photog, but I will always deliver to my clients exactly what I said I would do.

 

[simonkit]

I've just been on the receiving end of a pretty bad wedding photographer experience myself

I recently married in the Grand Canyon & hired a photographer as part of the package - equipment wise I couldn't fault him - Nikon D2X.

However the prints supplied were flat & lifeless, fortunately I managed to take along a Fuji F10 which produced the best of our wedding photos.

After complaining to the company involved the answer was - "the supplied images are unedited from the RAW originals & therefore will appear somewhat lifeless", great excuse for very poor wedding photos.

Moral of the story - take your own camera, even better someone you know can take decent photographs !!

simon

 

[Icon72]

How can we expected to support a guy with a BBB record like his? Maybe he truly is the victim but why does he not resolve the complaints or at least answer the BBB? Why does it take over a year to deliver photos? Is this really about brides that expected to see wonderful glamorous photos or is it about people that were expecting, at the very least, some half way decent average photographs and didn't even get that?

If you were the bride and you paid any amount of money for a photographer to document your wedding would you be ok with the photographer missing parts of the wedding? Missing pictures of people you specifically requested to have photographs of? Not delivering what you paid for in a reasonable amount of time?

Elsaspet, your input on the forums is priceless and your work is wonderful. Obviously your are quite upset about the situation but there are just way too many questions and open ended situations that would need to be addressed before the members of TPF could possibly come to any intelligent conclusions on the matter. Yet you threaten to not help any of us anymore if we don't support something we only know bits and pieces about? I find this a bit hard to swallow.

 

[elsaspet]

How can we expected to support a guy with a BBB record like his? Maybe he truly is the victim but why does he not resolve the complaints or at least answer the BBB? Why does it take over a year to deliver photos? Is this really about brides that expected to see wonderful glamorous photos or is it about people that were expecting, at the very least, some half way decent average photographs and didn't even get that?

If you were the bride and you paid any amount of money for a photographer to document your wedding would you be ok with the photographer missing parts of the wedding? Missing pictures of people you specifically requested to have photographs of? Not delivering what you paid for in a reasonable amount of time?

Elsaspet, your input on the forums is priceless and your work is wonderful. Obviously your are quite upset about the situation but there are just way too many questions and open ended situations that would need to be addressed before the members of TPF could possibly come to any intelligent conclusions on the matter. Yet you threaten to not help any of us anymore if we don't support something we only know bits and pieces about? I find this a bit hard to swallow.

Ok, I see your point.
I'm gonna sleep on this. I see both sides. I really do.

 

[elsaspet]

Ok, just one more thought before I sleep on it.
I've known many photogs who got in over their heads on packaging. No it isnt' right. Yes, I agree with the bride on that. They bought something, and they should have it.
The major problem I have in the news reports are about the glare, the light switches and all that crap. Do I leave them in my photos? No. But then again, I'm not charging 500 bucks.
I'm trying to look ahead for all those guys who are charging a reasonalble amount for the shoot and burn wedding for the bride with not so many bucks.
I know many of you charge below 2000 bucks. And the bride wants perfection. I don't want to see any of you, or me, on the news, hiding from cameras, because we had some glare in the photos or didn't give the albums to them in a nanosecond.
You wanna know how many people biatched about the album waiting time? Two. Exactly two. I can tell you from experience that I've had brides come back four YEARS later, wanting to make album changes.
There are two sides to every story.
Being pissed off about over exposed shots on your 500 wedding photography is not one of them to me.
I'm looking out for your guys. I haven't charged 500 bucks for a wedding....ever. But some of you do.
We try to warn you about the cheap ass brides, but it's a job, and some of you take them.
And then here is a guy, followed by more guys to come, on the 10 o'clock news. It sure would be nice if people stood by you.
So today, they are crabbing about light sockets. Tomorrow they will be biatching that they look fat. How much are you going to put up with until you help a brother out?
Are you going to wait until it happens to you?
Because, if you have cheap ass brides, it will. Promise. I'd hate to see you on the news.
And I'd hate to see your sisters and brother turn their backs.
Guys, I'm out of here. It's been a wonderful place. But if you can't stand for all of us, some who aren't as good, than I can't stand up for you guys. Who BTW, aren't as good, but have great hearts. I don't mean it like that. I mean that somene is always better.
No offense, and many hugs.
Cindy

 

[Icon72]

Ok, I see your point.
I'm gonna sleep on this. I see both sides. I really do.

Sounds good. At the same time if the situation truly is about brides that received perfectly fine yet average photos thinking they were getting the caliber of work that Visons In White offers, then yes, this guy should be defended and supported in any way possible.

 

[elsaspet]

Icon,
I swear I'm outta here. LOL, after this post.
I love the brides. I do. And some of them don't have a lot of money. I understand that.
But......
Don't send out news cameras to "uncover" that you've not cloned out a freaking light socket. I saw the report. That was what it was about. That and overexposure.
Yes, there was a 'blip' about albums, but that wasn't the complaint. It was about overexposure, light sockets, and depth of field.
It could happen to you or me or anyone.

 

[Icon72]

I understand completely and that is absolutely horrible. I apologize for digging so deep and possibly upsetting you further but I like to explore all angles of a story or complaint. It can be a curse at times. I just don't understand why the news station would bother to support the story if what you described was the extent of the problems. It all seems so undeniably shallow.

Don't answer that, go to bed. I see your little green, "Online", light is still on.

 

[JIP]

On a side note to all this I think this all needs to be a lesson to alot of the people here who come on and ask wht kind of pricing they should do. I think you really need to consider what kind of time you intend on putting into a wedding including shooting editing album design and construction. Tons of wedding photographers out there jump into wedding photography feet firs and don't consider the consequenses of getting in over their heads be it too much work for not enough money or your prices exceeding your skills.

 

[wildmaven]

Guys, I'm out of here. It's been a wonderful place. But if you can't stand for all of us, some who aren't as good, than I can't stand up for you guys. Who BTW, aren't as good, but have great hearts. I don't mean it like that. I mean that somene is always better.
No offense, and many hugs.
Cindy

I'm sorry you feel that way. There are so many of us who have benefited from your experience and talent and I see people saying so every day. Please don't let your anger for the news station cloud your feelings for the people of the forum.

Perhaps if you explained what action you would like to take, more people might be willing to help. Sometimes it's easier to support something if there is a clear course of action. :heart: Personally, I have already emailed the reporter and expressed my concerns and questions about the story.

Marian

 

[usayit]

I am sorry but I don't agree with you elsaspet.

* There are packages that website for significantly more money.. we have no idea what these couples spent.
* As a business it is also their responsibility to set expectations correctly. Obviously they did not. If that quality for $550 was expected, the couple should have been notified and explained. If information was purposely left out of their contracts/conversations, then it is a borderline scam because they denied the consumer all the information to make a choice to go to another photographer.
* BBB shows a record of unanswered complaints. Also completely unacceptable.
* If a substitute photographers was expected, again.. the couple should have been explained of this fact.
* There is absolutely no excuse for undelivered albums.
* Usually, there is a discussion on what parts of the ceremony will be important to capture. Missing the first dance is usually considered unacceptable.
* Completely loosing the wedding photos is also unacceptable.
* Eating a plate of food while the important parts of the wedding ceremony were in progress also unacceptable