Very Troubling TV New Series

[usayit]

A little personal experience.

My wife and I had just graduated from college and purchased our first home. As most couples in the early stages of their lives together, we were broke. We managed to save up a less than $5k for our wedding TOTAL. We did it through some very creative bargaining. One MAJOR hitch to the whole process was our photographer. Just a month or so before our wedding his studio experienced a complete loss due to a fire. He called us up, explained the situation in FULL detail. At this point, he was being as professional as possible in a time of crisis. He explained that his services were EXTREMELY limited at this time. He also gave us the opportunity to back out of the contract. He set our expectations...

In the end, we stuck to him.... He borrowed equipment and agreed to shoot for a total of under $500. The agreement was that he would process the rolls and turn them over to us. At that point, we owned the negatives. Yeh... it was unfinished (I did the rest of the footwork and created albums etc..) but the key was that all of the main parts of the ceremony/reception were covered and that our expectations were set correctly.

In the end... the money saved was used to enjoy during our honeymoon.

Low price packages on that photographer's website does mean less hours, less deliverables, and less "features" or "services". It is still no excuse for undelivered promises, shotty work, and unprofessional practices.


Be careful of who you call Cheap! We live in a world of people/families of all sorts of income levels. What you call cheap can be expensive for some. Not everyone can afford $15-25k for a wedding. I am now earning very well these days.. I look back at my wedding and the last thing on my mind is "Cheap".

If anything your comments shows us the ugly side of you Elsaspet. I hope you are never in the poor house and experience what it is like to be considered "insignificant" part of our population.

 

[jols]

read this thread with great interest ad WOW elsapet you really are mad are you not.

i know nothing about this story just what ive read here and he links.

so here goes ive looked at the website and i think his pics look perfectly acceptable.
just one concern as to why they have no received any photos a year after their wedding this is unacceptable.

but i really do not know much about the story to take any sides.

im in the uk and charge between 250 and 350 pounds
thats fro 40 6x4 and up to 24 10x8 all in an album and delivered within one month

 

[wxnut]

The $550 price is for only 2 hours. That, IMO is not cheap. If they paid $550 for the whole day, plus prints, that would be cheap.

Doug

 

[wildmaven]

I think we all can understand elsaspet's frustration and anger. We've all had circumstances in our lives in which something so outrages us that we are ready to fight. Those emotions are extremely powerful and I'm sure we all want elsaspet to know that there are no hard feelings.

Elsaspet, whatever you choose is, of course, your decision. I just want you to understand that people's inability to join the cause is mostly, from what I can see here, the need to know more before doing so. This is one of the reasons I wrote to the reporter, asking him to clarify his position. Is this what you've done as well?

If you do choose to leave this forum, we certainly will welcome you back at anytime, no questions asked.

Marian

 

[castrol]

This is exactly why I don't do weddings.

I would love to document someone's special day, but if it doesn't add up to
exactly what THEY think it should be, you are screwed.

I feel bad for this guy.

 

[Artograph]

The long and short of it is that when you choose to do a TV show called...what did you say it was...."Bad Wedding Photographers"... Hmmmm....anyone who chooses to do that show is just asking for it!!! LOL!!!

;O)

(PS I haven't seen the show!!)

 

[sabbath999]

I have no information about the guy whatever, but by looking at his website, ANYBODY should have been able to tell the type of wedding pictures to expect.

$699? I charged $1000 20 years ago when I was shooting weddings simply for my time and a book of proofs.

I have no idea about the facts of the case, and I don't like the BBB problems... but... here is a BIG but... doing a "60 Minutes" on the fellow seems entirely out of line.

If she isn't happy, she can sue him... not crucify him in public.

 

[wildmaven]

The long and short of it is that when you choose to do a TV show called...what did you say it was...."Bad Wedding Photographers"... Hmmmm....anyone who chooses to do that show is just asking for it!!! LOL!!!

;O)

(PS I haven't seen the show!!)

The photographer didn't CHOOSE to go on the show. :er:

 

[Greatwhite]

Wow....a very interesting thread....

Elsapet certainly is a talented photographer and puts out a very solid product, that is not an opinon, that is based on demonstrated performance. HOWEVER, she has shown a serious prejudice to a demographic, and quite honestly it is very ugly in its level of intensity.

As for the show, I am not a fan of 'in your face' shows, but, now that the show is done and online, did any of you see it? I did.

First, it is not an isolated couple complaining, it is at least 4 in one year, according to the show, and 18 complaints in 36mos according to the BBB of Dallas/Ft Worth.

Also, lets be honest as photographers, pro or amatuer, after 20yrs of expierience (as claimed on the website), would you really expect lens glare or seriously bad compositions on the pictures? C'mon, as a teen using a 126 instamatic, I used to toss out images like that.

So, yes, I do think we have a 'bad wedding photog'....there has to be integrity in our professions, there has to be responsibility to clients, and peers alike.

Is this photog a 'bad person', probably not, but he does show to be lacking in integrity to his chosen business/profession.

Just my .02 worth.....

 

[jstuedle]

Elsaspet, you do wonderful work. I admire your work and diligence. This whining by the bride is why I quit weddings over 30 years ago. I am friends with many, many wedding shooters, all top grade pro's. To a person, they all hate doing what they do because of whining brides. I know several up and comers with real talent that want to break into the biz and don't really have a clue.... yet. I respect you for what you do, but been there, done that. Bought the Tee-Shirt and ain't go'in back.

 

[usayit]

The Harleys
- No album delivered

Natalie Dorsey
- Its been 1 year and never received an album

Jessica Milbrandt
- pictures lost

Katie Hogan
- No albums after numerous calls and changing cell numbers
- got album after a personal visit to the photographer's home.

Sheesh.. if this is your definition of whining brides....

Yeh.. I know there are those bridzilla's out there that will never be happy, but I would NOT classify these 4 in that category.

 

[usayit]

Oh BTW... WHOIS on that domain

Domain Name: PICTUREPERFECTMOMENT.NET
Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
Whois Server: whois.tucows.com
Referral URL: http://domainhelp.opensrs.net
Name Server: NS2.POWWEB.COM
Name Server: NS3.POWWEB.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 09-apr-2007
Creation Date: 05-apr-2005
Expiration Date: 05-apr-2009

Hmmm. letsee... creation date of 2005... A photog with 20 years of experience and he is just now getting a website with a portfolio?

 

[sabbath999]

Websites don't mean anything when it comes to a person's ability to take pictures.

The best photographer in our area, by FAR, doesn't have a website. His work is the kind most people dream about doing... far, far beyond 99 percent of studio photographers.

He simply doesn't need one. He is booked solid and he charges triple the rates of everybody else. He is THAT good. (anybody in the Northeastern Missouri area will know instantly who I am talking about without me even mentioning his name).

For a lot of the older generations of photographers, advertising means placing 20x30's in the window... and the reason they don't change is because that still works.

 

[castrol]

By reading this, it sounds like maybe a NEWS piece... one of those where the
reporter heads out with a camera to catch the offending person off guard and
asking them the "tough" questions. I don't think it is a TV show anyone signed
up for. That is just a guess though.

 

[AprilRamone]

did any of you see it? I did.

Can you please post a link to where it is online?