to want to sack my wedding photographer as I have discovered he is a UKIP supporter and is against gay marriage?

[Jen99]

We are getting married later in the year and we booked a photographer after a recommendation from a close friend. She knows him from her church and he has photograhed several of her friends' weddings. We were happy with him at first, seemed very professional, great photos and albums etc. He invited us to be friends on FB on both his personal and professional pages, which we accepted. However I began to get quite concerned about his posts, moaning about how much work he has and he just comes across as quite arrogant. He has also liked 2 links on FB, one to show that he is a UKIP supporter and two that he is against gay marriage.

Both me and DP are having serious reservations about him and I really don't want to pay someone who's beliefs are so fundamentally against ours. However we will more than likey lose our deposit
I don't doubt that he is a good photographer but he will be with us for most of our day and don't want to feel uncomfortable around hin. He is booked for the bridal prep on the morning of the wedding so will be spending several hours with myself and my family prior to the wedding.
Really not sure what to do

Ugh, I wouldn't be able to hack it.

How much do you stand to lose? And can you find a replacement? I can recommend an excellent couple, most certainly not racist bastards, in the South West who can travel up a wales etc if that's any good to you.

I wouldn't want to give any business to someone like that.

I wonder if it's a 'thing' with photographers. I had my passport photo done in a local studio and on my way out saw a big pile of UKIP leaflets and other propaganda in the waiting area. If I'd seen it on my way in, I would have gone elsewhere.

YANBU.Accept losing the deposit but tell him exactly why you won't be using him.

If it were me I'd be cancelling him.

It's his own personal business

Either separate it from his professional business or lose your deposit

Only you can decide that

Sod the views, it concerns me more that he has you as a client but gives you access to posts moaning about work?? Ridiculously unprofessional. People all over the place will have very significantly different political views from yours, it's pretty hard to avoid completely really.

I'd ditch him, otherwise all my wedding photos would be of me curling my lip and narrowing my eyes at the camera.

I'd tell him why he was ditched though.

I'd be the same if I found out someone was a labour voter so yanbu

For me it would come down to whether I could find a photographer as good in time. Also if I could afford to lose the deposit.

I wouldn't sack him if it left me at a disadvantage iykwim.

You don't need to be friends on facebook with him

It's nothing to do with how someone votes, Toad. It's about lacking the professionalism to be able to separate work from political beliefs. Unless, of course, your 'business' is politics, eg. you're the local MP!

If I owned a cafe, for example, I'd have to be pretty stupid to stick up a lot of political messages and not expect people to have a response to that/choose to avoid me.

It's a shame that he gave you access to his personal facebook, it would be hard to get anything done in this area as there are lots of UKIP supporters. I would be more bothered by his homophobic views than his political ones.

Its not his personal business if he puts clients on his personal fb page and publicises said beliefs.
Hes an idiot. Id sack him.

He doesn't sound very professional. Professional photographers don't add you to their personal Facebook page or disclose their political views to their clients.

Really unprofessional of him, I wouldn't be happy either - how much deposit will you lose?

Yanbu. I couldn't go with someone who moans about working.

If you're in the North West then I can recommend my DH! He's definitely not a ukip supporter and hasn't got a bigoted bone in his body...

We've stopped using our plumber due to him trying to convince us UKIP and/or the BNP are the only parties to vote for

YANBU to stop using them

I would ditch him too.

I'd ditch him.

Just tell him you don't share his views and would rather not discuss politics or sexual orientation/gay rights. And defriend him. He won't be talking about those subjects at your wedding!

I wouldn't sack him. That is unfair.

What if he liked those pages so he could comment make negative comments on them? You can't comment on a page unless you've "liked" it, can you? I think that's annoying, but people do it.

Regardless, if you feel strongly enough about it to lose your deposit, go for it.

Ditch him. I did not like our photographer - just a lack of chemistry he was a twat and it does colour my enjoyment of our wedding photos.

Whereabouts are you - we may be able to suggest an alternative?

Ditch him, for being idiotic enough to add clients then bitch about work if nothing else!

You have to have chemistry with a wedding photographer, I think. And you don't any more.