So I feel I may be being unreasonable. But I am getting seriously annoyed now with my wedding photographer.
To give a bit of backstory, the photographer is a friend of my brothers. He is not typically a wedding photographer, he has done a couple, but he mostly does headshots, speciality events etc. I wouldn't have chosen him had he not been a close friend of my brothers, he gave us a discount for being 'friends and family' however, I feel with the discount it was on par with other wedding photographers in my area who we could have booked. So we booked up. We got married, I had an awful day- not related specifically to the photographer although I wasn't pleased that he didn't seem to be taking many photos. So I wanted to forget about my wedding, I love my hubby and I am just trying to leave our 'special' day deep at the back of my mind.
In our contract, we are meant to have the photos sent to us for proof in one week, and our album, prints ect in 8 weeks after the wedding. The proofs came in 3 weeks, with large watermarks all over the middle of them to prevent us getting these printed out ourselves. I emailed back with some touchups I wanted done- the pictures were quite frankly, crap. There were lovely ones of myself and DH at the aisle where we said our vows in posed pictures and the rug at the bottom of the picture is all folded up at a corner, as though someone tripped on it. It spoils the image. There are lovely ones of myself and my dad with ugly boxes in the background. Other posed pictures have hotel staff in the background, one you can actually see right into their staff room due to the angle the picture was taken in.
He emailed back, 8 weeks later, with the album mock up- the editting I requested (mainly about cropping out the other people and blemishes) has been ignored. But I was getting impatient waiting as he was already over the time he had said it would take in the contract. I told him to go ahead and just get it printed for us.
Fast forward 3 months. I am still waiting. I emailed him 3 weeks ago chasing it up and he said he was waiting on the album being delivered 'any day now'. I've heard nothing since. My brother has also attempted to chase it up, but has not heard anything. I am a friend of his on both his photography fb page and his personal page. It looks as though there has been many different things going on with him- he moved country, he had nowhere to live, he seems to be battling depression. I am sympathetic to his circumstances, but I feel so messed around!
I have already paid £800 for wedding pictures I'm not happy with, and I have been waiting so long. Family members have kept asking about them as they had been so excited to see them, but I feel so ashamed that I have been let down that when they actually do arrive I will have no enjoyment to share.
I'm at a loss what to do from here. My communication with the photographer is completely down to him as my emails remain unanswered, FB messages are unread and he does not return phone calls or texts. I think he will eventually get back in contact in his own time and I am confident that I will get my pictures eventually, but I am so pissed off!!