To be REALLY worried about my wedding pictures?

[Spiceupyourlife]

😭

I know I probably Abu but I got married last weekend and (in my opinion) it’s was a beautiful wedding!

The weather was a bit patchy but hey ho.

Our wedding photographer was LOVELY and we didn’t get to take a single picture all day as were both so overwhelmed.
The day after the wedding she sent us a beautiful picture of the evening do and it was gorgeous.... but today we got a ‘sneak peak’ of 5 more pictures .... and it legitimately looks like a funeral!

The photos are beautiful but so strongly edited/ dark and gothic. My mother said I looked like Mrs Haversham in one of the portrait pictures.

I spoke the photographer and she explained the venue was quite dark (stateley home) and that she was going in an edgier path with her style.

I vividly recall looking at her pictures from a very similar venue when I booked her and thinking ‘wow that’s exactly what I want’ very warm and rich pictures with an almost vintage feel.

It seems like in the months since she’s got progressively ‘edgier’ judging my the pictures.

I’m about to go on honeymoon and now really worried that my pictures are gonna suck! She’s assured me there’s a mixture of ‘light’ and ‘dark’ style but I don’t really want the ‘dark’ style so feel like that’s just a total waste.

We don’t get the originals either 🙄

Please calm me down as I’m absolutely gutted and panicking!

Just talk to her...!

Tell her you don’t want any ‘dark’ style ones. Make it very clear.

Surely that’s mainly achieved in the post-production? Just say, we choose you for the rich warm style so please just gives us ones done that way.

Congratulations on your wedding.

Do you have anything in writing with her setting out your requirements?

I did call and did say this. Strongly said we preferred the warm/vintage and traditional/elegance style.

She seemed a bit ‘shruggish’ about it though and promised there would be a mixture!

The thing is one of the pictures she’s already done I really love (but the editing has wreaked it) and I don’t know whether she’ll do it again! To make it how I want.

Wait for your photos to come though and see how they are but at the end of the day you’ve paid for a service (usually as lot of money) so if you aren’t happy you’re well within your rights to ask for the photos edited in a way you’re happier with. She can only say no but as an independent business it’s likely she will want her client to be happy and for you to get the photos you want!

Talk to the photographer again and tell her that you really don't want the dark style, that you booked her on the basis of her previous work and while her style might have changed in the intervening time, your tastes have not.
The photographer works for you - their job is literally to provide you with what you agreed, in exchange for the not insignificant amount of money that they charge.
Following their artistic interests is something to be done on their own time or for clients who have specifically requested it.
Be polite but firm. You have paid for a service.

I would feel really nervous too OP! would get back to her asap and explicitly say you don't like the dark edgier style/don't want heavy editing before she's edited the whole lot. Otherwise you'll just have a load of (expensive) photos you won't use. She should still have the originals even if you don't so if you don't like them you can insist she re-edits. Hopefully she's taken your hint though and toned it down!

Agreed about being polite but clear that you want the photos edited in the original style you saw and not the darker edgier finish. I would do this in writing by email, showing examples if you can then you can refer back to this if the finished photos aren't to your liking.

Be firm OP. You are the customer. Don't say 'we prefer', tell her what you want. They're your pictures and your memory of your special day, so they should look how you want them. If she wants to print an 'edgier' one for her marketing materials that's fine, but the ones you get to keep should be how you want them. I'm sure you're paying well for them, so make sure you get what you want.

Does she still have some of the pictures you liked in her gallery? Send her links of those and very, very clearly say that you either want natural pictures (minimal editing) or pictures in her previous style. State that the new/ darker style is not your taste and you are not happy to have those in your final gallery.

If you have past written correspondence, reference this.

Your aim is to get either the imagery you want, or the raw unedited pictures which you can take somewhere else.

There's some useful advice and steps you can take here too: www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/my-wedding-photographs-are-poor-quality-what-can-i-do

As others have said if she cannot edit them to your taste, find someone who will.

I think the ‘you won’t get the originals as they’re not a finished product’, is what’s worrying me most.

A couple of family members have sent us pictures and whilst they’re not framed very well and obviously not professional, the colours are bright and fresh so obviously its not ‘too dark’ for summery pictures 🙄

I was quite firm/ insistent on the phone/ anymore so would have become blunt/rude.

Now I’m just very nervous.

Send her an email, as a follow up to your call. Reiterate that you want the warm style, and that while you appreciate that she had intended to do a mix, you'd like them all to be edited in the warmer/vintage style. Send her attachments if you can.

Be clear. Honestly, this is a time to ditch being awkward - be nice, but this is important! Get someone else to write it if you're struggling.

That way, you have clear evidence of what you've asked for if you need it, and if she thinks you're just panicking and doesn't understand what a big deal this is for you, she has a chance to understand.

I’m just sat looking through her recent online pictures and they’re nowhere near as dark/ dramatic as the ones she sent me today!

I honestly don’t know what’s going on. Our Venue was a lot more stately than most of these so maybe done lend itself better to gothic/ somber but it seems like she’s just totally gone down her own path.

I’m talking - dramatic raindrops on lense of a dark black and white picture. 🤔

Who wants that in their wedding album?

I think if I were you I’d say that she’s more than welcome to use some dark/edgy edited photos for her portfolio but you’d also like another warm vibrant edited version of the same for your own pictures.

I honestly think sending/ saying anything else at this stage will come across quite rude. I laid out my concerns. She’s fully aware.

Looking at the other recent wedding albums I can only hope I’ve just had a really bad sneak peak and that she will infact have similar nice light and seasonal ones.

I just think she’s got pulled in by the venue and ran with it!

Please please please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Perhaps you can say to her that although you absolutely do not want a 'mixture' - you want all of the style you like - that you are happy for her to use her dark versions for her portfolio?

I hated my wedding photos too OP, there were several photos missing, including family portraits and they just weren’t at all like the ones in his portfolio!

I kept on at him until he rectified it as far as he could, just be firm and do everything by email so you can reread before sending.

Most importantly, forget about this until after your honeymoon!! There’s plenty of time to have these discussions after and no point ruining the last part of your wedding, enjoy

Just be really upfront with her and send her examples of what you like. She should accommodate your preferences.

Agree with others. Try talking to her again. But as an aside, she will be able to get the original photos back even if she's edited them. There will be an unedited RAW file. And she won't let you have the unedited copies because if you edit them in a style that doesn't fit with her business and people assume she has done them, it's not good for her. Definitely try talking to her again though

Tell her you booked her based on her warmer style of images, and while you don't mind her using the edgier ones for her website or whatever, you'd prefer just the warmer ones. She shouldn't mind!

Someone upthread said about getting the original/RAW files and getting someone else to edit them. I don't think this is a goer, the vast majority of photographers would never give anyone their RAW unfinished images, and if they would, they'd charge a lot for them.

promised there would be a mixture!

Tell her you don't want a mixture! The customer is always right, and all that. I expect it's costing you a fortune so stick up for yourself. It doesn't mean you are rude. Be polite but firm.

Even though you've already called her and been firm you should email her too just so there's a paper trail. It can be a polite email, but you are covering yourself. Currently she could deny having had that conversation with you.

Also it's best to to this soon, rather than waiting until she's spent lots of time editing your wedding to look like a thrash metal event.