Wedding photographer

[bardos]

Hi, not sure if I would be unreasonable to say something to our photographer.

I got married yesterday and booked our photographer a year ago and 2 months ago she had a baby. When the photographer arrived it was a completely different person and she said that she has come in place of original photographer due to taking some mat leave. Obviously not an issue for us, but a heads up would of been nice.

The second thing I'm a bit upset about is it felt quite unorganised. The photographer that came was lovely and asked me to let her know if I wanted her to take certain photos, but I've never done this before and would of really appreciated her taking the lead a bit more and giving some direction as this evening I've realised that I haven't got photos with quite a few people.

I went back through messages as I remember discussing what type of photos I would like and she said she would be in contact to 'organise family portraits about 2 weeks before the wedding'. She never got in touch. But at the same time, I also didn't contact her so it's partly my fault.

I don't know if I'm being unreasonable or not as I've never had a photographer for anything so not sure if this is the norm. Would you say something, or accept that I should of remembered that the meeting two weeks before didn't happen, so I'm to blame?

Usually a groomsman or family member has a list for family photos & rounds people up. Otherwise it can be a shambles & take ages!

Switching photographers without a heads up (even for a good reason) is really unprofessional. Especially as you often book a photographer based ont heir portfolio and experience. I would absolutely speak to both the photographer you booked and the replacement about that.

I don't think that is acceptable service. It isn't your job to chase up a meeting they stated would happen. You should get the photographer you paid for. I would complain. But what did you pay for the service and I guess you need to wait to see if you're happy with the photos too?

This is very unprofessional of the photographer you booked with. I would raise it with them definitely and explain you are disappointed, it was your wedding day and you can never get those photos again!

Thanks for the replies. Not getting the photos with everyone is disappointing, but I know I'm also partly to blame for that. But after some reassurance, I will definitely contact the original photographer about the replacement (I don't even have their details). I feel bad, as she's recently had a baby so obviously had a lot going on in her own life, but we paid a lot of money and liked her portfolio. I'm sure the photos we get back will be great, but a heads up would of been good so we could of looked her up and atleast known her name! I'm so unbridezilla and hate complaining, but this has been bugging me as it's a day I can never recreate and the photos are memories we can keep for life

Absolutely complain it's unacceptable
But
As far as the photos goes they are just photos you have all the memories of your special day in your head and your heart. Remember your wedding is just the start of your journey. You know who was there. Go forward now and make even more memories together now you are married which will be even more special

In regards to the photos, some of our favourite photos from our wedding are ones the guests took themselves. Message everyone who came and ask them if they can send you any photos they took.

100% speak to your photographer. A photographer isn't like someone who can bake an identical cake. Every photographer is different. You paid for her, not the stand in. If she couldn't do it then she should have told you and you could have found someone else that you liked their portfolio of. Very unprofessional!!

Congratulations! I hope you had a lovely wedding day!

The photographer should definitely have got in touch with you, explained she was unavailable but that this new photographer can work it, and then introduce you and let you see the new photographer's portfolio style. I'd be really unhappy! The lead singer of our wedding band changed between booking them and the wedding but they contacted us and gave us a video of the new singer and said if we weren't happy we could cancel...thats what I would have expected in your situation.

Also re the meeting, the new photographer should have been the one to get in touch and ask you to think of the photos you want and make a list, that's their responsibility not yours.

I'd be very disappointed with the service, I hope you get to see the photos soon and that they're lovely.

Congratulations on your marriage!
I would have been really unhappy if this had happened to us. We chose our photographer because we got on with them and they understood what we were looking for. That helped us to relax on the day.
They had a set list of the photos that they always do, and we were able to add to it. We got that organised at the pre-meet the week before, and they double checked with us on the day too.
At the absolute least, the photographer you had the contract with should have let you know she had a mat leave cover in place.

When you say a lot of money, are we talking more or less than 1.5k?

You should have been informed an associate was being sent

Your photographer should have been in touch to discuss your timeline and group shot list.

I'd write a polite but firm sh*t sandwich letter - ie the associate was great, but didnt have a group shot list/we werent informed/she didnt get in touch and you know some shots have been missed due to this disorganisation, but the associate was lovely and did her best etc. See what they say to that in the first instance

This

Switching is really unprofessional, especially with no prior warning!

Sometimes a photographer will get an associate to shoot the wedding, it normally happens as a last resort/ personal reasons and the associate will be a trusted photographer chosen specifically by the main photographer so she would have been picked to cover as her style would be very similar to the main photographer. The original photographer will still edit the photos as they were her own.
So, I wouldn't worry too much about the quality etc, noone wants to let a bride down or cause stress.
Saying that, a heads up should have happened, maybe some emails ended up in junk folders or something or just a simple clerical error, in the busy season things do get missed, were all human.

I've been a wedding photographer for over a decade. So there's a few queries here.

1. did you sign a contract outlining the conditions of service?
2. did you have a pre wedding meeting?
3. what was the delivery arrangement?
4. was there a discussion relating to what might happen if she was unavailable?
5. how much did she charge?
6. it's not uncommon for photographers regain full creative control because there are so many elements out of your control (uncooperative guests for example - i will do my best but if guests are rude, drunk, or generally uncooperative it's not my job to coerce them. Grumpy guests don't make great pictures, and if I'm on a time limit, I have to move on. (I've had mothers of the bride giving me shit because I've asked to photograph them and they didn't want to be. I felt sorry for the brides in those situations but actually, it's not in mine or the couple's interests to manage this. If someone insists they don't want to be photographed, I generally try to move on!) anyway, it depends on the discussion you had with your photographer, the contract you signed, the price you paid and the expectations of service.

Our photographer didn't turn up at all!

Bloody hell that's awful!

Just a little update. I messaged the original photographer but have had no reply. The photographer that came has been in touch and sent a couple of photos over. Hopefully will get the rest soon and they will be what we wanted!

Fingers crossed! How was the photos they sent over?

They were nice. Nothing spectacular, but hoping we've got a few good ones still to come!