Disgusting wedding photos

[inthelight44]

Just received my wedding photos and I’m so upset. The composition of the pictures is lovely - the backgrounds are beautiful and the colours are nice, but all the photographs have been taken from low down, giving me an awful double chin. There are two photos I like - both taken from a normal angle, but for the rest, the photographer crouched down and I have about 5 chins and my hair looked so flat.

I know it’s silly and there’s nothing I can do now, but why didn’t the photographer think of this? So upset.

Mine are really awful as well, OP! There are maybe 3-4 that I don’t mind, so we have those framed and I don’t really think about it now!

Most people view previous work and tell their photographer exactly what photos they want. You're nit supposed to actually leave it up to the photographer just to click away and take photos, and you should have seen him low down and knew what the photo was going to look like.

You might not like the photos which is fair enough but unless they’ve been photoshopped you can hardly complain as they are just a snapshot of reality which isn’t always the same as what’s in our head. The photos are just how everyone looked on the day.

We really are. I got married long ago and before giving birth to 4 big babies. I remember looking at my wedding photos and saying, "But look at my huge stomach" I was a size 8 and looking at them now all I can think is how the hell was I seeing a huge stomach. Oh to look like that again.

Ask to see the photographer's other photos.

Ask for all your guests to send their photos. Many will be lovely often very natural moments and almost certainly not from crouched down.

I would say that this is a constant danger when people (maybe not OP who knows) live their lives taking photos way above their heads pointing down and with filters and such on that many people are disappointed with their wedding photos.

It is likely the photographer doesn't share your self consciousness about your double chins and so to them it isn't an issue. Ask them if they have any other photos as you're disheartened that the low angles aren't flattering.
I'm sure you looked beautiful

Brilliant 😂😂

I agree that it can be a shock how we look in real life when not posing for one off photos and taken from various angles, unfiltered. I know to take photos from a higher angle to get rid of my chins, but unfortunately photos from the last family wedding I attended rid me of any delusions as to what I look like when I am not posing.

Agreed. It's the sort of thing you see tabloid photographers do when the headline is something like 'Four single mums band together to sue Council for not picking up their dog poo'.

100% agree I’m pretty sure no brides going to stop their wedding to micromanage a professional photographer they’ve trusted and paid a lot of money for honestly why even comment

we got married in Las Vegas and these were two of the photos I got. I think I was upset at the time but now they are something to look back and laugh. I understand though because you want the day to be perfect

Wow, I wasn’t expecting so many responses: thank you everyone (except the people saying it was my fault 😂).

To answer some of the questions asked:

1. He was a professional photographer with proper equipment, not a friend of a friend
2. Luckily there are about 10 photos I like, plus a few guests took, so I have some nice ones to remember the day
3. His portfolio contained a wide range of angles, but I think he crouched down to include the scenery (mountains) in the background
4. On reflection, as suggested, I wish we had booked a pre-wedding shoot to spot these potential issues earlier and would recommend anyone to do the same if planning a wedding shoot.
5. Whilst I appreciate the comments about social media warping our self perception, in this case it wasn’t that deep and it was truly just the angle! I looked fine in my guests’ candid photos.

Thank you again for your wise words and sharing your own experiences. It’s nice to know I’m not alone and that weddings don’t always go to plan!

I haven't read everybody's advice but my friend had dreadful pics from her wedding so she booked a photo session in the countryside, she and her husband dressed in their wedding clothes & they had a series of lovely romantic shots taken, just the two of them. Now, 20 years later, it's like they are her wedding pics.

Most photographers won’t have included all the photos they took, you could ask if he took more at the angle you like… he should of taken them at a few angles each time so you may find he has more that he’s just not edited and sent out.

it’s okay not to be happy with them, I’d just explain that you’re not happy with that angle of yourself but you understand why he did it due to the view in the background, however you were wondering if he had any unedited from other angles xx

I think maybe asking friends for any shots they might have taken - you might get some good spontaneous pictures. Also asking for a wider selection of photos from the photographer and enquiring if any of the pictures can be photoshopped. Our wedding was a wet and wild day, so in most photos my hair looks a mess and whilst the photographer had a few decent shots, my favourites ended up being friends’ photos from their mobiles. Some of those I framed and put on the wall. There were no official photos of my in laws at all. Looking back I feel I should have introduced the photographer to family members / in laws but at the time there was so much going on and it was all a bit hectic, so I just assumed that they would have met.
I have some nice mobile phone photos I framed as a memory of the day - and some great video clips from friends’ phones. So hopefully you will be able to get some pictures from friends and also discuss which official photos can be altered to be more suitable and give you what you want.🤗

Hi O/P,

I'm a photographer - Would you be willing to show us a photo or two? If you've paid for something and it's bad quality/unflattering I would tell the photographer to photoshop them. At the end of the day you've paid for a product not fit for purchase, if it's not to your satisfaction.

i don’t think you can really request a refund when you received the service you booked but simply didn’t like the outcome.

Now if a mistake had happened ofcourse, but disliking the angle so therefore the photographer should eat the cost is poor to me

There’s nothing wrong with the ‘composition’ when shooting from below, the issue is some people would prefer to not see themselves photographed from that angle.

sorry to nitpick, but I don’t think it’s right to act like the photographer did something wrong, If someone would rather not see their double chins that’s personal, but ultimately the photographer needs to be informed. For some people it’s common sense that the photographs would be ‘flattering’ but others want accuracy

if you are pointing the camera up someone’s nose and including extra chins then I think it’s very much a compositional element.

If you booked a band who were known to perform fantastic country music, would you be happy when they played death metal at your booking instead?

Same difference. Photographers all have a style they like shooting in. If they are selling their services then that is why people pick them. If they drastically change their style without prior notification to either clients, then yes, a refund is suitable in my opinion.

Came to say exactly the same- my friend hated her wedding pictures too and this is what she has done and has them all up on the wall and they look amazing

That's what my friend did too. She got some really beautiful ones on a beach with just DH

What a twit he is. Anyone knows that angle is unflattering for most women.it's his job to make you look as good as possible. I find it baffling so many photographers don't put this at the forefront of their goals when shooting weddings. I had a shoot with a pro photographer two days ago (un wedding related) and he spent the whole time crouching shooting upwards. I kept telling him not to. All the ones he shot from low down were grim and all the ones he begrudgingly took from higher up were fine. He's photographing women in their fifties! He should know

Those two photos are all you need for life 😊 my wedding photos were taken by a friend’s dad - an amateur and he offered to take them. I asked how much he wanted up from and he said ‘I’m sorting you out: you’re as good as family’
he then sent me a bill post wedding of £2000 (11 years ago and average was £900 then with an album)
I refused to pay it and offered him the £900 saying had he told me upfront like I’d asked I’d politely have declined.

the only photos I now how are guest photos and there are a couple of cracking ones that I use in frames or to share pics.

honestly, I was heartbroken at the time but now it barely bothers me because I wouldn’t have looked at them more than a few times anyway.

The important thing was your wedding day and that you were getting married with friends and family around. I wouldn’t dwell on the photos, ours have been sitting in an album gathering dust upstairs and haven’t been looked at for years even though I was fortunate enough to have been happy with them.