A bride has sparked a debate online after claiming her wedding photographer delivered a disastrous experience, leaving them with “maybe 10 nice photos out of thousands taken.” She plans to file a lawsuit, and the community supports her, thinking she could, in fact, win.
“Our photographer was the most expensive thing at our wedding but she had beautiful work online,” the bride wrote in a Reddit post. “Leading up to the wedding she was friendly. No red flags. The day of, she was miserable, sat down most of the evening, gave guests an attitude, and we ended up with maybe 10 nice photos out of thousands taken.”
“I realize she is very protected with her contract wording. It state that her artistic preference is her own and that weather isn’t her problem (and it did rain). So we can’t prove that the photos are “bad”. Whether a photo is good is subjective however I have many with my eyes closed, mouth weird, unflattering angles, almost none of us together as a couple or of our children.”
Feeling cheated, the bride hired another photographer to recapture some of the couple’s shots. She then requested partial reimbursement from the original photographer, who refused. Frustrated, the bride left a negative review online. But she claims that this prompted the photographer to delete the entire online gallery before the expiration of 365-day access period stipulated in the contract.
“Is this grounds to go after her for breach of contract?” the bride asked. Some Redditors suggested small claims court, a route that could potentially recover both the cost of the re-shoot and compel the return of the photos. Others argued that legal fees might outweigh the desired compensation. Still others believed a simple threat of legal action might be enough to scare the photographer into offering a settlement.
This case highlights the importance of thorough research and clear contracts when hiring wedding photographers. But it also raises questions about the subjective nature of photography – what is “a good photo,” and how do you prove in court that it’s not good? Do you think there are grounds for legal action here or not?
[via Your Tango]
