Photographer: what to do when family not happy w/shots

[janinegirly]

Hi, I was a BIW a few months ago (for those of you who don''t remember

) and had my wedding in sept. Anyway now my mother''s had a chance to look at all 700+ photos and is upset that there aren''t any good ones of her,etc etc. Part of me thinks this is silly, but she does have a point that there aren''t many shots of her and my father at the reception. In fact the photog completely missed the shot of my mom and dad entering the reception. As the host of the wedding, I guess my mom thinks there should be more of her,etc etc.

Anyway, my question is what can I do about this? All I can think of is to email the photog and point this out and ask if there were any held back that she didnt'' give to me. I''m sure there aren''t any--but figure that''s a more subtle of saying, "why did you miss some major shots?!".
Note: she had a photog assistant and the photographer fees were very high by industry standards. Any of you have experience with this or seen a photog do something after the fact? thanks!

 

[mimzy]

i''m sorry your mom isn''t happy with the shots!

even if you do mention it to the photographer, unless they are withholding some shots, there really isn''t much they could do for you, except , what, promise to do better next time?

Why don''t you try contacting everyone that you saw with a camera and that is close with your mom and dad to see if they got any good shots of your parents, even specific shots like them entering the reception, and see if they can send them to you. They might not be professional, but with a little photoshopping, they might be just as good! I imagine that would be really disappointing though. I hope you were happy with the shots they DID get!

 

[Rhea]

My mother had the same complaint

I''d talk to the photographer and see if there were any out takes that you could flip through. How many photos does your mother plan on displaying or having in an album? I can''t imagine that it''ll be that many that it actually matters (says the person who almost 2 years on has yet to get an album or print more photos than the 6 DH printed for our 1st anniversary).

 

[sumbride]

We don''t have a single good picture of my DH with my MIL. Not one. I haven''t bothered to tell the photographer because I haven''t showed MIL the photos yet. There''s no way you can have a "do-over" but if it''s really a problem you can ask for a rebate or a discount on albums and such. Good luck!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Well, the first thing you could do is invent a time machine, and after that, you would...

Okay, in all seriousness, you can''t go back and make photos that don''t exist, exist.

Since you mentioned this was a full-service photographer with full-service pricing, perhaps you could call the photographer, explain the situation, and see if he''d be willing to schedule some time for your parents to sit for a formal portrait in the clothes they wore to the wedding. Whether he charges for it would be dependent on how he runs his business, but if he does it for a reduced rate and you are grateful to your parents for hosting such a large affair, you could pick up the tab for it. In the end, winding up with a formal portrait might even be more suitable than a photojournalistic shot might have been, you know?

f-d-l

 

[bee*]

I would definitely give her a call and see did she hold back any photos. I would mention to her that there aren''t very many of your mother and see if you could get a discount on an album or something. I''d check with your guests to see did they take any nice photos also.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks girls, some great advice. I''ll let the photog know and see what she comes up with.

i know we can''t go back in time, but since my mother paid for a large portion of this photog, i feel i should at least make a bit of a fuss on her behalf.

 

[Gypsy]

You know, it''s interesting you posted this. The wedding we were at on NYE was CRAWLING with photographers (Groom is one himself). There were 2 videographers and FOUR photographers PLUS THREE guest who were professonal photographers and had brought what looked like ALL of their equipment. And ALL of them were SO focused on the Bride and Groom it was really puzzling to me. I mean they went for photos privately at THREE pm. Wedding ended at 2 am. So that''s 11 hours of photography (must have cost the earth). And not once did I see them make an effort to photograph the guests the parents, the sibilings. I mean COME ON there are FOUR of you that are being paid. Surely ONE can be spared to take pics of the Brides parents (who hosted the thing)!

I think it''s something that becoming more common with the photographers... you actually have to remind them that while it''s YOUR day, it''s not all about you, and you''d like those who are close to you captured on film because they are a large part of the event.

I do hope your photographer has held something back because I would be upset, myself, if our photographers don''t get nice pics of our friends and family''s reactions and enjoyment of the day. Give your mom a big hug.

 

[Clio]

And not once did I see them make an effort to photograph the guests the parents, the siblings.

Gypsy, I noticed the very same thing at my SIL''s recent wedding. There are fourteen gazillion shots of the bride and groom, but only one photo of our nephew, who was in the wedding party. One picture of him walking down the aisle, and that''s it. There were a number of times during the reception when I saw moments that would make great and memorable photos but none of the photographers were anywhere to be seen.

I realize that the photographers can''t spend all of their time taking shots of all of the family, guests, etc., but when I look at wedding photos (my own included) I want to see more than a million tilted shots of the bride and groom.