Bride considers lawsuit over photographer’s “bad attitude” and “bad photos”
Jul 12, 2024
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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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]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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6 responses to “Bride considers lawsuit over photographer’s “bad attitude” and “bad photos””
When we cannot see the pictures it’s hard to tell. It is possible the photographer had an off day, but also that the couple had the wrong expectations. Some of us don’t look like models, no matter how good the photographer is.
1000’s of pic’s taken and only 10 were acceptable? Something doesn’t ring true here.
as a wedding documentarist, I tell the couple exactly what they get, my style and my responsibilities during the filming day. they accept the terms and conditions and we move from there, if by any chance are changes during the shooting i make sure they sign a small note digitally or in camera so we both are covered, they see my work beforehand and they know what is my delivery capabilities and timeframe, if by any reasons they become bridezilla or Karen’s I give them a warning of me finishing the job right there, i can accommodate unforeseen requests but i will not be belittle by anyone because they are paying, i think if weather is a problem i can manage to accommodate a couple of extra hours to redo some parts but that is on a very unique circumstance. to this day not a single complain from clients.
Small claims courts in many states do not allow lawyers to be present. Check you state laws. Also check to see if the photographs on the site are actually hers. Some will steal other’s work and post as their own. That would be a fraud issue.
If 365 day access is stipulated in the contract, then yes there is breach. But if you think the work sucks, why would you even care? The photos are bad, but you want to keep looking at them?
As far as only 10 out of thousands of shots being any good — I warn couples that they should vet their photographer choice properly. One of the things I suggest is to ask to see an entire wedding shoot. You would be shocked at how many of the newer shooters balk at this. They will cite “privacy” of the couple but that is a load of crap. If a release has been signed to clear the images for promo, there is no more Privacy. The crap photogs just want to show you the 3 or 4 bell ringers they may have shot from a few select weddings. They don’t want you seeing the shots later in the day of when the bridesmaids start getting drunk. Seeing a good number of images from one event will help you see if there is consistency in quality of the work and style.
Bear in mind, you’re only hearing one side of the story. You can’t rely on Reddit forums, TikTok videos or other social media to get to the truth of a matter. Some moron sitting in their car describing something that happened with no other evidence than their word is not a reliable source of information. Instead, you should rely on more credible sources of information that have multiple sources of information.