Disappointing Photos...

No second shooter makes a lot of sense with the ceremony pictures you shared - there was only 1 photographer so they focused on getting shots of you from both sides walking down the aisle, stayed on both of you for the ceremony, and got you exiting. But having a 2nd shooter or assistant is something that would cost extra and would be included in your contract. It's really difficult to compare your experience with your photographer against other friend's weddings, because you hired different people with different services. Maybe they paid for hundreds of pictures. Did you ever discuss the quantity of pictures you would receive? Not every photographer needs a specific shot list, but if there were certain pictures you wanted it would have been great to mention those beforehand. There isn't anything the photographer can do about it afterwards.

I think that you do have some REALLY beautiful pictures on your gallery, and some of them are way better than the photographer's other work. The outdoor pictures of you and your husband are better quality than the blog posts you posted. It can be hard when looking at pictures to separate the photographer's quality from the content in the pictures (beautiful details, interesting decor, fun poses, etc), but from looking through I think the quality is very equal across the board with their other work (and I think some of your are better!)

Do any of you wonderful ladies know the wording for requesting additional editing? I have no idea about filters (I know people use them on like instagram, but I am not up on that stuff, lol) - any tips for how to request a bit more editing would be sooo appreciated. You all are super wonderful! <3

Beth,

I do not think your photographs are bad, like many have said they are not the best I've seen and certainly not the worst. I know the feeling of being disappointed in photos, especially when you have such a high standard of what you expected in your mind. To me, pictures are life. I actually own a photography business on the side so I am very passionate about this.

Some things I wanted to make note of:

1. always ALWAYS request a second shooter, My business parter and I don't even leave the option, you get two in every package. One to focus on the big things, one to focus on moments as they naturally happen.

2. Although your photographer should have realized that the squinting and not everyone was looking at the camera, they can't always help that. It is very difficult to keep everyones attention at one time, also something a second shooter can try to handle. As for the squinting, bright sunlight is very difficult to photograph, she should have asked to move you to a shaded spot if there wasn't any, sadly its hard to fix. You also can't fix someones facial expressions, maybe the looks you were hoping for just didn't happen.

3. I don't know what the going rate is for your area, but 3500 is a bit much for one shooter.

4. you can set up a professional reshoot, where you and DH get dressed up and take some more posed and dramatic photos without the hassle of the day, Ive seen this done a few times.

5. everyone is right, the photos she has showcased on her webpage are highlighted for being the best, what have her reviews been?

Im sorry you are not pleased, but truly there are some lovely ones. Pick your favorites and have them printed on a canvas! I don't know if your photographer would, but you can ask for a cd of the raw files and take them somewhere else for editing.

Yes, what where her reviews like? I'd agree, I'm not overwhelmed by these photos for $3,500!

You looked great & I loved you headpiece! But I don't see why she couldn't have been like "Smile! Tilt your head, lift your arm up just abit, etc."

I had my BFF do our photography and she posed and poked me & pulled my hair in all the right places until I looked perfect... we snapped a few good ones and we were done! I'm just not a big fan of a candids, I never look good!

I agree with KD in that regard, she should have been posing you better, Did she attempt to make you laugh, grab your attention, move you around?

No asking us to smile, say cheese, anything like that...no posing...

I didn't smile walking down the aisle. HEY FUTURE BRIDES, SMILE MORE. There's nothing a photographer can do about that though.

Sorry you're not happy. It looks like a beautiful wedding and I'm sure you will find a few that you love.

@ Stephanie. My photographer released the rights to my images as well as supplying me with RAW files. So yes, I can edit, crop, do what ever I want with my photos. They do ask to be credited as the artist (and I would do that in a heartbeat if I sold the image). But, yes. There are PRO photographers out there that do offer RAW and release the images.

I agree with you that your photographer, for the price and supposedly being "award winning" and being a pro wedding photographer, should have been able to give more direction when posing. If this is what they do, then they should have standard poses that they do for each wedding (certain close-ups of the bride, certain bridal portraits, certain poses she has her couples do, etc.). I think overall your pictures are lovely and remember that we can be our own worst critics. Also, some people are just going to be more photogenic than others. For example, I was a bit bummed that some of our pics from moments like our first dance weren't more "romantic" but to be honest, DH and I aren't really romantic people lol and I realized those shots that I saw other photographers got, was because those were OTHER people, and each couple is different. My photographer didn't get hardly ANY detail shots. When I brought it up to our photographer, she apologized profusely and offered a mini shoot (it took about an hour) of just details to get what I wanted. You always have the option to do a restyled shoot. I had a friend who did that -- her photographer was very traditionally and posed (her mom picked them since she was paying) and my friend wanted a different look so they did another shoot and it turned out beautiful.

Just saw the pictures and you look beautiful! The wedding looks amazing! I'm so sorry you were disappointed with the pictures =/ Did you see her other work before?

I feel your pain-- I went with a photog a friend recommended, did not shop around (although I'm not picky, so it may have made no difference...) and the pictures were meh. He was reasonably priced, we got a ton, but none were great, nothing was terribly artistic.

Still, I am married, and that's what matters. Hopefully your friends got some good shots!

Just got my video and wanted to share it with you all - I LOVE IT! It really captures the energy of the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBs3MrCVAhQ&feature=youtu.be

Love your video. I definitely understand as I just got my video as well. It shows so many things that can't be captured by photography and brings back emotions.

I would recommend changing your avatar and starting a different thread....

My first thought when I saw this thread revive was "OH NO ZOMBIE THREAD!!! NO LAZARETH THREAD NO!"

I understand your frustration too.. I'm satisfied with the quality, but I still regret not getting more posed family shots. (like extended family and everyone). Also, there wasn't that many great solo bridal shots of me... we had plenty of b/g photos though! And some great action shots.. trying to focus on the positive...of what WAS captured.

I guess i should've been more clear on the family shots instead of just sending pinterest board...

I'm an amateur photographer (it's just a hobby) so I'm not giving any advice as a professional or anything. But to me the shots are a bit lacking. I think the reason they don't look great is that the photographer centers just about every one of their shots. I find that a little strange for a professional photographer because that's one of the telling signs that someone doesn't know how to frame a shot - always relying on centering their subjects. In addition, the shots indoors use flash, but they don't seem to have the correct flash equipment. It looks like just the normal flash on a camera, not an off-camera flash which is what normal professionals use. Using just the standard flash on a camera would cause the foreground to look way too bright compared to the background. To me, the issue is less with the posing and more with the composition.