Photographer Disappeared

You could possibly take him/her to court if you're willing to take drastic measures. Try reaching out to your photographer again. If there's no response, legal action might be necessary. Sorry you're having to worry about this!

Do you have a contract with the photographer that is signed by both you and the photographer in question?

How did you find this photographer? Have you tried googling them or finding them on Facebook? See if you can find a family member or someone that knows them and reach out to them. Explain that you are looking for your pictures and they aren’t responding. If you want to be nice you could even say that you are worried something may have happened to them.

View Quoted Comment Sure do, thankfully!

View Quoted Comment I’ve tried all that! Had my husband call since she didn’t have his number, tried Facebook, Instagram, email and phone. Had my wedding coordinator call as well.

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Well, then you're off to a great start with this! Now, does the contract specifically state anything about how long it could potentially take to get pictures back to you after the event? For example, my photographer's contract has a section in it which guarantees at least ONE sneak peak photo for download no later than 48 hours following the date of the wedding. The next part of that section states that the photographer will make the full gallery of images available for download no later than eight weeks from the date of the wedding. Does your contract have anything similar to this within it?

View Quoted Comment Yes, mine said a sneak peek within 48 hours and gallery by 12 weeks. Haven’t seen or heard anything. We’re at 13 weeks/91 days since the wedding.

I agree with a PP check your contract to see when they promise to deliver your photos by. If that deadline has passed I would say send one last kind and professional message via every contact you have for them. If still no response start your reviews on every site possible, also blasting them on social media is always helpful.

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Then it is time to send a final warning via email or phone call if possible. Kindly let them know that they are in violation of your contract and that you will be forced to pursue legal action if they do not respond.

View Quoted Comment Yes, that’s what I’ve started doing giving time to respond in between. Reviews are next. That’s what I was thinking too.

View Quoted Comment Great! So sorry this is happening Laura. I hope things turn around in your favor! Wishing you all the best.

Make all contact through email from now on. Phone calls are hard to show in court. (You can show that you called, but can’t show the context.) Be very specific about what’s in the contract, the many ways and times you’ve attempted to contact her, and what your next action will be. Sign the email with your full name and contact information. (“Your honor, I couldn’t call her back because I lost my phone...” She can open an email on any computer. Your number will be in the email.)
Small claims court will likely cover the amount you’ve paid her. Depending upon the judge, it can be difficult to get punitive damages but it’s worth a try. Small claims cases are not expensive to file. You have nothing to lose. Good luck!

Generally writing bad reviews (especially on google, because I’m pretty sure they get emails when those reviews are posted), threatening to go to small claims court, and disputing the credit card transaction with the bank (if you paid via credit card) are all things that tend to make people like this miraculously resurface!

Good luck! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this and I hope you get your photos soon

All of the above is good, but it's important to remember what you really want, which is your photos. Posting negative reviews may not be the best way to motivate someone to come through for you. (Even though he or she would merely be doing their job.) In some cases, you can ask for specific performance in court instead of a monetary remedy. The judge would then order the photographer to perform the terms of the contract, produce and deliver the pics. After that, if they still don't, you could go back and ask for monetary damages. Collecting is always the toughest part in court cases and if you just got money, I don't think you'd be satisfied. I don't think any bride would. I'm sorry you're going through this.

I am having a similar issue except our photographer will respond just to say that the photos are "almost ready" and that she'll "hopefully" have them to us by the end of the week. She has done this multiple times now. We signed a contract which stated that we would receive a sneak peek after 1 week and the link to our online gallery between 6-8 weeks. Our sneak peek was 4 weeks late and we have yet to get the rest of our photos. I tried being patient because she came highly recommended by a number of mutual friends, but I think threatening legal action is my only option at this point.

I hope it works out and you get your pictures!!!

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Hi Laura! Has your photographer gotten in contact with you yet? Did you get your photos?