 Angela K. Wittmer |
Wedding Pictures Nightmare I have a question for anyone who has taken wedding pics for a friend. I took pics at a second wedding for a person I work with. It was a very low key event, and they were very aware that I am not a professional photographer. I was doing it as a favor to them. I agreed to take 3 rolls of 36 exp Kodak Portra 160 VC, pay for the film & developing & put the nicer proofs in a folder. I told them I would do all of this for 100.00 (20.00 over my costs). The day was to be sunny which was good as it was an outside wedding. Right as we were going to take outside pics a storm blew up. The day turned gray and cloudy & it was raining lightly. I set my camera to what I thought were the correct expossures for the type of weather we were having. I was within 10 feet of the using flash. The inside pics were done using a flash & 160 speed film. My dilemma is as follows. The pics inside of the ceremony and reception are fine. The ouside pics are underexposed (I must have underestimated the lighting, so they are on the dark side, but you can still see who all the people are & really are not that bad.) The inside family pics are also dark, but you can still see the people. The wedding had to be moved inside a cramped little garage with a arch that was blinking Christmas white lights. My camera was going nuts! Anyway.. the bride is not happy at all with the pics I took, even though for the type of day it was outside I dont think they are as bad as what she thinks. I only charged these people 100.00 for the entire package of wat I did. Now the groom wants me to put all the pics on a disc so he can play with them on Photoshop & see if he can improve them. Am I responsible for paying for the transfer of them to disc? Its going to cost 60.00 to do this & it will put me in the hole for doing the wedding. Do I suck it up & take it,paying for the extra request or do I tell him that he is responsible for the cost? They were very aware I was an amateur, even though every other event I have taken pics of have been great. What should I do? I am sick over this & not sure I will ever do another wedding again. I am getting a Nikon D70 this week so going digital may help.Please help I dont know what I should do, as they are very angry with me.
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Liza M. Franco |
Angela, it is hard to say what you should do in this type of situation. Given the fact that they knew you were an amateur when they hired you, perhaps they will split the cost with you. Should you decide to continue with weddings, digital will give you the comfort of knowing if you are getting the shots as you would like them to look. Good luck to you, I hope it goes well.
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anonymous |
Angela, Your poor darling, it must be a horrible feeling. you need to sit them down and tell them that you had explained to them that you were an Amateur and that considering the change in weather, as an Amateur, you didn't know how to deal with it in a professional manner. I don't believe you should have to pay for the shots to be put onto CD. Give him the negs and they can pay for it. At the end of the day, they have paid peanuts for their wedding photography, and they were the ones that were willing to gamble their precious wedding photos on an Amatuer (after you telling them so) for a few dollars. They were willing to save money and risk it, so how are you to blame. Stick up for yourself and explain to them what had been discussed before the wedding. That you were an Amatuer and not sure if you should do it etc but they took the risk anyway. If not, they should of hired a pro. Go have a glass of wine and relax. Let me know how you get on.
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Vince Broesch |
Just my opinion... you made a mistake by agreeing to this "friends" wedding and you sure have learned from it. Sence you work with this person, you should just pay up, give them the photos on CD along with your apology that they didn't come out so well, and try to maintain a good working relationship with this person. I think your "friends" are wrong, but you'll just have to take the heat and pony up with the money. Just my 2 cents worth. Vince
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Keith G. Williams |
I agree with Vince. Even though you made it clear that you are an amateur, the prints came out dark. I say, give them the CD. You will definetly learn from this experience, plus you don't want people at your job talking bad about you. When the smoke clears they may ask or your services. Remember, we've all been there!
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Angela K. Wittmer |
It has been very rough on me... I do good work, but for some reason, these were not the best I have done. I have learned to rely on my camera controls more (auto settings). I dont know how much they can "play" with them to improve them but I suppose I will have to end up paying for the discs. I really dont want to as he said some very hurtful things to me I felt were very uncalled for. The relationship has already been altered. I should have known something was wrong after they told me they wanted excellent pics but didnt want to spend alot of money. Next time I will think twice & use 2 cameras in case something is wrong with one of them. Live & learn..............
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Alisha L. Ekstrom |
This is definitely a wedding nightmare, but don't give up on the opportunity of other weddings. Having a digital now will definitely be tons better for you. That away you can take a picture & look at it right away & just make sure your settings are what you want. I'm not sure where I am at on this one cause in my opinion, yes you may work with the girl, but they new from the start that you WERE NOT a professional!!!! That is a risk THEY took...not you!!! I guess I'm basically agreeing with Natalie...give them the negatives & they can go have the disc made themselves. You really need to set down with this girl & say hey you knew from the start I wasn't a professional & I'm very sorry that the weather turned bad & I wasn't sure what settings to use. Maybe next time if you do a wedding for a friend have them sign a contract...them knowing you are not a professional & what your policy is if they don't turn out!!! But just definitely don't give up cause seriously having a digital will change all your photo opportunities. Good luck!!! Hope all goes well!!!
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anonymous |
Ok, definitely don't pay for the disc, if the relationship is altered already and they have been horrible to you, why should you try. Tip: However they get the pics onto disc, once in PS&, tell them to create a duplicate layer, on that layer change the settings (in the layers palette) to screen. This will lighten the photo without getting rid of any contrast. Then flaten. Then create another layer and on that layer choose "soft light", reduce as necessary, then flatten. Hopefully this will help save some of the photos.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
I agree with Natalie. I think you should give them the negatives and consider your job done. I'm sure you've already explained to them that you tried to do the best job you could considering the bad weather. For a $20 profit, you've hardly ripped them off, after all.
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Susan L. Vasquez |
Got a question... I am not a film photographer, but would it be cheaper to buy more film and re-shoot the outdoor photos? ps. They really should be ashamed of themselves for treating you so badly.
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anonymous |
I doubt it, bride and bridemaids need their hair redone, make up - dresses etc, groom needs suites, plus all the family and friends and the cost of them to get their hair re-done etc if they had it done at the hairdresses. You can only shoot a wedding on the wedding day, to much to co-ordinate otherwise, it will never have the same feeling.
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Angela K. Wittmer |
It was a very small afair, they only had 1 maid of honor & best man. They just wore suits they had. They still have the wedding stuff. They did the hair, etc themselves. I was going to offer to do some over, but the way I was being treated I decided to not even go there with them. I am dropping off the negs tonight to have tranferred & will have a talk with the developer to see if they can shoot me a deal on it. After all I just spent a great deal of money with them on the D70, so maybe they will work with me. I just hope Photoshop can help them, but they were really not THAT bad in the beginning, just a little dreary looking, but that couldnt be helped, as it was raining & gray when I took the pics. That you for all of your advice. I love this site as people are so great to give advice & help others!!! :)
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Kerry L. Walker |
Angela, I agree with Natalie and Chris. Just give them the negatives and let them have at it. They didn't hire you to shoot the wedding. They just covered your costs. Yes, I know you think you made a whopping $20.00, but you didn't. Consider the drain on your batteries, the wear on your camera, the gas you spent going to get the film, dropping the film off for development and going back to get the prints. You have lost money already. Sure, you made a mistake being the main photographer at a wedding when you weren't prepared but you gained some experience. Someday you will be ready. They also made a mistake by getting "Uncle Fred" to shoot the wedding. If the pictures were that important to them, they should have hired a pro. BTW, why don't you post a few of the pictures and let us look at them. Perhaps they can be salvaged.
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Susan L. Vasquez |
Good idea Kerry. Post a few Angela :) I would love to try and "fix" any if you would let me. I like the challenge!
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Angela K. Wittmer |
I will scan a couple in tonight & see what you think Thanks!
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Melissa L. Zavadil |
Angela, I would love to help you out too! I have worked with PS I could definately spice them up--no problem!! Send some over :) Melissa
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Liza M. Franco |
Count me in too. If you would like send me a couple, I'll see what I can do.
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Samuel Smith |
way to jump in folks.i did a wedding for a friend and never was paid even for the film I used,time ,,but I loved the experience and they were very happy.they did let me look at the wedding album after they got the film developed,and I was tickled shi%$#^&%? by the way,on another thread,mr green or what's his name,posted my mini pic. thanks for helping out. sam
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John A. Lind |
Angela, I feel pain for your current situation. It's a big risk shooting one for a friend or relative. With relatives or a work associate, you can't bid adieu to them easily if they are disappointed with the shoot and it affects your relationship with them. I agree completely with simply delivering the negatives and letting it go as being one of the best options already posted. If efforts offered by others to work with scans of them cannot make much improvement in them, that's what I definitely recommend. The $20 above your costs doesn't even cover the value of your time and energy for the day (even without the incidentals Kerry mentioned). They took the risks *knowing* you're not in the business of doing weddings but expected it to be risk-free and rival that of a $1200-$2000 class pro (with wedding experience) doing the job. That expectation is not uncommon . . . it's more the norm. They may (emphasis on may) actually be more upset with themselves with their decision and are taking it out on you rather than each other . . . it's much less emotional cost for both of them to do so. Think about that a little and see if it fits your situation. Last, but not least . . . -- John Lind
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Karthik M. Siddhun |
Angela, Being one of guy who gives importance to this Q&A,I too understand your situation. But don't give up, taking pictures on wedding day. You handover the negative and just say, not to expect more than this, as you donot know more on photography. Blindly pretend in this situation. Just wipe this incidence, from your mind. This had happened to me too, when I went with my 35mm camera (which is a new one and beginners pro model) to "engagement day" of my colleague. Out of 36, only 12 snaps turned good, as the function endedup at 11.00pm. Even my colleague knew that I was a "Serious Amateur" in photography and my camera was a new one, I just gave the prints and negative in his hand and apologised. But my inward feelings says, I am getting matured!!! Now, the same colleague comes back to me and asking me to take pictures on his wedding which falls on "november" month. Now.....again, I am on hot pot! but...I have more confidence, I can do better! ( thanks to this Q&A Section.) With Regards,
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Angela K. Wittmer |
Thats how I feel too...I have learned alot from this experience. Things do not as smoothly as you hope sometimes. This is the first time I have ever had problems like this & I have been doing pics for people for 2 years. I guess even pros have times things dont work right. I didnt have the chance to post last night so I will try to get the pics on tonight for you to look at.
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John A. Lind |
Angela, From the description of what occurred . . . an outdoor wedding either without an inclement weather plan, or with a very seriously flawed one, is an enormous impediment encountered at the 11th hour and 59th minute for you and everyone else involved in making the event happen. It's not so much the rain forcing it indoors . . . it's the chaos and turmoil from an apparent lack of sufficient contingency planning on their part. A seasoned wedding veteran can deal with these things easier and not get rattled as much, but it's not without the stress of having to wing it on the fly and take risks. Coping with it takes time, energy and mental concentration away from doing the best photography possible. A major foul-up of something you're not responsible for, is not under your control, but significantly affects or interferes with ability to do the photography, is called Force Majeure (literal translation: "major force"). It's a term used in contract clauses that limits liabilities if contract obligations cannot be fulfilled due to "Acts of God." Expecting performance of all obligations as if a force majeure not of your own doing or within your responsibilities hadn't occurred is unreasonble. "Acting in good faith" to do the best you can under the circumstances, with the resources at hand, is the limit of reasonable expectations. Even the most experienced wedding photographers can "have a bad day" resulting in something less than their normal work quality if a big enough impediment is put in their path. A tip for booking future outdoor events: I see anything up front that might affect how well I can do the job when getting details about an event I find a way to tactfully ask about it and discuss then what can be done to mitigate it . . . and ultimately how it can limit what I can do for them if it becomes an impediment. Hoping there's something you can do with what you have to improve it that doesn't require too much time and energy. -- John Lind
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Angela K. Wittmer |
You hit the nail on the head, John... it was very chaotic & stressful for me. Having to photograph in the rain, wiping my camera off all of the time. Hey I just thought of something.. I may have moved the shutter speed when I was wiping off the camera with the cloth. That may explain why the shutter may have been wrong. There are alot of little things that really made it that way but I wont get into all of the now as it would take me all day to write. I now have a D70 Nikon & it will help that I can see my results right away. I appreciate your kind words, hopefully it will work out. I still havent been able to post the pics but will try this weekend.
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Mellanie |
I totally agree with Natalie, Chris and Alisha. Give them the negatives and let them do what they want to with them!
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Angela K. Wittmer |
My Nikon N80 has the dial on the front & a dial on the back to adjust the speed of the shutter & apeture. I am sure most of you know what I am talking about. I bet when I was drying the camera I moved those levers & got some weird setting. I would have been very easy for that to happen I with all the chaos I wouldnt have thought to check them as I already had them set. Do you guys think this may have been possible? I have been racking my brain trying to think what I may have done wrong.
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Linda Buchanan |
Angela, I have a question. What would the reaction have been if these were awesome pics? Would they have offered to pay more of what they were worth? Probably not. I wouldn't pay for the CD. There is no excuse is mistreat someone, especially someone who has done you a favor. I took a wedding once at a private home and it was a nightmare. The bride's sister refused to put on her shoes, the two of them got in a fist fight and the grooms mother refused to have her picture taken. Just don't give up, let this go and better things will come along for you. And, you are probably being too hard on yourself as far as the pics go, we all are!
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John A. Lind |
Linda, Cannot help wondering . . . did they need (or want) the wedding pix even a year later? Sounds like it was off on a really, really bad start. The likelihood of them wanting reprints 5 or 10 years later is just about nil. Then again, the blissful bridal couple might just break the mold. It does happen occasionally against all the odds. -- John Lind
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Linda Buchanan |
John, I understand they are still married. I gave them a book of proofs, collected my check and went home! BTW, I love your gallery. I still have a collection of Olympus OM cameras and all the lenses, accessories, etc. Can't beat em and your gallery is proof. Beautiful work.
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John A. Lind |
Angela, What you mentioned . . . moving the shutter speed dial accidentally could be the "failure mode" (among a few other things) . . . presuming you were using flash and wherever it landed was still at X-sync (or slower). If shutter speed ends up faster than X-sync though, the result is unmistakable with what appears to be a partially exposed frame. I confess to having accidentally moved a shutter speed dial on my medium format camera (on the side of its metered prism) for about a half-dozen frames in the middle of a roll. It took several weeks to figure out what happened . . . was testing its X-sync to see if it was intermittently failing somehow (the problem pix were mid-roll) and got it out again to run some more tests when I discovered pulling it out of the camera bag at just the right angle moved it to 1/125th and putting it back moved it back to 1/60th . . . by rubbing the edge of the shutter dial enough on the side of a bag divider. Fortunately for me, we were able to re-shoot the "lost frames" about a month later without any great inconveniences beyond a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon. Another lesson not just learned, but painfully re-learned . . . checking shutter speed, aperture and "mode" settings whenever picking up a camera . . . without fail 100% of the time. Linda, Thanks for the remarks about my gallery. One of the reasons I like the OM system is the compact size and lighter weight of the bodies and OM Zuiko lenses compared to the pro grade Canons and Nikons of their era (A-1, F-1 and F3). They've felt more agile in my hands, although some with huge hands don't like the smaller body size. Also never cared for shutter speed dials on the top deck; the shutter speed ring around the lens mount feels more natural to me. -- John Lind
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Michelle Ross |
Oh Angela . . . I can certainly feel your pain .. . I did a wedding March . .. it was for more of an acquaintance than a friend but still nerve wracking . .. I did use digital and was still a wreck after the wedding worrying about if they would like them . . . I was able to use flash and everything was indoors but even with flash somethings just didn't expose like I wanted. . . most were the opposite end of yours . . .mine were too bright. In the end they said they loved them . . . for your dilemma. . . I would hesitate to put ALL of the pics on CD . . . which is why I would have THEM do it . . .then they can pick and choose the ones they think they like the best for that . . .t here's really no sense in having them all transferred if there are some they simply do not like regardless of the poor light. Although my situation turned out fine I don't know if I will ever do another wedding either LOL . . .
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Angela K. Wittmer |
Well I ended up giving him the disk. only because I worked a deal out with the developer on a price (I had just bought a Nikon D70 from them). I had a friend deliver the disc to him for me at work & I havent heard a word from him (thank you , offer to pay for, nothing) I am now wiping my hands of this mess & moving on. By the way I love my new D70... have a few pics in my gallery! Thank you ALL for your help with this!
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Melissa L. Zavadil |
Angela, I know that you work with this person and I know that this can be an extremely terrible feeling to have to deal with every day. I wish that you lay down your hurt feelings toward them and write them a letter explaining to them that you are sorry that things went so bad that it was not your intention. I would try to leave not explainations as to guilt or who is guilty for what but leave an opening for this to just be over and done with. I know this would be very very hard to do since the hurt feelings happened but based on your working enviroment I really believe that this would be in your best interest. To have to live with a grey cloud over your head passing you in the halls every day is a really bad feeling and I hope that by wiping your hands clean you can except that things did not go well. Simply say you are sorry, and offer no excusses or explainations just a simple gesture of hopes to move forward. I really hope that this will help your future working enviroment! I wish you luck in the future of your photography! Keep it up you can only learn good things from bad experiances! :o)
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KIM SCHULTZ |
Send him this website and suggest he read the threads!
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