WWYD about this photographer situation?

[scout8]

Feb 18, 2015 12:34:01 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

Feb 18, 2015 12:24:56 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Thanks  

My BFF said "do the brides cry because they are so upset with their pictures?" Lol.

I actually think some of the pictures on his site are pretty cool. That is not reflected in the pictures we took, though.

Yeah, some of his other shoots look great,  And I don't think your family pictures look bad, but I do agree with what cosmowife said about the background being the biggest problem (the color and the wrinkles).  That's the part that bothers me.  Some of the poses aren't the absolute best, but being shot in a studio, I think it just is what it is.

If it makes you feel better, we took family pictures with H's family for his parents for Christmas.  They turned out really well, and his sister was in charge of picking the best one and getting it framed (although we all pointed out which ones we thought were best).  Yeah, well my eyes are closed in the one she picked.  There were literally 250 shots (and my eyes were open in 249 of them), and there were plenty of other shots where everyone looked good (probably none were 100% perfect because there were 2 babies and 6 other little boys in them), but seriously.  I am right in the middle and my eyes are fucking closed.  And the picture is GIANT.  And now hangs on my in-law's wall.  Needless to say, I was pretty pissed on Christmas Eve when I saw it!

WTF? Why in the world would she pick one where someone had their eyes closed? 

[Ashley&Scott]

Feb 18, 2015 13:28:34 GMT -5 sporky said:

You have a lovely family!

That said, while I don't think the photos are terrible, I would hate to have paid $400 dollars and have that be the result. I mean the background (which is a terrible color) is WRINKLED, for Christ's sake! I would definitely discuss your disappointments and expectations with the photographer. There are a couple of closeups that really aren't bad, but I'd probably want some of my money back honestly.

The proofs haven't been edited. The photographer can easily edit out the wrinkles. 

[ijack]

Can you ask him to change the color of the background? That isn't hard to do at all. If you normally like his work I would ask for a reshoot.

[raangoli]

Feb 18, 2015 12:34:01 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

Feb 18, 2015 12:24:56 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Thanks  

My BFF said "do the brides cry because they are so upset with their pictures?" Lol.

I actually think some of the pictures on his site are pretty cool. That is not reflected in the pictures we took, though.

Yeah, some of his other shoots look great,  And I don't think your family pictures look bad, but I do agree with what cosmowife said about the background being the biggest problem (the color and the wrinkles).  That's the part that bothers me.  Some of the poses aren't the absolute best, but being shot in a studio, I think it just is what it is.

If it makes you feel better, we took family pictures with H's family for his parents for Christmas.  They turned out really well, and his sister was in charge of picking the best one and getting it framed (although we all pointed out which ones we thought were best).  Yeah, well my eyes are closed in the one she picked.  There were literally 250 shots (and my eyes were open in 249 of them), and there were plenty of other shots where everyone looked good (probably none were 100% perfect because there were 2 babies and 6 other little boys in them), but seriously.  I am right in the middle and my eyes are fucking closed.  And the picture is GIANT.  And now hangs on my in-law's wall.  Needless to say, I was pretty pissed on Christmas Eve when I saw it!

Does your SIL hate you? Why would someone do that? I'm sorry  

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 13:46:55 GMT -5 ijack said:

Can you ask him to change the color of the background? That isn't hard to do at all. If you normally like his work I would ask for a reshoot.

This is kind of what I'm thinking at this point. If he can change the background and do some editing to things like shadows, cropping out awkward feet, etc. I think some of the pictures could be ok. Do you think changing the color of the background after the fact will fix the issue with it washing people out? I would assume so? 

My sister is apparently unwilling to do a reshoot. Lol. This was originally my thought but she's too uncomfortable to deal with this. I just got an email from her a little while ago. 

TBH I am not a huge fan of his work, but as a few people said, that's kind of my fault at this point for not researching ahead of time. My sisters both looked at his site and thought they were great, so I just trusted them. Oddly, they are far pickier and more upset about the posing than I am, so I'm not sure what their thought process was on that. 

[ijack]

He should be able to do some editing to make you guys look healthy colors (I didn't see the original pics though). Obviously you can't change weird poses, but it sounds like this may be the best bet.

[redredwine]

I have a clause in my contract that clients have 24 hours to let me know if they are unhappy with their photos and at MY discretion, I will reshoot. I won't reshoot if you don't like your hair/outfit/kid was unruly, etc.
At the end of the day, I want my clients to be happy. If I feel the shoot is consistent with my work, I maybe wouldn't reshoot. I'd find a way to make it work, like maybe offer a few additional prints (though you don't like the prints so that could be a problem).

I probably wouldn't refund-my costs are built in to account for my time on the shoot & processing time, but I'd want to find a compromise.

I'd speak up and say something, but make it reasonable and again, if it's consistant with his work, then maybe it's a lesson learned for next time to go with someone else or a style you'd like better (as in, outside vs. studio)

[lillaguma]

I like what redredwine said - I think that if this is really about something on the photography end (posing and direction made you look stiff, color of background was a bad choice, lighting was rough) then you have a better change of getting a reshoot than if it really is just that your mom and sister don't like the way they look in general. Are they usually happy with pictures they have done of themselves? Because if not a reshoot may not make anyone happier, really.

I missed the link, so didn't see the pictures.

Anyhow - my guess is he's going to want to do what he can to make you guys happy because he wants more print sales - so if switching stuff up in editing or doing a reshoot means he sells more he'll be more happy to do so.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 16:21:17 GMT -5 lillaguma said:

I like what redredwine said - I think that if this is really about something on the photography end (posing and direction made you look stiff, color of background was a bad choice, lighting was rough) then you have a better change of getting a reshoot than if it really is just that your mom and sister don't like the way they look in general. Are they usually happy with pictures they have done of themselves? Because if not a reshoot may not make anyone happier, really.

I missed the link, so didn't see the pictures.

Anyhow - my guess is he's going to want to do what he can to make you guys happy because he wants more print sales - so if switching stuff up in editing or doing a reshoot means he sells more he'll be more happy to do so.

ITA. I think my mom and sisters were unhappy because the lighting and background washed them out. It wasn't a facial expression thing, it was a "wow I look super old because my face matches the color of the background". 

I do somewhat trust the opinion of my sister (not the one who is friends with the guy, the other one) simply because she has done some modeling/acting and had professional headshots, and now with her baby she's had some pro-photos. She's been happy with others in the past, but thinks the lighting/coloring in these is terrible, especially in comparison to other experiences she's had. 

Personally, I have never hired a professional photographer for anything other than my wedding (and it was a friend who was new to the business) so that's not stuff I would notice or think about, but once she pointed it out I agree with what she said.

I think I look fine, actually Fat, but normal and no complaints about the quality there lol. Maybe he could photo shop my arms to look a little less chunky (haha). 

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 16:28:57 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

I want to see!!! Can you PM me the link?

[sicilygirl]

Feb 18, 2015 13:38:53 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Feb 18, 2015 12:34:01 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

Yeah, some of his other shoots look great,  And I don't think your family pictures look bad, but I do agree with what cosmowife said about the background being the biggest problem (the color and the wrinkles).  That's the part that bothers me.  Some of the poses aren't the absolute best, but being shot in a studio, I think it just is what it is.

If it makes you feel better, we took family pictures with H's family for his parents for Christmas.  They turned out really well, and his sister was in charge of picking the best one and getting it framed (although we all pointed out which ones we thought were best).  Yeah, well my eyes are closed in the one she picked.  There were literally 250 shots (and my eyes were open in 249 of them), and there were plenty of other shots where everyone looked good (probably none were 100% perfect because there were 2 babies and 6 other little boys in them), but seriously.  I am right in the middle and my eyes are fucking closed.  And the picture is GIANT.  And now hangs on my in-law's wall.  Needless to say, I was pretty pissed on Christmas Eve when I saw it!

WTF? Why in the world would she pick one where someone had their eyes closed? 

Feb 18, 2015 13:47:16 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Feb 18, 2015 12:34:01 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

Yeah, some of his other shoots look great,  And I don't think your family pictures look bad, but I do agree with what cosmowife said about the background being the biggest problem (the color and the wrinkles).  That's the part that bothers me.  Some of the poses aren't the absolute best, but being shot in a studio, I think it just is what it is.

If it makes you feel better, we took family pictures with H's family for his parents for Christmas.  They turned out really well, and his sister was in charge of picking the best one and getting it framed (although we all pointed out which ones we thought were best).  Yeah, well my eyes are closed in the one she picked.  There were literally 250 shots (and my eyes were open in 249 of them), and there were plenty of other shots where everyone looked good (probably none were 100% perfect because there were 2 babies and 6 other little boys in them), but seriously.  I am right in the middle and my eyes are fucking closed.  And the picture is GIANT.  And now hangs on my in-law's wall.  Needless to say, I was pretty pissed on Christmas Eve when I saw it!

Does your SIL hate you? Why would someone do that? I'm sorry  

I honestly have no idea why she picked that picture. She doesn't hate me (that I know of... but really, we're friends). H has 5 siblings, 3 of them married, plus 8 nephews, so there were 18 people in the picture. I honestly think she looked to make sure that her & her husband and their 3 kids looked perfect and barely even glanced at the other people in the picture. There probably wasn't a picture where everyone looked perfect because, well, babies and little boys. But IMO you sacrifice your kid who won't stop making silly faces or a baby that's not looking directly at the camera, not one of the adults, right? Or am I crazy to think that?

[redredwine]

Feb 18, 2015 16:37:43 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Feb 18, 2015 16:28:57 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

I want to see!!! Can you PM me the link?

I probably deleted too soon since this is still a conversation Here it is again!


http://www.(weird url I thought you made up).com/p775613551



password is 456789

THAT'S THEIR REAL URL!?!? That's weird and either unprofessional or a joke gone wrong.

Honestly, eh, they're not terrible. I expected worse. I mean, some of the posing isn't great, I don't love the wrinkled backdrop and the last few with the "serious faces" are weird. BUT eh, they're studio shots. They're not natural and that's part of the downside of studio work. It's totally posed, that's the nature. Personally not a fan of studio work unless you're dealing with babies, animals, or headshots. 

I don't love his black and white conversions as I feel they are flat, but that's a personal preference. 

[changedname]

I don't think the photos are that bad honestly. The only bad thing I see is the wrinkled background. I mean, the poses are the type that are fashionable nowadays but they are not terrible. The little boy is so cute!

[scout8]

sicilygirl, I think that is exactly what she did. Made sure that her family looked good and didn't pay much attention to anyone else. I would have been so irritated.

[polarbearfans]

The pictures are not bad at all. The background was a poor choice, but overall everyone looks very nice. Everything is very old school poses, but reminds me of a lot family photos in our family albums. Everyone will probably enjoy the photos more with some time. Def get your prints. It wouldn't hurt to ask if the photos can be edited a bit more because of the background, but overall your family looks goods.

[krystee]

I don't think it is reshoot-worthy, but I can see why you are bummed with the product for $400. I would ask him to fix the background and any other major issues you don't like, and then I would stick to outdoor shots for future shoots. Our three-hour newborn shoot at home with a CD of images (in the same area your photos were taken) is $400, and I found a lot of other options in that range. If you wanted to do a 45-minute outdoor shoot this summer, I bet you could find something for under $200. The maternity shoot we just did at an airport was $175.

[MDmomof2]

I really like the individual shots and the smaller group ones. My least favorite are the photos of the entire family, just because they do look so posed. But you had a lot of people to get into a picture, of course he was going to pose you. I don't think they are bad and I could easily find a few photos to order, but if you're not happy I think you should ask for a re-shoot and tell him that you're looking for studio shots but would like a more relaxed look.

[lillaguma]

Thanks for posting the link again. They aren't as bad as I was imagining. I like 57 (I'm guessing that's your immediate family?) but a lot of the other ones does have that stiff, dated posing. I think a lot of times photographers don't know what to do when posing a group of mainly adults. I think the headshots are nice, especially the one of your mom.

His posing on you and your husband is so odd to me.

I think you should ask for a reshoot if everyone is really unhappy, but he may not have the skills to pose you all better, honestly. He looks like a very traditional family portrait studio photographer type. I think you can find photographers who can do good posing in studio, but like others have said I feel like more of that stuff is artsy and outside the studio. One of my favorites is Jonathan Canlas - he is always trying to pose people in order to show the connection between them. Of course, this works best if you have a family who is comfortable touching and hugging and such, too. But like this family shot on his blog here with mainly adults - canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-munoa-family.html - they look connected.

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2015 10:58:09 GMT -5 lillaguma said:

Thanks for posting the link again. They aren't as bad as I was imagining. I like 57 (I'm guessing that's your immediate family?) but a lot of the other ones does have that stiff, dated posing. I think a lot of times photographers don't know what to do when posing a group of mainly adults. I think the headshots are nice, especially the one of your mom.

His posing on you and your husband is so odd to me.

I think you should ask for a reshoot if everyone is really unhappy, but he may not have the skills to pose you all better, honestly. He looks like a very traditional family portrait studio photographer type. I think you can find photographers who can do good posing in studio, but like others have said I feel like more of that stuff is artsy and outside the studio. One of my favorites is Jonathan Canlas - he is always trying to pose people in order to show the connection between them. Of course, this works best if you have a family who is comfortable touching and hugging and such, too. But like this family shot on his blog here with mainly adults - canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-munoa-family.html - they look connected.

(heart) (possible) future husband.

I love the photos you posted. I think that's what we all kind of had in mind. My family is pretty close and I think that's what we're the most disappointed in - it just looks like there is no connection between us. I think that's extra apparent in the photo of me and BF, who were hugging and touching while NOT in the shots for half the shoot. When he was taking our picture, none of that warmth and intimacy was reflected in the pose. I wish he would have just let us all pose naturally because I think it would have looked a lot better.

I do see now how that's partly our fault, though, for not picking a photog that matched what we had in mind. Live and learn on that one, I guess.

[lillaguma]

Feb 19, 2015 11:49:23 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Feb 19, 2015 10:58:09 GMT -5 lillaguma said:

(heart) (possible) future husband.

I love the photos you posted. I think that's what we all kind of had in mind. My family is pretty close and I think that's what we're the most disappointed in - it just looks like there is no connection between us. I think that's extra apparent in the photo of me and BF, who were hugging and touching while NOT in the shots for half the shoot. When he was taking our picture, none of that warmth and intimacy was reflected in the pose. I wish he would have just let us all pose naturally because I think it would have looked a lot better.

I do see now how that's partly our fault, though, for not picking a photog that matched what we had in mind. Live and learn on that one, I guess.

Ha - guess I jumped the gun a little.

I think choosing a photographer who is a good fit is super hard. I don't blame you guys at all - especially because it was someone your sister already knew professionally.

But I really do think there are some here that you will all be glad you have farther down the line. The important thing is that you have a nice photo that shows how everyone looks right now.

[raangoli]

I don't think the photos are that bad - you all look great and happy. The poses though are definitely "old fashioned" and more traditional, which I think is what is bothering you the most.

I agree with the PP that the one photo, 57, is one of the best.

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2015 23:24:42 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Okay, I checked them out. I can see why you guys don't love them but agree it's more a style issue than a technical one. You look super pretty and your boyfriend is very cute! I love that purple top--where did you get it?

It is odd how you're all posed in the first photo, because it makes it look like your sister is with your boyfriend LOL.

Thanks I wish my BF was more photogenic - he doesn't smile right in photos so I think he's actually a lot more attractive in person. I was pleasantly surprised when I met him (after seeing pics on line) how much better he looked IRL. 

I got the sweater from Dress Barn!