so, perhaps some of you remember i posted about a month ago, saying i wasn't entirely happy with the proofs from my wedding.
i said then, and i will say it again, that the photos themselves are gorgeous, and this isn't a matter of me thinking another photographer would have done a better job. my proofs are more beautiful than i even thought they would be.
however, i posted because i felt some things were missing and i was upset about it, and i had wanted to see what other people would think or feel about it; if i was overreacting and what i should do.
so my photographer actually read what i wrote on here... i never put their name in the post, so i'm not sure how or why they read it, but that's besides the point. my photographer called me and left a message saying that he read my post and if i was unhappy, he'd like to talk to me about it. so i called him back and expressed my opinion... i was upset because there was not one picture of my grandfather the entire day; there were 30 pictures of the cakes from the vienesse hour (a picture of each individual dessert, and i'm not exaggerating) yet only one picture of DH seeing me for the first time; 5 pictures of the arbor from the vineyard - with no one standing under it, but i didn't even get married there - yet there were none of my church. i just felt that their priorities were out of balance and it really upset me. i paid for 2 photographers - a regular one as well as a photojournalist. when i originally went to book with this company, i knew nothing about photojournalism at all - they played it up to me and i was really excited. but i felt that even though the PJ's photos were gorgeous, the majority of them were the same pictures as the regular photographer took, just from a different angle. there were hardly any of DH and i interacting with guests or each other when no one was watching. DH and i spent time with each and every table... there was none of us interacting with any of those guests. to me, that'd be the perfect opportunity for the PJ to catch me hugging my grandfather or girlfriends or whomever.
so i posted all of this to get some opinions and apparantly my photographer read it, don't ask me how because i never posted the companies name, but that's besides the point. so my photographer calls me and says that he read my post and if i was unhappy with something, he would like to talk to me about it. so, i told him what i was thinking. he said that he'd look into the cd of all my proofs and my video to see if he could print anything else out for me, that i felt was missing. he said he'd call me back after thansgiving. 3 weeks later, i STILL hadn't heard from him, so i left a message for him. someone from the office calls me back and tells me that he will come in early to meet with me when i had my album appointment.
so that appt was yesterday. and guess who didn't show up?! if that were me and i had an unhappy customer, i would make damn sure to return their calls, or at the very least, show up for meetings i was supposed to. that's adding insult to injury and i am the MOST pissed off about that.
i spoke with the manager instead and expressed all of the problems that i had with the photos. she had an excuse for everything. her reasoning behind why they didn't take pictures of us interacting with guests at tables was because that would be considered a group table shot and they 'don't do that'. her reasoning as to why there was 30 pictures of cakes was because they were trying to paint a picture of my day. so i responded to her, that if they were so concerned with painting a picture of my day and getting all the important moments - why is there only one picture of my husband seeing me for the first time. don't you think that's important? her reasoning behind was there was 5 pictures of the arbor was because what if i wanted them as my background picture? i can see one, but 5??? still not sure what her excuse was about them not getting any of my church. i asked her why i had to drive 45 minutes to meet with my photographer prior to the wedding to go over who my family was, who was important etc etc and then they didn't bother to take even one picture of my only living grandparent the entire day. she asks me where he was the whole day and i tell her the table next to me with my immediate family. he uses a walker and an oxygen tank, he couldn't do much. and i told her that they should have at least gotten a picture of me talking with him, hugging him etc. isn't that what the PJ is for??? so she finds a picture where is in the corner in the background and tells me she'll blow that up for me. is she freakin kidding?
i told her i was upset because i felt that the photographers sat around at the house at the beginning of the day. i felt that even if i was finishing up getting ready, they could have been taking pictures of my family, bridal party mulling around, flowers getting delivered etc. she tells me that they don't think a picture is anything without the bride, so they would't do that. i said that my family and BP and those moments are important to ME and i didn't pay 7grand for them to sit around on their butts.
so for all my troubles, me being upset, the manager tells me that she'll give me 2 free 8x10's. she says she'll have them to me by christmas so i can give one to my grandpa as an i'm sorry for no pictures being taken of him. i had just spent 350 ordering extra prints so i ask if she can just reimburse me for 2 of the 8x10's that i just paid for. she says she can't do that and to pick 2 more. gee, so because i am so upset i get 2 more photos that i don't even need?
then she leafs through my proof books and says that my pictures are gorgeous (which i never disputed) and that i am lucky to have pictures that came out as nice as they did and as many. i said to her that i got 800 proofs from 2 photographers... most girls get that many from one photographer. she told me that wasn't true. i told her to check out the website. whatever.
basically, she had an excuse for everything... so at the end i told her that she was entitled to run her business however she wants, but i'm entitled to my opinion as well and that i had enough respect to tell them how i felt and they could take it or leave it... but i am entitled to express my opinion and NOT to call me all upset because i posted my opinion on LIW.
i'm sorry this vent was so long but i'm just really annoyed and i don't know what to think or do. DH is pizzzzzed and wants to call them himself and BBB but i am just like, drop it - i said my piece and that's enough.