Wedding Pics Have Arrived - Urgh

[Queenie]

I've just received a package in the mail that was our wedding prints finally arriving. Unwrapped them and I'm really unhappy. The colours are atrocious - DH looks like he's in a brown suit and I look like I'm either in a dark shade of cream or in stark white. The details on the dress are all lost because the contrast has been messed with and washed it all out. The brown-ness is all over too, in the pics we had in the garden it looks like we've had a major heatwave and the grass and bushes are dying

Also the proofs were a mixture of b&w and colour and we ordered assuming that's wat we'd get. They've all come back colour and some need to be b&w. In the ceremony he couldn't use flash so those shots are terribly grainy, not an issue in b&w but now it's colour it's horrendous, patchy and awful. One of those shots I ordered at 16x12 too so it could go on the wall, that's over $30 for a single print that looks terrible.

I'm really unhappy as the photographer is DH's cousin so I'm dreading having to turn around and say, these are terrible - fix them. He did SIL's wedding and this didn't happen, her prints are fantastic which is why we asked him. I was hoping it's just a printing issue but he also sent a disc and I've checked that, the pics on the disc have the same problems (they're clearly post photoshop as the pylons and cars in the background on the proofs are missing.) They're all also brown-y so it looks like an actual issue with the pics which makes no sense as it's not there in the printed proofs.

I have no idea what to say to him without really offending him and causing a family rift!

 

[natalielongstaff]

oh no !!! good luck with getting them sorted

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

Oh no what a shame.
Hope they can be sorted x

 

[Chilly]

Oh dear i'm so sorry for you. Perhaps the best way to phrase is point out some things you do like as well as pointing out what you don't. Good luck.

 

[Haworthfamily]

Oh no! I'm so sorry, it must be really disappointing, I hope you can get something sorted.

Sarah X

 

[mandymouse]

Oh no, what a nightmare. I hope he's able to get them sorted for you

 

[ariel75]

Good luck with getting them sorted surely as a professional he should be able to see how bad they are and sort them out for you.

 

[jen_uk]

Hope you can get them sorted!

 

[tennisfan]

Hope you get them sorted

 

[jns]

Hope you can get them sorted out

 

[Cyrano]

Good luck with getting them sorted surely as a professional he should be able to see how bad they are and sort them out for you.

You would hope so. Although it sounds like maybe the photographer did not check the colour balance and also what ISO setting would be required without flash.

What does your DH think about them

 

[Goofyish]

Where they taken with a digital camera of a film camera?

If they are digital then things like contrast, brightness and colour can easily be corrected on the final prints.

Even if film, you can re-print and a skilled printer can make adjustments to the colour, contrast etc. even if the negatives are a little off.

For the indoor shots as you say a bit of grain on a black and white print adds a little character, but on colour doesn't look so good. There are software packages that can remove the grain to some extent.

Hope they all work out in the end for you

 

[pixiepower04]

If he's a photographer and you paid him appropriately then I wouldn't be too concerned about upsetting him or causing a rift, especially if they are clearly wrong.

He hasn't fulfilled the required brief and as Tim said, colours can all be corrected but these are your wedding photographs not snapshots so I would just be honest and say that these are not really what you ordered or expected and could he try and amend them.

Good luck!

 

[jackieleanne]

Hope you get this sorted, fingers crossed for you.

 

[Tillybud]

I hope you get your photos sorted. I admire you for not wanting to cause a family rift, I'd be that upset I probably wouldn't consider that but hopefully you'll be able to get them sorted. even if you get the original images you can do great stuff with some different photo packages. good luck and I hope you get the photos you'll love and cherish soon

 

[jockey]

I hope you get sorted

 

[UKDEB]

If it was anything other than your wedding, I'd just suggest putting it down to experience, but it's too big a deal to let go. I think you just need to be straight with him. Good luck.

 

[Queenie]

Hiya,

DH is unhappy with them too, as is MIL. FIL admits he struggles to see a problem but also says it would have to be so glaringly obvious for him to notice that we'd never have received it anyway! We've looked through and found other problems this evening. A number of shots that were portrait on the proofs have come back landscape so they don't fit in the frames people have bought. This was mainly an issue with pics of us signing the register, instead of a nice closeup portrait shot as in the proofs we've got a wide one with loads of empty desk on either side of us. There's also one DH found of the ceremony where the contrast is up so high a reflection on his cheek looks like someone has thrown a bag of flour over his face.

MIL put her large pic into a frame beside the large framed pic from her daughter's wedding (same photographer) and immediately realised just how dark our looks in comparison. DH showed her the proofs and she is in agreement that they are nothing like what was delivered today.

We will get this sorted one way or another, just wish it wasn't this tricky!

 

[Ware Bears]

What a nightmare, at least you have DH's and your in-laws' support. Good luck with getting it sorted.

 

[Pegasus928]

I can understand your concerns about upsetting him but if he is a professional then he should be OK with constructive criticism, especially if what you have received wasn't what you ordered.
Photoshop is good for correcting a whole host of amateur mistakes and background issues, but in the hands of a pro your professional pictures should come out looking amazing - not worse.
I really do hope your issues are resolved without it causing a major family problem - but if it does I would keep copies of the pics to show anyone that thought you were being unfair, and ask if they would be happy to hang them on their wall.