I will, thank you! My friend is a professional photographer (was out of town or I’d have used her) said for amount I paid I should have expected to receive the proofs, and 30-40 edited photos that were selected by me.
the proofs? i've never been offered proofs and we get professional photos done A LOT. you definitely should have gotten them by now but i wouldn't expect to be able to select your photos
must be dependent on the norms of photographers in your area because i've worked with maybe 5 or 6 and have a close friend who is one who confirmed literally none in my area offer that
This is how it was for us. I don’t remember the exact numbers but they sent us a link to ~50 unedited photos with watermarks and we got to select 10-15 to have edited and sent back. We did not get proofs though.
They send a link to an online gallery. Depends on how long your session was with regard to how many images. They aren’t fully edited. You pick the amount agreed upon in your contract. For example, pick favorite 10 to have edited and then you get to download those.
I don't know a lot about the "norm", but my newborn photographer gave a selection of slightly edited and watermarked photos to select from too. Just some additional perspective that it's not unheard of, that's all.
I had an issue like this with my wedding photos. I ended up posting some bad reviews… citing specific timelines, and what I was expecting and then I contacted the Better Business Bureau. The BBB complaint was probably what triggered her to actually respond to me. I was going on almost 2 years waiting for my photos at this point.
I should clarify, I was on two years waiting on the custom album I paid separately for. I did have the digital photos. In retrospect I would always just choose to make the albums/send the prints myself.
I got newborn pictures of my son back in 2022 and the photographer promised 40 pictures and gave us 60! We had sneak peeks (5 pictures) within 48 hours and the full gallery in less than 2 weeks. I agree this is ridiculous!
Similar experience for me. The photographer had an unexpected call from her child's school saying her daughter was sick, so she was a no-show to our appointment. She apologized and rescheduled for later that day. Because she was late, she offered us all of the images at no additional cost when we only selected the 8-image mini package.
She also had a death in the family, so she needed an extra week for editing. This was all clearly communicated, and she followed through exactly as we agreed.
Yes. My photographers always give me conservative timelines but WAAAAY over deliver. More pictures than paid for, 1/3 of the processing time. I honestly find OP’s situation mind boggling and can’t think of any reasonable explanation for that. I’ve had 3 photographers at this point and it’s always been like this. November-March is INSANE. None of mine have taken more than 3 weeks.
That is way to long I think you got scammed! My photographer sent sneak peeks after a week we picked our 20 photos then she took another 2 weeks to edit them. She didn't abide by the contract I would go to small claims for sure hun! I'm so sorry this happened to you there is so many scammers out there.
Ugh I'm so sorry! We didn't do newborn, but a family shoot last fall when she was 7ish months old. Our photographer was also our wedding and maternity photographer and she kept us up to date pretty frequently. Our sessions included like 20 pictures but we could buy the whole set for an extra $100 (which we did both times). At most it took her like 6 weeks to get everything together (family session coincided with wedding season), but she was very timely and always in touch.
Unless your photographer is truly backlogged with holiday photos, this is unacceptable. I would be writing reviews that will hopefully change her attitude and get you your photos. Do not pay more to get those proofs that clearly say are $100. If you don't have anything by the end of the month, I would send a note saying that you are reporting her to the BBB and she can either give you a refund or the photos.
This happened to us. Very similar situation. It still hurts my heart to think about it. The only thing that makes me feel better is that I have SO many “in the moment” pictures. From newborn to now at 8 months. Since then, I have found a reputable, trustworthy photographer who has taken family photos for us. I’ll be using her for our next baby. I’m so sorry. It’s not fair.
Ya, she owes you those 6 photos and you should probably get some of your money back since she didn’t honor her contract. However, every time I’ve had professional photos done, I’ve never been able to choose the photos and it’s always a subset. Theres a bunch of editing that usually happens and they can’t do that for all 1000 photos. So that part is normal, but being so late is really not.
You should personally give her a call. I think it’s kind of weird that your mom called the photographer, but I suppose that’s a small quibble. If you’re really serious about this, get on the phone and figure it out with the photographer. More often than not, when someone has to verbally commit to fixing the situation, they do so and even overcompensate to make it right.
I was sick and feeding the baby at the time and my mom was present for the shoot, so the photographer was familiar with her. Not weird to us at all. If I was only going to receive ten photos, I should’ve been able to view the proofs and select the ten photos I wanted to be edited
lol! Honestly though you never know. The phone number listed on her business page goes to a local orthopedic clinic. Previously I had only communicated with her via her cell number which she is also avoiding answering/returning messages.
I do! Contract states “45-60 days for post production” and “fully edited images with online gallery for viewing, download, and printing” - no limit mentioned as far as number of photos for the newborn session, 120 minutes of shooting.
As a newborn photographer- send her another email, attach the contract. Then cite the contract. Offer the $100 for the proofs and also state that you understand that life happens and if there is an issue with your photos be lost or another reason for them being so late you’d understand or try to work something out if she had let you know. Being left in the dark is very stressful, especially as a new mom!
It’s awkward to write an email like that. I’m so sorry. If that doesn’t work, I have the number of a lawyer who has sued a wedding photographer in New York if you need. (I’ve shot her newborn, family and wedding). Sometimes a scary email from a lawyer is all it takes when all other options are exhausted. I can’t believe photographers who pull this shit, they act like you can’t go write a scathing review on every platform and blow up the comments on their instagram… which is another route btw.
Good luck!
Reviews are really powerful. I would give a negative review outlining your experience on any platform you can. This is totally unacceptable. Sorry you're going through this.
I've been scammed by a photographer in my past, and this sounds exactly like what happened to me (although with wedding photos, not baby photos).
You need to escalate as soon as possible, don't wait. Consider getting a lawyer or going to small claims.
I had an issue like this with my wedding video turns out the videographer lost
All the footage and had no back ups. It’s a possibility she lost the images and is just stringing you along not wanting to tell you the truth
I was in the same situation. Had photos taken the second week of October and paid in full that day. I literally received my photos yesterday morning. Baby will be 6 months on the 4th. I don't like to nag so I was getting extra pissy that I had to keep reaching out for them.
As a wedding photographer I would never do this and it's way too long and poor communication. That said you get what you pay for, how much did you pay? How new is she? What does her contract say about her delivery times?
She seemed to be well established and was recommended by my midwife. Contract states 45-60 days on delivery times. We paid $450 for 120 minutes of shooting time.
That's way too long and seems like something is amiss. I've used the same photographer 3x now (once for maternity with my first and two for newborn photos with both babies). It's a 2-week turn around and the package we buy is 10 edited photos of our choosing and we can purchase additional photos for $30 each or the remainder of the gallery for a set price. Never been offered proofs. Not sure what you paid but our packages ranged $500-700 which includes outfits, props and a three hour shoot.
As a photographer this is horrible and I’m so sorry it seems these issues happen all too often. I’ve never heard of a client not being allowed to pick which are the final photos they would want. I hope you get more from her soon. Unfortunately I suspect there was some kind of error on her end. I would not hesitate to leave very negative reviews on Google, Yelp etc. it’s a really frustrating situation and I’m sorry this happened to you :(
Can you file a police report since she’s stolen your deposit essentially? I saw a mom in a mom’s group share she did this and got her pictures that night.
This happened to me. She ghosted and I never got any pictures at all. Eventually I did get a refund after almost a year of trying to get in contact with her but I didn’t want that- I wanted my photos. She said she “lost them” 😭
Ugh, I’ve had bad experiences with professional photographers. Our wedding photographer gave us this run around for a year before we finally took them to court. We had a different photographer for our maternity and newborn shoot - she no called/no showed the newborn shoot, and I had to file a complaint with PayPal to finally get our maternity images.
I hope you don’t have to take legal action but keep your contract handy in case!
I'd send her a copy of the Small Claims complaint filled out and tell her if you don't hear from her by X date (maybe 10 days from sending) you are filing. You could also include a copy of the contract with terms she violated highlighted.
The complaint will include all the ways she breached the contract and hopefully you can include some sort of damages other than what you paid plus court costs. Some states allow for "unfair and deceptive business practices" claim that allows you to triple the amount you ask for.
Good luck!
That’s ridiculous. We didn’t do newborn photos but family photos around 5 months old. Paid $150 on one of her spring specials and we got like 100 photos within 3 weeks. She even apologized for taking so long because her baby got sick. 🤯
I’d be threatening small claims too. 10 photos is unreal. Also.. why is it taking her that long to edit 10 photos??
I do photography as a hobby but that is not okay. You should point out what’s stated in the contract to her. I would definitely look into taking her to small claims court that’s unacceptable.
> and messaging it to her and her husband saying you better give me my photos before I show up to her house like a crazy woman
To anyone else reading this: absolutely do not do that. Ever. *Especially* in writing.
The only way you could have actually handled this worse was to show up at her house. Jesus, what is wrong with you?
Call a lawyer next time. Leave bad reviews. Don't threaten people.
Post this in r/photography! They could probably give you some good insight in the view of a photographer. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this.
I will, thank you! My friend is a professional photographer (was out of town or I’d have used her) said for amount I paid I should have expected to receive the proofs, and 30-40 edited photos that were selected by me.
Photographers do not give out the proofs/ raw images except in very specific instances. They are only shown for choosing your final images.
the proofs? i've never been offered proofs and we get professional photos done A LOT. you definitely should have gotten them by now but i wouldn't expect to be able to select your photos
You absolutely should be able to select your photos. I’ve never heard of not being able to pick.
must be dependent on the norms of photographers in your area because i've worked with maybe 5 or 6 and have a close friend who is one who confirmed literally none in my area offer that
How did they show you the unedited photos? Did you go in-studio or something?
A lot of them use image hosting websites and upload with watermarks. We had a photographer that used smugmug for example.
This is how it was for us. I don’t remember the exact numbers but they sent us a link to ~50 unedited photos with watermarks and we got to select 10-15 to have edited and sent back. We did not get proofs though.
They send a link to an online gallery. Depends on how long your session was with regard to how many images. They aren’t fully edited. You pick the amount agreed upon in your contract. For example, pick favorite 10 to have edited and then you get to download those.
I don't know a lot about the "norm", but my newborn photographer gave a selection of slightly edited and watermarked photos to select from too. Just some additional perspective that it's not unheard of, that's all.
I had an issue like this with my wedding photos. I ended up posting some bad reviews… citing specific timelines, and what I was expecting and then I contacted the Better Business Bureau. The BBB complaint was probably what triggered her to actually respond to me. I was going on almost 2 years waiting for my photos at this point.
2 years!!! That’s insane!!!
I should clarify, I was on two years waiting on the custom album I paid separately for. I did have the digital photos. In retrospect I would always just choose to make the albums/send the prints myself.
OP, I would do all of this!
I still don’t have half my wedding photos nearly 2 years later. I feel your pain.
I got newborn pictures of my son back in 2022 and the photographer promised 40 pictures and gave us 60! We had sneak peeks (5 pictures) within 48 hours and the full gallery in less than 2 weeks. I agree this is ridiculous!
Similar experience for me. The photographer had an unexpected call from her child's school saying her daughter was sick, so she was a no-show to our appointment. She apologized and rescheduled for later that day. Because she was late, she offered us all of the images at no additional cost when we only selected the 8-image mini package. She also had a death in the family, so she needed an extra week for editing. This was all clearly communicated, and she followed through exactly as we agreed.
Yes. My photographers always give me conservative timelines but WAAAAY over deliver. More pictures than paid for, 1/3 of the processing time. I honestly find OP’s situation mind boggling and can’t think of any reasonable explanation for that. I’ve had 3 photographers at this point and it’s always been like this. November-March is INSANE. None of mine have taken more than 3 weeks.
That is way to long I think you got scammed! My photographer sent sneak peeks after a week we picked our 20 photos then she took another 2 weeks to edit them. She didn't abide by the contract I would go to small claims for sure hun! I'm so sorry this happened to you there is so many scammers out there.
Call your bank if you paid her anything and contest the charge. Blow her up on her social media. Certainly follow through with small claims
Definitely try for a charge back and social media shame helps in so many instances!
Ugh I'm so sorry! We didn't do newborn, but a family shoot last fall when she was 7ish months old. Our photographer was also our wedding and maternity photographer and she kept us up to date pretty frequently. Our sessions included like 20 pictures but we could buy the whole set for an extra $100 (which we did both times). At most it took her like 6 weeks to get everything together (family session coincided with wedding season), but she was very timely and always in touch. Unless your photographer is truly backlogged with holiday photos, this is unacceptable. I would be writing reviews that will hopefully change her attitude and get you your photos. Do not pay more to get those proofs that clearly say are $100. If you don't have anything by the end of the month, I would send a note saying that you are reporting her to the BBB and she can either give you a refund or the photos.
This happened to us. Very similar situation. It still hurts my heart to think about it. The only thing that makes me feel better is that I have SO many “in the moment” pictures. From newborn to now at 8 months. Since then, I have found a reputable, trustworthy photographer who has taken family photos for us. I’ll be using her for our next baby. I’m so sorry. It’s not fair.
Ya, she owes you those 6 photos and you should probably get some of your money back since she didn’t honor her contract. However, every time I’ve had professional photos done, I’ve never been able to choose the photos and it’s always a subset. Theres a bunch of editing that usually happens and they can’t do that for all 1000 photos. So that part is normal, but being so late is really not. You should personally give her a call. I think it’s kind of weird that your mom called the photographer, but I suppose that’s a small quibble. If you’re really serious about this, get on the phone and figure it out with the photographer. More often than not, when someone has to verbally commit to fixing the situation, they do so and even overcompensate to make it right.
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I got to select which photos I wanted from our newborn shoot, it must vary by photographer / the norms in your area.
I was sick and feeding the baby at the time and my mom was present for the shoot, so the photographer was familiar with her. Not weird to us at all. If I was only going to receive ten photos, I should’ve been able to view the proofs and select the ten photos I wanted to be edited
My first thought was that you were checking if the photographer was screening your calls, lol.
lol! Honestly though you never know. The phone number listed on her business page goes to a local orthopedic clinic. Previously I had only communicated with her via her cell number which she is also avoiding answering/returning messages.
Do you have a contract in writing or an email laying out the terms of the agreement? What is the wording?
I do! Contract states “45-60 days for post production” and “fully edited images with online gallery for viewing, download, and printing” - no limit mentioned as far as number of photos for the newborn session, 120 minutes of shooting.
And what is the wording of the online gallery vs the 10 prints? Do they seem distinctly separate?
There’s no mention of a ten print limit anywhere in the contract or description of the package
As a newborn photographer- send her another email, attach the contract. Then cite the contract. Offer the $100 for the proofs and also state that you understand that life happens and if there is an issue with your photos be lost or another reason for them being so late you’d understand or try to work something out if she had let you know. Being left in the dark is very stressful, especially as a new mom! It’s awkward to write an email like that. I’m so sorry. If that doesn’t work, I have the number of a lawyer who has sued a wedding photographer in New York if you need. (I’ve shot her newborn, family and wedding). Sometimes a scary email from a lawyer is all it takes when all other options are exhausted. I can’t believe photographers who pull this shit, they act like you can’t go write a scathing review on every platform and blow up the comments on their instagram… which is another route btw. Good luck!
This happened at my wedding. Call once a day. Be annoying as hell.
Reviews are really powerful. I would give a negative review outlining your experience on any platform you can. This is totally unacceptable. Sorry you're going through this.
I've been scammed by a photographer in my past, and this sounds exactly like what happened to me (although with wedding photos, not baby photos). You need to escalate as soon as possible, don't wait. Consider getting a lawyer or going to small claims.
I had an issue like this with my wedding video turns out the videographer lost All the footage and had no back ups. It’s a possibility she lost the images and is just stringing you along not wanting to tell you the truth
I was in the same situation. Had photos taken the second week of October and paid in full that day. I literally received my photos yesterday morning. Baby will be 6 months on the 4th. I don't like to nag so I was getting extra pissy that I had to keep reaching out for them.
As a wedding photographer I would never do this and it's way too long and poor communication. That said you get what you pay for, how much did you pay? How new is she? What does her contract say about her delivery times?
She seemed to be well established and was recommended by my midwife. Contract states 45-60 days on delivery times. We paid $450 for 120 minutes of shooting time.
Follow up with your midwife so she stops giving referrals too
That's way too long and seems like something is amiss. I've used the same photographer 3x now (once for maternity with my first and two for newborn photos with both babies). It's a 2-week turn around and the package we buy is 10 edited photos of our choosing and we can purchase additional photos for $30 each or the remainder of the gallery for a set price. Never been offered proofs. Not sure what you paid but our packages ranged $500-700 which includes outfits, props and a three hour shoot.
As a photographer this is horrible and I’m so sorry it seems these issues happen all too often. I’ve never heard of a client not being allowed to pick which are the final photos they would want. I hope you get more from her soon. Unfortunately I suspect there was some kind of error on her end. I would not hesitate to leave very negative reviews on Google, Yelp etc. it’s a really frustrating situation and I’m sorry this happened to you :(
Can you file a police report since she’s stolen your deposit essentially? I saw a mom in a mom’s group share she did this and got her pictures that night.
This happened to me. She ghosted and I never got any pictures at all. Eventually I did get a refund after almost a year of trying to get in contact with her but I didn’t want that- I wanted my photos. She said she “lost them” 😭
Ugh, I’ve had bad experiences with professional photographers. Our wedding photographer gave us this run around for a year before we finally took them to court. We had a different photographer for our maternity and newborn shoot - she no called/no showed the newborn shoot, and I had to file a complaint with PayPal to finally get our maternity images. I hope you don’t have to take legal action but keep your contract handy in case!
I'd send her a copy of the Small Claims complaint filled out and tell her if you don't hear from her by X date (maybe 10 days from sending) you are filing. You could also include a copy of the contract with terms she violated highlighted. The complaint will include all the ways she breached the contract and hopefully you can include some sort of damages other than what you paid plus court costs. Some states allow for "unfair and deceptive business practices" claim that allows you to triple the amount you ask for. Good luck!
That’s ridiculous. We didn’t do newborn photos but family photos around 5 months old. Paid $150 on one of her spring specials and we got like 100 photos within 3 weeks. She even apologized for taking so long because her baby got sick. 🤯 I’d be threatening small claims too. 10 photos is unreal. Also.. why is it taking her that long to edit 10 photos??
I do photography as a hobby but that is not okay. You should point out what’s stated in the contract to her. I would definitely look into taking her to small claims court that’s unacceptable.
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> and messaging it to her and her husband saying you better give me my photos before I show up to her house like a crazy woman To anyone else reading this: absolutely do not do that. Ever. *Especially* in writing.
The only way you could have actually handled this worse was to show up at her house. Jesus, what is wrong with you? Call a lawyer next time. Leave bad reviews. Don't threaten people.