Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life—it’s a day you dream about since you were a little kid. But it’s also a day that goes by in the blink of an eye. That’s why many people want to make sure they find a solid photographer to capture the day in a visually appealing way.
Some couples spend hours researching who they want to hire. And most of the time, that starts with looking at sample photos of past weddings that the photographer has done. Chances are, if you like the samples, you’ll like the scope of work they’ll deliver for your own big day.
When bride Natalie Barney of Oklahoma was getting married, she was attracted to Queen Bee Photography, not only because her samples were beautiful, but because it was such a good deal; $250 for 100 photos.
After meeting with the owner, April Keller, and explaining several shots she wanted her to do, she felt confident that she’d get what she’d hoped. However, when the photos came back, she was shocked. And extremely disappointed.
Not only did she not get many of the photos she asked for, but the photos were of extremely poor quality—many blurry, or unfocused, or just plain old bad shots that looked like they could’ve come from a cell phone. They certainly didn’t look anything like the photos she saw in Keller’s portfolio.
It turns out that the photos Keller posted weren’t actually photos she ever took—they came from websites of famous wedding designers, like Jenny Yoo and Hayley Paige.
“Those were types of poses that could be used,” Keller said. “That could be done. Not poses I had done.”
Even when asked if Keller thought that was made clear on her social media pages and website, Keller responded yes.
“I just ask that people understand that photographers have the hardest job because they are judged no matter what they do,” Keller said.
That said, Keller said she’s working to pay Barney back for the poor photos and says she feels badly for how things went down. However, when she offered Blarney a free family photo shoot to make up for the wedding photos, she didn’t even show up, and didn’t give Barney any notice. Later Keller told her that her husband was in the hospital so she needed to reschedule.
After all the hate she’s getting, Keller says she is now shutting down her photography business. However, not long after she made the announcement, she posted in a group called “Investors-startups for business” from her personal Facebook page that she was looking to start a photography business and needed an investor.
There’s definitely something sketchy going on. To hear more on Keller’s feelings about Barney’s weddings, as well as what she “really” meant by posting in the investors group, check out this interview with the “Queen Bee” herself.
What do you think of Keller’s excuses for Barney’s wedding photos? What would you have done if your wedding photos looked like this when you had much different expectations?