I am a wedding photographer. At the time of this story, I was relatively new to the industry, and I would get bookings based on the quality of my portfolio but not the quantity. Therefore, I would accept half my fee as a deposit, and I would ask for the other half when I was ready to send over the final photos.
Me: “Hi, [Client]! I’m happy to say that I’ve finished touching up your photos, and they’re ready for you whenever you are!”
Client: “Oh, wow, that was fast! Please send me the link!”
Me: “I would be happy to. I just need to settle the other half of my fee, first.”
Client: “Oh, yes, I’ll get that over to you soon.”
Since I was early, I didn’t think much of it. However, a few days past the original delivery date:
Client: “You promised me the photos were ready early! But I still don’t have them!”
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry if there was a miscommunication. Yes, the photos have been ready for almost a week! I just need to settle the bill, and I can send them straight away!”
Client: “I can pay you at the end of the month.”
Me: “That’s fine.”
Annoying, but fine. The next day:
Client: “I still haven’t got the photos!”
Me: “Yes, because you said you would pay at the end of the month.”
Client: “You mean you won’t send them until I’ve sent you the money?!”
Me: “That’s usually how it works, yes.”
The client hung up on me. At the end of the month, I sent them a reminder email, and I sent another one the week after that. No response. I figured maybe they were going through some post-wedding budgeting issues, and they would get back to me when they could. I had plenty of other projects to keep me occupied anyway.
Three whole months later, I received a very angry call from an older woman. I recognize her as the mother of the bride.
Mother Of The Bride: “You absolute monster! You’re holding my daughter’s wedding photos ransom so you can get more money from her?! You send over every photo right this instant, or I am taking you to court!”
Me: “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Your daughter hasn’t paid me yet, which is why I haven’t sent the photos. I’m not holding any photos ransom!”
Mother Of The Bride: “That’s a lie! I paid you [amount] myself months before the wedding!”
Me: “That was a deposit, ma’am — 50%. I am owed the other 50% before I can send the photos.”
Mother Of The Bride: “You’re just making things up to get more money!”
Me: “If you check the contract that your daughter signed, you’ll see it’s quite clearly written there that my services are [full amount], with half paid before and the rest upon delivery.”
Mother Of The Bride: “Well… even if that’s true, that’s a ridiculous amount of money to charge for a few photos!”
Me: “I actually come in cheaper than the competition, ma’am.”
She hung up, and I didn’t hear back again so I assumed she had checked the contract and discovered I was right, and she was now figuring out what to do.
Amazingly, another three months went by, and I received yet another call, this time from the bride again.
Client: “How dare you?! You’re stealing my photos!”
Me: “Are we really going to go through this again?”
Client: “I can see my photos on your website! You have no right to use them! Take them down now!”
Me: “Oh, you mean my online portfolio. Yes, well, since you didn’t pay for them, I own them until you do. The pictures at your wedding came out so lovely that I had to use them on my site. They’ve helped me drum up quite a bit of business!”
For clarity, none of the pictures showed the faces of the client or her guests. I’d put up some candids of shoes, the cake, her dress, and a few other non-identifying features.
Client: “You’re profiting off of my photos!”
Me: “Yes, just like I was originally supposed to!”
A year after the wedding, the groom finally paid. He had no idea what was happening, but when he asked where the wedding photos were, he heard the long, drawn-out story. He was incredibly apologetic on the phone.
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