Couple Refuses To Pay For Engagement Photos After Photographer Brings Their Kid To Shoot

The couple put a lot of thought into the photo session, and it's clear that the details really mattered to them:

"My partner and I chose a location that meant a great deal to us, is easy to access but somewhat remote, as to avoid other people in our shots or outside influence in our photos. My partner and I arrived on time at the location ready to shoot. There was nothing we needed to do to get ready."

Unfortunately, the photographer was late but didn't explain why. Then the photographer showed up with their kid in tow.

"The photographer was half an hour late before they called us to let us know they were late and they were a further hour late," the Redditor explained. "When the photographer arrived they had their young child as well. They didn't tell us they'd be bringing a child with them when we booked nor did they tell us when they called us to say they'd be late. They explained that their childcare fell through and they couldn't find a replacement but we were their only appointment for the day so it wasn't an issue (on their end)."

After waiting half an hour for the photographer to arrive, the couple had to wait another half an hour for the photographer to get ready. Yikes.

"It took nearly half an hour for the photographer to set up their equipment. Mind you at this point we had been supposed to begin an hour before and, figuring we'd not be finished anytime soon, my partner had to cancel our plans for after the shoot, upsetting many people and causing disappointment. Their attitude was also incredibly brusque and abrupt. They were also kind of pushy and bossy."

Then, once things were going, the photographer's child started behaving, well, like a child.

"When the photographer finally started shooting their child began acting out and they had to stop every few minutes to parent the child," the poster said. "It sort of ruined the afternoon for us because when the photographer wasn't paying attention my partner and I were trying to keep the child from getting hurt."

However, everyone made it work, and the photographer did the job … but the person says they decided they weren't paying the amount they still owed for the work:

"The photographer took an hour's worth of photos and we all departed. On the way home I told my partner I wasn't paying for any of it because the photographer was stopping every few moments to watch the child, the child causes massive disruptions, and how the photographer was late and had a negative attitude."

When they got the photos back, they were surprised to see that they were good. Unfortunately for the photographer, this didn't change the couple's stance:

"This morning the photographer emailed us the photos they'd taken and despite everything, the photos were actually really good. That said, I told the photographer that we wouldn't be using the photos or paying her because of everything I listed above."

The photographer reacted … and not in a great way:

"The photographer started blowing up my phone with nasty texts. When they threatened a lawsuit I blocked them. My partner deleted the photos that had been emailed to us because we didn't want them."

The couple consulted with their friend who had recommended the photographer, probably expecting the friend to agree … but she thinks they should have paid the photographer:

"Our friend who recommended the photographer to us said she was surprised because the photographer had been great for her and her fiancé. She said we suck because we let the photographer do all the work for nothing. I mean, we did pay a deposit (nonrefundable)."

So the couple decided to ask Reddit what they think about the situation, and Reddit pretty quickly came down on the side of the photographer.

One person said that the couple had the option to call everything off, but chose not to.

"The photographer may have been unprofessional, but they performed the service and provided you with, as you admit here, a good product.

“I think it would have been more appropriate if you had gone ahead and canceled when they called saying they were running an hour late. I don’t think I would have waited around that long.”

Another person quickly agreed:

"They had over an hour during the actual shoot to tell the photographer that they weren't happy with the situation and could have backed out any time. Instead they went through with it and then decided not to pay. Seems like they just want an excuse to get something for free."

Another photographer chimed in and said that the couple should have definitely canceled before any photo editing took place, because that's where a lot of the work really happens:

"As a photographer, I was mostly on OPs [original poster's] side, until they allowed the photos to be edited. If OP were to have cancelled the shoot when the photographer was 1) late or 2) when they showed up with a kid, then no problem… But 70% of the cost you pay for is the editing on the photos. Yes you pay for the time and fee of the photographer day of, but then they go home and spend hours (sometimes I spend days) on editing. You can pay anyone $50 to take engagement photos, paying a professional photographer gets you the editing and understanding of how photography works so the photos look decent."

Others believed both people are at fault here.

"They were unprofessional, but they did the job, and took nice photos," said a commenter. "That's what you were paying for – not a pleasant afternoon. And if you were angry about the lateness and the photographer's unprofessional manner, you should have made that clear at the time, not let them do the job and then said 'by the way, we're not paying you.'"

One commenter offered a great analogy for the whole situation as well:

"It's like going to a restaurant and they take ages to serve you. They are unprofessional throughout, the service is bad, the music too loud and they have their kid running around. The food finally arrives. By then you are in a bad mood and are no longer hungry. You eat the food. But you then refuse to pay.

“You had several points during this scenario to cancel your order, or reschedule. But you chose not to do that.”

Unfortunately, the couple hasn't popped back into the post to say if they decided to pay the photographer or not … but if they read most of these replies, they'll probably see the error of their ways. If the couple had spoken up during the shoot or even right after, things might be different for everyone.