if i have a bad experience with a photographer should i negatively review them?
Question Asked: 4/10/2017
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
Most Helpful Response
(13) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
Answered by: 10 Experts
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I feel like both sides of the story should be given a chance to explain, to have a poor review over a misunderstanding would be an awful shame.
If that didn't work out, it is certainly a good idea to let the world know, others should not be afflicted with the same bad experience.
Firstly. you need to approach your photographer and openly discuss why you were not satisified with the experience and what they can do or are willing to do to recitify the problem. If you are still unsatisified, particularly if the issue was quite major then yes - and make them aware of it. They should be actively aiming to achieve 100% customer satisfaction. If that's not their goal, then others prospective leads should be aware.
Communication is key!
Before putting through the review, speak to them about your concerns. If you aren't happy with that conversation then yes a constructive review would help the photographer to "develop" areas of concern.
Remember we are human too and learning from mistakes will only make us better.
Thanks
Sam
As professionals we would love to hear what you have to say even if its that you where not happy with the service provided. after all you can only improve if we know what to fix.
If you photographer doesn't want to listen to what you have to say and doesn't try to offer customer service after then a negative review might be needed. but always talk to them first to see if a solution can be found
I'm sure the most of the photographers they do the best to make your day unforgettable so if the clients ot happy with the service they can talk to the photographer before they put the review.
Even photographers that have had years of experience can have a bad day so please contact your photographer first and discuss your concerns with them. There may be something that they will be happy to do that is in their ability to resolve the issue. It would be a rather rare Photographer that would not be concerned about their Bride & Groom being unhappy and not prepared to offer something to fix it.
If after you have contacted the photographer and it has not been resolved well then that may be the time to leave a review. At the end of the day, if you do have a really bad experience, and they are not willing or able to resolve it, then that may be the time to let other couples hear about a bad experience.
Hoping it never happens to you and your day is just a dream.
Naomi
If you have had a bad experience with a photographer, you should most definately approach them to discuss the issue and allow him/her/them the opportunity to resolve them to your satisfaction. You may find in most cases that Photographers (or any Wedding Industry Professional for that matter) will be happy to discuss in detail the problems and work with you to solve them in a way that may leave you wanting to leave a glowing review after all! Hope this helps!
You need to be honest in your opinion. If you feel you have been let down you owe it to other couples. I suggest you contact the photographer and let him/her know you are thinking about giving a negative review. That at least gives him the opportunity to state her case. Hope this helps. Cheers Colin
I would personally approach the photographer first and discuss your issues and see if it can be resolved.
If you still don't feel like your experience isn't any better or there have been no attempts to make your experience better, then I would leave a negative review.
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Yes, you absolutely have the right to review honestly, and your feedback genuinely matters to the next couple making this decision. The only thing I'd add to what others have said is to give the photographer a fair shot at fixing it first, and to be clear in your own mind about what actually went wrong, because the resolution often depends on it.
From our side of the camera, problems tend to fall into two buckets. There's the experience on the day and the way you were treated, and then there's the editing and delivery of the final photos or film. If your concern is the editing, the colours look off, the skin tones are strange, or it just doesn't match what you were shown, that's usually fixable and worth raising directly. We edit everything in-house ourselves rather than sending it offshore, so a reasonable re-edit request is something most genuine photographers can and will sort out for you.
When you do raise it, put it in writing and keep it specific and calm. Say what was promised, what you received, and what would make it right for you. A good supplier will want to fix it, and if they do, you've saved yourself a stressful review and ended up with photos you love instead.
If you've done all that and they brush you off, won't communicate, or simply refuse to make a fair situation right, then an honest, factual review is completely justified. Stick to what actually happened rather than emotion, and future couples will thank you for it.