How to Avoid a Sepia Bride Wedding

The Sepia Bride situation is an unfortunate one on all ends and the biggest take away from this wedding photography failure is the things you can avoid to not have this happen to your wedding photography business. Let's talk a couple of tips to help you stay away from situations like this while being a wedding photographer.
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[@Reggiebphoto]

A question I asked every couple was: “looking at my portfolio and blogs, did you see anything that you don’t like about my editing style?” It gave them the opportunity to point out things they didn’t like without me taking it personally

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly! It's a great way to sus out if they have HUGE problems with your editing style or if there are small changes you could make for them. This is a great point!

[@paigeofstylez]

You neglected the fact, she had the pics for 30s days also before she said anything

[@natalieast3516]

this is a good question! it will be something i will present in reverse if not asked i.e. hey i like this portfolio image but the tone/editing/grain etc is too much for me in this photo.

[@kingofthebasement]

it's not even sepia, it's more orange and teal without the teal, the skin tone is orange for sure. when the bride saw the initial portfolio, like our eyes, she got adjusted to see it as being "natural." when her friend's iPhone pictures show up, she is like wow, that's better, more natural, and why I become Oompa Loompa? It's very unfortunate.

[@jbivphotography]

Yeah not sepia at all. I think people are calling it that just because the orange reminds them of sepia. If anything maybe this drama will kill that overly warm style and bring back natural colors. At the end of the day this is very unfortunate.

[@adrianagage6380]

I always do zoom consults with my couples to make sure we are a good fit but I’ve never actually told them my editing style during the consult like you mentioned about “desaturated greens, grainy b&w” and I love that added communication because it also shares with the couple how passionate you are about your edit. I always go towards the Natural Feels profile or the Kj Edit on Imagen based on what I’m shooting and I will say both styles are stunning and a great BASE but yes, typically need some tweaking before they’re done. This sepia nightmare is so unfortunate because I know several photographers that edit that style and do it beautifully!

[@ngonzale3]

After actually watching the Bride’s videos, this was not a Bridezilla. Her requests and critiques were very reasonable. This exchange went wrong. A photo proofing to gauge her preferences could’ve remedied the back and forth. “You want a cleaner, more realistic look? The warmth was too much? No problem. Lets make this right.” Done. At their expense this was a good lesson.

[@Las_cacas]

@@ngonzale3 you're exactly right, I had a similar situation once. I posted some teaser photos from a wedding and they looked great, the bride messaged me in private and asked if all the photos were going to be that same warmness and tone. She said she wanted the grass and trees to be a more natural green instead of the warm greens I chose. I told her they were her photos and that id edit to her liking. Once they were finished editing, she messaged me back and said she loved them and the color tones that were truer to the area she lived. She still to this day continues to post her wedding photos and share them. I must admit she was right the photos looked great.

[@beatNbox]

Did you watch the photographer’s interview from The Vendor Table?

[@Mark_R_Tho]

Um no. Watch/listen to the interview with the photographer.

[@emilykimco]

"presets are not a one click fix" yes!! I wish I learned this earlier than I did. Would have saved a lot of money on presets 😂 I have my own now. It gets the job 75% done, but I still have to go and tweak the last 25%.

[@jbivphotography]

It’s so true. Presets should be doing about 80% of the work and the rest is actually editing. Thanks for watching! 👏👏👏

[@markhickson9087]

@@jbivphotography And that is why the client pays the money, not just for a few saved presets - especially when they only work on a few lighting conditions. Are you really saying that you use the same presets for all your photos? Studio work as well as outside? Your presets must be much better than mine.

[@Mariner1460]

Excellent advice here. Seems every job I do I find one more thing to add to the expectations discussion with the next client. Now I know how the IRS code got so complex! 😂. In this case, the wedding photos look consistent with the photographer’s prior work-her style is pretty clear, like it or not. Now assuming the photos were “properly” edited (not just presets slapped on) as you recommend, I’m surprised that the photographer was not able to make a quick white balance and color correction preset and apply it to everything. Yeah, it would erase her style, maybe something she refused to give up, but I have to imagine it would be a pretty simple way to make the customer happy.

[@barakaz]

I do love the photographer's work. I guess it's one of those days where the client doesn't connect with what they got, something that should have been sorted before the shoot.

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. The photographer looks like she’s a really good photographer. Looking over her Instagram her stuff looks great.But this happens sometimes and it’s honestly kind of the worst.

[@Las_cacas]

Every photographer in my area uses that stupid look, you cant tell one photographer apart from the next. I try to keep my work true to the day and the feeling. I havent had any complaints in the 18 years taking pics, so i guess its working.

[@cjackshaw]

4:52 - "Please God, learn how to actually edit in Lightroom" Never thought this would have to be explained to photographers 😅 Great takes here John!

[@jbivphotography]

We live in a day and age where cameras are amazing and presets are everywhere and I feel like a lot of folks enter the game and never take the time to actually understand Lightroom they just plop presets and are like “great that looks awesome” 🤷‍♂️

[@grimfist79]

​@jbivphotography the problem for me she is charging upwards of $6k for what is photography student / amateur level of work. She gives me inflated ego vibes on her insta.

[@JohnIvoryMusic]

I just went to her IG, she's SUPER orange with it lol, but I don't see how the couple that booked her didn't see that. Seems weird!

[@jbivphotography]

Yeah it's an unfortunate situation. You would think the photographers portfolio shows what you're going to get and a lot of the complaints coming from the couple aren't totally in line. The way the bride ended up editing the photos are TOTALLY different than the photogrpaher's look.

[@JuanRojas956]

What’s her Instagram

[@jbivphotography]

@@JuanRojas956 it's in the description

[@echolaoful]

Yeah I love her work absolutely stunning actually. The problem in this time of age right now is that I a lot new photographers actually over sell themselves to get client without even investing in learning photography itself. Buy expensive gear with wide aperture and use preset. Without even know the standards and principle of Photography itself.

[@jbivphotography]

I agree. There is a lot of that happening. The interesting thing about photography is there is no bar to entry. So the range in what a "good" photographer is varies dramatically. Even I would only put myself as a mid-tier photographer compared to some wedding photographers I know.

[@raw_pc]

The thing is that initially the bride was "over the moon" with the photographs. After some time she decided it wasn't what she wanted. It's a clear situation where someone influences brides opinion and she demends the changes after she already accepted everything. There are people that disregard even the most precise agreements they signed when they suddenly will have a change of mind.

[@AmadeAmaya]

The bride was not a bridezilla here. She paid a lot of money for the service, the photographer obviously takes photos in a specific style, but let's agree that specific colors look better or worse depending on the surroundings, lighting and clothes. The couple asked the photographer to re-edit some of their photos and they paid extra for it (which is understandable), but the photographer didn't even ask if they would be happy with the colors she was currently doing. So the couple ended up having to spend more money on more photos they don't like. It would be enough to take one photo in 2/3 versions and ask them what they like better - there would be no problem and no drama. Additionally, you can see on the photographer's IG that different colors are visible - blue, green, pink. Everything about the bride is orange. The photographer's other photos, if you look at people's smiles, people have white teeth and this bride... well, everything is orange.

[@vickyvansane5092]

yeah but if you check out the website of the photographer you can clearly see her style. She even says it herself that she has this "golden" touch to it (the orange you meant). And the bride even said that she complaint like 30days later and at the beginning she was super happy. So I can quite understand the confusion. Like I would also be pissed if someone praises my work and 1 month later the are telling me my style of editing is sh1t.

[@aleksandragieralt7370]

In my opinion, it's hard to assign blame here. Apparently they had a rainy/clousy day, which is why THIS bride's photos are so orange. Both the bride and the photographer had communications issues. The bride asked for her makeup and eyes to be more visible, the photographer did that, in her style. The bride maybe didn't have the vocabulary to express that she wanted more cool tones visible. The photographer made the mistake of sending her raw files instead of asking her exactly what was wrong and/or trying a different filter on the makeup photos and/or leaving some more cool tones in. The bride liked the raws more and, allegedly rather rudely, demanded them. The photographer should have given her a third option instead of raws for 3000 or copyright for 4000 - cool tone edits. In that case, she could charge her per edit to get paid for her work and the bride can choose the edits she wants. Apparently the bride did like the photographer's style of her rehearsal dinner photos (sunny day, blue sky). Without that blue sky contrast, she didn't like her cloudy day photos. It was unfair to blame the photographer, it was also unfair of the photographer not to consider the middle ground between warm tones and raws . . .

[@AmadeAmaya]

@@aleksandragieralt7370 However, your statement confirms what I wrote. The same preset or set of colors looks better in some conditions and worse in others. No one blames the photographer for not controlling the weather, but for not adjusting the processing to the conditions, which is why everything turned out orange. Only the photographer and the bride and groom know what really happened. At the end of the day, this couple is left with this and the photos for the rest of their lives. I don't like the narrative explaining the photographer that this is her style, because unfortunately the photos sent to the bride and groom do not resemble the works she has on her profile. I understand that now many photographers will say "this is this photographer's style and this is the bride and groom's problem" and I would probably agree if it weren't for the fact that these photos look different than in PF. I say this as a photographer.

[@AmadeAmaya]

@@vickyvansane5092 There are degrees in every processing, something can be "golden" - as the photographer shows on her IG, and at the same time not all be orange. In the frames provided by the photographer you can see the entire range of colors - pink is pink, green is green, blue is blue and all this in a beautiful golden glow. In the case of this wedding, that didn't happen - there is orange in the shadows, there is orange in the highlights, the green is orange, the white is orange. 50 shades of orange.

[@aleksandragieralt7370]

@AmadeAmaya I agree with that. I think she shouldn't be married to this style in weather conditions that don't work with it, which is why I'm surprised she didn't give a 3rd option. However, neither she nor the bride have said that the photographer insisted on sepia, so I'm not sure where the communication broke down. To me, it's obvious the bride prefers more cool colors incorporated into the picture, but she didn't make this request, and the photographer seems not to have clued in and suggested cooler tones either, but she did not say she would refuse to do them.

[@MoniqueMarfet]

Completely agree. A lot of people who don't have formal background in Photography think it's all about just buying a bunch of presets and throw them on all pics they do without even checking if it works for everything. Dark and moody doesn't work for everything and it's very extreme so I also stay on the more "enhanced" natural look rather than extreme colors that wash out reality.

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. Being a photographer has no bar to entry, so even if someones photos look amazing they may be running a horrible business and don't even really know how to deal with the photos.

[@jimjimgl3]

Those presets or post production looks to me sometimes indicate a lazy or inexperienced photographer. I don't shoot weddings (commercial / advertising here) but I would ALWAYS ask my client about post production and what their needs and preferences are for the final output.

[@calla211]

Sorry, but in no world does a higher-end photographer go to their client and ask them how they want their photos edited. For one, you're delivering hundreds if not thousands of photos. For another, to get to the point that you're consistently charging 7-8k per wedding, you've developed a consistent style/experience that resonates with clients. You don't shape your final delivery to each individual client (obviously, you do make minor tweaks accordingly), because they're paying for your unique, artistic sensibility. Where's a huge component of service and front-facing in both commercial and wedding photography, you're comparing apples to oranges here a bit.

[@jimjimgl3]

Firstly, some commercial clients email "style sheets" with descriptions of how the final images should appear. All my commercial jobs use "mood boards" basically images the art director finds (sometimes my images and sometimes things they find on Pinterest). that were show to the client and then approved. I ask every AD on jobs what the deliverables need to look like--right now I am retouching files for a Discover Card / Apple job. Before I begin to either farm out the retouch or do it myself like today, I asked about saturation and contrast and how natural they wanted the images to be. The final delivery was for about 160 images and ALL were retouched--the budget for retouch alone was $20K for stills and $10K for video. In my case, yes, they might want some degree of unique, artistic sensibility but in the end they want my viewpoint and capability to handle the job/crew demands. I understand that busy wedding photographers need to draw the line on how they handle the files--mainly because they offer a package deal and the more dollars they can squeeze from the shoot day the better. I do jobs that require me to work with a set budget and then figure out how to do it so I make a good profit but also please the client. The Discover/Apple job had a very large expense budget but mainly because it was a 5 day shoot with stills and video and with different locations and various talent. And the art director is on set telling me what he or she wants. BTW, these bigger jobs don't come along all the time. I'm very used to doing smaller jobs with tight budgets and very small crews sometimes just me alone in the studio. And I have huge respect to wedding photographers that manage all the different personalities during the day and sometimes crazy logistics but still manage to make beautiful images.

[@calla211]

@@jimjimgl3 I agree with you 100%, actually. I'm just saying that the levels of artistic control are different for commercial/advertising/fashion. In those fields, you're largely beholden to your clients' artistic tastes, because they're paying out these huge budgets for their brands. Your vision/aesthetic is why you get the job, but they have ultimate say over the final product. In weddings, most clients aren't really hyper informed, so they're choosing their photographer off the vibes and the emotions their images evoke. Also, like 75-80% of the day is live-event, or portraiture under heavy time constraints. Wedding photographers don't generally collaborate with their clients (the vast majority of the time) on the final parameters of their images, because it's part of the experience they provide. You want them to impart their style, direction and composition. It would ultimately lead to an inferior and inconsistent product, or immense burnout on the part of the photographer to work with wedding clients in the same way.

[@jimjimgl3]

@@calla211 Yes. I understand. I just watched an interview with the sepia bride wedding photographer (who might not have a ton of experience under her belt) and I think she could have handled the delivery differently but also the bride went off the charts by bringing her complaint to social media. Clearly the bride wanted attention and she's getting it...🤪.

[@nicedward7544]

I'll always do an engagement shoot first if possible. There's no way I'm going into a wedding without at least meeting them in person first. Communication is key. They should know your style of editing and be happy or speak up before hand if they want it edited a certain style .

[@jbivphotography]

I've done weddings sometimes without doing an engagement session, but having the engagement is the safest option ALWAYS. I've had less than 5 couples who were not happy with their engagement photos and being able to give them a partial refund of the deposit and help them find another photographer was a huge win for everyone.

[@jeilyssantander1317]

The bride speaks that she loved her engagement photos but they were taken in a different lighting situation. Not as many shadows under her eyes in the engagement session compared to the wedding. But the photographer is not a wizard and cant control the overcast weather she was unfortunately dealt

[@cencension]

The bride didn't get all the RAWs, just a few, she loved a lot of the photos except for the warm editing, so do you think the photographer should have delivered her the RAWs upon the bride's request? And how much should one charge for those, if the package cost almost $8,000?

[@KingDLJ]

I agree with everything you say and try to do a lot of those things myself. My only problem, I edit engagement sessions like a portrait but my weddings like a wedding. Which is similar but there are some differences.

[@jbivphotography]

I’m a huge believer of consistency in all things since wedding photography is more of a product. This way your couples know exactly what it is they’re receiving rather than edits being different all of the time.

[@KingDLJ]

​@@jbivphotography it's not really so that different, other than I tend to do more retouching in an engagement shoot than I do for weddings or other events. Also, I don't often to both (wedding and engagement) Im more of a portrait photographer than a wedding photographer. I just do weddings here and there. But I tend to edit those a little less "glamory" than other types of portraits

[@ViewportPlaythrough]

i do this too. the more "fashion" oriented shots are edited stylized, the more "documentary" oriented shots are more straight forward, almost non-stylized.

[@samatardavidbndphotofilm]

Honestly, the photographer ran into a Bridezilla. The bride hired her and is now complaining that she doesn't like her style. I am 100% blaming the bride and I stand on that. Although the orange look isn't my thing, the photos are beautiful. Unfortunately, photographers are trying so hard to stand out from one another that they develop these color/tint branding styles and soon or later it blows up in their face. It is what it is.

[@jbivphotography]

I agree. This feels very similar to what I dealt with. Also, like you said, you can see her work there's no way she honestly thought she was going to get the look of when she edited her own photos. It's TOTALLY different.

[@samatardavidbndphotofilm]

@@jbivphotography It's crazy but this is the power of social media. It can be a blessing or curse. It doesn't look like the photographer will be hurt by this. Any publicity is good publicity.

[@nicedward7544]

That's why I always just go with natural looking color. I might get moody with some black and white but that's about it

[@sexysilversurfer]

I watched the tik Tok videos by the bride. Obviously some miscommunication about the style. I don’t know both sides but the examples shown by the bride are not what I would think as good but many people aren’t as particular as a person who works with colours. Personally if someone paid me me $8000 I would at least deliver a colour accurate set if there was a disagreement about the filters. My sister had the same issue with her wedding photographer. Delivered the photos with a terrible filter stuck on, my sister is a graphic designer so she absolutely hated it but the photog said it was his style and refused to change it. Fortunately I had taken more than enough photos in RAW to compensate for this.

[@brockburlando702]

I have lost out on so many weddings because I have refused to edit in this style. And quite frankly, I'm okay with it. I then see the photos of the weddings and I think to myself, those poor couples. They will so regret having their day documented in that way 10 pluss years from now.

[@j169122]

As a photographer I agree when it comes to weddings there shouldn’t be over editing. The more natural the better and understanding color tones to photos goes a long way.

[@youknowwho9247]

I don't understand the problem. The bride is being annoying, but the photographer could have easily defused the situation by offering a re-edit with natural colors. That's extra work, and it's not "fair", but it's better to do that than to incur damage to one's reputation from an unhappy client on social media. People need to be less emotional and more pragmatic.

[@jbivphotography]

Unfortunately as a photographer if we went around switching our style every time someone didn’t like our style it would leave us with so much extra work. Re-doing work just because someone is unhappy with it is super uncommon. It’s almost the same as a store taking a return after you used and trashed clothes. Or in a restaurant saying you don’t like the way the meal tasted but you ate the whole thing and now you’re asking them to make it again. So it’s less of an emotional thing and partially for the customer to know what they want as well.

[@CarlosPlazola]

STOP CALLING THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK “SEPIA”. That is misleading, those pictures aren’t sepia, those pics are WARM AND MOODY. Sepia is a whole different thing. Because of this ignorance the photographers who do this kind of look are getting bashed online right now. Please stop calling sepia to this.

[@jbivphotography]

You're correct. I was just calling it per the trend everyone is calling it but it's true. It's not a true sepia. Thanks for that correction.

[@CarlosPlazola]

@@jbivphotography Thank you John, IDK if you can do this but, I think every educator has a duty to educate right? Why dont educate the audience on the difference between the types of looks in photography to avoid this mess? Personally I got affected by this misunderstanding, I literally got booted from a gig because the bride called my work sepia, which isn't by a long shot. So yeah, this kind of ignorance in the general public affects photographers like me.

[@thelegendrubyrodd]

It’s an easy way for folks to identify the situation. It’s not even that serious.

[@CarlosPlazola]

@@thelegendrubyroddIt is, because it creates ignorance and attracts unwanted accusations based on such.

[@destinybond]

The edits were pretty bad i must say. It is sad for both parties. I feel bad for the bride because she looked like an oompa loompa but I feel bad for the photographer because that is her style that is getting bashed. Agree 100% - figure out or find out if you like the style of the photographer before committing to it and photographers like her that has a really strong editing style (i say really strong because the colors are so far off the actual colors) should be very clear that this is their style of photography.

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. In situations like these I believe blame could be placed on either side of the fence and really it comes down to expectations being off on all ends. It’s a sad situation.

[@markhickson9087]

All a potential client gets to see are photos we as photographer like and best suit our "style". Showing those photos may look great but in this case the clumsy "style" didn't suit the lighting conditions on the day. I think the photographer behaved disgracefully and if no-one uses them again, they deserve all they get. At the end of the day a client is paying to be happy, if that means we have to compromise our "style" then so be it. The shame is that the photographer captures some really lovely, natural looking images. Just such a shame that their attitude is awful!

[@markhickson9087]

@@jbivphotography I think you miss the point - are you really going to show the photos you take that didn't really work and didn't fit your style? Does the client really know that you must maintain your professional and personal artistry to the extent that you will send them something that they hate and could be easily fixed. Stop siding with the photographer! The behaved dreadfully! If I ever had someone this upset with my work, I'd have worked my hardest to make sure they got as close to what they wanted as I could do. This isn't a close thing. I can honestly say, hope the photographer learns that they aren't the most important person on a wedding shoot or gets out of the business. Behaving like this they won't last long! And don't deserve to. They give all photographers a bad name.

[@ladyethyme]

......... the bride complaining about the photographer style, she obviously didn't even bother to look at the photographers Instagram. Now she's complaining and wants the RAWS? Hell no.

[@jbivphotography]

I went through and watched the whole exchange and supposedly she knew the style.....seems a little sus however because the way the bride edited the photos is SOO different than the photog.

[@jamilgotcher365]

No, she found the photographer by searching Instagram.

[@sushi_donut]

There's a suspicion that this client was rejected by a handful of local photographers prior to booking her. For the client to suddenly be this particular about color/tone, when the photographer's deliverables matches her portfolio? She wanted the 'raws' for herself from the get 😒📷👎

[@jbivphotography]

ooooo. That would actually make more sense. She finally found someone who would book her and now everythig is an issue after the fact. If that is true it would be really sad.

[@jamilgotcher365]

Yes, I had this same situation happen with my 2nd Cousin, she wanted to book me to photograph her wedding and I wasn't available because I told her, I'm available to photograph your wedding but don't have enough time to edit the photos (this was several years ago and I wasn't as fast as I am now, before I even knew how to batch edit) anyway, she said my husband can edit the photos. I turned the offer down, she literally unfollowed me on Facebook and I haven't spoken to her since. Which also, means, I was only going to attend her wedding if I photographed her. It's actually really hurtful to think about.

[@kymdarling4080]

This whole thing is insane (and why I would never be a wedding photographer, I have to give you guys props for your resilience, I do pets and nature, 100 times less stressful). The photographer sent her 2000 photos, that's insane! And then didn't ask what kind of editing she wanted, did what she wanted (this is from the photographer on the podcast she did), and truthfully, it might be some people's cup of tea, but I hate that washed out background and overall 'brown' look (and the bride did not look good at all in the pictures she showed). HOWEVER, on the bride's side, she looked at the photographer's website (which clearly showed that style), the photographer sent her samples of her work, she saw what kind of work she did, wouldn't you think for $8k she would make sure she knew what they were getting?

[@RafaelRodrigues-vt8gb]

Why not just reedit the photos in lightroom with the raw files? This seems like an easy fix to me.

[@jbivphotography]

The problem here is that the bride wants all of the RAW files but generally no wedding photographer gives away the RAWs. They charge for them. And the bride doesn't want to pay for the RAW files.

[@andrewgonzalez6208]

Do you have presets? I might be interested. I like your style and that’s what I’ve been going for recently

[@jbivphotography]

I do. There's a link for them in the description. It's the personal preset I use that I sell so you'll get the same look as my photos.

[@nduncan09]

Before I commented, I checked out the insta and website just to see the actual galleries. It definitely had to be a fluke of miscommunication and honestly either party doing their homework. I did see a few that were less ‘golden’ or sepia looking and I wondering if the bride just saw those and ran with it. But from the website POV you can tell, it’s completely obvious of her style. I wish it hadn’t happened to either party.

[@robbie154]

I never hate on other people’s “style”. But unless this photographer completely changed their editing style this is on bride for complaining knowing what the photographers style is. From the comments I’ve seen, the photographer has always had that editing style and the bride knew.

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. Wedding photography is a product and people forget that sometimes. While there is some art to it at the end of the day it's a service and a product. The photographer has one a great time showing her work and what you'll be receiving from her as a wedding couple so this bride is pretty out of pocket with this whole situation. Either way it's bad on all ends and I hope they come to a solution.

[@vincentsmink3585]

Man you’re Good! Thanx for this!

[@jbivphotography]

Thanks a bunch. Hope you enjoyed it

[@vincentsmink3585]

@@jbivphotography Yes i did, as did i with your other video's. I'm starting as a weddingphotographer and I already learned a lot of your vids! So thanx again for your inspiring tutorials.

[@SebastianReichenbach]

Don't work with clients which "don't listen". You can spot them by the first inital one to one talk when you speak about details in the E-Mail.

[@jbivphotography]

Very true. This is the main reason we have meetings. That we both the couple and the photographer can make sure they're a good fit for each other.

[@ViewportPlaythrough]

yap.. no amount of money would be worth all the trouble, stress, additional unnecessary work, shaming youd go through to try please those people. and even at the end of it, most of the time they still wouldnt find what you do satisfactory. if they dont value your worth, dont value their money

[@jamilgotcher365]

Some people are good at cosplaying a nice person when you first meet them but then they turn into Bridezilla at the slightest annoyance. LOL She'll be divorced in a few years.

[@markhickson9087]

Your art must be amazing. Don't worry about those clients - they only pay the bills.

[@TheREALJohnL]

After watching all of her TikTok's on this whole thing, I'm about 70% team photographer/ 30% bride. On one hand, I think after the bride straight up told her that shes crying and will do anything for her photos, the photographer could've compromised on her RAW pricing, dropped it from $4k to $2k at least and make her sign a NDA/contract to not talk shit about the RAW photos if she doesn't like them. On the other hand, the bride has zero idea how editing works and assumes we spend several hours editing ONE picture in a 400+ album, claiming all we do is use presets and move on. Yes we use presets as a baseline for our work and then branch off of that for each new scene/location in that album where the lighting/WB changes. And then yeah, I agree, the photos are definitely way more warm than I would edit to BUT after looking at the photographers instagram, that is HER STYLE, you chose her based on that. She saw pictures on her insta with other brides and wanted to look like that but forgot shes a different looking person with different makeup, etc...

[@kendrarose2107]

Honestly I’m team client experience. The photographer literally just needs to bring down the warmth and orange saturation and I think the bride would be happy. Her skin was orange and hair had red highlights instead of blonde ! It def seemed way too orange compared to her portfolio

[@TheREALJohnL]

@@kendrarose2107 I agree, thats why im partially brides side too, photographer could've compromised on pricing for the RAWS and she could've brought down the warm tones too. Who knows.

[@MKNYC_]

Client is trash in this scenario. Her style is clear and she’s a talented photographer.

[@jbivphotography]

I will say some of those edits do look like the photog just slapped a preset on it and didn’t really play with the shadows and such. But that lighting was mainly because it was an overcast day.

[@jamilgotcher365]

Wasn't she on the cast of Jersey Shore? lol jk

[@MartinV.]

Great Video!!

[@jbivphotography]

Thanks!

[@Daleyeeah]

Your client will ALWAYS blast you online or to their friends if you don't handle complaints correctly. I feel the photographer failed when they charged for a re-edit. Theres nothing wrong with charging for re-edits or photoshopping. But you do still have to read the room. If the client isn't happy you can make them happy just spending a little bit of your time (which costs nothing) to then make sure you go above and beyond trying to make the situation better. If you can ask questions to find out why they're unhappy, what they don't like, what they expected. - then the back and forth can be super quick.

[@katherinejoyphotography]

“Please….please God learn how to edit in Lightroom.”😂😂😂😂

[@jbivphotography]

😂😂😂😂

[@vdb2867]

When I am talking to potential clients or people that are shopping I always I tell them this rule. The photographer cannot shoot the style you want all of the time. You need to really look at that photographers body of work and see if YOU love it. I have to agree with others comments on the bridezilla. Some people walk life with a bad attitude and expect to have problems and it sounds like this is what that photographer had to deal with.

[@jbivphotography]

Yeah totally. Sometimes folks always find something wrong with anything and the chances of that happening with weddings is super high. It’s unfortunate

[@missmeliii]

The bride said she never looked at the photographers portfolio and only looked through her Instagram. My theory is she hired the photographer based on her large Instagram following.

[@jbivphotography]

OH NO. That's not a reason to pick a photographer at all.

[@calla211]

Sorry, but the bride is 1000% lying. There's no way in hell someone that self-centered and narcisstic wouldn't have checked out a single gallery, when she CLEARLY loves watching herself. Take everything you know about her and how much she apparently cares about the photos and you're telling me she didn't research beyond IG? No. Shot.

[@ca416]

Couldn't the photographer sue the client for defamation with all the trashing she is doing on social about this photog? It's one thing to be unhappy with the editing, it's another to go so far to make 10 tiktok videos on it, ultimately trashing the photographer for a product they delivered to the standard they outlined.

[@jbivphotography]

I believe that’s what’s about to happen. Also there have been cases like this in the past and the photographers have won. So I’m sure she thinks maybe she’s safe but I would say the photographers have the better chances currently.

[@nicolasheinemusic]

I like the idea of putting a LUT on a photo and it will look great. However I never used a LUT on any of my photos yet, cause I don't like the idea that it turns out to look different, than it actually looked in reality. That's the reason why I like Sony colors so much. It IS already the perfect look ON it. And that's why I can totally understand the bride. If I'd be a wedding potographer, I'd shite on Tik-Tok and Insta trends and just go with the colors from my camera. In my opinion, a photographer should save the moment and not enhance it with some moody colors, that were actually not there in this moment. But of course - it's art. Everybody should do what he likes - and in the end - if the photographer DID brief the bride in advance about the impossiblity to get the photos without LUT, it's the brides fault.

[@jbivphotography]

Most all photographers create their own presets (LUTs). I do as well. Just some photographers create super stylized looks rather than keeping it closer to the natural look. My preset for example makes things still look pretty natural even though it is changing the colors a little bit.

[@un0m3asa13ah]

The photographer shared their side of the story in an interview. People should check that out.

[@jbivphotography]

Yeah I'm going to go watch that and maybe make a follow up video. The worst part of this situation, and I dealt with it myself. Is the client leads the conversation and a lot of the time no one cares about the photographers side. They immediately act like the photographer is wrong.

[@BLARG09]

I watched hers. She seemed to be confused about what the bride wanted. Her communication skills need some work.

[@annotter2150]

Great learned: ask for a raw and edited, side by side. I'm team bride. If i didn't watch these videos on it I wouldn't have noticed how edited the ig one's are. I thought they were sunset pictures. The photographer has pictures with white in them, so more natural colors. How is a person supposed to know what the colors were initially.

[@grimfist79]

I may not fully back the bride, but looking at that photographer insta, she comes accross as someome who never had their work critiqued and her photos are definitely not worth the prices she charges. Inflated ego much? Her color grading is amateurish and really outdated.

[@jbivphotography]

I'm not sure I would say everything you said, however, some of the edits do seem a little rough around the edges. Not to say my edits are perfect by any means but some of the photos the bride showed seemed like the shadows were way too heavy and you could have easily lightened that up.

[@grimfist79]

I may be harsh, but she charges quite a fee for what looks like mediocre quality. Overblown ocean, murky shadows..she lacks finesse and if it true, her attitude is also bad.

[@jasante2]

The problem is when people sell presets, they market them as a one-click solution. You preset sellers all do this. Nothing against presets but when people spend money on presets they expect magic on every photo they apply it on. I have spent a lot of money on presets and so far none of them have been great. Every photo is unique - from lighting conditions, camera color profile, skin tones, etc...

[@jbivphotography]

I agree with this. I myself sell presets but I don't market it as a one click solution. It should always be seen as a starting basis for color tone to help you speed up your edits. But no one really does that.

[@pedromarquez114]

I don’t think this situation was bad for the photographer. A lot of people started following her after this sepia bride talked about her

[@jbivphotography]

True. Lots of good visibility for her.

[@FilmMusicEDMLover]

Do you mention the engagement component in the consult?

[@jbivphotography]

Sometimes. I will explain to my couple how it's helpful to see how your photographer shoots and get used to their style. But I don't really go into the fact that they can get a refund if needed or that an engagement sometimes can be like a test run. Most of my couples are just happy an engagement session is included so we go ahead and do one.

[@MangumCo]

that shirt is fire though

[@jbivphotography]

👏👏

[@jamilgotcher365]

I'm starting to wonder if she had no problem with the photos until her friend named Karen said she didn't like them. LOL

[@markhickson9087]

The photographer is just in the wrong in this case! They take lovely engaging photos and their "style" of sepia looks ok in good lighting; however, given the lighting on the day the overly sepia look photos really look awful and I can see why the bride is upset. Given the price the photographer is charging, and the danger of damaging her customer base, I think they should have reprocessed the images. To be honest it doesn't look like they processed the images in any controlled way or put any effort into the output images, it looks like they just applied pre-decided/saved settings. If I was the bride I'd have asked for my money back and shot some fake wedding day photos. I can see she just wanted the real photos of the day and wanted them to look better than they did. I hope no bride ever has to suffer like this. For me, the photographer is a disgrace to the profession.

[@Soul_Visuals_Photography]

Stop having trendy editing styles 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@jbivphotography]

Yep! I'm a fan of trying to keep the colors fairly natural.

[@ladyethyme]

Or just....you know.... book of photographer whose style matches your own. Instead of complaining about it afterward......

[@cosmo0080]

hi, i agree and have done much the same, always ask did you have a look at my work? just because i am recommended does not mean i am for you that is what i ask blessing all

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. It’s best practices to make sure the client is really happy with the product that you’re providing. Thanks for sharing.

[@miam1074]

applying a preset is not editing. it takes more than that, esp if you are charging 8000!

[@jbivphotography]

Agreed

[@thorsrensen3162]

If I sense the bride is tiktoker or youtuber I always find a good excuse for not taking the asignment.

[@jbivphotography]

Interesting. I never even thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense.

[@austinpaz]

i still havent seen the original video where the brides complaining. where is it? everything I find is just people talking about it

[@jbivphotography]

I left a link to her videos in the description. Check it out.

[@austinpaz]

@@jbivphotography ahh i see it. i looked 100 times before and must have missed it

[@AlbertoMendoza]

The photos were pretty bad tho (I’m a fan of natural colors). But at the same time the couple knows who they hired.

[@jbivphotography]

I wouldn't say they're bad but I also am not a fan of the super warm types of edit.

[@coffeefirst8718]

Clients should pay more attention to who they are hiring, too many clients will hire if they see a real camera without ever looking at the actual body of work.

[@willsimpsonphoto]

it's surprising to me that the bride didn't expect the style if she looked at the portfolio. if she didn't, that's her fault. but also the fault of the photographer to not have the conversation about photos and style beforehand.

[@jbivphotography]

Exactly. You really need to point out to your inquiring couple your style and make sure they understand what it is and what they're receiving.

[@63MacGuy]

Did the photographer offer to re-edit the images?

[@jbivphotography]

From what I saw I believe so, however, re-editing the photos doesn't always mean fully changing the style but more so maybe cleaning up the photos a little more. However, I'm not sure.

[@gennatay]

@@jbivphotography she did edits to bring out the brides makeup, but kept the same tones in the image

[@jbivphotography]

@@gennatay Thanks for that clarification. Yeah that type of edit makes sense. I do know some photographers who change their style per client but that would be a huge headache honestly and wouldn't lead to efficiency in the long run.

[@DoubleTheDom]

I think a deposit is a deposit…

[@germancreatives88]

They paid her 8,000dollars she can pay a good editor

[@bearded_fotog]

Honesty l I'm not a fan of the burnt orange, sepia or what ever they are calling it. This was actually popular back before 2010 and didn't last. But I guess it's back, but 10 years down the road the client will ask what they hell they were thinking. But the bride should have looked over the photographers work and asked questions pertaining to editing the photos for a final look. So it's the brides fault for not communicating what she wanted. I don't chase fads or trends. I stick to vivid colors and black and white. I will sometimes throw in a moody B&W or color to match the scene and emotion. But the I make sure the clients I work with know that I don't shoot the latest fad nor will i cave to what the newest trend is. Guess I'm old fashioned. Lets hope selective color doesn't make a comeback.

[@jbivphotography]

LOL selective color making a comeback would be crazy. But yeah the bride saw the work, it doesn't make sense that now she would want everything edited so differently. 🤷‍♂️

[@bearded_fotog]

@@jbivphotography If it came back. I'd refuse to do it with out a fee associated with it.

[@mconder40]

Why not elaborate on the photos you decided to use for your cover photo of this video? The actual photos that the bride had issues with.

[@oregonduc]

Both were wrong on their approaches. Bride went too hard on social media. Bride didn’t do due diligence to research on the style she was looking for. Photographer “supposed” edits looked bad in the examples shown. Photographer seemed to be too overboard on presets and color grading to what she thinks looks good but not the brides wants. And your recommendation on doing an engagement shoot to calibrate on the same mindset. And charging $8000 for a photoshoot is more than majority of USA monthly salary earners so a consumer who has no knowledge of photography will feel very ripped off for not getting what they envisioned. Photographer didn’t do the calibration with couple to make sure her vision of what good photos look like is what the bride is looking for. Complete shit show overall but perfect example on lessons to be learned from your experience. Also at first I thought she was shooting on a Fujifilm and was just film simulation obsessed 😂

[@calla211]

I'm not a fan of the Sepia look, personally, but some people love it, and there's nothing wrong with photographers who do edit in that style. The industry is big enough to support various looks/niches. That being said, I"m 1000% confident the bride here will be divorced in 1-3 years. Receiving exactly what you paid for and then making 18+ videos about it on Tiktok for clout is awful, sociopathic behavior. Fortunately, it won't hurt the photographer because that amount of publicity will ultimately be a boon in the long run. Her work is immensely consistent throughout---imagine going to a an Italian restaurant and losing your mind because you were served pasta. WILD. The only world where all of this is avoided, is if the photographer gave-in to every demand made by this bridezilla after the wedding, which I can assure you would have been endless. The photographer delivered the raws already, so all of this is a huge reach for some semblance of fleeting relevancy. Pretty sad that this will be the one, shining achievement for the bride. Social media, y'all.

[@jamilgotcher365]

I was getting a feeling that the Bride was trying to find a new career editing wedding photos because she said she "used to" be a makeup artist and the way she was saying, "See the one I edited". If she was really good at editing she could have just fixed the warm toned jpgs. She didn't need "Raws" to fix that.

[@markhickson9087]

Imagine going to a restaurant and being made to sit out in the rain because it worked fine on a sunny day! The photos were awful. As photographers we are there to please our clients. Our style should be why they want them to use us. Our style isn't the be all and end all. It is their special day we are trying to capture. If we have to change our style slightly because of the day or the look the clients wants at the end, then so be it. Don't believe the "all publicity is good publicity" saying, it has been proven to be wrong. I expect they will be out of business very quickly. As to bashing the bride. Of course she is upset, her photos look awful and the photographer who produced them is behaving like an idiot. How do you know she will divorce? I hope they have a wonderful life together. Why would anyone wish anything else?? Is it because she complained, god forbid someone complains when they are unhappy!

[@ldmndz4652]

Great points John...wow..did the photographer offer to re edit them?..lol

[@jbivphotography]

I think the photographer did re-edit them but in her own original style. Not in the new style the bride wanted.

[@MonsieurBlain]

what's the photographer's Instagram?

[@jbivphotography]

I got it down in the description.

[@ChoicesHabitsAttitudeLuck]

Using Sepia in this day and age is the most stupid thing to do. Why would you do a Sepia to a YOUNG COUPLE? These are the kids who grew up in the internet age, of rich colors, cellphones, tiktoks and Instagram, etc

[@jbivphotography]

It’s not a true sepia just a very orange/warm tones type of edit that’s reminiscent of sepia.

[@grimfist79]

It is literally the most amateurish looking color grading one can do.

[@thelegendrubyrodd]

I personally put all the blame on the photographer.

[@siryssphotography]

Every photographer in my area does this. They’re all females. And they’re getting booked into 2026. Their clients prefer blown out skies and sepia tones, rather than some nice cinematic off camera flash where YOU as the photographer controls the environment. Photography is 90% business and marketing, and 10% talent and skills. 🤣💁🏽‍♂️

[@cahleena]

I'm not a fan of the orange look but I also wouldn't say that knowing how to work with your environment and pivot when the light changes equals a lack of skill. I personally don't like the clinical (imo) look of flash and prefer a more "imperfect," nostalgic feel (not that there isn't a place for flash occasionally). Maybe these women are more skilled than you give them credit for? I'm actually not sure why you felt the need to mention that they're women. As a female photographer, I deal with lots of male photographers that seem to be personally insulted that I learned photography from photographing my young children and then took it further into the business realm (and no, I don't charge ridiculously low prices). There's no reason for this path to be less "worthy" than a path more common to male photographers. Anyway, maybe you're not one of these male photographers, but you sure sound like it when you gripe about how these women are booking more than you with your big flash and suggesting that they have more business sense than skill. If your work is good you don't need to be afraid of the women with their cameras.

[@siryssphotography]

@@cahleena Hey! ☺️ Dang I must’ve struck a nerve with my comment lol 😆 But I don’t mean it like that! I shoot natural light as well, but all I’m saying is in my area, I’m one of the only male photographers. And I’m definitely not insulted. I’m rooting for everyone at the end of the day! Everyone has their style. Consistency is key! I just like flash, and if the situation allows it, I’m using off camera flash most of the time. I like doing most of the work in camera, rather than recovering highlights and shadows in post. But hey that’s awesome! I looked at your IG and I love the storytelling! I’ll give you a follow! 🤗 And hey I apologize if I offended you (as a woman)! I’m not one of those egomaniac photographers! 😅

[@cahleena]

@@siryssphotography Hi there! First of all, I have no idea how to figure out if someone replies to a comment I left on KZbin, but I just saw your IG follow and though "Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on the guy first thing in the morning before I had my coffee." 😄You did strike a nerve but only because the way your comment was worded reminded me of a general feeling of being looked down upon by male photographers. I don't personally do mini sessions in the park but I feel protective of women who do them and don't like it when male photographers make comments about the stay-at-home mom with a Rebel taking away their business, as if they were less legitimate than other photographers. I think I put you into that camp without really knowing you and I'm sorry! I'm looking forward to checking out your IG and giving you a follow back. ☺☺

[@thegiftofgabby5581]

First! 🙃😅😂

[@jbivphotography]

Thanks for watching!