"Sepia Gate": RAW Photos, Buyers Remorse and the saga that swept the Wedding Industry - EP62

[@SewLauraAnn]

When it got heated at about 39:00....it's when I hit the subscribe button. Just so you know. As an artist...completely agree.

[@LiveByTheNumbers]

IMO that bride shouldn’t be too worried because if this is how she treats people, this won’t be her final wedding.

[@ac1646]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@sophiatrevino6950]

A note on the part about this mostly happening to photographers… I think this happens to more wedding vendors than we realize of all kinds… Couples get anxiety over how much money they just spent and try to get refunds from all their vendors. It’s a certain kind of person that thinks they are entitled to refunds for any little thing they didn’t like.

[@kyleeboaman3257]

I honestly think she got her professional video from the day and noticed how different it looked from the photos.

[@Kwright304]

“The customer is always right” is only half of the expression. “In matters of taste” is the next part. It means if the client wants to hire a bad photographer you let them. Not that you need to be that photographer. They locked in the matter of taste when they hired you, they don’t get to get mad they picked wrong. They picked.

[@GailEm]

What got me in one of the bride's early videos was she said the next story time would be about her 1st videographer (the one they decided not to go with). That's when I knew she was milking the attention. This is why my contract says clients agree to my editing style before they book. Bet money the pick me photographers who said "why not just re-edit" are not charging enough for their own work. I am no where near $8000 but even I would not change up my editing style.

[@AaVeck]

I have yet to get this type of experience under my belt and I’m thankful for the insight to something like this potentially happening

[@Louvenir]

You guys always approach things with respect for all while still retaining your personality flare in the conversation. You guys rock.

[@yosemitesgoldenphotography]

THIS IS AMAZING! thank you guys for sharing multiple perspectives and then sharing each of your own opinions on this. PLEASE KEEP IT GOINNNNN! We needed this

[@peterjonesdelacruz]

You hit the nail right on the head. This is just what it is: a case of buyer's remorse, one that this nefarious client insidiously sells as a case of bad service. The bride was just this problematic shrew who's gaslighting everyone into agreeing with her wild whims and unreasonable nitpicking. I wonder what she's like as a wife. Good luck to her husband. I hope they're not having arguments over petty things and then get divorce in 6 months.

[@toril2160]

20:36 my theory was also that she stopped liking them after printing them

[@roguepadawan1984]

Probably at CVS. LOL

[@BukeyBoy]

Y’all are so right. I love that you’re approaching it from both sides and being fair to both sides. The bride is within her right to be super critical of photos of herself (aren’t we all!!!) but has absolutely taken this too far and I hope the photographer gets a lot of bookings because of this. From people who do their research and like her style!

[@meganelrick8568]

57:30 I recently went through a super similar situation. Day was a cluster and the bride kept complaining about things despite trying everything to make it better and going above and beyond. I have a clause that I can cancel the agreement if the relationship becomes no longer amicable. I refunded the album amount (after designing it) and just said we’re done now.

[@Moishwarsh]

Love how you guys break stuff down! have such a casual and knowledgable delivery that make you a pleasure to watch/listen to! Would love to see you bring some other vendors into the mix as well (you know for all the fiasco stories 🤩

[@johnmacaspac410]

There was zero reasons for the client to rant on social media. Why does the world need to know about your business? The issue was between the client and the photographer. I’m planning to make a list of “what I am not” in my inquiry calls.

[@johnmacaspac410]

@@AF40952 all her ranting solidified other vendors to not accept her as a client lol

[@RyanH0809]

The bride just wants to matter. Airing your bullshit on social media like this is just an attempt to matter. She didn't want to be left holding the bag for her indecision, so she attempted to shame the photographer.

[@adventureswithnaly1134]

The heated moment had me dying 😂

[@mbatterberry]

Great episode. I did laugh a tad when the photographer mentioned that true color was a trend during her interview though. True color will never go out of style.

[@DeannaArevalo151]

Great conversation! You covered all of the main points. Agree completely!

[@harvatron]

The bride had the photographer tagged in the pinned photos that were at the top of her instagram when she posted the first several videos on TT... that's how I found out who it was, immediately. She had a content creator at her wedding, so I find it very difficult to believe she didn't think people would find her and drag her.

[@harvatron]

The bride was also blocking photographers who were not siding with her, and also being polite. She did not want any real feedback, she wanted to blow up. I really lost it with her 'photographers need to stfu' video, though. Unreal.

[@paytonkristen2386]

Back all the way up....bawahahahahaha.....I laughed so hard at that.

[@thdiniz]

Love the issue, sepia gate has so many layers to it

[@Marvnz]

the bride smelled her moment of fame and snapped it up.

[@TheKroshkita]

I think she's just hysterical by nature

[@miam1074]

no doubt she is opportunistic here, but I am also on her side: applying presets to 2000 photos without properly checking if the preset actually distorts the image and editing it is just LAZY. Esp. considering how much she charges for her work! I also fault her communication skills on this.

[@30dcanon]

As someone who does a ton of beach weddings in Florida, the image she referenced to about the water reeked of natural light. That was a case of needing OCF. Overcast or not, added light would have helped. I have to do it all the time. JMHO.

[@alanberry4919]

If the sky was overcast like it appears, even OCF would not have made it blue. You would still be gray. You also have to think of the pace of the event. The actual ceremony lasts no longer than 30 minutes and always moves so there is no time to get a flash setup correctly if you're allowed or capable at all.

[@30dcanon]

@@alanberry4919 never said it would have made the sky blue, but would have helped to give a bit more contrast. I do this all the time and as I recall, the shot in question was a setup shot, not during the service.

[@erikavelazquez1835]

Thank you for this great episode

[@trinitymirabella]

As somebody who’s had a bride who might have done this to her had she not re-edited the gallery - that’s my decision as a business to avoid this kind of situation. If their wedding isn’t going to be my ideal wedding and the client is going to be difficult anyway, ok I’ll cut my losses and just freaking re-edit it because my business comes behind my ego. That’s not being a pick-me, that’s being a business owner who relies on this income and knows when to pick my battles. No shade at all to Hannah - the more this came out the more I was on her side. But I’m not going to apologize or be told I don’t know how to “business” simply because I might bend to avoid conflict once or twice; that’s what I choose to do, this is what she chose to do. And that’s my hot take for the day 😂

[@emilieiggiotti]

I love how you guys got heated at 39:00!!!! hahaha!!!

[@EKF_FC]

Lauren cracks me up. It's science.

[@cintiavillalobos1831]

i understand how hard is for natural photographers to used flash, but honey if you are shooting in the beach that is something that you need to know how to properly exposed the ocean, stop making excuses and properly exposed correctly, also is the bride fault to hired this photographer, which lets be honest the editing really sucks, 8 k waste!

[@paulchoccyt1303]

I only heard about all this last night... 7 hours ago only and saw various KZbin vids. The edits seemed to be very different to the ones on her IG page.... IG pics have less sepia tones and whites on dress and teeth look white still.... the wedding examples I saw... seemed way off tonally and whites were way more yellow which didn't match her previous ig pics

[@marrklaas7]

This was so good! And actual mic drop on the "pick me" photographers in the TT comments!

[@MichaelSeneschal]

If I photographed a wedding and the bride was later unhappy because the photos weren’t all black and white (pretending the bride wanted a black and white photographer when all the photos on my website are color), I wouldn’t refuse to make changes and try to sell the raw files for $4,000 so the bride could edit the photos herself. Instead, I would acknowledge the miscommunication, then edit all the photos to black and white for the bride.

[@KayJoyy]

I think she saw her wedding video and liked the natural edit more than the pictures and wanted them to match. Something changed her mind and i think that may be it.

[@miam1074]

applying a uniform preset to 2000 images is not a style. it is just lazy. when she reedited the bride's images it is clear that she doesn't know how to edit properly because that image was like a caricature. both of them are at fault here, but the photographer did not deliver properly on her part. applying a preset is not enough.

[@robbo8201]

A preset is the starting point for a uniform style across a wedding, you can't honestly expect every single image to be individually edited in a gallery of 2000 images unless the tog is shooting 30 a year.

[@mex5341]

btw where we can see full gallery from this wedding ? Maybe in bride's insta or Tiktok ?

[@marienj.malloy2582]

Where I can find the legal Paige video that you guys talk about?❤

[@Junitunes]

Tbh I think any photo that has nature in it looked horrible. It looked like all the plants were dead. That's my only complaint.

[@TheVFXbyArt]

Any links to the “Legal page” episode of the sepia gate incident

[@RodneyO1919]

Bride: Jean-Michel Basquiat I LOVE your paintings. Please paint my wedding portrait. Jean-Michel Basquiat: [-O/O-] Bride - wtf is this?!?!?

[@PearceWeddingPhotography]

I guess the US is alot different from the UK because just because someone has a RAW photo doesn't mean they own the copyright here

[@Sprinter1114]

I think the bride doesn’t understand that the photos she was shown in the gallery/on IG are also not true to life, I think she thinks they’re edited way less than they were. So then she sees the originals for hers and sees the massive difference and thinks something is wrong

[@miam1074]

applying a preset to 2000 images is not editing...

[@30dcanon]

Didn’t you all say she uses her own PRESETS?? That’s using a preset. Which is fine. But don’t go off on saying anyone saying she uses presets is basically an idiot.

[@thevendortable]

she created her own preset based on her own style.

[@30dcanon]

@@thevendortable that's literally what I wrote.. Her's or other's, she's still using a preset.. And I believe she sells them..

[@thevendortable]

@@30dcanon whats your point?

[@30dcanon]

@@thevendortable well, when you're basically saying anyone who says she's using presets are idiots, you're being very disingenuous given that those you're calling idiots are not lying;. She is..

[@robbo8201]

​@@30dcanonI have a certain way I do my tone curve to present my blacks, I could do this manually on every single image or I could save it as a preset. You talk like using presets is a bad thing when all it does is save your style and save you a fuckload of time.

[@mffphotography]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@bigrobotnewstoday1436]

That brides photos are way to orange. If you look at that photographers work on her website and Instagram they are not that orange. That preset did not work on cloudy days it seems. All that photographer had to do was pull back on the sliders a little.

[@butterflyphotographyfilms4870]

how to fund that podcast by Paige?

[@paulchoccyt1303]

I just saw that, rather than pay for the Raw files... The bride is instead going to reshoot some of the photos instead using another photographer .... Crazy situation

[@unknownhoodrat133]

Naw the photos on the welcome party were amazing, the photos for the actual wedding are horrible

[@nellrose4699]

'Good vibes' and the multiple texts....sounds a lot like the bride, not the photographer.

[@emilieiggiotti]

Mike, did anyone tell you that you look like Drake? :)

[@kissmyvansdude]

was looking for this comment 😅

[@bryllupmiami3499]

Maybe she can use some of that TikTok money to buy them raws!

[@veronicaiacob8095]

Sepia and seeepia pronouncing depends on the country. So ya, Google lies. What an areogant thing to start with the podcast

[@thevendortable]

Calm down Veronica. It’s a joke

[@veronicaiacob8095]

@@thevendortable very calm. Your choice of words in this podcast SUCK

[@kouleeofficial]

Damn drake changed careers after then Kendrick Lamar beef.

[@thevendortable]

yeah, he turned into a white wedding photographer from Long Island 😂

[@mariadelucascampos5912]

I'm spanish and this is not the correct pronunciation for sepia, even if google is saying It 😂😂

[@Kwright304]

It’s almost like it’s a word in multiple languages.

[@Louvenir]

@@Kwright304this always makes me laugh. I speak multiple languages, and even within one language, people in one country will pronounce it one way vs. another. Therefore, there is no such thing as the right way to say something. The closest we can come to is this is the most accepted pronunciation at this time in history.

[@Louvenir]

I have this vision of the future 😅😂. Hear me out, I'm half joking, half serious 👀. In the not-so-distant future, I believe that AI will reach a point where a company will emerge and offer photographers the opportunity to upload their raw photos to a server. Clients will then log in to the website/server and be able to choose from three or four different editing styles based on the photographers' preferences, and apply that to all their images. Let's say a year down the line, if they change their mind, clients could modify the “look” of their images. I'm omitting all the technical aspects of how something like this could be done, but with the way technology is advancing and digital storage becoming more affordable, along with AI editing capabilities, this may not be such a far-fetched idea. As for culling, however, I'm not sure when AI will be capable of handling that. I've tried all the culling programs out there, and while they are good at certain tasks, they are not yet capable of being adequate overall. I don't know what the name of this theoretical company is yet, but I want to know, would you hire their services? Why or why not? I’m very interested. You know, for market analysis purposes. 😅

[@lavondad5598]

"Back all the way up into your mother" 😂😂😂 my new favorite insult. Also I'm sorry yall but imma still say sepia the wrong way. 🫣