Several times last year, local television stations ran “let us help” stories featuring photographers—but sadly, most of these reports were about photographers who took money but either didn’t provide services or, worse, didn’t show up at all. Many of these incidents involved weddings, leaving couples heartbroken on their big day.
Back when I was a portrait and wedding photographer, missing a wedding simply wasn’t an option unless you were truly incapacitated. I photographed weddings while sick with the flu, and even managed one just days after my first daughter was born after an exhausting 72-hour labor. The commitment was non-negotiable.
But these photographers took money, signed contracts, and then disappeared on the clients. No calls, no notifications—just leaving couples in the lurch. It was infuriating to see because even a simple phone call could have helped them avoid the damaging media coverage and social media backlash that followed.
This issue hit home on a personal level. Last year, business was strong until September, when everything unraveled. A series of personal challenges hit hard—my wife fell ill during our trip to Yellowstone, and my mom, who lived far away, was diagnosed with sudden-onset Alzheimer’s. Trying to juggle business while managing these major life events, I figured I could somehow keep it all going through Thanksgiving.
But I was wrong. As my wife recovered, my mom’s condition worsened, and I found myself half-present at jobs, making rookie mistakes, and delivering final images that didn’t reflect my usual quality. One long-standing client noticed something was off and kindly postponed their projects until the New Year. New clients, however, had pointed critiques—and they were right to.
In December, after losing my mom, I returned home and began reviewing my work from September onward. I was shocked. The images were subpar—like I’d shot them with an old Kodak Instamatic, flash cube and all.
It was a wake-up call. If I wanted to work with these clients again, I had to make amends. I contacted each one, offering to either refund their money or rephotograph their projects at my expense. I explained that, while I’d thought I could handle everything, I’d been wrong. My long-standing clients had suspected something was wrong but hadn’t known how to ask. My new clients, meanwhile, were stunned by my offer—and many even gave me additional projects.
The moral of the story? When I first heard about that wedding photographer on the news, I was outraged. But I came to realize it could just as easily have been me. Owning my mistakes and reaching out to every client from that rough period ultimately saved both my business and my reputation. It’s too bad that young wedding photographer didn’t learn that lesson in time.
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