Fake wedding portfolios are on the rise. Wedding photography has become increasingly competitive over the last five years, and the pressure to post perfect pictures on social media has lead unscrupulous photographers to go to extreme lengths to present brides with the perfect portfolio. There are several ways they can do this. They can literally steal shots from other photographers and present them as their own, buy stock images from a photo library, or they present images from styled shoots or wedding workshops as images from an actual wedding. In reality the photographer may not have the skills to produce these shots in a real world scenario.
Why does this matter?
In photography, especially on social media, there is an increasing culture of fake it ’til you make it. So it is very tempting for photographers just starting out to steal other people’s work and pass it off as their own. The hope being that this will kick start their career and once they have shot a few weddings, they will be able to show that work and go on from there. Of course this is incredibly unfair on clients, and has led to a lot of disappointment for couples. If you want to see some examples of photographers stealing photos go to https://stopstealingphotos.com/ a blog dedicated to rooting out fake wedding portfolios and fake portrait portfolios. You will see examples of very credible looking websites and Instagram profiles stuffed to the gills with stolen work.
Why are Styled Shoots and Wedding Workshops something to Worry About?
I would like to like to stress that there is nothing inherently wrong with doing test shoots or styled shoots. Indeed most professional photographers should shoot tests. This is how we stretch ourselves, learn new things and generally improve our craft. However, shoots like this are worked under very different conditions than a wedding, and often, the shots created at a wedding workshop can be difficult or even impossible to produce under the constraints of a wedding day. The problem comes when photographers try to pass these images off as real weddings they have attended, when it may be very difficult or even impossible to reproduce that work in real conditions. Leading couples who had sky high expectations disappointed and out of pocket.
What is a wedding workshop?
A wedding workshop is an event usually organised by an established professional photographer or venue as a portfolio builder for other photographers and suppliers. The couple are usually models, and often suppliers contribute too so you get the best flowers, dresses and styling possible. Photographers pay a fee to receive hands on tuition in posing couples lighting and composition. It is great way to learn, but it still doesn’t teach you how to deal with the pressure of a real wedding. The problem with this kind of shoot is that the paying photographers can come away with very nice work, but their own creative input can be limited. The photos were probably lit for them, they were told what lens to use, and I even heard a story that one workshop put a cross on the floor so the photographers knew where to stand! Remember as well that models know how to pose, so don’t need the same direction that a real client does. There is no scheduling pressure so they can choose what time of day they shoot to get the best natural lighting and they have much more time than you would get on a wedding day.
How to spot a fake portfolio
- Do a Google image search on a selection of images to check they are not stolen. This should be your first step in checking out any photographers work, and is a quick and easy way of saving yourself untold grief later on.
- No Guests at the Wedding. If a portfolio has lots of pictures of couples but no or very few pictures of guests, it should give you pause. A real wedding doesn’t have just two people present.
- Everyone is suspiciously young and good looking. A working wedding photographer is going to be shooting weddings with couples of all ages, shapes and sizes, so if you only see people who could be models beware, you could be looking at styled shoots. Models are used to posing for the camera, don’t need much direction and are generally much easier to photograph than a regular couple. Working photographers don’t want any potential client to feel excluded so our portfolios are deliberately diverse in terms of age, size and sexuality, and we try to represent everyone.
- Everything is shot at golden hour. Now I must admit I do like shooting a couple later in the day if I can, but scheduling doesn’t always allow for this. In the UK golden hour usually coincides with the first dance, so it’s often not possible to shoot then. It is also important to remember that on a hot day at a real wedding flowers will have wilted, the bride’s make up will not be fresh and everyone can start to look a bit crumpled and sweaty. If it’s overcast on you wedding day there won’t be a golden hour, it will just get dark. Look for shots taken in a variety of conditions so you know you will get shots you’ll love, whatever the weather.
- Photographs are limited to very specific parts of the wedding. Always try to see examples of complete weddings from any potential photographer. A wedding portfolio should include shots from every part of the wedding from getting ready to first dance.
- Limited online presence. Established photographers will have accounts on most social media platforms, with posts going back years. They should also have a website with a proper business domain name, and should display their phone number and address on their website. If a business is lacking any of these things make sure you do your homework It could be that you a dealing with a newly established photographer. If so, that is fine as long as they are honest about what experience they have and you hire them with your eyes open.
- Prices that are too good to be true. If you see a portfolio shot at 5 star luxury venues but the photographer is only charging a few hundred pounds for a day, be sceptical. Couples who throw luxury weddings do not hire cheap photographers.
Conclusion
It is still relatively rare to be scammed when you are looking for a wedding photographer. The most important thing to do is to trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel quite right. Try to organise a face-to-face or video call meeting if you can. If you have the opportunity to have an engagement shoot, take it. It will give you the confidence that the photographer you hired can produce the goods on your big day.