SINGAPORE - A pair of Singaporean newlyweds have turned to social media to share how their wedding photographs have gone awry, as a cautionary tale to other brides-to-be.
In the Facebook post, which has since gone viral, Ms Jaclyn Ying, 25, detailed how she had agreed to sign an all-in-one package with a "pretty reputable bridal shop", which had included actual day photography.
The couple found the company at one of the big wedding showcases and signed up with them after seeing them at a second wedding showcase, said Ms Ying, who is an education executive.
Although she was told by the shop that she could not choose her own photographer, she was promised that the "standard of the talent pool was consistent" and was shown a set of photos before she agreed to sign on.
However, the couple were shocked after taking a first look at their photos on Saturday (April 9) night.
"I was in disbelief. I cried too. A lot," she told The Straits Times on Tuesday.
Ms Ying married Mr Kelvin Tang, a 32-year-old in-court editor, on March 26 after four years of courtship. Their wedding dinner at The Halia at Botanic Gardens was attended by some 200 guests.
The set of 21 photos she uploaded with her Facebook post included photos shot at odd angles and processed with odd colour filters.
A photo showed the couple exchanging their rings in a pavilion at the Botanic Gardens with a man standing in the background but at the centre of the photo.
Another showed the groom posing in a bush at the foreground of the photo, presented through a black-and-white filter while the background is filtered green.
The Facebook post has since been shared more than 13,000 times.
Ms Ying said she paid more than $3,000 for the package, which included several sets of outfits, hair and make-up sessions as well as 10 hours of actual day photography.
"I had expected that the photos would roughly fall within what we wanted - not blurred, well lit, reasonably well edited," she said.
Wedding photographers The Straits Times spoke to agree that photography can be a subjective matter. However, Melvin Lau of Multifolds Photography said: "As much as the photographer attempts to be creative in his tilted shots and colour editing, it hasn't been done tastefully."
He advises brides to get in touch with their wedding vendors early to communicate ideas and manage expectations.
Ms Ying stressed that the post was not meant to "flame-and-shame" the bridal shop or the photographer and has repeatedly declined to reveal these details.
The couple met the photographer only on the morning of the wedding: "Generally, he was quite easy-going, pleasant and friendly. He is a really nice guy and we really don't have anything bad to say about his attitude or demeanour."
Ms Ying said she hopes to shed some light on "the industry practice of not letting wedding package couples choose their photographer based on their specific portfolio".
The couple is currently in discussions with the bridal shop on compensation, though they do not plan to ask for a full refund of the package.
Mr Chung Siew Goh revealed on Tuesday afternoon that he was the couple’s photographer on his personal Facebook page. Calling Ms Ying's post unfair, he said: “Edit 900 plus photos for them, they use less than 20 pic ... to refund cash paid. Now put up in media to show the whole world and spoil our reputation." Mr Chung took down his post a few hours later.
Mr Chung later turned around and apologised to the couple on Facebook on Tuesday (April 12) for the “terrible photos”. Mr Chung, who said he received $350 for the full-day photo job, said he should have removed the 20-odd bad photos. “I sincerely hope you find the remaining 800 plus photos good,” he wrote.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapo...-photos-gone-awry-post-goes-viral-on-facebook
