A wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and picking a photographer who will preserve your memories is not an easy task. Unfortunately, we often hear about photographers who not only do a terrible job, but they also turn out to be scammers. A dozen women from Charlotte, NC accused a local photographer Eben Patten for “stealing their money and their memories.” They all had to wait for months to get their photos, some of them threatened to file a lawsuit, and the others even took the case to court. And those who did get the images realized that they were far from good, to say the least.
In a story that was run on FOX 46, a few women share the experience they had with Patten regarding their wedding photos. One of them paid almost $2,000 for the shoot and claims that she had to wait six months for the images. Eventually, he sued the photographer and a judge ordered a full refund. She did receive the images though: but most of them were blurry. From what I can see in the video, they look like they were taken by a drunken wedding guest with a smartphone. As for the refund, she says that five years later she still hasn’t got it, along with the wedding video.
Another bride said she only received raw video clips from her engagement and had to pay someone else to edit it. As for the photos, she only received them after she threatened to file a lawsuit, and once again – very few of them were usable. There were some more complaints about Patten: once she reportedly bailed on a client for a baby shower photo shoot and she never gave a refund. Another woman accused her of getting drunk at her wedding. And there’s also a family who says they’ve been waiting for photos of their daughter’s funeral for two years now. Eben Patten appeared on FOX 46 a while ago, talking about collaboration with blogger Tessa Machen. According to FOX 46, Machen says that she and Patten don’t collaborate any longer. Just like the disappointed brides, Machen also described Patten as “unprofessional.” What’s more, she claims that she also didn’t get around 150 photos from a photo shoot in Miami. The photographer also goes by name Eben Adrian Productions and on her Instagram page, she showcases some high-quality work. However, there are several complaints about her business on Better Business Bureau, all of them regarding delivery issues. At the time of writing this, her website is not in function. Patten told FOX 46 that all accusations against her are “untrue and slanderous.” However, she reportedly never responded to their follow-up messages. We’ll try to contact her as well and hear another side of the story and update you if we hear back. In the meantime, take this as a cautionary tale if you’re in search of a photographer to preserve your most precious memories. There have been cases like this before, and it doesn’t only leave you bitter and frustrated, but also leaves you without your money and your memories. Make sure to do a background check on the photographer, ask around, and ask people you trust for recommendations. There are plenty of unprofessional photographers out there who make the rest of us look bad, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing professionals who will do their job right. Just make sure to “do your homework” before you choose who will photograph your big day. [via FStoppers]
