u/Frosty-Resort-4163

I hired a destination photographer while on vacation in Mexico. The booking process was super relaxed. I reached out, we agreed on a time/location, I paid a deposit, and that was basically it. No contract. Her work is absolutely drop dead gorgeous and she was able to get us in that same week, so a contract genuinely didn’t even cross my mind. She couldn’t have been sweeter in-person. She was great during the shoot.

We booked a mini family session listed as 45 minutes on her site, but we ended up stopping around the 30 minute mark (completely my choice) because my baby was melting down and had just spit up all over my dress.

I asked about turnaround time during the session itself, and she told me she was optimistic it would take about 3 weeks, and that 3 weeks was standard for minis. Well, 3 weeks came and went with no photos or communication. I reached out (I made sure to be kind and low pressure- just checking in) and then suddenly I was told that 5 weeks is actually standard for mini sessions and that I could now “expect the gallery by Mother’s Day.” In their response they also said they took “more photos during our session than usual” so it was taking longer to go through everything… but we had already booked a mini session and then cut it short by 15 minutes, so I genuinely don’t understand how there would be more photos than normal. At the same time, they were apologizing for how busy they’ve been lately. So which is it? Was the deadline missed because they’re overwhelmed, or was 5 weeks always the standard timeline? Either way, I’m the one that had to reach out to get this information. The message felt a little inconsistent. And now Mother’s Day has come and gone with still no gallery and zero communication.

I’m drafting a follow-up message now that it’s past the deadline she told me, but honestly, I’m just sad and venting. When she told me the photos would be ready by Mother’s Day, I pictured getting to look through sweet photos of my baby and maybe post a few that day. I just wish she communicated proactively. Clients are excited to see their photos. Since she provided Mother’s Day as the “delivered by” date, I spent all day refreshing my email inbox to see if the gallery arrived because I was excited. I am bummed. Thoughts?