https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 07:41:44 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1945377 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:53:27 +0000 Raindrop 1945377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry you are going through this!! </p> <p>Was she responsive before?</p> <p>I have been here and usually the photog does get back to me, they are just busy. :)</p> <p>Good luck! I hope you get some cute new born pictures soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1945372 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:48:52 +0000 blackbird 1945372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You probably won't get your deposit back (kind of the point of a deposit). Maybe you can offer to talk to her on the phone??? Seems like you'd get much further that way :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1945366 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:41:22 +0000 erinpye 1945366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It seems like she's willing to work with you, just very very busy (it's a busy time of year for photogs since everyone wants a photo for their holiday cards), plus she also has another job, right? I'd just reach out to her again and definitely ask if she'd be willing to refund the deposit if she can't work with you on a new date. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1945311 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:08:01 +0000 stripedcurtains 1945311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Littlebit: you will probably not get your deposit back (though it's certainly worth asking...) usually deposits are non-refundable, but you can tell her that her availability doesn't work for you, and you need to defer your deposit to a later session.</p> <p>I hope you DO get it back...but I know I don't generally give deposits back. Hopefully expecting not to get it back will make it easier to swallow if she offers you a deferred session. </p> <p>good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1944750 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:29:55 +0000 Littlebit 1944750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@snowjewelz: exactly!! I've mentioned several times that I need these photos for Christmas cards and gifts! This isn't her only source of income. My sister in law referred me to her, and she has a lot of problems getting in touch with her also. Which kind of irritates me - why would you refer her if she's a pain in the ass to get ahold of? I wish she would have told me that before I put the deposit down. But that's an issue for another day ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1944742 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:27:18 +0000 Littlebit 1944742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jedeve: I like that! May have to use that exactly! Ugh. I wish she would just get her crap together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1944737 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:24:30 +0000 snowjewelz 1944737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's not very professional to not have timely response, esp if these kinds of photos are time sensitive! Totally agree w/ what Jedeve suggested to say! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1944700 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:10:30 +0000 jedeve 1944700@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry! </p> <p>Maybe try something like,</p> <p>"We would really love to work with you, but it seems that you are pretty busy now with the holiday season. However my daughter looks less and less like a newborn* every day! We want to get the pictures done ASAP. If you aren't available, we understand. But we will need our deposit back if that is the case."</p> <p>*personally I think babies just get cuter. But I know some people like that newborn look and maybe it light a fire under her! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/photographer-advice-needed#post-1944684 Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:03:42 +0000 Littlebit 1944684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So we booked a newborn photographer when I was about 34 weeks pregnant with plans to do the photos about 10 days after birth. Except I had a pretty rough birth and recovery (even though it was a scheduled c-section I developed pre-e and became anemic) and was in no shape to be driving an hour to do a 2 hour photo session 10 days out. So I asked her if we could postpone the photos and do a Christmas/2.5 month shoot instead. She said no problem.</p> <p>So on the 2nd of this month I emailed her asking to set up the day. No response, so I emailed again on the 5th. No response until the 11th!! She then replies back with two possible dates saying those are the only dates she has available. Neither will really work, so I wrote back that day (the 11th) and said that the one day may work but did she have anything available the first week of December? Still no response.</p> <p>She is AWFUL at contact. Every time I've emailed her it's taken several emails to get a response. Even when I was booking her originally! The only time I've gotten a quick reply was when I said I couldn't make the newborn shoot, and when she sent over the paypal invoice (quick as hell). She even has an auto-reply set up that says if you haven't heard back in 3 days to email her again!!</p> <p>I'm fed up at this point. I can easily get another photographer to do these photos, one who will actually reply to me without me having to hassle them. My question is, do you think I should ask for my $150 deposit back? The problem is we can't afford to lose that $150. So if she says no to giving it back, we'd still have to do the session with her and that would be super awkward. But I need to book something quickly in order to take the photos, have them edited and sent back, and then order christmas gifts. I've wasted almost two weeks now trying to book. </p> <p>What should I do? Stick it out? Ask for my deposit back? </p>