Tips to avoid Fraudtography

Freshminds Photography can absolutely meet your requirements in professional photography, particularly on your wedding day. Be worry-free on your big day.

Freshminds Photography would like to share this article so that you’d be aware of those fake and unprofessional photographers.

The new scary trend in wedding photography is called Fraudtography.

Here's how this trend works: a brand-spanking-new photographer wants to shoot weddings, but it's kind of hard to book a wedding if you don't have any wedding photos in your portfolio. So they "borrow" a few fabulous images from established photographers and pass them off as their own.

 It's illegal, but that's the photographer's problem. Your problem is that you see a portfolio filled with dazzling images, but you actually get an inexperienced photographer who's cutting his teeth on your wedding day.

 Look for consistency 

The best photographers have distinctive personal styles. If one wedding has a vintage wash, one has a deep matte edit, and one is clean and vibrant — and they're all equally amazing — there's a chance you may be looking at photos from three different photographers.

Meet the photographer in person

Trust your gut when meeting with a photographer. If something seems off, it's a sign that you aren't a good match. If they don't have sample albums to show you, take that as a red flag — it could mean they don't have access to the high-res image files.

Ask for references or reviews 

If you don't see many reviews online, ask for references. If they have lots of raving fans, it's a good sign.

Check their social media

If the style and the quality of the photos on their Facebook page seem much better — or much worse — than what you've seen on their website, that's a bad sign.

Look for the wedding party

Bridal parties and guests usually make their way into at least a few photos in a photographer's portfolio. If you don't see anyone except a bride and groom, there's a chance your photographer's wedding "experience" only comes from workshops, styled shoots, and hired models — totally legit, but not the same as shooting a wedding in real-time.

Ask to see an entire event

When you see a whole event, you'll get an idea of the type of photos you can expect on your wedding day. Online wedding portfolios are wonderful, but they're a highlight reel of every wedding the photographer ever photographed. Ask to see a few full weddings, and you'll get a better idea of their abilities.

Consult with a wedding planner

Wedding planners have heard plenty of feedback from past clients and can recommend photographers who play nicely with others.

Pay attention to geographical clues

I always would cringe when The Office would show driving scenes that were obviously shot in Southern California, not Scranton, PA. Unless the photographer is a destination wedding photographer, their photos should match the local scenery. Feel free to ask the story behind photos that don't match your local area.

Google the photographer's name 

If your photographer has been caught stealing before, there's a chance that someone like Photo Stealers wrote about it.

Use a reverse image search tool

If you're still unsure about a photographer, run a few of their photos through Google Reverse Image search, and it'll list any URLs where the photo has been used.