I signed a contract with Glenn in August to shoot my daughter's wedding which happened to be the most popular wedding day of the year (07/07/07) in 2007. I contracted for him as the shooter plus one Senior Associate photographer. At the interview, I realized that I knew this man through our kids playing with/against each other in a premiere soccer league. I was impressed with his work and wanted him to shoot my daughter's wedding. We came to terms with his fee and signed a contract.
We struggled trying to get a hold of Glenn over the next several months to get my daughter's engagement pics taken.in short, we ended up changing the engagement pics to an advance portrait of my daughter in her wedding dress. That shooting went well when it finally happened. The short shooting that he did for the rehearsal went well.
On the day of the wedding, only he showed up to shoot the wedding (no explanation was given why his associate was not with him). Obviously, he could not be two places at once PRIOR to the wedding (girls hotel for pre-wedding pics and at the groom's house for pre-wedding pics). He split the two times to do the coverage which isn't what I paid for and we were shortchanged. He did do alot of running around at the wedding trying to cover as much aspects of the wedding as possible as a single photographer.
AFTER the wedding began the nightmare. He took longer to get the photographs up on the website for review. My intent all along was NOT to purchase pics from there for myself or daughter as we would be getting the digital photos 60 days after the wedding per the contract. WRONG! He did place the photographs up on the website one more time, but I again declined to buy any because I was getting the digital files shortly (or so I thought) per the contract. I told my family not to buy any because I was getting the digital files and a release form from him to allow us to reproduce them. WRONG!
Since that time, he has not answered a single phone call, email, or letter that I or my daughter have made to him on this topic. I have called another acquaintenance who knows him quite well and will ask her to call his immediate family for additional address information. I am past being patient. I paid $4,500 (plus VA tax, plus tip) to this man and have nothing to show for it (except my daughter's bridal portrait). This is insane!!!
This is a VERY IMPORTANT time for my daughter and son-in-law and they have nothing to show for their wedding day memories. Shame on Glenn as a parent and as a photographer!
In my googling, I ran across a couple ads from Glenn requesting photographer assistance at weddings in the June time frame. He told me at our interview that his Jr Associates all work with him for one year before he would make them a Sr Associate—he needed to teach them the trade/his style. Well, the ads spoke of a replacement photographer for him for one date and an associate for another. Doesn't sound like what he told me at the interview is what was really happening behind the scenes based on those ads.
I am ready to join forces with folks to get our money back from this man. I have been patient this long only because I was an acquaintence and always believe that you should give folks the benefit of the doubt.in my brief discussion with our mutual acquaintenance, I had hoped she knew something awful had happened to him (to explain why he hadn't been responsive) and that my daughter's album/pics would be forthcoming shortly. After finding this complaint, I am very distraught but ready to sue if necessary with no regrets.
The latest info I have is a Warrenton address which I heard is where his girlfriend and he are living now. I am contemplating calling in the news media locally (DC) to get some attention and hopefully a response (and the album/pics) back from Glenn. But if he has moved permanently to Naples FL (his other office), this won't be as easy to pursue although I am willing to hang in there with a class action, etc.
I am grateful that I found a complaint filed from dcbride on Glenn. Although I feel for ALL of these newlyweds (and potential brides/grooms) in the same boat, at least perhaps as a group or individually we can do something about what has already transpired and prevent future folks from being ripped off by Glenn Barnett Photography. Good luck to us all and God bless.
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