Newlyweds reveal the aftermath of their wedding photographer feud
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For newlyweds Natasha and Ryan, what was meant to be the best day of their lives has been tarnished forever.
The couple hasn’t seen a single photo from their wedding day three months later – and they may never get the chance.
Queenslanders Natasha and Ryan's wedding day turned into a nightmare when they got into an ugly feud with a ‘friend’ who was also their chosen photographer.
They hired Flawless Photography, operated by Rikky-Leigh Johnson, to capture their special moments for three hours – but three months later nothing has been delivered.
‘It was like she didn’t care anymore,’ Natasha told reporters.
The couple asked their guests to put their phones away during the ceremony – so they can fully experience the event and share their joy with their friends.
‘We asked everyone to turn their phones off, but now we don’t even have backup photos from the guests,’ said the couple.
Natasha claimed she is now upset to the point where she doesn’t even like talking about her wedding anymore.
Natasha and the photographer, Ms Johnson, became fast friends in the lead-up to the wedding. Ms Johnson even agreed to MC the couple’s reception as a favour and also offered a morning shoot of the bride getting ready for free.
But red flags started to show when the couple shared that Ms Johnson didn’t show up to meetings to discuss the style of photos she needed to take.
Eventually, they had a 30-minute phone call a few days before the wedding, during which Ms Johnson reassured Natasha that she can take the photos in the bride’s preferred style.
But when the day arrived, the couple began to grow concerned.
Natasha said: ‘She was a bit all over the place, she didn’t allocate her time correctly.’
The couple claimed that their photographer didn’t start taking pictures until there were 20 minutes left of the three hours she was initially hired her for. Ms Johnson then handed the couple some ‘rough’ photos, before promising that she’ll give them the rest in the coming eight to 10 weeks.
But then those weeks turned into 12, and extended to 13 – and still, the couple had no pictures from their wedding day.
Of course, Natasha and Ryan wanted to know what was taking so long so they kept pressing Ms Johnson for answers – which seemed to enrage the photographer beyond what the couple expected.
Since their relationship soured, Ms Johnson demanded she was paid $500 for the work she originally agreed to do for free.
Natasha confronted her, but said that she was given ‘excuse after excuse’.
‘She turned nasty and said she gave me a really low rate and I shouldn’t be so bossy and rude asking for my photos all the time,’ explained the disgruntled bride.
The couple admitted they posted their review of Ms Johnson’s services to a local Facebook page, but as soon as they did, they began receiving messages from Ms Johnson.
‘Well thank you for posting everything else publicly…. Shows what kind of people you are! Expect some people to turn up to your house and return the favour!’ Said one message that was sent to Natasha’s phone.
‘If you want your photos and all this over, remove all posts. The more Ryan posts the more this delays,’ another message read.
Natasha asked Ms Johnson to stop contacting her unless it was to hand over the wedding photos, but Ms Johnson had this to say:
‘F*** YOU BOTH. You’re not getting anything from me. All my other beautiful clients will receive their images but you no f***ing way.’
The couple has since received multiple offers from the community to recreate their ceremony, but they declined and said that some of their family members flew in from overseas for the day.
‘Even if we paid to do a fake wedding shoot, it’s not going to be the same, I’m not going to look the same, and parents are not going to fly back over for a fake photoshoot,’ Natasha explained.
Queensland Police Services said they were already investigating the case and refused to comment further on the matter.
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The couple hasn’t seen a single photo from their wedding day three months later – and they may never get the chance.
Queenslanders Natasha and Ryan's wedding day turned into a nightmare when they got into an ugly feud with a ‘friend’ who was also their chosen photographer.
They hired Flawless Photography, operated by Rikky-Leigh Johnson, to capture their special moments for three hours – but three months later nothing has been delivered.
‘It was like she didn’t care anymore,’ Natasha told reporters.
The couple asked their guests to put their phones away during the ceremony – so they can fully experience the event and share their joy with their friends.
‘We asked everyone to turn their phones off, but now we don’t even have backup photos from the guests,’ said the couple.
Natasha claimed she is now upset to the point where she doesn’t even like talking about her wedding anymore.
Natasha and the photographer, Ms Johnson, became fast friends in the lead-up to the wedding. Ms Johnson even agreed to MC the couple’s reception as a favour and also offered a morning shoot of the bride getting ready for free.
But red flags started to show when the couple shared that Ms Johnson didn’t show up to meetings to discuss the style of photos she needed to take.
Eventually, they had a 30-minute phone call a few days before the wedding, during which Ms Johnson reassured Natasha that she can take the photos in the bride’s preferred style.
But when the day arrived, the couple began to grow concerned.
Natasha said: ‘She was a bit all over the place, she didn’t allocate her time correctly.’
The couple claimed that their photographer didn’t start taking pictures until there were 20 minutes left of the three hours she was initially hired her for. Ms Johnson then handed the couple some ‘rough’ photos, before promising that she’ll give them the rest in the coming eight to 10 weeks.
But then those weeks turned into 12, and extended to 13 – and still, the couple had no pictures from their wedding day.
Of course, Natasha and Ryan wanted to know what was taking so long so they kept pressing Ms Johnson for answers – which seemed to enrage the photographer beyond what the couple expected.
Since their relationship soured, Ms Johnson demanded she was paid $500 for the work she originally agreed to do for free.
Natasha confronted her, but said that she was given ‘excuse after excuse’.
‘She turned nasty and said she gave me a really low rate and I shouldn’t be so bossy and rude asking for my photos all the time,’ explained the disgruntled bride.
The couple admitted they posted their review of Ms Johnson’s services to a local Facebook page, but as soon as they did, they began receiving messages from Ms Johnson.
‘Well thank you for posting everything else publicly…. Shows what kind of people you are! Expect some people to turn up to your house and return the favour!’ Said one message that was sent to Natasha’s phone.
‘If you want your photos and all this over, remove all posts. The more Ryan posts the more this delays,’ another message read.
Natasha asked Ms Johnson to stop contacting her unless it was to hand over the wedding photos, but Ms Johnson had this to say:
‘F*** YOU BOTH. You’re not getting anything from me. All my other beautiful clients will receive their images but you no f***ing way.’
The couple has since received multiple offers from the community to recreate their ceremony, but they declined and said that some of their family members flew in from overseas for the day.
‘Even if we paid to do a fake wedding shoot, it’s not going to be the same, I’m not going to look the same, and parents are not going to fly back over for a fake photoshoot,’ Natasha explained.
Queensland Police Services said they were already investigating the case and refused to comment further on the matter.
Key Takeaways
- Newlyweds Natasha and Ryan hired Flawless Photography, operated by Rikky-Leigh Johnson, to take photos at their wedding, but say they have yet to receive any of the finished product more than three months later.
- The couple said their previously close relationship with Ms Johnson ‘completely changed’ in the weeks following the wedding, during which they say she became increasingly uncooperative and demanding.
- After the couple posted an unflattering review of the business online, they began receiving threatening and abusive messages from Ms Johnson.
- Ms Johnson has refused multiple requests for comment from reporters.