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The Wedding Photographer
| Date: |
14 June 2009 07:00 |
| Producer: |
Bernadette Cook
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| Presenter: |
Devi Sankaree Govender
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| Show: | Carte Blanche |
Imagine you've planned your dream wedding and you've paid a photographer thousands to capture those picture perfect memories but, instead of the beautiful pictures promised in the sales pitch and portfolio, you end up with pictures that look like they were taken by your 10-year-old nephew with a disposable camera. Worse still - what happens if your photographer never arrives on the big day?
Devi Sankaree Govender (Carte Blanche presenter): "The wedding photography business is home to some of the most respected photographers in the world. But, it's also home to some notorious fly-by-night operators."
Peter Cheales, originator of the consumer site hellopeter.com, has seen a wave of these kinds of complaints about one photographer in particular: Melanie Machanik.
Peter Cheales (Consumer activist): "I think there were about 22 complaints about that particular facility that you are talking about - which is quite a lot for a small operation like that."
Some of her pictures are out of focus, in others the colour is completely washed out, and sometimes the couple are in the dark. As for the composition ... who is that in the corner? Try complaining and it's a case of trying your luck on one of her six different contact numbers.
Lawyers Ma'Cheries and Johan du Toit are furious. They paid Melanie her full R9500 fee upfront.
Ma'Cheries du Toit: "She can sell herself. I expected nothing less than spectacular for what we paid, and what was promised to us."
But Melanie disappeared with the money and Ma'Cheries started to wonder if it was all empty promises.
Johan du Toit: "We did an ITC search on her and we got some more details and we then obtained her new cellphone number. And we got hold of her on the new cellphone number."
Despite her assurances Melanie ditched them on the big day.
Ma'Cheries: "On the day of the wedding they were late - an hour later than they said they would be. Then eventually this girl I've never met before - never seen before, never seen her portfolio before or anything - she pitches up and says she's here to take our photos. I'm obviously upset, because I don't know [her]. And my friend asks her, So what do you do?' and she says she does wildlife and corporate functions - she's never done a wedding."
They couldn't get hold of Melanie, so they were forced to go ahead with the stand-in photographer.
Devi: "So the wedding is over, you go on honeymoon, you get back and you are waiting for your pictures."
Johan: "And again she changed her phone number. The phone number we had at that stage for her was again not working. We again sent through emails, faxes, left messages - no feedback."
The couple again traced her and she delivered the photos - but no video and no storybooks.
Devi: "Were you happy with the quality of the pictures?"
Ma'Cheries: "Overall it wasn't that bad - except for the ones where our heads are cut off."
Six months later and desperate for their video and storybooks the couple took legal action.
Johan: "I gave her seven days to furnish us with our DVDs and our storybooks; alternatively I would proceed with a High Court application. She did not reply to that."
They got a court order compelling her to hand over the video and storybooks, but let's just say it wasn't really worth waiting for. Like most of her videos, it resembles CCTV footage.
Ma'Cheries: "All she did was that she put her camera on a tripod and just left it there... focused on the main table. There's no video of the venue. We Skyped with my brother who lives in America - she didn't even take a videograph or photo of that."
What about the storybooks?
Ma'Cheries: "She'll put in two of the same group, and leave out other groups. So she didn't really pay attention - she just threw everything together, just to get this over and done with."
But then repeating pictures seems to be one of the trademarks of Melanie's work - we've seen this in other couples' storybooks too.
We decided it was time to talk to Melanie but it took several days of calling to her six different numbers until we finally secured an interview.
Devi: "Ma'Cheries and Johan Du Toit - what happened there?"
Melanie Machanick (Wedding photographer): "That was a wedding that I sent out Carolina and Deidre. Carolina did the photos and Deidre did the video. Now the mother and the bridesmaids screamed and sweared [sic] at her so much that she was actually busy packing up her bags to just say, You know, I won't take this wedding.' Look, we're there to take photos - not to be sweared [sic] at or be called names..."
Devi: "True, but they were an hour late. One hour late."
Melanie: "Okay, we will have to confirm that."
Being late appears to be standard practice for Melanie - along with her post-payment disappearing act.
Devi: "A month before the wedding, they tried to get hold of you - a week before they can't get hold of you - then they start panicking. Everybody has the same story."
Melanie: "Like I said, there's two numbers - it's always been the company number. It's always been there. And if somebody can't get hold of me, email me."
Devi: "They do! They couldn't find you! They had to do an ITC check!"
Melanie: "If you send me an email I will always reply."
That's not what we heard. And how would she justify the poor quality?
Devi: "So what about those pictures where the people's heads were cut off that were also included?"
Melanie: "Look, there might be one or two photos where the head is cut off like this, or just this part taken where they hold hands..."
Devi: "No, I get that - that's artistic creativity - that's not what we were looking at. We were looking at bad photography. And then when it came to the coffee table books, why did you repeat some of the pictures and leave some others out? Like the group table shots; instead of including one of each, you repeat the same table?"
Melanie: "They give me the selection - I use the selection they give me."
Devi: "Which person would have asked for the same picture to be repeated in an album?"
Melanie: "I don't know."
Neither do we.
But not only were her photos and videos elusive and often amateur - sometimes Melanie got cold feet on the special day and left the bride and groom standing at the altar.
Elsabe Bester also arranged with Melanie to take her wedding pictures.
Elsabe: "The first thing I told her was, Melanie we are going to get married on a Friday, 27th of June - will you be available on a Friday afternoon?' And she said, Yes.' And she had her diary out and she looked in the diary and she put it in the diary immediately. And said, Alright, now we can start talking.'"
Elsabe confirmed the arrangement and paid her deposit.
Elsabe: "By 3 o'clock I was all dressed up in my wedding gown, the make-up was fine and everybody was ready and I phoned her and she didn't answer. Because I wanted to tell her, I'm ready - where are you? Where must I come now?' And she never answered."
Melanie never arrived and Elsabe's nephew took her pictures.
Elsabe: "Our daughter Donne kept on phoning until about 9pm. The phone just rang and she left about forty messages, Please phone us immediately.' Melanie disappeared off the face of the earth."
Melanie: "What happened is, I really... I thought it was on the Saturday - we made the note on the Saturday. Why didn't she help me and ask me, Why are we making the note on the Saturday and not the Friday?'"
Devi: "Which bride is going to make a mistake about her wedding day? Please explain that? It's the most important day of your life."
Melanie: "I don't only have one wedding to remember."
But you didn't forget to take the money...
Devi: "And when the heat of the complaints overwhelmed her, Melanie simply sold the business off to an unsuspecting buyer who had no idea how little goodwill came with the purchase."
Anya van Oudtshoorn and her husband bought the company Digital Video Photography from Melanie and her boyfriend Denver Wicomb in December last year.
Devi: "How much did you pay for the company?"
Anya van Oudtshoorn (Photographer): "R150 000."
Then the complaints started.
Anya: "I started getting these phone calls of people saying, Where is my footage, where [is] my photos?...' This is in December... people phoned who got married in September 2008. And they said to me they hadn't received any photos. They can't get hold of Melanie; they don't know what her number is; they don't know where she lives."
Peter: "With a fly-by-night operation, generally speaking, you get a lot of people complaining about a particular product or service offering, and then the supplier disappears. And then they will reappear with a different name, a different service offering and then the whole thing will start again."
And that's exactly what Melanie did - she now fronts Bright White photography which, on paper, belongs to none other than her boyfriend Denver Wicomb.
Devi: "You sold your company Melanie, the company that you started - and you went straight back into wedding photography."
Melanie: "No, I'm starting other stuff as well - more time for myself. I am doing this again - yes I am."
And it seems that Melanie is still up to her old tricks - just ask bride Bianca Bagdonovich who hired Melanie through Bright White to do her pictures.
Devi: "What actually happened on the day?"
Bianca Bagdonovich: "Melanie didn't show - she sent a freelance photographer to take our photos."
Melanie did her usual disappearing act with the money and Bianca finally had to buy her photos from the freelancer. Melanie's excuse - she did not get all her money upfront.
Peter: "I can understand a good faith payment upfront, perhaps... you don't for example pay upfront for your meal, you pay in arrears, when you go to a restaurant. And frankly, that's what you should be doing right the way down the line."
It's been a hard lesson for Johan and Ma'Cheries.
Johan: "Don't make payment of the full amount before the wedding is finished."
Faced with a deluge of complaints, Melanie is forced to face the reality.
Melanie: "I know, I know of all this stuff. And you know what, actually, to tell you the truth why I wanted to get out of this for a while was because there was complaints and I thought, You know what, I need to take a break. If there [is] people complaining then there must be a problem somewhere.'"
Melanie can't recapture these couples' wedding memories, but let's just hope she thinks twice before she ruins anyone else's.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:While every attempt has been made to ensure this transcript or summary is accurate, Carte Blanche or its agents cannot be held liable for any claims arising out of inaccuracies caused by human error or electronic fault. This transcript was typed from a transcription recording unit and not from an original script, so due to the possibility of mishearing and the difficulty, in some cases, of identifying individual speakers, errors cannot be ruled out.
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