- AJ Abelman said she was offered a free trip — and no money — to photograph a wedding in Cancun.
- According to the wedding photographer, the bride requested that she share a room in her office with her employee.
- Abelman expressed concern on TikTok regarding the request and stated that it was unfair to her work.
A wedding photographer is speaking out after she said a bride asked her to shoot her destination wedding, but only offered her a free stay — and no money — to do it.
AJ Abelman, 31, A wedding photographerShe is based in Chicago, Illinois and has been running her own business for six-years.
She was recently approached by a couple interested in a destination wedding. “blood boil,”Abelman stated that in “a TikTokVideo starting February 24,
According to Abelman’s TikTok — which has over half a million views at the time of writing — a bride asked her via email if she would be willing to “exchange”She offers photography services “travel and lodging”To a three-day Mexican wedding in Cancun.
Abelman claimed that the bride asked her to take photographs of the wedding and another day on a boat. Abelman would only pay the resort room cost. Abelman attached a screenshot to her TikTok which purportedly showed an email she had received from the bride.
The screenshot shows that the bride stated she didn’t want a local photographer to photograph her wedding because she couldn’t afford the resort fees. The bride stated that it would be “ideal”It would be great if all the members of the photography team could share a hotel room with one bed. “consideration”The idea of covering their travel costs according to the same screen.
Abelman told Insider she was baffled by the request, as she felt like it undermined the value of her labor — and that of all wedding photographers.
AJ Abelman Photography
Abelman stated that she charges $6,000 to $9,000 for wedding photography. When she travels for her work, she covers travel expenses.
“The travel and the stay is on top of what you would pay for your actual package because I have to fly there instead of drive there,”She said it, and added that it “would literally cost me money”If she was required to pay for her flight and lodging, she would be able to work.
She was especially disturbed by the idea that she would need to share a bedroom with her second shooter. “When was the last time you were asked to share a bed with your boss?”She said.
Insider also heard from Abelman that the bride thought her wedding would prove to be a great experience and fun for her.
AJ Abelman Photography
“My mortgage doesn’t stop needing to be paid because I’m on vacation in Mexico, and it’s not a vacation if I’m working,” Abelman said. “If I want to take a vacation, I want to leave my cameras at home.”
Abelman wrote the bride a long email reply that detailed the effort and money involved in wedding photography. In the spirit of education, she also shared her TikTok response.
“Asking creatives to do what they do for a living, for free, for your wedding day is offensive,”Abelman stated that she wrote the letter in response to the bride. “[I] doubt that you’d ask your plumber to fix your pipes in exchange for a date to the movies, or that you’d offer to take your doctor to lunch instead of paying your bill. If you did, they would say what I’m saying: No.”
Insider heard from Abelman that she hopes sharing her experiences will help others appreciate the work of wedding photographers more.
“It’s an investment in your memories because when the wedding day has ended and the flowers have died and your guests have gone home, the only thing that remains other than your spouse are the photos,”She said.
“Making art is a real job,”Abelman was added. “We deserve to be paid fairly for doing our jobs.”