AITA for deleting my friend’s wedding photos in front of them?

A Reddit user shares the story of being asked by a friend to photograph their wedding for a small fee of $250, which they agreed to despite not being a professional photographer.

The day of the wedding, they were forced to work long hours in extreme heat without food or water, and when the groom refused to let them take a short break to eat, they deleted all the photos in front of him and left.

The couple is now on their honeymoon, and people are asking about the wedding photos with no responses. Read the full story below to explore the tensions that led to this dramatic action.

‘ AITA for deleting my friend’s wedding photos in front of them?’

I’m not really a photographer, I’m a dog groomer. I take lots of photos of dogs all day to put on my Facebook and Instagram, it’s “my thing” if that makes sense. A cut and a photo with every appointment. I very seldom shoot things other than dogs even if I have a nice set up.

A friend got married a few days ago and wanting to save money, asked if I’d shoot it for them. I told him it’s not really my forte but he convinced me by saying he didn’t care if they were perfect: they were on a shoestring budget and I agreed to shoot it for $250, which is nothing for a 10 hour event.

On the day of, I’m driving around following the bride as she goes from appointment to appointment before the ceremony, taking photos along the way. I shoot the ceremony itself, and during the reception I’m shooting speeches and people mingling.

I started around 11am and was due to finish around 7:30pm. Around 5pm, food is being served and I was told I cannot stop to eat because I need to be photographer; in fact, they didn’t save me a spot at any table. I’m getting tired and at this point kinda regretting doing this for next to nothing.

It’s also unbelievably hot: the venue is in an old veteran’s legion and it’s like 110F and there’s no AC. I told the groom I need to take off for 20min to get something to eat and drink. There’s no open bar or anything, I can’t even get water and my two water bottles are long empty.

He tells me I need to either be photographer, or leave without pay. With the heat, being hungry, being generally annoyed at the circumstances, I asked if he was sure, and he said yes, so I deleted all the photos I took in front of him and took off saying I’m not his photographer anymore.

If I was to be paid $250, honestly at that point I would have paid $250 just for a glass of cold water and somewhere to sit for 5min. Was I the a**hole? They went right on their honeymoon and they’ve all been off of social media, but a lot of people have been posting on their wall asking about photos with zero responses.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

mon0chrom −  NTA at all. You could have risked your health and they treated you like s**t.

Cat_got_ya_tongue −  They wanted mates rates but didn’t even save you food? NTA. The dogs are much better people than these ‘friends’

AbbyBirb −  NTA. They took you off the guest list for this without mentioning it to you in advance. You went in with the expectation of $250 to take high quality pictures… while also being a guest at their event (including a place to sit, eat & drink).

And realistically, you did nothing but follow the grooms suggestion. Either continue being a photographer or forfeit your $250. What did the groom think that entailed? He would get all that work for free? Play stupid games win stupid prizes. I would seriously reconsider this friendship.

MeykaMermaid −  NTA. Who refuses to allow someone water or food?

Haggis_with_Ketchup −  Should have kept the photos and sold them for $1,000. The $750 extra is the butthead customer surcharge.

6ofh −  NTA. That sounds horrible. I understand making rash decisions like this and then regretting them. But IMO that was not an a**hole move.

Nobody who gives ultimatums can then fault people for choosing one of the two options presented. Like what kind of logic is that? Groom: OP you either choose 1. Or 2. OP: I choose 2. Groom: shocked pikachu.

Agreeable-Froyo-603 −  NTA. How do people like this even exist?? Didn’t know becoming a photographer meant you didn’t need food or water.

RoyallyOakie −  NTA…Giving a hungry person an ultimatum is a HUGE mistake. I hope they enjoy their memories, because the photographs aren’t on the way.

Front_Thought_9988 −  NTA. You’re my idol!!! Lol. Slave labor ended years ago were they trying to revive it? You should make a post explaining the situation before they get back and blame it all on you.

MangoWorking3057 −  ESH. This is one of those times where this sub needs the Justified AH rating. Was what you did s**tty and petty? Absolutely. And it’s a general rule of thumb to never make big decisions when you’re grieving or hangry.

But damn these “friends” of yours were terrible. Complete cheapskate AH’s and the groom was a groomzilla. There is no pass for how they treated you. But again, your behaviour was justified, but still AH behaviour.

I wouldn’t have deleted the photos, they are someone weddings photos, so at the very least I would have given them a second chance before deleting them. I would have said, “Ok, I’m done for the night since you won’t let me take a break.

You want your photos, the charge is now $500 since you didn’t provide me with gas, food, water, or a food break. If you don’t pay the $500, I’m deleting the photos.” I may be an AH, but I would have held those photos hostage and given them a chance to “earn them back”.

Was the Redditor’s reaction justified given the circumstances, or did they go too far in deleting the photos? How would you handle a situation where you’re asked to do a favor for a friend but face difficult conditions? Share your thoughts below!