A wedding photographer at the center of a TikTok storm over her prices says she has faced death threats after revealing she charges $8,500 for her pictures which many have dismissed as “blurry”.
Katie from Southern California, who is @tripp.photo online, posted a video a week ago with the caption, “When someone inquires for wedding photography with a $2K budget and I send back my starting prices of $8.5K.” The video gained a lot of attention (currently on 4.4 million views) with most people expressing astonishment and outrage at the price.
@tripp.photo I even have my starting prices on my website 😅 #weddingphotographer ♬ Psycho – Jack Kittel
“Hearing your price and then seeing your website… I literally gasped,” wrote one TikTok user in a comment that received 17,000 likes.
Katie’s sometimes blurry aesthetic has drawn the ire of people online with nasty comments spreading to her Instagram page too.
“8K?..for some blurry photos of rings on a table..embarrassing as f***,” writes an Instagram user.
Another TikToker by the name of “Haussdrama” made a video reacting to Katie’s price in which she lambasted the photographer’s work which just served to turbocharge the drama.
@haussdrama 8.5k 😮💨 #photographytips #photographersoftiktok #trippphoto #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #photographypricing #dramatok #haussdrama #trendingnow #viralvidoes #unpopularopinion ♬ original sound – 🍉Haussdrama🍉
The intense backlash prompted Katie of Tripp Photo to make a second video in which she addresses the fallout.
“At the end of the day, saying you don’t like my photos or you won’t pay my prices isn’t inherently offensive,” she writes on TikTok.
“We all have different style preferences, values, and priorities. Harassing my pages saying I deserve to be k?lled, hating on my looks, my voice, my children.
“Fake reviews, inquiries, preaching ‘community over competition’ on your photography page, and then spam commenting hate.
“Grown adults — parents — participating in online bullying. Doing these things says more about you than me. Hurt people try to hurt people.”
It wasn’t all bad comments, Katie also received multiple messages of support from people expressing sympathy for what she was going through.
“The people that paid her prices seem to be very happy with what they received. If you don’t want to pay 8.5k, then don’t pay it and use someone else? These comments are so unnecessary,” writes Kylee Nixon on Instagram.
Wedding Photographer Prices and Blurry Photos
According to The Knot Real Wedding Study, the average cost of a wedding photographer is $2,900 which makes photographers the fourth most expensive vendor or service that couples will splash out on.
And the blurry photo aesthetic is undoubtedly popular right now. In 2022, wedding photographer Asantae Haanstad told PetaPixel, “I think that blurry photos are a great way to provide variety in your gallery and images that you provide to a client. They have become more popular this year and I am consistently having clients request them as they find them unique and beautiful.”
And last month, Michigan wedding photographer Shuhrat Choudhury told PetaPixel that she thinks blurry photos are not just a trend, but a style that is here to stay.
“It’s not just a technique; it’s a creative tool that can elevate the storytelling aspect of your wedding album in breathtaking ways,” she says.