AND photographer has sparked reactions online after he shared his painful experience with a wealthy client who allegedly failed to pay him to shoot a wedding at a luxury venue in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
In a detailed account, the photographer said that the incident happened during a period when business was slow and he had not booked a wedding job for months.
According to him, the bride contacted him just four weeks before her wedding and requested his services.
Booked for a luxury wedding
He explained that the bride had chosen her largest photography package and was initially sent an invoice to confirm payment.
“I shot a wedding for a bride who never paid me. The wedding was held in a luxury venue in Ikoyi, rich family, fancy wedding, and three years later, which is still the date, her edited photos are still sitting on my hard drive. She moved on with her life, left the country, never looked back,” he said.
He admitted that he agreed to continue because of how luxurious it was wedding looked and the confidence he had in the client’s financial condition.
“We sent her a package. She even chose the biggest package. And we sent her an invoice, simple. All she had to do was pay. But she didn’t pay. We followed up. She said she was working on it, they were putting together their budget. We should prepare for the event, the money is coming.”
Pressure before the wedding
The photographer said communication delays continued until the wedding date approached, but he and his team believed the client would eventually pay due to the appearance of wealth surrounding the event.
“We followed again, same story, same story. So the wedding was getting closer and closer. And this woman didn’t send a single e-mail. But we didn’t panic, to be honest. You know why we didn’t panic? Because everything about the wedding looked like money. The place was in Ikoyi. The planning was top notch. The people around her were great people.”
He added that this assumption later turned out to be a costly mistake.
“That was our first mistake. We used what we saw to assume he could pay. And we were dead wrong.”
Last minute change and partial payment
According to him, the bride contacted him the day before the wedding with a change of plan, saying that she could no longer afford the entire package.
“Then she called the day before the wedding. She said things have changed. She can no longer afford our full package. The family already has a photographer covering the wedding. She only wants us to come to shoot portraits only. Even for that, she can only pay a 30% deposit.”
Despite the reservations, he said they accepted due to the lack of other reservations at the time.
“Now, any normal person would say no. But remember, we hadn’t shot a wedding in months. We were desperate. And desperation would make you do things that common sense would never agree to. So we took the deposit and showed up.”
Job done, then silence
He said they continued to film two days of the wedding and delivered high-quality images, but the full payment never came.
“We shot another day. Two days of work and we still haven’t received the payouts. We were expecting up to 70% payout. Remember, we edited the photos and to be honest, some of our best work. Beautiful photos.”
However, attempts to reach the bride were allegedly unsuccessful.
“We called. She didn’t answer. We texted, no answer. We tried again and again and again until she stopped answering completely. She disappeared. She moved out of the country.”
He added that even after three years, the pictures remain undelivered.
“For three years now. She didn’t even bother looking for them because the family photographer had already given them pictures. We were just extras, weren’t we? So she used us and moved on.”
Lessons from experience
Reflecting on the incident, the photographer said it has changed the way he deals with clients and payments in his profession.
“A dry season will make you stupid if you let it. Don’t let desperation make you say yes when you should be saying no.”
“Stop letting what you see fool you. A cohesive place doesn’t mean they have your money. Expensive as a storefront doesn’t mean they can pay you.”
“What they pay you is to come and shoot. That’s a job, a shoot. So you have to get paid before you do the work.”
Reactions of Internet users…
@ExcessJOY_13 reacted: “70% of rich people are users. The poor have no idea about debts, but look at these rich people, they are so bold to take loans and buy things on credit.
@Lucy…. said: “ Nigerians the so called rich class most of them are beneficiaries!!!”
@seyikanbai stated: “nobody owes them anything”
Look below;
95% of rich people are users, he shot a luxury wedding for a rich family in Ikoyi and 3 years later he hasn’t been paid a dime. pic.twitter.com/ni8Ngub7Wg
— Pâom Pâom🌚 (@effxzzzyy) June 2, 2026
