What are signs of a "bad" wedding photographer?

A relative of mine is getting married and is considering this photographer:
http://www.photofranco​.com/main.shtml

I'm far from an expert which is why I'm asking for your opinions. That said, I took a look at the galleries found on the above site and I'm a bit concerned that the quality might not be up to snuff.

Some things I've seen:

• Super deep DOF on most shots. There doesn't seem to be much isolation in most of the photos.
  
• Shadows all over the place. The shadows behind the subjects really bother me.

Wow, that is really strange..

I looked at the first gallery from 2006, saw the shots, and thought "What is this guy talking about, these are excellent", then I went to the other galleries and it's like a different photographer.

Something fishy going on there. The gallery from 2006 has some stunning examples, but the other galleries don't even come close.

Going by the dates and the intervals between weddings tells me he/she isn't that experienced, it does show in some of the photos I think (POV - cutting the cake but we can't see the hands!, poses, orientation, fill-flash would have benefited here & there, etc).

The photos don't look all bad, there's some really nice ones in there.

My feeling is if you have ANY doubts try to find someone else.

(just noticed the previous post: yeah I never even checked the 2006 gallery, but whoa there is a big difference there!)

fly my pretties wrote in post #8270915
Wow, that is really strange..

I looked at the first gallery from 2006, saw the shots, and thought "What is this guy talking about, these are excellent", then I went to the other galleries and it's like a different photographer.

Something fishy going on there. The gallery from 2006 has some stunning examples, but the other galleries don't even come close.

Agreed. There are loads of different weddings in 2006 with the photos having loads of PP while the featured weddings more recently have very little PP and have a totally different look and feel. If the photographer actually did shoot all those weddings in 2006 then surely they would make those the feature weddings as they were streets ahead of the more recent stuff.

It looks to me as though the photographer has got lazy about what shots he uploads to the website and is just uploading any selection of proofs. The good work he has is good.

The proof lies in the proof albums that he'll show at the first meeting. Work from the guy's personality, attitude, and the proof albums.

Not everyone's fanstastic at web design.

Has he actually worked in the last two years?

The last album I see is from 2007.

DunnoWhen wrote in post #8271734
Has he actually worked in the last two years?

The last album I see is from 2007.

That is what I thought. Personally, I would not have clicked any further than the first wedding.

IF your friend is dead set on this person, see if she can book an engagement session with him/her before putting a deposit for the wedding. IF she likes the engagement pictures then she can go ahead and maybe the shooter will let the cost of the engagement go towards the wedding package. (that is what I do for those on the fence.)

fly my pretties wrote in post #8270915
Wow, that is really strange..

I looked at the first gallery from 2006, saw the shots, and thought "What is this guy talking about, these are excellent", then I went to the other galleries and it's like a different photographer.

Something fishy going on there. The gallery from 2006 has some stunning examples, but the other galleries don't even come close.

Thanks for all the feedback. I did some digging around and as it turns out, the newer photos are by the son of Franco. The stuff done by the dad seems to be better (still not jaw-dropping, but pretty decent), but the new stuff looks to me like snapshots from any guest.

So I don't know if I can say anything to my relative whom I really like. Even if I could say something, I don't know how I could approach it. As it turns out, the photographer is either a neighbour or someone who lives close to them so there are some politics involved.

I'm invited to the wedding and although I'm FAR from being a great photographer, I figure I can luck out and get some shots that are better. Maybe I should just lurk in the background and try to get some good shots for my relatives?

I guess I'm asking for advice beyond photography, but I'm hoping one of you has had a similar experience.

hofajoab wrote in post #8270916
Going by the dates and the intervals between weddings tells me he/she isn't that experienced, it does show in some of the photos I think (POV - cutting the cake but we can't see the hands!, poses, orientation, fill-flash would have benefited here & there, etc).

The photos don't look all bad, there's some really nice ones in there.

My feeling is if you have ANY doubts try to find someone else.

(just noticed the previous post: yeah I never even checked the 2006 gallery, but whoa there is a big difference there!)

Technically, some of the photos just seem brutal to me, but I don't know if I'm being overly critical. For example:
http://www.photofranco​.com …catid=33&catnam​e=Featured Wedding Gallery

IMO, getting rid of shadows behind the subjects is something that should be very basic.

Be honest with your relative.

SunTsu wrote in post #8274072
Technically, some of the photos just seem brutal to me, but I don't know if I'm being overly critical. For example:
http://www.photofranco​.com …catid=33&catnam​e=Featured Wedding Gallery

IMO, getting rid of shadows behind the subjects is something that should be very basic.

Yeah, those shadows are pretty bad, but at least they didn't blow out the window

Ah never noticed that one, looks like a limitation of lighting gear (not being able to bounce properly) - saying that all they have to do is move. It is a very mixed bag! Consistency is key.

Tim's right though, no point compromising something on their big day just to keep some close-by strangers happy.

I want to say I have seen worse, WAY worse. I just personally didn't like the site. It is blah and too much work to see any images, it didn't hold my interest at all what so ever. constant click, click click just to see a mediocre image.
Then looking at his picture.. He doesn't look overly friendly.

Classic case of 'read the fine print'.

Note that the subtitle above the word 'PHOTO FRANCO' reads "capturing emotions for over 100 years". It's quite obvious this can't be one person doing the shooting.

Also note the bottom of the page says "Photo Franco Professional Photographers"

I can understand you asking about the qualities of a good photographer, but personally, I have a difficult time picking apart a photographer who has not asked to have his work critiqued. It just doesn't feel very professional or ethical to me.

Sun, I know you've said that you're not an expert, but you did identify some faults in his work. If you spend any time on this site, you can immediately see the difference between quality work and work that is not up to standard. My suspicion is that you know what makes a good picture and what doesn't.

I agree with Tim, just be honest with your relative. You might want to find another photographer in their area that has a descent quality and price to compare to this photographer. That way they will have some alternatives. Sometimes the proof is in the pudding.