Any job will have its potential challenges, but there is no telling what can happen when in client-facing roles. One photographer learned this the hard way when interacting with a potential client.
Alyssa Michelle is a professional photographer who runs Boudoir by Alyssa, a studio that specializes in intimate photos of women. Many clients hire her to take pictures that will serve as a gift for their partner. This is exactly what one certain lady tried to do. Alyssa, however, is in high demand so it should come as no surprise when she was unable to fit the potential client in before her wedding. In a TikTok video, Alyssa gave this person the moniker “Beth” and went on to describe how a seemingly innocuous interaction turned extreme.
After Beth gave Alyssa the dates she wanted for the photo session, Alyssa politely told her that there was no availability since it was so close to the date. That is when the inquiry email turned livid.
“When I tell you that this girl becomes completely f***ing unhinged — Beth goes crazy on me. Her email is filled with very colorful language.”
Alyssa tried to be as professional as possible, offering her options of what they could do instead. Beth did not accept any of these choices, but enlisted an alleged lawyer to issue Alyssa a cease and desist letter. It quickly became very clear that this was a fake letter that no lawyer would issue.
“What are you supposed to cease as a result of that letter!?” commenter SybilVane asked. A fair question, as there was nothing that the photographer was doing that she could cease and desist from. Other commenters jumped into the chat, adding to the discourse.
“I’ve worked for lawyers for 30+ years there’s no way a real lawyer would send a letter like that. your client is a nightmare,” Leisa noted
Beth — via her fake lawyer — threatened that if Alyssa didn’t fit her in, she would sue her. One would think that ignoring a clearly false correspondence would be the end of it. In reality, Alyssa had no less than 7 updates to share with her viewers.
Things went from bad to crazy for this photographer
In the subsequent video, Alyssa acknowledged that the alleged cease and desist letter was fake after sending her own lawyer a copy of the email.
Ultimately, Alyssa hadn’t responded soon enough, and found out that was Beth’s Achilles’ Heel. After not hearing anything from Alyssa, the bride started to panic and sent another email.
In response to another inquiry from Beth, Alyssa claimed that she had sent all the information to her lawyer to start legal proceedings. That went about as well as one could expect. Beth tried to walk back her comments, and expressed a desire to work together without lawyers, but it was now more clear than ever that her cease and desist letter was fake. Beth didn’t stop at pleading with Alyssa. She then enlisted her alleged fiancé to implore Alyssa on her behalf.
All of this rigamarole makes one wonder why this is such a high-pressure situation. Alyssa began to question if the new email was actually from the fiancé, or if it was just another dummy account. And it makes this writer wonder if there is even a fiancé in the first place.
Is gaslighting a photographer really easier than just finding another gift or another studio that could do the shots? It also seems that the wedding would be fast approaching as Beth is wasting time fighting with this photographer. The email from the “fiancé” offered to come to some conclusion, which seems like a moot point.
“No amount of money, in my opinion, would make this worth it because she has actually threatened me. Why would I want her in my studio?”
A back-and-forth occurred between Alyssa and this finacé which seemed to confirm the creator’s suspicions that it was just Beth under a fake email. Even more bizarre, Beth continued to correspond with Alyssa.
In her latest update, the photographer enlisted her lawyer to put this case to rest and work pro bono. Hopefully, that means this nightmare scenario will finally come to a close. It appears that weddings do make some brides go over the edge. But when it comes to wedding culture, that’s not exactly surprising. According to Brides.com (via Studio Newport), the culture of taking these intimate photos for wedding gifts has increased by 54% in 2023. This practice is apparently such a hot commodity that no bride will accept being turned away. Like most industries, it’s all about the money.