A BC couple says they were scammed by a wedding photographer who used stock photos for his portfolio, delivered sub-par snaps of their big day, and then stopped taking their phone calls.

Alexa Logan and Colin Tapp paid a $1,500 deposit for the pictures and were looking forward to getting them back and choosing their favourites. They were particularly looking forward to a shot taken in Stanley Park that recreated a moment from Logan’s parents’ wedding three decades ago.

But what they received left them shocked. Many of the photos appear blurry, dark, or over-exposed.

“Upon first looking at them, I thought maybe he sent the reject pile,” said Tapp.

They hired a man named Mike Huffman, who advertises online as a “professional photographer.” The couple said they chose Huffman because he was affordable, charming, advertised on a wedding website and had a solid portfolio. After receiving their photos, they did some digging and realized his portfolio featured work that wasn’t his own.

“It’s one thing to scam people, but to do it on such an important day as a wedding. It sucks so much for us I can’t imagine other people going through it,” said Tapp.

Logan says he gave Huffman the benefit of the doubt at first, figuring he had an off day or that his equipment was faulty. However, when they called him to follow up they said the person on the other end of the line hung up. None of their efforts to get answers were successful.

“Not even acknowledging that these photos didn’t look right, it rubbed me the wrong way,” added Logan.

CTV News tried reaching out to Huffman but did not receive a response. Logan and Tapp are now spreading the word, urging others to think twice about who they hire.

“We just don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” said Logan.