Photographer delivered 200 photos, contract said 800. Do you get a refund?

Your contract specified "minimum 800 edited images." You received 212. The photographer is telling you that''s what she "felt was her best work." Is she right? No — and here is the breakdown.

"Minimum" means minimum

Language matters. If the contract says "up to 800," the photographer has discretion. If it says "minimum 800," "at least 800," or "800 edited images delivered," she does not. Delivering 212 is a direct breach of contract, and the remedy is monetary damages equal to the loss of bargained-for value.

What a fair remedy looks like

• Specific performance: she edits and delivers the missing images. Works if the wedding was recent and raw files exist.
• Pro-rated refund: she keeps a percentage proportional to what was delivered. If contract was $4,000 for 800 images and you received 212, a fair pro-rata refund is roughly $2,940.
• Full refund + damages: if the gallery is unusable, you can seek the full amount back plus DTPA damages if specific representations can be shown.

What to do right now

1. Pull the contract. Circle every deliverable clause.
2. Write a calm, specific email listing: contract promise, actual delivery, the gap, the remedy you are requesting. Copy nobody for now — one chance for her to make it right quietly.
3. Give 7 business days to respond.
4. If no response or a refusal: 60-day DTPA demand letter is your next move.

Common photographer defenses (and why they usually fail)

• "I ran out of good shots" — irrelevant. The contract promised 800 edited, not 800 "exceptional." Industry standard editing means color-corrected and basic retouching; it does not mean only your favorites.
• "It was a short event" — unless the contract tied photo count to event hours, this is not a defense.
• "The venue lighting was bad" — professional photographers are paid to solve for lighting. Not a defense.

The one defense that does hold: a contract clause that gives the photographer final editorial discretion ("selection at photographer''s sole discretion"). Read your contract.

Sources: Texas Law Help — DTPA, Texas State Law Library — DTPA remedies.