Katie Hunt, a seasoned wedding photographer from Greensboro, North Carolina, recently experienced an unexpected challenge while preparing for a wedding on September 10. Although primarily a digital photographer, Hunt ordered extra film as a precaution. She purchased two five-packs of Portra 400 35-millimeter film from an Amazon seller with 4.5-star reviews. Trusting the reviews, Hunt did not anticipate any issues.
Upon arriving at the wedding venue, Hunt discovered a surprising content in the film canisters. ‘There were one or two gravel type rocks in every canister,’ she explained. Despite this setback, she successfully captured the couple’s wedding day without interruption. She contacted Amazon, believing the incident was not the fault of the seller.
‘I have been talking to Amazon directly and we think it was someone that purchased the item, took the film out of the canisters, then replaced them with the rocks before sealing everything very well,’ Hunt shared.
An Amazon spokesperson, Lex Evans, stated they ‘made this right with the customer and will continue looking into this.’ Amazon issued a full refund, and Hunt provided images of the canisters to assist in further investigation. Despite the incident, Hunt has praised the customer support she received, describing them as ‘extremely nice and apologetic.’
The films were intended as backups for Hunt’s second photographer, allowing them to use her supplies instead of their own. She had enough of her own film to meet her contractual obligations, as her primary work is digital. This incident has deterred her from purchasing film rolls on Amazon in the future.
‘The film that had the rocks in was just extra that I was going to have my second photographer use, so she didn’t have to use her own,’ Hunt noted. ‘I had enough of my own film to fulfill the contracted services.’
Hunt has shared her experience on TikTok, where a video documenting the discovery has gone viral, amassing over 2.3 million views and 144,500 likes. The video has sparked curiosity, with many asking why the moment was being recorded. Hunt explained that she often has behind-the-scenes footage taken during weddings to show potential clients the experience of working with her.
‘I had my assistant recording because I often have someone capturing the behind the scenes on full wedding days to show potential clients what it’s like to work with me,’ she told Newsweek. ‘I usually get bookings this way because they get to see how I pose, prompt and see my personality.’
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