Yulia and Stanislav Myasin want to sue the man they hired to photograph their wedding because they're unhappy with his work. The couple lives in the city of Sterlitamak, located about 900 miles east of Moscow, and got married earlier this year in June.
Yulia Myasina told Meduza that she and her husband filed a report with local police on December 9, complaining that photographer Rais Khalikov failed to return wedding pictures she and her husband purchased. (In a TV report on NTV, a local police officer says the authorities have opened an investigation into the matter.) The same day she appealed to police, Myasina says, Khalikov finally delivered the pictures.
The story doesn't end there, however, as the newlyweds were dissatisfied with the quality and composition of Khalikov's photos. They demanded that he refund their money or agree to retouch the images digitally. In NTV's report, the Myasins, accompanied by a police officer, are shown pounding on an apartment door, demanding to speak to Khalikov, though there is no answer.
Pretending to be potential clients, NTV journalists managed to get Khalikov on the phone. He named his prices and noted that he doesn't retouch images. "Why retouch them, if they're done well to begin with?" he said.
In its report, NTV showed several photographs that weren't actually taken by Khalikov, without pointing this out to viewers. These extra photos were taken by the bride's sister, some featuring less than flattering sights, such as a shot of the couple together, as a man in the background drinks alcohol unbeautifully from a bottle. Yulia Myasina says this photograph was staged.
All the time, relatives are supposed to visit the newlyweds. Of course, guests want to see footage from the ceremony, but showing them these photos is just embarrassing, the Myasins confess.
