Disappointed
I chose to book Southern Serenity Photography back in February for my October wedding. Her website, online portfolio, and my initial communication with her all made me feel like she's a great fit for us! But what followed was far from what one would expect from a professional photographer.
1. She showed up late on the day of the event.
We told her to be there at 4 PM for the 4:30 ceremony, and she showed up at 4:30. This of course meant my husband and the wedding planner were freaking out that the wedding was going to have to start without any photography. At least she arrived just in time for me to walk down the aisle. However, it meant no photos from guests or from my husband waiting at the ceremony site.
2. She didn't seem like she had shot a wedding before
You couldn't notice her and her co-photographer, which may at first sound like something you'd want in your photographer. In reality, that meant she didn't initiate photos and didn't interact at all to tell us to pose in certain ways, to stand somewhere for better lighting, etc. Many guests told me later that the photographers appeared very awkward and "out-of-place". I've been to many weddings and seen lots of photographers who made great shots happen throughout the evening by orchestrating them, but there unfortunately was none of that at ours. Honestly, Connie appeared like she didn't want to be there.
3. She told use she'd give us 4 photos the next day and did not deliver
The next day we didn't receive anything. Not even a message to let us know she didn't have time and is sorry, just nothing.
4. She told us she'd have all the photos edited in 2 weeks and did not deliver
Two weeks later, still absolutely nothing - no message whatsoever. So at the three week's mark, I felt like it was a good time to ask her for an update. She tells me I would receive the photos that week. But we received nothing. We ask again at the 4 week mark, and she finally tells us she's uploaded them all. After looking, though, only a small set of photos from the ceremony were uploaded (none from the reception). She complains that there must have been technical difficulties, says she'll resolve it right away (spoiler: she doesn't do it for a number of days and has to be asked again). She even had more time from the Thanksgiving holidays to make sure to finish the job but instead used that an excuse for the even further extended delays (if they were really done, she should have been able to upload them right away).
5. She sent us a link to the "rest" of the photos without including any from her cophotographer
I noticed that certain specific photos I'd remembered being in weren't included once she finally uploaded the outstanding photos. When I asked why they weren't there (as in, if they'd turned out badly or something), she said she hadn't uploaded any of her cophotographer's photos and would need even more time to get to them. I still wonder if I hadn't asked her about them whether she would have ever uploaded them at all.
6. The 140 photos (all that two people managed from 8 hours of shooting) weren't all that great
Connie's photos are not terrible by any means...she took some nice photos. They just are not the quality you would expect from a professional photographer. My uncle had taken about 265 photos of our wedding with his iPhone and had sent them to us the next day. After I edited his photos with PicsArt, his photos honestly looked the same as hers from a quality perspective. I even liked many of his photos much better. She is a woman with a camera but lacks the most important skill of a photographer: the creative/artistic "eye". We don't regret anything about our wedding except for booking her. If you want to save on a photographer, I suggest you buy your uncle the new iphone instead!