Brown Stones Photography Reviews
Reviews
4.7 out of 5 rating
4.7 out of 5 rating
20 Reviews
94% recommend it
Awards
-
Tiffany E. Sent on 02/20/2024
Stop the search, you found the one
We had the pleasure of meeting Keely almost 1.5 years ago to talk about potentially being our wedding photographer. And I’m so glad we decided to go with her.. our engagement & wedding photos are BEAUTIFUL! All of our family and friends talk highly of them.
Photos are the only thing you take away from the day besides memories.. and I’m definitely glad we have some amazing photos to use for years to come! -
-
Stuart A. Sent on 06/01/2023
The smartest choice you’ll make for your wedding
Where do I begin? When we first met with Keely on our wedding vision, she said don’t hire me if you don’t like my vibes, you’re going to spend a lot of time with me on your wedding day. Fortunately for us, we loved the vibes!
We had an idea of what we wanted, but we wanted a trusted advisor that would listen to our thoughts and ideas and develop a creative and well researched plan that would result in a day of flawless execution. We had ideas that she was able to take her years of experience and turn it into something incredible. Beyond just the photography, she took a tremendous amount of time to understand our vision, our historic venue, and our schedule of events to ensure her plan for photography was thoughtful and included as part of the plan, but would not take away from our opportunity to experience our day.
We were smart to do a couples session prior to our wedding where we got to spend 2-3 hours shooting with Keely, and we said goodbye with big hugs feeling she was just as excited for our wedding as we were.
On our wedding day, Keely was prepped and ready and was there calling shots in the best way. Just like she directed us when she was behind the camera to engineer the best photo results, she was not shy about getting to know and working with all our vendors to make sure everything happened in concert. With background as an architectural photographer, she knew not only how to capture beautiful shots of us, but also how to shoot the venue and us in our venue to truly capture all of our beautiful wedding choices we’d worked so hard to plan.
It was important to us that all our guests got great photos of themselves as it was that we got great photos. Since we asked our guests to dress in formal attire, Keely created a Photo Booth at our venue and made sure every guest got great photos of themselves and/or their group.
Keely was quick to turn around our photo edits, and she went above and beyond to help us create shareable albums with our friends and family. The experience of working with Keely alone was tremendous, and the quality of the photos she was able to deliver far surpassed our expectations. -
-
Olivia B. Sent on 02/15/2023
Best Decision!
Keely is hands down the best. She was my saving grace during our wedding and was straightforward with me the whole time. Her patience and drive for this business is incredible! Our wedding pictures look so perfect; the colors, positioning, and amount we got back are above and beyond! -
-
![Katelyn]()
Katelyn Sent on 04/26/2022The best part of our wedding was having Brownstones capture our day!
Looking back on our Big Day, I cant put into words have thankful I was to have had Brownstones helping me through everything. My mother is a photographer, too, and she couldn't help be gawk at Keely's incredible work and ease throughout the day.
Timelines were (of course) thrown off throughout the day, but Keely kept us moving along with comforting help as we got every perfect moment captured. She absolutely nailed every moment, and she was so fun to have by our side. My husband and I wish that we lived closer to have Keely photograph every milestone in our lives - She's just that incredible! -
-
![Danielle]()
Danielle B. Sent on 01/12/2022The Best Ever & Easiest Vendor Choice
There's really not enough great things I can say about Keely and BSP. We met Keely at a friends wedding and kind of hit it off with her. She was so nice and personable, that even as a guest, we felt she was the best photographer we've encountered. (and we have been to a lot of weddings haha) Fast forward a year and it was now our time to look at vendors—we had a list of photographers in hand but knew we had to choose Brown Stones. Keely was great with communication, direction, and asking all the necessary questions and helping plan, so this worried bride's mind was at ease. Thank you so much Keely!!! Hopefully we will be able to use BSP for even more major life events in the future :) -
-
Emily Sent on 11/30/2021
Best Photographer Out There!!!
I cannot say enough good things about Keely! Not only did she an amazing job with our wedding photos, she is an all around great person to be around. She is so fun and sweet but also knows how to help guide the flow of the day so you stay on schedule. She has done our family photos and wedding photos for my wedding and my brother's wedding. She is basically part of our family now!Brown Stones Photography's reply:
I had the best time with Emily and Christian! I loved their color pallet, the vibe of the day, and truly the genuine emotion that had for each other, they were so easy to photograph.
Their Families were so nice and accommodating, I really had such a great day.
These photos are some of my go to when showing potential clients what their day can look like, I'm incredibly grateful to have been apart of their day!
Thank you Emily and Christian for letting me document your day!
xoxox
Keely
-
-
Anna F. Sent on 11/16/2021
Keely is just wonderful!!!
Keely is SO wonderful!!! Why? Because she is kind, punctual, brilliant, and such a professional. She KNOWS what she is doing and she deserves all the credit she has earned for her hard work! On the day of the wedding she was there to help and she literally helped organize and manage the show like a wedding planner and I needed so much help! She took on so many roles and was always so caring and helpful to all of us! She focused on what we needed and wanted. The photos she sent were set on this stunning site! I can’t stop looking at them! The detail and colors are unbelievably intricate and you can tell she cares deeply about what she does! Thank you to the moon and back, Keely!! We appreciate you so much!! -
-
![Maddie]()
Maddie J. Sent on 12/17/2021We loved Keely! Highly recommend!
I cannot say enough good things about Keely and Brownstones Photography! She has been my go-to photographer for years. She did both me and my husband's high school senior pictures and we both had such great experiences that when it came time to hire a wedding photographer, we knew Keely was our girl.
From the moment we booked her for our wedding, Keely made sure to make us feel like we were a priority. She helped us schedule an engagement session quickly (so that we could send out save the dates), and when it rained in the middle of our original session, she let us take more photos a month later to have as keepsakes / to print out for wedding items.
Keely is so easy to work with and truly helped our wedding day flow smoothly. A few weeks before the wedding, she sent us a questionnaire to fill out to ensure that we got EVERY photo that we wanted (with each grandparent, extended family, group of friends, etc.), which I wouldn't have deemed as important, until wedding day came and who you want in which photo is the last thing on your mind :) With Keely, everything was well planned out and we were sure to get every photo we wanted. She also gave us a timeline of when the different sets of photos would need to be taken, and how long they would take. VERY helpful!
On wedding day, Keely showed up promptly and immediately began taking photos of the girls getting ready, detail shots, shots of breakfast, you name it. She was able to get all of the girls shots in and then head to the boys suite to take their photos too. When we got to the church, she made sure the boys had their boutonnieres on correctly and were ready to go, while also getting every shot we could ever hope for. (After having been to other weddings where people are just waiting for everyone to waddle over, this is IMPORTANT and a huge time saver!)
We got amazing outdoor and indoor photos after the ceremony, even though the day was pretty rainy. Keely also captured fun photos of all of our guests on the dance floor, which was a treat to send to everyone afterwards. We are constantly getting compliments on all of the photos!
All in all, our experience with Keely couldn't have been better, and we are so grateful that we chose her to photograph our wedding. We would HIGHLY recommend her!! -
-
Rylee G. Sent on 01/04/2022
Local or away, check Keely out!
Keely made my wedding vision come to life in our engagement photos and wedding photos that we received! My fiancé and I had never taken professional photos before and Keely made the process easy and comfortable for us. She captured some really special engagement photos that we still look back on. Most of all, she captured beautiful wedding photos for us on our special day. She was able to accommodate our large families and get some beautiful pictures that are now hanging up in our families homes! She has a good eye on where to take pictures and get the most out of the experience. She even pulled us away to get some awesome sunset pictures (highly recommend doing this during an evening wedding). The quality of pictures and amount we received were worth every penny! If your local or even away, check her out! -
-
![Corey]()
Corey Z. Sent on 12/19/2021Excellent photographer and experience!
Keely was absolutely wonderful to work with and does an excellent job. She makes you feel comfortable while not being shy about making sure she gets the best quality pictures. Several of my wedding guests commented how great she was and they wished they had a photographer like her for their event. Keely is both an awesome person and awesome at what she does, can’t recommend her enough and my husband and I will definitely use her in the future for our photography needs! -
Ashley H. Sent on 11/17/2021
Amazing, simple, fun
Keely is the best photographer I have ever worked with! So easy to talk to and she always knows how to get the perfect shot.Brown Stones Photography's reply:
Thank you Ashley!! Coming from a Wedding Planner that means so much!!!
Thank you for letting me capture your day!
xoxo -
-
David C. Sent on 06/11/2019
Amazing Photographer
Keely is fantastic and you won't go wrong by hiring her to do your wedding photos! She's flexible and worked amazingly well with us to capture all the special moments from our wedding. She's creative in her shot selection and works well with all the many personalities involved in wedding (e.g. your in-laws, crazy aunts, and squirmy kids). Also, she's LGBTQ+ friendly for those who value that in a photographer! We would recommend her to anyone! -
-
Jessica B. Sent on 10/11/2022
Amazing wedding photographer!
My husband and I love keely! We are so glad she took our beautiful photos & can’t wait to use her for other important moments in the future. The photos are exactly what we envisioned and I know we will enjoy looking back on them for years to come! Keely made us feel so comfortable and our guests raved about her!Brown Stones Photography's reply:
Let me tell you the ways I love this couple....
So Jess and Sam are from outside of Chicago, and Sam had reached out to me and said he was renting a cabin in Brown county, (Nashville, Indiana) and that he was going to propose and he wanted to surprise Jess with an engagement shoot while they were here.
So Sam and I were in contact quite a bit and here comes the big weekend and it's raining! Like off and on and Indiana in the fall is unpredictable, but Sam and I are determined and we get it done! So happy with the result, there were kind of moody and romantic and I just loved the finished product.
Sam and Jess did too and they hired me to come up the next July to lake Michigan to shoot their wedding and it was AWESOME! I came up on friday, we did some fun family shoots at the beach, then the wedding was the next day.
I seriously love these Wedding pics, wedding party was super fun, family was awesome, and of course I loved seeing Jess and Sam again and spending time with them!
I get to shoot their maternity session in March and I love that they think of me for their big moments! They are doing a Baby Moon in Brown County! How cute is that?!?!
Sam and Jess thank you so much and I know we will have so much fun in March!
xoxo
Keely -
-
![Cassidy]()
Cassidy H. Sent on 01/11/2023Affordable, lovely photos, but an unprofessional experience
My husband and I hired Keely to take our Engagement photos and provide eight hours of coverage on our wedding day.
Overall, Keely did a nice job with our photos. She was a positive presence on the day, and the photos turned out wonderfully. We also found her to be more affordable than some of the other photographers in the area, which is always a bonus when planning an expensive event. But, as a person who values organization, communication, and deadlines, I found Keely a bit difficult to work with.
Before we finalized the booking, Keely was very responsive and communicative, she was also very experienced. It was something I valued and one of the reasons I hired her. As soon as we made our payment (we decided to pay all up front because she offered a discount for doing so), communication took a turn for the worse.
Our engagement photos were included in the cost of our wedding package. However, scheduling the engagement shoot turned out to be a big challenge, with Keely altering plans multiple times. It ended up going well and we liked the photos, but it turned what was supposed to be fun into a stressful experience on our end.
Throughout the year leading up to the wedding, it often took her a long time to respond to emails. She also had to last-minute reschedule a few of the check in meetings we set.
When it came to the wedding itself, our experience was positive overall on the day. Keely was great at directing the group. She was a good leader and we wound up with some excellent group shots. I know my wedding party enjoyed working with her as well. She made us all feel really comfortable in the photos and was very helpful when it came to poses and feeling natural in the spotlight!
With that said, our photography package included an assistant, whom Keely was very clear would be there to help, but not take photos. I assumed that this would be someone who was a photography-adjacent professional. However, the assistant ended up being her teenage son, who was nice, but was not as experienced or helpful as I would have hoped. He mostly assisted Keely by holding her equipment rather than assisting with posing or gathering groups of family for photos.
We did accomplish all shots on the list, but when looking at the full gallery, I was a little disappointed by opportunities we missed or live moments that were not captured. In the end, I feel like an experienced assistant would have really improved the experience. In the last hour or two when Keely was supposed to be getting general event coverage, there were very few candid shots of guests talking and dancing.
Lastly, the aspect that bothered me the most about our experience was how long it took to receive our photos. Our contract stated that the full wedding gallery would be delivered in 4-6 weeks. I believe at some point she told me she was going to be updating future contracts to be 6-8 weeks (but our contract was never updated to reflect this). At the wedding, I distinctly remember her telling me it would take 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, I checked in and she told me it would be closer to 8 weeks. Then, a day or two after the 8-week mark, I checked in again and she said they would not be ready until the following Friday. She emailed me on that Friday after 5pm to tell me the photos were uploading and I did not get the full gallery link until the following evening at 8pm (9 weeks after the event). She did give me a $100 print credit for being late, which was a kind gesture. That said, delivering the photos a three full weeks after the agreed-upon date is a breach of contract. I spoke to my wedding planner about this, and she said that this is not industry standard.
Overall, we were really happy with the photos and we got along well with Keely throughout the day. As stated above, she really made us feel comfortable in front of the camera and got some excellent shots of my husband and I that we’ll cherish forever! However, it’s important to know that when booking with her, you may be dealing with someone less-than-organized who can be unprofessional at times.Brown Stones Photography's reply:
Reviews are important as most of this industry is word of mouth and referrals.
I want to make sure I address the positive experience I had with this wedding and then address the feedback that Cassidy gave.
I had a great time shooting their engagement session as well as the wedding, the day was great, the wedding party was fun and cooperative. We got some great shots and I enjoyed it.
Cassidy is definitely a type A personality, she wanted lots of contact, lots of meetings to go over things. I don't have a problem with that at all, but they weren't my only client. She did have a coordinator who was very nice. I met her on the day of the wedding. She was a friend of the bride, she loved the pictures so well she asked me if she could use them for her portfolio. I don't believe she reached out or I had any contact with her prior to the wedding day.
I looked back at our emails and we never had to move their engagement session, we shot on the day that was planned with a back up rain date. I had asked to move them to our back up date and Cassidy said Ben took off work and she really wanted them done on the original day so I made it work. Not a problem and was happy to do it, but I want to make sure that it's clear from the review that wasn't actually the case.
The engagement session went great, we created beautiful images and both Cassidy and Ben left happy and excited to see the final project.
When it came to the wedding day, I had a zoom meeting with Cassidy in April to create the timeline, I met them the week of the wedding (July) at the venue to walk it and make sure the places I thought to shoot were what they wanted.
I had shot in this venue several times so I was familiar with the venue, the options of where to shoot, lighting etc.
I was mainly going for Cassidy's benefit to do a walk through.
I came to the venue on wedding day prepared and ready to work.
The package did not include an assistant, no where in the package description, contract, or invoice
addresses an assistant at all. There was no charge to the couple in any way for the assistant and I was clear he wasn't a 2nd shooter, he was there to support me.
My assistant for that day was my son, however he isn't a teenager, he's a college student who was 21 years old at the time of the wedding. It really doesn't matter if it were my son or another college student, I believe my son is more dependable than another person that can call and cancel last minute. My son has been on many weddings with me and he does a great job at what I pay him to do, which is assist me.
His duties were to carry my equipment, and help me, he wasn't there to find family members or create groupings. I take full responsibility for creating the groupings, however I do have a place on the questionnaires asking for a family member from both the Bride's side as well as the Groom's to help locate family members, I do this, because I don't know who they are.
There was also the wedding planner there, and in my experience, they help gather family especially for large groups.
Regardless, that was in no way my assistants responsibility.
As Cassidy said in the review we accomplished all of the groupings and completed her shot list.
To be honest from what I am gathering Cassidy expected from reading the review, she really needed the 2 shooter and probably an extra hour or 2 of coverage, I do remember asking her if she wanted a second shooter after looking at the shot list she provided and she said it wasn't in the budget. So I worked really hard to accomplish all she asked.
When she reached out and asked about the images around the 6 week mark, I did say it was running 6-8 weeks and that I go in order of shooting and that I was definitely working on them.
At 8 weeks she emailed her I told her they would be done by the end of that week and I would update her.
I emailed her when they were loading and I sent the link.
I thanked her for her patience, and told her I put a $100 print credit on their gallery, she ordered a canvas. I got it in, and met her at the Studio to pick it up.
She never expressed any issues, or vented any of the issues to me that she has stated in the review, she took the Canvas and said thank you.
I take a lot of pride in my work, I work extremely hard to please my clients. I hand edit every images, I don't batch edit or rush through them, sometimes it takes a little bit more time.
I think the main issue with our interaction was very different personality styles, and there is nothing wrong with that. I Also encourage reviews like this to see where I can do better.
However, I don't accept a label of being unprofessional or less than organized, I believe there was a lack of flexibility on her part, and on my part I should have been more concrete on expectations.
Totally fixable and will make sure I do that in the future.
I have extended my turnaround time for images in my contract to manage expectations, and that is helpful feedback.
The industry standard for turn around varies from 8-12 weeks for photography.
I thought the gift of $100 print credit was my way of making the wrong a right, however I don't believe she received it that way.
So to sum up from Cassidy's review
They got along with me great, the wedding went smooth and I got all the shots that were on her list.
The Shots were edited and delivered beautifully, from the engagement session as well as the wedding.
I made them feel comfortable in front of the camera and the wedding party felt comfortable as well.
The Cons-
Turnaround time
She assumed the assistant was a part of her package, it wasn't
She would have liked more candids
I take this as all positive and will work hard to improve the things I can:)
-
![Erin]()
Erin W. Sent on 11/05/2021Frustration and Regret
Hiring Keely was my biggest wedding regret. She breached contract, was extremely difficult to work with, & the photos I received were nowhere near the work I had paid her for. I hired Keely in Jan of 2020 for our July 2020 wedding, paying in-full up front. Once she had received my payment, communication dropped off. She was flighty with our engagement shoot, ignored my attempts to get on her calendar, and finally I ended up just asking for credit for a future shoot.
When postponing the wedding due to Covid, I let Keely know that we were officially on the venue’s calendar for July 10, 2021, but that we planned to double check with friends and family. I asked that she let us know if the other dates in July started to fill up (as that would impede our ability to change the date further if we needed to.) She confirmed & I did not hear from her again for 9mo.
When I reached out to her in Feb, she told me that she had booked another couple for July 10, citing that I had not signed a new contract, so she had not held the date. She had not sent a new contract, nor told me I would need one. Her only attempt to reconcile was to offer credit for future shoots, and she avoided a phone call to discuss. I politely requested a 75% refund so we could hire someone else, to which I received a defensive reply explaining why this was anyone’s fault but her own. Finally, she agreed to hire an associate to shoot and she would handle editing. I was not allowed input into who she hired, nor would she tell me who it was.
Moving forward, Keely was disinterested and annoyed by having to work with me, despite me being friendly & polite with every interaction. My questions would receive half replies or be ignored. She was constantly forgetting to send things she said she’d send. Despite 3mo of planning, I didn’t receive confirmation on the location of the pre-ceremony photos until the night before the wedding.
On our wedding day, it was revealed that Keely did not hire a second shooter, even though I had been contracted for one, had planned for one, and Keely had confirmed she would send one last year. When questioned, Keely made excuses, saying the contract “meant” something wildly different than what it actually said. I dropped it because I didn’t want her retaliating on my photos. I was told I’d receive sneak peeks at 2wks, and when I hadn’t seen a single photo at 4wks, I reached out and she passive-aggressively told me I needed to wait in line. She finally delivered my photos at 9wks only because I had to ask AGAIN about the status. Seeing the photos, it was clear Keely had either rushed editing or the associate was nowhere near the same skill/quality I had paid for. The exposure, color, and posing were terrible. The flash that was used was so harsh that nearly all the photos taken in the venue looked like they were taken on a disposable camera, despite the room being FILLED with natural light. When I expressed concern, she mysteriously "found" a new folder of photos that were taken without flash.
Even though Keely refuses to admit the photos weren’t of quality, she has still not posted them anywhere, obviously not wanting to associate herself with them. I wanted to avoid leaving this review, however, when I reached out to her to let her know how much stress she had caused me over the last 20 months - instead of apologizing, she instead blocked me various places on social media. She brought a sad frustrated feeling to every one of my wedding photos.Brown Stones Photography's reply:
This is also a great Lesson for both Photographers and Couples. I'm going to trust my gut a lot more next time, if it doesn't feel like you are going to vibe with a couple from the beginning, communication is difficult, you can't seem to get on the same page. WALK AWAY Do not try to negotiate and make a deal with a couple, in this case bride, (I never met or spoke to the groom). It will not work and you are doing both yourself and the couple a disservice. I have been a photographer for almost 15 years, in business for myself for over a decade. I HAVE NEVER HAD A BAD REVIEW Please review my other reviews and I will have a lot more soon. I'm going to take this a learning lesson as well as point out the facts along the way. I hope that any couple reading this now, takes to heart what I'm about to say even if you don't work with me, take it to any vendor you work with on your big day. I have A LOT of experience and I have been in many different situations, and have navigated a really AMAZING career. I love what I do. Let's preface all of this with 2020 was hard on everyone When 2020 Weddings started the process of canceling The wedding industry was in shambles,obviously there were so many things going on, but we just didn't know what to do and there were a lot of learning curves, hopefully we will never have to use again. I definitely handled things differently in the beginning than towards the end of 2020 I had 19 rescheduled weddings, I had some that had to go on the same day, I found Good associates to shoot the weddings so I could shoot another on the same day. I only had to do this for 3 weddings, Erin's being one of them. I want to make perfectly clear, Erin did not get "short changed" Because she had an associate, she was serviced the same way I would have done it if I were there in person. I worked double weddings most weekends to avoid having an associate, but some just had to be done that way. I will never do it in the future, it was more stressful to have to manage all the people for me than it's worth. Lesson Learned. However, when it came to communication with Erin, it was difficult we were not a good match from the start. Erin inquired about 8 hours of coverage and that is my $2500 package. It didn't not include an engagement session and it did not include a 2nd shooter. However, I do have a pay in full discount for 10% off, so I applied that and then too another $250 off because Erin stated that's all she could afford and I was trying to accommodate her budget, another thing I shouldn't have done. She Paid her $2000 I agreed to a 2nd shooter, and an engagement session, again, I was being way too nice. I like doing engagement sessions because it helps me to get to know my couples before the wedding. This would have been extremely helpful in this case. However, we were set to shoot on a Friday, and Erin canceled on May 17th 2020, I told her she could use it whenever, she never mentioned it again. Keep in mind, she didn't pay for it, I just threw it in there. On May 23rd, Erin reaches back out to say that they are trying to figure out if they will cancel, or move their wedding, she talks about how it's incredibly anxiety provoking it is for her and they are having a hard time make choices, I say no problem just keep me in the loop and that I am working on calendar stuff and will give her any available date. On June 21st - I reach out and ask if she has a new plan, she doesn't reply On June 29th- I reach out again, Not trying to bug you but working on calendar. Did you decide to move, or stay or a new date? She replies, said they did postpone and that they are looking at June and July dates for next year. She was clear that nothing was set yet, she was checking with friends and family and then she would get back to me. I sent new contracts to all my "moved 2020" Couples, so the old contract was canceled and when a new date was set, a new contract with transfer of deposit sent. There has to be a paper trail and this was very important for all my clients. I had some clients decide to get married in private on their actual date, Shot those for no cost and again on their rescheduled date. Some couples kept the credit for maternity and newborn and were thrilled I allowed that. On March 22nd 2021 she reaches out and says we decided on July 10th, we should start planning, I say I'm so sorry, that date isn't available for me. She Went 9 months without telling me she moved her wedding, I didn't send a new contract because I hadn't heard from her. She didn't give the common courtesy of letting me know. So I tell her I can find her an associate and I can edit it, she claims to love that idea. Let me preface this as well, no matter when, put 2020 aside, what ever you have paid at the time of cancelation per the contract is forfeited. So I didn't have a contractual obligation to provide any service, find someone else or even entertain this at all. That wouldn't have been the right thing to do, that wouldn't have been a good business practice, even though frankly I was irritated she didn't even let me know she rebooked the Venue or her date. What I was trying to do was avoid a bad review, just get through it, put it behind me and learn to be more selective. So this sends me in a talespin to find an associate, I found one. wrote a contract with the associate, paid her. Gave her all the information Erin had given me. Wrote the EXACT contact with Erin on April 3rd, 2021. Only after she decided to take the associate photographer for the day of her wedding, she knew the entire time before Wedding and before she signed the new contract that she wasn't getting me, She was getting an associate, I gave her, her name and information. I also gave erin the option to use the credit however she wanted if she wanted to go find someone else to shoot her wedding. I would honor the credit with anything else I offered she said no, she wanted the associate. At this point and the previous 9 months Erin has never mentioned an engagement session again, that she didn't pay for, but claims I didn't provide. When I go to set up the associate shooter, Erin seems fine with this, she never mentions needing a 2nd shooter, which is different than an associate, at this point I am just trying to cover her wedding, which again, I don't have to do. I assume Erin understands that having 1 photographer for the day is priority, and Erin doesn't mention it. On the DAY OF THE WEDDING Erin asks my associate to call me and demand a 2nd shooter, said she paid for one, AGAIN, No she did not. I forwarded all the info to my associate well before the wedding, and she didn't see anything either. I go back to her contract, while on the road to my own wedding, I stop look it up, she doesn't have one, because she didn't pay for one. I provide these as line items in the contract. At this Point Erin is just looking for things to throw back at me to make me look bad, be unreasonable, demanding, rude. I check in with my associate several times through out the day, I asked her how things were going, she said very unorganized, lots of issues Erin forgot to address, Erin was blaming everyone else. I said do your best, get through it and we can move on. It was pouring down rain, Erin had planned to get married outside, it needed to be moved in, and this is a Brewery. Lot's of metal tanks, cramped, dark walls and windows on one side of the venue. None of this is what Erin wanted, so once she got the images back, she started picking them apart, her claim that it could have been taken with a disposable camera and my associate shouldn't have used flash are ridiculous. I saw every raw image, I edited all of them, she had to use flash it was completely dark in there. The few I was able to edit with natural light were not what I would consider quality images. She absolutely needed to use flash, it's not her fault Erin's background was a metal beer tank, Erin picked the venue. A photographer isn't responsible for what you put in front of them to photograph, they can only photograph what you provide for them to shoot. We can't change the weather, we can't change the time of day, we can't change your getting ready spaces, we can't change your insecurities. We are documenting what is in front of us with the skill set and technical skills we have acquired. Erin emailed me comparing her images to other images on my social media, they are completely different venues, different details, and not in the same category of weddings. They are just different. My associate shot the wedding the way I would have shot it, Erin just didn't like the end result, and that's not our fault. This is also a good lesson, Photographers see things differently, we see that you like the natural light windows on the day you went had lunch on a bright sunny afternoon, but what if that's not what it looks like on your wedding day? Do you have a back up plan, did you ask your photographer. Does your photographer have off camera lighting? Do they know how to use it? I edited all the images, then at Erin's request went back and re edited some images, she still wasn't happy. Once she received her full gallery and there was nothing else to email me about she wrote a LONG, RUDE, CUSSING, DEGRADING, NASTY email to me. I read down about a quarter of it, when she turned really nasty and cussing and I stopped reading and didn't reply. I knew going round and round with her wouldn't help anything, for me or for her. I would have replied with a simple I'm sorry you feel that way, I did all I could, but I didn't think that engaging at all with her was a good idea. I then blocked her on social media and chalked it up to learning experience that I needed to be more selective with my clients. She and I weren't a good fit from the start, she didn't respect me, she didn't show respect to my associate, the other vendors at her wedding, a couple have reached out to me. I DO NOT take being a wedding photographer lightly, I understand how big of an honor it is to capture this for you and your loved ones. I get butterflies before every one even after HUNDREDS of weddings, I believe I'm at least at the 300 mark for How many weddings I have shot and have gone on to be maternity, newborn and family photographer for my couples, some of my couples I took their senior pictures. I have over a decade of an established business under my belt, I have never had a bad review. I go above and beyond every time and it shows in my other clients. I went above and beyond for Erin to avoid a bad review. Unfortunately, my business relies on word of mouth as a primary source of referrals for new couples, this website is part of that, avoiding a bad review is essential to keeping your business thriving. I have been in the customer service industry for a long time in different roles, I believe I did the best I could with this situation, without sacrificing quality or the integrity of my business. It's ok that she's like that, I just should have read the room, and turned her down as a client. 2020 has taught me a lot about where I want my business to go, so I am thankful for this lesson as well. I'm not a confrontational person, I don't like it, but when I have been directly attacked and something I created and is so personal to me is attacked I have to respond. I wouldn't have ever said a cross word about Erin, I would not gone after her in any way. She came after me on numerous occasions and I took the high road, not responding nastiness with nastiness. I was patient, I was accommodating, I was gracious. I tried to put myself in her shoes. I can't imagine what it was like for my 2020 couples. However, I had 19 rescheduled weddings, only 1 acted like this. Every other wedding, went off without issues, and I really bonded with my couples. I was praised for my flexibility , not taking extra money to shoot their "elopement" before, what ever I could do to make it better for my couples. I was really upset when I got this review, and that right there shows how much I truly value my couples even after how poorly I was treated. If you are reading this as a potential couple for me to photograph, please consider that this is 1 in almost 300, not every wedding has been perfect, but please give me the benefit of the doubt and reach out anyway, I promise to speak up if I feel we aren't a good fit! -
Are you interested?
Send a message
Are you interested?
Send a message