Tuesday, August 24, 2010

It's always sad when a 'professional' disappoints

So we had family photos done by a photographer who was selling a discounted sitting fee at a home show in the Spring.  And when I say family, I mean my little family and my whole extended family.  My sister and her two kids, my three brothers and one nephew and my parents.  AND one of my brothers with his wife and son came out from Alberta. 

SO,  we show up and the 'studio' is in her shed, which is a good size and clean and furnished etc. No problems there but, it's hot as h*ll! Mid July and no air conditioning??  Not fun.  To start she decided to quiet the kids all two and under by yelling EVERYONE BE QUIET!  I'm seriously shocked that they didn't start crying.  So I'm already not happy but out of respect for my parents I zip it.  So then we're taking photos and she is SOOOOOO slow to take a photo and uber picky that the kids can't possibly stay still and are crying and sweating and really really hot.  Also my sister is two weeks post partum with a messy cesarean section, she was very uncomfortable to say the least. 

Anyhow we took some outside after everyone had to go outside to cool off lol.   So a few weeks later my parents go to view the photos at her studio and the experience is odd.  The photos are washed out and all in black and white, she makes a big deal about putting them in colour.  We all know it's a freakin' button now a days.  Eventually they agree to buy  A LOT so she'll put them on her website so my brother in Alberta can see them. 

So I go to check them out online and they are so washed out I honestly can't even tell where my arm ends and the white background starts let alone facial expressions.  The kids faces are all crying...which SHE offered to photo shop in their faces from another photo.  And the large family ones are so pixilated I can't even make the facial expressions.  So we send her some less than happy emails and she fixes the washout.  Only to find out the outside photos have been photoshopped using an inside photo and put outside then manipulated to fit the location.  And my brothers faces are all distorted.  I mean like almost Goonies monster distorted.  Give me a break.  By now I was actually laughing.

I can't even begin to go through all the other small things I had problems with but if anyone happens to be in the GTA  avoid 'As it happens photography' in Mississauga.  I refuse to pay for any of the photos even though my kids ones turned out great.  I'm so angry she stole the opportunity for us to have photos with my brothers family when they were down from Alberta and I WILL be posting negative reviews on all photography sites I can find.  I would be mortified if she was my wedding photographer and I want to save some other family from the disappointment.  Sometimes it boggles my mind how some people work so hard not to do the job they present themselves to do.  Pathetic!

And some photos just cause :D