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LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!

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JoelsPrettyPres... Posts : 41 Registered: 12/2/09
LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 9:58 AM

Ok being that when I first got in engaged in October I was constantly on the internet looking at wedding items, I immediately found a photographer I loved, I mean absolutely LOVE. Her work is so amazing, it is the exact style I enjoy and wanted my wedding photos in. Plus she was local to the Prescott area which meant no insane travel fee's! So of course I sent her an e-mail with all my wedding information as per the instructions on her website, this was in October.

I never heard back from her, I was disappointed at first, then I just assumed something had gone wrong with the site maybe, or maybe it was because I changed my cell number. Never the less I cast it off as an accident and just figured our date was two years out so I could wait to contact her again. None the less I knew I still wanted her and only her for my photographer.

But me being me I eventually get nervous, I like booking early, it makes me feel safe about the things that are important to me with the wedding, if it's booked now I know I'll have it then. Not to mention everyone keeps telling me because of our date we should book early, so add that in to my stress. So a week ago I am telling Joel (my fiance') my worries that I won't get this particular photographer I disparately want, he hugs me, kisses me on the forhead and says he has $1,200 to put toward my photographer that I am in love with so why not just book her now so I wont be stressed out or feel like I'll lose the date to someone else.

Of course I am thrilled with this! I imediatly hop online and again fill out her questioner, and this time, just to be sure, I leave her a voice mail on her business line. Within moments I recieved an e mail from her, it was an automatic e mail saying she would contact me within 48 hrs. Well again that was a week ago, haven't heard a thing from her, by phone or e mail.

I really do love her work, I have seen hundreds of other photographers, met with a many, and she is the one. There is only a close second, but he is located in Scottsdale and charges two times what she does for the same services! He will also charge us for the travel to Prescott and since I want a full day of coverage he needs a hotel too! (but thats what pretty much all the ones in the valley said) I don't want to sound close minded but the pickings are slim for a good wedding photographers in Prescott. And honestly that photo journalistic, capturing moments when no one is looking, style she has (and the guy in Scottsdale have) is all I can see for my wedding photos. It is odd because on her site and facebook she seems so involved in her brides and the weddings she shoots, her kudos from other brides are amazing! So why not me? Did I say something wrong on my questioner? Or is it because our date is 9-10-11? Maybe she has booked it? Or maybe she doesnt book that far out, either way I think she should tell me.

What would you ladies do? My photos are VERY important to me so is this something I should fight for or just give up on?

Don't make a man a PRIORITY when he sees you as an OPTION. (my advice to any woman at any age in life)

september_2011 , prescott_arizona , photographer
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CheetahAngel Posts : 2,017 Registered: 11/29/08
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 10:54 AM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

Send the photographer one more email or call one more time. Perhaps she is very busy. But if you try one more time and you still haven't heard anything then forget about it. This photographer isn't serious about her work if she can't contact you back. Would you really want someone like that on your wedding day? Not me.


CIMG7482-1.jpg picture by CheetahAngel81

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september_2011 , connecticut , prescott_arizona , photographer , october_2010
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MagicalMomentsP... Posts : 742 Registered: 3/6/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 12:33 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

Congratulations on your engagement. There can be many reasons you are not being contacted. Some of them acceptable (ie. illness) and others not acceptable at all. Some photographers ask a couple their budget for photography on a web inquiry form. Then if the budget is not within the photographer's price range, the inquiry is ignored. I'm not saying that is the case here, but it is one possible reason. You can take a look around the photogapher's web site to see what the minimum investment will be. However, from your comments about price, I get the feeling you are already aware of the pricing. If you would like to send me a private message with the photographer's name and contact info, I will see if it is possible to reach out to her. In this crazy world of known as wedding photography, your photographer may belong to one of the same forums or associations to which I belong. No matter what, please don't take this as a reflection of yourself but rather that of the photographer.

Howard Kier, Certified Professional Wedding Photographer

Magical Moments Photography


prescott_arizona , photographer , september_2011 , illinois_chicago
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myras Posts : 396 Registered: 2/26/10
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 2:04 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

I would not work with any vendor who does not hop on the stick and get back to you. Life's too short to spend time being aggravated about your vendor's lack of communication.
myra@classysassyweddings.com

september_2011 , photographer , prescott_arizona , november_1975
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Bride2008 Posts : 3,059 Registered: 3/28/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 2:20 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

I am with Myra. Personally, the whole thing is a HUGE red flag to me. I don't trust any vendor that doesn't get back to you in a reasonable amount of time. Frankly, I don't like any vendor who asks you to email as an initial contact. I prefer to make a phone call, schedule an appointment and sit down with someone face to face.

I understand your budget concerns and that you are intrested in a specific style, but I would keep looking. The fact that she has great shots on her website would mean nothing to me if she didn't get back to me. The lack of contact is completely unprofessional.

Let's say you do manage to get this person and she does the pictures for your wedding. What happens if she goes MIA when it is time for you to get the proofs/prints or albums?

 

new_york_metro , prescott_arizona , photographer , september_2011 , october_2008
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JoelsPrettyPres... Posts : 41 Registered: 12/2/09
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 10:09 AM Go to message in response to: Bride2008

It saddens me to say that your all right. At this point I wouldn't even want her to cover my wedding. I feel snubbed, like my wedding isn't good enough or some BS. My fiance wants to call her business line again and leave a message stating his unhappiness with her business practices and so on. I don't even see the need. I mean there is some reason she has chosen me specificaly not to respond to, and so be it.

However as I said the pickings are very slim in Prescott, I mean how would you like to chose from only three wedding photographers? I just think its wierd because budget wasnt an issue, we were prepared to pay quite a bit. And now are going to have to! I am still searching and asking family that lives up there but it is looking like we will be getting a photographer from Phoenix or Scottsdale. Which means paying photographer fees, paying for their hotel room, food, and travel fees. I am very unhappy right now.

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september_2011 , arizona , october_2008 , prescott_arizona , photographer
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FutureMrsDJLeo Posts : 616 Registered: 2/26/09
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 12:14 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

I would just give up on her and say to my self that it's her loss, not mine. You contacted her twice, and she can't even send an email saying "Sorry I haven't gotten back to you, I will in X amount of time to discuss your wedding".

One other thing you pointed out is that you've met with other photographers and not her, who knows, maybe if you even did get to meet with her, she wouldn't be what you want. Her photographer style might be, but she might be very rude (which I would already say sense she can't even email you back), she might be very unprofessional in person, she might dress trashy (which is something you wouldn't want at your wedding). The list could go on. There's so many things to booking a photographer besides just what their final product is. What if she has no back up camera, or no assistant to shoot your wedding if she was unable to make it at the last minute?

There's still a ton of other photographers out there and many different ways to find them. Have you tried craigslist? Maybe even try a local art school who will have students that you can use with a huge discounted price. Ask around to others who have gotten married who they used. Don't worry, you WILL find the perfect photographer for your wedding, just keep an open mind in ways to find them.

One thing too, I know your wedding is a 1.5yrs away, and in my experience some vendors don't take people seriously when their wedding is further away. One time I went looking for dresses and told a place my wedding was 2years away, the owner of the shopped asked me if I was just "playing around"! Of course, she definitly didn't get my business, or that much more for that matter because she closed down last summer. I really hope this isn't the case with this photographer, but you never know.

june_2010 , prescott_arizona , illinois_chicago , september_2011 , photographer
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JoelsPrettyPres... Posts : 41 Registered: 12/2/09
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 2:01 PM Go to message in response to: FutureMrsDJLeo

Thanks MrsFutureDJ,

I never thought of that last part before, and your probably right, it's probably because my date is so far off. I have run into this before, becasue I am an early planner and very meticulous about payment or payment schedules I plan early, which means I start looking early. But some vendors miss the point that I also BOOK early too. I'm ready with down payments, just because my date is far off shouldn't really be relevant.

My ceremony venue and reception venue didnt find it at all odd, they were thrilled to get a deposit and have business for that date. So the way I see it at this point is she lost out on about $4,000 of business and I'll find someone just as good with a better attitude who wants to shoot my wedding like you said.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

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june_2010 , prescott_arizona , photographer , september_2011 , arizona , illinois_chicago
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MagicalMomentsP... Posts : 742 Registered: 3/6/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 2:12 PM Go to message in response to: FutureMrsDJLeo

Hello,

I just got off the phone with the photographer in question. She seemed genuinely surprised somebody was trying to contact her and was having such problems. We are not sure what is happening because the photographer in question stated she does not use an auto responder for her contact form. She likes the personal touch. I have passed along the photographer's e-mail and phone number to the OP via PM.

As I work through this, I wonder if perhaps the OP somehow got on the wrong website. If that is the case, I would strongly urge the OP to make sure to meet with the photographer before booking to make sure they are the photographer who's work they just love. I would hate to have you come back to this forum after your wedding to say the work you saw was not the work you received. Better safe than sorry.

Please let us know what happens after you attempt to contact the photographer with the information I provided to you in the PM. I wish you the best of luck.

Howard Kier, Certified Professional Wedding Photographer

Magical Moments Photography


june_2010 , september_2011 , prescott_arizona , photographer , illinois_chicago
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MagicalMomentsP... Posts : 742 Registered: 3/6/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 2:28 PM Go to message in response to: MagicalMomentsP...

Another thought to consider. Sometimes the most innocent of mistakes can lead to assumptions and hurt feelings. Technology is great -- when it works properly. The problem is we assume it will always work correctly and that is not always the case. A browser setting can cause scripts to malfunction. A simple typo in an URL can cause a user to visit the wrong web site. If you are lucky, it is obvious from the instant the page loads. But other times, it is not so obvious. Does anybody know how many variations there are on my studio name, Magical Moments Photography? I know of a couple in the Chicago area alone. There is Magic Moments Video, Magical Moment Event planning, etc. I'm sure there are a couple more I'm not even aware of. The point being, a use could very easily end up on their site instead of mine if they were not careful. In fact, I discovered one such name variation because a wedding magazine sent me the wrong material. Material meant for the other company.

At this point, since I have actually spoken to the photographer (which the OP specified in her PM to me) and she wants to speak with the OP, can we please reserve judgement until after the OP attempts to reach the photographer with the contact info I obtained and passed along to the OP?

Howard Kier, Certified Professional Wedding Photographer

Magical Moments Photography

september_2011 , photographer , june_2010 , prescott_arizona , illinois_chicago
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JoelsPrettyPres... Posts : 41 Registered: 12/2/09
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 2:38 PM Go to message in response to: MagicalMomentsP...

Thank you Magic moments,

I am VERY confused as well because the e mail adress you sent me is the very one I have saved in my address book, and that I recieved the automatic response from. I really don't know how it couldn't be her site, it had her story, location, portfolio, a link to her blog which I looked over and she updates regularly, so I don't know what to think about that.

Nevertheless I will attempt to speak with her in person only because I do love her work and you have put effort into this for me, I hope she is as genuine as you said. Thanks again for checking into this for me I very much appreciate it.

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june_2010 , prescott_arizona , photographer , september_2011 , arizona , illinois_chicago
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MagicalMomentsP... Posts : 742 Registered: 3/6/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 3:19 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

I hope you two can figure this out. There are always two sides of the story and I'm hundreds of miles away trying to make sense of this. In addition, I'm attempted to relay info from one to another which always adds to the confusion. I just hope the two of you can communicate and get come to a conclusion. Since the photographer is aware you are on the Brides.com forum(I mentioned it to her), she will take better care of you.

Howard Kier, Certified Professional Wedding Photographer

Magical Moments Photography


prescott_arizona , arizona , june_2010 , september_2011 , photographer , illinois_chicago
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StoneBaker2010 Posts : 1 Registered: 1/26/10
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 3:36 PM Go to message in response to: JoelsPrettyPres...

I can totally relate. You are loving her work and think it would be a perfect match. I have found that sometimes, these vendors don't reply if you don't have a wedding planner. Have someone contact her on your behalf stating that they have an event company and would like to find out her availability for your date...It can't hurt at this point, since she's not responding. Hope you get in touch!!

september_2011 , prescott_arizona , photographer , northern_california , october_2010
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auntofthebride Posts : 9,357 Registered: 4/2/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 27, 2010 8:33 PM Go to message in response to: StoneBaker2010

Dear SB,

" Have someone contact her on your behalf stating that they have an event company and would like to find out her availability for your date..."

Um, no. First, you don't want to start your relationship with your vendor based on something untrue. Second, the vendor probably knows the event planners in town already.

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MagicalMomentsP... Posts : 742 Registered: 3/6/06
Re: LOVE this wedding photographer!! But she won't contact me!
Posted: Mar 28, 2010 4:27 PM Go to message in response to: auntofthebride

SB,

Um, what am I, chopped liver? I've already arranged the introduction. Now it is upto the two parties to make it work.

Howard Kier, Certified Professional Wedding Photographer

Magical Moments Photography


illinois_chicago
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