photography and video

OK, so I'm not a newlywed, but I have a question that only you newlyweds can answer. It seems that when people post reviews of their photography and video it is usually before they get their proofs and the final product back, they usually just say that they were great to work with, and many don't post after that. If some of you can give your honest opinions about how satisfied you were with your photo and video end result, it would really help me, and of course, which vendors you used, if you feel comfortable answering.
Thanks ladies!

Re: photography and video

FM

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I think that most people who liked their photographers come back to post a few pics at least (or a few hundred as in my case) and rave about the photographers. The ones that never come back are either: a) unhappy but dont want to make a stink about it for a variety of reason or b) at least not thrilled with the results since they dont want to share their photos.

I dont know any bride that got her photos back and were happy with the results but then never said another peep about her photographer.

Also keep in mind that LIW is a business, not a charity, and if someone posts something overtly negative about one of the sponsors - it might not stay around for long enough for you to search on it years later.

So my answer is that if you do a search on a particular photographer and you dont get much back it means they have not been used much by the girls on this board or you might want to think twice about booking them b/c no one wants to come back and say something negative.

That said - i highly recommend my photographer (Mark Kauffman's studio - lynn and jodi photographers) and Wild Rose Video.

Sorry to ramble.

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i think i kinda disagree with stef in that not all brides who loved their photographers post pics. this is the internet and some people don't necessarily want their pics all over the web. i am a past bride who has posted pics and love my pics (JoVon), but i have also know brides who shared their photos with me in person, bc they weren't very comfy in posting them. some people have very public professions and it wouldn't be acceptable to have their personal wedding pics on an internet site. that doesnt mean they wouldnt give a great written review though!

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Joeslauren: You are right. I guess i meant that if they were happy about their pics, they would want to tell everyone how happy they were. In any case - a simple search would find those people with or without posted photos.

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Absolutely. A search is your best bet and a sure thing.

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Stef, I did not mean that nobody posts reviews after getting their proofs but I just don't see that many reviews after they get their pics/video back. This is I am sure for many reasons; they are busy, many don't return to the site after posting their reviews, many have concerns about privacy, and many don't want to badmouth their vendor. However, IMO, it would be helpful to many of us brides to be if people would be more willing to post negative reviews. JMO
Edited to say, a lot of the photos that you do see are taken with a friend's cam or film camera, and are not the pofessional pics.

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Ladies, I will take your advice about the search, but if someone does not post their review I will not know if it is because they are just too busy or they were not satisfied?

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i would start by compiling a list of pg's you are interested in... jovon, kauffman, patken, imagine, spelman, vip, etc. plug in the names into a search with words the words 'proofs' or 'pictures' and take it from there! people tend to use these words in theire reviews... you'll find a TON! other than that, i would just check into the newlywed board now and again bc people are constantly posting about their beautiful pics (with or without pix).. if that is what you really wanna see.

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Joes:No question - but ive seen a lot of the negative review 'disappear' leaving just the good ones behind the rest of the people afraid to post a negative review. Sort of the nature of using a board that is free - someone has got to pay and that someone is exactly who the negative stuff is about in some cases.

Jess: The people too busy to post a review are probably not on the board at all anymore. Some people just come on this board for info and never return to share it.

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Lauren, I probably should check the newlywed board more often. Thanks for the advice!

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Stef, I am sure you are right about negative posts disappearing; this is a business

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stef - u're right... if they are remotely negative, it will get pulled so that doesn't help any. but i think if you see the same work and hear the same reviews over and over of the same pg's.. you get a general feeling of the pg's service. overall, all of our pg's have gotten bad reviews for one reason or another so....

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You could not be more right. Photography is such a matter of opinion too...there is no one 'right' one...there tons of good and tons of bad and everything in between.

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Also, I think budget needs to come into plan too. I looked around, did searches by name and then FMd people too. I always get FMs asking me for information about the photographers I used (Mark Kauffman Studio, Wild Rose Video) and even the ones I met with while making my decision. FMs are a great way to get 'real' info too.

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Ladies, if anyone is uncomfortable posting a response on this thread then you can forum mail me.