My experience with Saoussen and District Photog was nothing short of phenomenal! From start to finish, Saoussen went above and beyond to make my surprise proposal to my girlfriend a complete success.
This past June, my girlfriend (now fiance), Genna, and I made plans to visit Washington D.C. for a long weekend getaway at the end of September. Genna had never been out there and it had been several years since I'd been out there and, as we are both very interested in politics, we were very excited. As the date approached, I knew that I wanted to ask Genna to marry me the Saturday evening we were there. While I am certainly not the brightest bulb on the tree when it comes to planning a proposal, I knew that I needed a photographer to capture the occasion. Since we are from Minnesota, I turned to Yelp to select a photography service out in the DC area. I sent out several requests for pricing to the top-rated photographers and, based on the Yelp reviews I'd seen of her work, the price she quoted me, and her overall response to my request, I selected Saoussen - and couldn't be more glad that I did!
Saoussen was an excellent communicator, who replied quickly to emails and was very professional. She made the booking process very easy and was incredibly helpful about answering all of my "guy" questions. She does require payment in advance (I used PayPal) and requires a signed contract, but she was very responsive to those areas, as well. The contract is very standard, easy to read, and details out what is expected of all parties. The contract requires giving photocredit whenever you post her work to social media, but her work is so good you'll definitely want to give her credit!
Once Saoussen and I had determined the date, time, and location (Lincoln Memorial) of the proposal, and the paperwork/financials were all taken care of, we waited until the big day arrived. On the date of the proposal, Saoussen provided her cell phone number and, again, was very responsive to all texts/calls. She arrived early to the location and was able to scout out the perfect spots for the proposal. I think she could tell I was nervous and that I was terribly uncreative, so I REALLY appreciate her taking control to point out great spots and walk me through how the proposal should go. Genna arrived, I proposed, she said yes, and we were engaged! Saoussen used the remaining time we had after the proposal to do a mini-engagement session around the memorial. She was phenomenal about directing us on what to do, how to pose, etc. She has a great personality and is incredibly easy to interact with, which was perfect for such an intimate event.
Upon completion of the photo shoot, Saoussen let us know that she would send us the first couple pictures within 24 hours! She definitely understands that girls want the pictures up on social media immediately, so Genna was thrilled about that! As we were interacting throughout the photo shoot, Saoussen was great about being friendly. I asked her what plans she had for the remainder of the evening and was very impressed when she told me that she doesn't make other plans on nights she's working - that she just focuses on perfecting her work.
As promised, we had the first several pictures within 24 hours - Genna was absolutely hysterical with how the pictures turned out..they were PERFECT! Saoussen did an absolutely phenomenal job capturing the moment and editing them to perfection. We received the thumb-drive with the remaining photos 30 days later, and the quality of the work was outstanding. She pays remarkable attention to detail and does absolutely beautiful.
I recommend Saoussen/District Photog 100%! read more