It's been almost a year since my wedding day and I am finally getting to post this review. The…read morereason this has taken me so long is because it makes me physically sick to look at or think about my wedding photos. I also had to shorten this significantly to post.
PROS-Very responsive and replies promptly to inquiries and emails. She had our pictures ready even sooner than she said she would. Her website, questionnaires, and contracts are all very professional and user-friendly. Unfortunately, the positives of working with Jasmin end there.
My wedding day was perfect. The only regret I have is hiring Jasmin as my photographer. I look back on my wedding day and remember the stress and sadness that she caused me, and all the very special moments that she failed to capture. My honeymoon and many days after my wedding were spent crying over my wedding photos, or lack thereof.
After researching shots and poses I knew I wanted on my wedding day, I filled out Jasmin's shot list questionnaire. Most of the shots on her list were basic shots that any wedding photographer would know to take. She said in an email to me, "I will probably capture more than what is on this list, but if time is tight, this will give me an idea of what to really focus on." We barely got any of the shots from the shot list. Not once during the day did Jasmin or her assistant take out the shot list and look at it. As the bride, I should not have had to worry about the shots on my list. I should have been care free.
Mostly every important shot I asked for was missed. I'm not talking about random pictures of me with my third cousin. Jasmin did not even get me (the BRIDE) walking down the aisle with my father. She blamed it on the sun at first, and then when I said other people were able to capture some with their cellphones, she blamed it on the aisle and said she would've tripped if she tried to get in front of me. There were two photographers. One should've been in the front of the aisle and one at the end. A professional photographer would be able to capture the bride in any setting, any lighting, especially an outdoor summer wedding. There is no excuse for this. She also missed our actual first kiss. Some other important shots that were missed that I specifically asked for are: bride pinning boutonniere on father, bride with groomsmen, groom with bridesmaid, separate formal photos of groom's parents. There are only a couple of pictures of me by myself and they are all terrible quality. There are no formal groom pictures as I asked. There are no groom pictures with each groomsmen as I asked. There are only a handful of pictures of the bride and groom and they are all taken on a dirt patch with weeds everywhere. None of them are frame-worthy. I had to physically chase Jasmin down during the groom's dance with his mother because she was off taking pictures of the guests. This is all caught on video. You can see the look of panic on my face while I should've been enjoying this special moment. There is also photo evidence of Jasmin looking down at her camera or out a random window during some of the most special and opportune times to take a photo. A bride shouldn't have to think about her shot list or where her photographers are during her wedding day. She should be able to enjoy the day while all of these moments are captured without her knowing.
We had fireworks which the photographers were well-aware of. They went outside about 45 minutes prior to the fireworks to "set up." About 15 minutes before the fireworks, the groom and I went out to take some night time portraits. Jasmin didn't include any of these in my final photo delivery. When I asked, she gave me a hard time and said they were test shots. Finally, she gave me a few which were horrible quality and look like they were shot with a cellphone. She completely missed getting any good shots of my husband and I during the fireworks even though she knew about them and went out to "prepare." We stood still hoping she was getting some great shots and after they were over, I went up and asked if she got some great photos. She said she didn't. As I was about to burst into tears, the finale came on, and I shouted for Jasmin to take a quick photo. Luckily, she was able to get that ONE out of the entire firework display.
I sent Jasmin a multi-page review in hopes that she would try to somehow rectify the situation. We can't go back and redo our wedding day so we will never have these important pictures, but I was hoping for at least some consolation. I still can't stand to look at my photos. The few people I've showed (including other professional photogs) are shocked by how many standard wedding shots two photographers missed.
So finally, a year later, I am getting this off of my chest. Not only did she ruin my wedding photos, but she ruined a lot of the good memories of my wedding day. Hopefully, she learned her lesson from this disaster of a situation and hasn't ruined any more weddings.
