Are you fine with waiting an entire year after your wedding to get your wedding album? If not, don't hire Alexander. I spoke with dozens of photographers in the DC/MD/VA area and 4-6 months is the normal turnaround. My review is long, read below if you want the details but at the end of the day, do you want to wait an entire year to get your album when you can get it in 4-6 months from a photographer who's just as talented?
I almost didn't go with him. He offered to accept another photographer's photography package in order to get my business. It was a lower price than what he charges so I'm wondering if that's why my album fell through the cracks.
He asked me 2 weeks after the wedding if I could leave a 5 star review for him-I hadn't even seen all the pictures! Thank God I didn't leave a review at that time because then I couldn't have included what actually happened.
The actual wedding went fine and the website with my pictures got up January 8. I emailed him twice, the day after the pictures were up and about 10 days later asking how many pictures I could choose for the album. He didn't respond until after the second email. I gave him my selection by the end of January. Mid-April I asked what was the status of my album-no response. Again the end of May-no response. Again the beginning of June. He finally responded to that email saying the layout would be ready to approve the next week. I didn't get the album layout until 2 weeks later. I emailed him the next day to say I approved it and asked when the album would be finished-no response. Again the end of August-no response. His excuse for being unresponsive was personal issues and lots of traveling. I've seen his smartphone-he could've easily sent me an email telling me he was traveling and would get back to me later.
For some reason, he texted my mom the beginning of September telling her the album would be ready right before Thanksgiving-even though I was the one he'd been communicating with for months. She told him to contact me. I called him because getting the album almost a year after the wedding (got married December 7) is not acceptable. We had a long heated discussion and he thought a year was perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately it wasn't in my contract when it would be finished. The 6 months he lists on his Wedding Wire profile is only for small albums so be aware-if you go with him, include in your contract when the album will be finished. He offered a bunch of extras to make me happy but I wanted either my album or my deposit. He said he could get my album to me by the end of October-it didn't happen.
I contacted about 70 photographers in the area about what's a normal timeframe- everyone was shocked that it took him so long. The normal amount of time seemed to be 4-6 months. One photographer even pointed out that Alexander's Facebook page is full of albums from corporate events and bridal shows-only a handful of weddings. You know how all the bridal magazines say you need to pick a photographer who specializes in weddings? I found out how true that was the hard way.
I finally got my album 3 weeks shy of my one year anniversary and it's nice but talent wise, it looks exactly the same as every other photographer I interviewed. You might read this and think I'm just a disgruntled bride (that's what I would've thought) but are you going to risk waiting almost an entire year to get your album when you can go with another just as talented photographer (and probably cheaper) and get your album in an acceptable amount of time? read more