While Heather may be a talented photographer, her personal circumstances repeatedly interfered with…read moreher professionalism. As a mother of eight, I understand that family comes first, but when clients pay premium prices, they reasonably expect reliability, timely communication, and respect for their time.
My daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law hired Oats and Honey Photography for engagement and wedding photos. My daughter felt an immediate connection with Heather and believed the higher cost would be worth it. As a young couple in healthcare and students with demanding schedules and limited finances, this was a significant investment. As her parents, we paid the $1,000 deposit to secure the wedding date.
After the contract, deposit, and questionnaire were completed on April 17, communication issues began almost immediately. My daughter repeatedly reached out to confirm receipt of the questionnaire with no response for weeks. When Heather finally replied, location suggestions were outside her service area and would have required additional fees, despite my daughter clearly stating travel and budget limitations.
Heather later suggested locations within range but failed to provide promised example photos. After weeks of silence, my daughter proposed alternative locations, which Heather approved. On June 5, Heather listed June 18 as available and confirmed it. Days later, she reversed this, saying another client had booked the date--despite having already confirmed it with my daughter and waiting three days to notify her.
The session was eventually rescheduled for June 20. After multiple follow-ups, it was confirmed, only to be canceled by Heather less than two hours before the appointment due to an "urgent situation." Given the couple's healthcare schedules, this cancellation was extremely disruptive.
Heather offered to waive a travel fee as a "courtesy," though the contract clearly states travel fees only apply beyond 90 miles round trip. The location was less than half that distance, making this offer misleading.
At this point, my daughter respectfully requested to be released from the contract and refunded the deposit, as no services had been provided at all. Heather refused, insisting she was entitled to keep the $1,000 because the contract was signed. Despite repeated communication failures, scheduling errors, and a last-minute cancellation, Heather showed no flexibility or decency.
Even more upsetting, my daughter received a generic "your session was so beautiful" form email after the canceled session--adding insult to injury. Heather then "released" my daughter from the contract only after securing another wedding for the same date, meaning she lost nothing.
Heather often portrays herself as the victim on social media, but her contract allows her to keep large deposits while providing no services whatsoever. This is not professionalism--it is exploitation. Taking someone's hard-earned money without delivering anything in return is unacceptable and unethical.
