I write this review with much thought and mixed feelings.... Let me first way I am not completely…read moredissatisfied with Kona Blue, we do have some really nice shots, but I would not hire her again for a few important reasons and I will just cut to the chase with the pros and cons then elaborate after.
Pros: Affordable (soft of), prompt, friendly and pleasant in person, wedding photos were delivered within 3 weeks of the wedding, were given over 2325 photos
Cons: Very poor editing, quantity over quality, poor customer service when editing issues were brought to her attention, poor eye for details, no effort to make corrections.
Our Package: We did receive a lot of photos but we paid for 7 hours of "professional" photography at $325 an hour and wouldn't expect anything less for that many hours of photography. What we did expect and did not receive, was print ready photos. Nope, much sorting, editing to be done before we can print these, something you expect a professional photographer to do. Several important photos have to be cropped and or lightened up. So many photos would have benefited from her editing them prior to sending to us.
Quantity over Quality for sure!
Lighting issues: I understand lighting is not the fault of the photographer as she states in her contract, HOWEVER, how am I to know there is a lighting issue if she doesn't say a word or suggest a better photo location due to lighting? There were many other options for better lit areas to take these photos. When these issues where brought to her attention her response was that lighting was not her fault (as states in her contract). Really, then do some editing and lighten up the photos you did take before sending them out to the customer!
Cropping issues: We had many formal/portrait photos that either had guests in the background or the other photographer, seriously, the other photographer and these were not candid photos! When this was brought to her attention as I sent her 2 samples (not all of them) her response.... "oh sorry missed cropping that photo" but it wasn't just one it was several. But, then she said that all photos received "basic editing".... how is that possible if you missed several obvious cropping issues? She also said "Bridal portraits received extra editing".... when I asked what the difference between basic and extra editing is I received not response. Very few of the photos received the "extra editing."
Basic Eye for Detail: Many of the candid photos of our guest were of them standing around and the backs of their heads, less than a dozen out of over a hundred, of them actually looking at the camera. Why would you not ask guest to look at the camera on the majority... So many wasted shots. Also, we had a free prop included in the package.... she took very few photos with this beautiful blue chair and the ones she did take, you can barely see the chair, why???
I want to point out that I am the mother of the bride, not the bride. However, I am the one that planned/executed this wedding for my daughter and son-in-law as they lived in No Cal until a month before the wedding that was in So Cal. When we met with Cindy prior to hiring we did discuss her doing the engagement photos and I believe our package offered a discount for that service, however when it came time to take them. She THEN informed my daughter that she doesn't do them on the weekends at all..... HELLO, you know she lives up North why not mention that in the first meeting and ONLY meeting she offers.
Lastly, let me finish by saying there are some really beautiful shots that we did receive. Most of them were included in the sneak peak and added to her site, great! All of them seem to have received the "extra editing".... But, sadly this is only a small portion of the photos we received. Bottom line, had these photos (or at least the majority of them) been professionally edited (received "extra editing"), OR had she offered to do so after this was brought to her attention, this review would have been so different because the majority of our photos would be print ready. But, now I have to go and do her job and edit them before we can print and create the album and it will be quite a bit of work. Not my job, not OK.