James Ward Fotography (NC)

After a year from our date, I was finally compelled to leave the truth. ----> The gentleman was perfectly nice. He stepped in when my photographer realized two weeks from our wedding that he couldn't do it - and my photographer called and booked James Ward for the event before even calling and letting me know my own guy was out. So, he seemed really nice to step in. THAT ALONE IS WHY HE GETS TWO STARS. I DON'T KNOW WHY HE BOTHERED TO SAY YES, unless he perhaps thought it was a way to book an empty Saturday and make a little money. He took photos, but completely missed taking some MAJOR photos (like of my sister who was my maid of honor - I mean, WTF?). Any staged pics right after the ceremony, I had to choreograph. If I could write "I" in bold, I would. I mean, like I didn't have enough going on without having to think of who to get for the pics and how to have people pose them (aren't professional photographers supposed to have an ability to pose people? Because he had us look like a bunch of jerks, lined up boringly). Needless to say, our photographer's complete lack of creativity means all of our pics are in crappy lame poses. Further, he didn't bother to let us know that shadows from the trees were falling on HALF of our faces in pics, and not on the other half of the people's, so those photos look like my Uncle Bob took them. Nice. Even guests say they noticed that - but HE is supposed to be professional, yet didn't notice this.

Then, it was about 100 degrees, so we stopped taking pics - particularly because he was of no help in getting photos organized or posed, the angles of the photos being taken were bad, and we were bored and ready to get the reception going. So, what happens? An HOUR into our reception, when people are finally dancing and enjoying themselves, he comes and gets me and tells me to get the wedding party and family to go down to the lake so we could take more posed pics. WTF?! So we can waste ANOTHER 45 minutes thinking of poses while you stand there silently and snap an occasional shot?! No thank you!!! I was completely pissed. My husband was even more. We spent A LOT for his time and service, and got jipped. I would have rather posted a Craigslist ad and paid a local art student that money to help him/her start his/her portfolio and STRETCH HIS/HER CREATIVITY, which apparently this "pro" didn't feel he needed to do at all. Then, eight weeks after our wedding, when I had to harass him for the paid-for disc of photos, he showed up 30 minutes late to his own studio, leaving me in the parking lot waiting until he bothered to show up. No call. No nothing. Just late. And again, a shining portrait of unprofessional.

So, there's my story! Better luck to you in your photog hiring! All I can say is I thank God that I have a TON of friends who took photos & shared - many of them took better pics with their camera phones!