We wrote our initial review immediately after our photo session, which went well. Svetlana said that if we left good reviews, she would provide a quick turn around on some edited photos. However, when we returned for the 'ordering appointment,' things changed quickly.
She was very rigid in the process of selecting photos. We had to go through each photo and decide whether that particular photo was a 'yes,' 'maybe,' or 'no'- A sales tactic where you inevitably pick maybe on most of the photos, then have to buy all of them. I suggested to preview the group of pictures with similar outfits and backdrops to pick the one I liked most out of them to save us time (since we were on a strict budget), but she refused. When discussing the packages, she kept insisting that we should get all of the images because the baby will never be that small again (we took them at 6 weeks old) and "look, she's already 12 weeks and looks completely different." We asked if we could purchase some pictures now, then buy more later after saving up, but she said the images would be deleted after a week. After nearly 3 hours of this, she wanted me to just get cash to pay and rushed me out the door, saying it took longer than she expected and she needed to eat lunch. At this time, I was 12 weeks postpartum with a nursing baby.
We were also never informed that the indoor and outdoor shoot were separate packages, so we couldn't combine the images into one package for the proposed 'deal.' We also wanted to only purchase digital images since we don't currently have much space for printed images, but the deal required prints (e.g. 20" mounted print for $600, 6 x 6 triplex for $800... these are the lowest price points...) and she wouldn't allow us to substitute digital images for prints.
All in all, we paid just under $5,000 for 33 digital images, a 5X7 wooden box and a 20" mounted print. The predatory and coercive tactics left me feeling defeated and upset. It is partially my fault for not asking detailed questions about pricing prior to engaging (the only reason why I put 2 instead of 1 star)- I just never imagined that it would go this way.
I understand that art is valuable, but businesses should be transparent, especially with people who are in a vulnerable space. We paid $9000 for our wedding photos by an amazing artist who spent two full days in different cities with us, along with 2 additional support photographers, and were provided with hundreds of incredible digital images. And his art is modern and resonates!
If you're willing to pay at least $5k, this might work out. If not, be prepared to be treated like a second class citizen. When I returned for the ordering session, Svetlana emailed me 40 minutes before, asking to push back the appointment. I was already on the way there and had to make arrangements to be there with an infant waiting for me at home. To accommodate her request, I told her I didn't mind waiting a bit if needed. She ended up getting there 30 minutes after our scheduled time (the time she wanted to push the appointment back to) in a robe because she was at the pool. This, in and of itself, epitomizes our experience with Svetlana- patronizing, aggressive and brazenly self-interested. read more