I went against my better judgement and went here to allow a pro-bono photo shoot with my 2 day old newborn on September 29th, 2010. I was solicited by a family member that Evans was looking for a pregnant girl with a close due date, and was willing to schedule something right after the baby was born as soon as possible to get the image he was looking for... I was told the photo's would be used for the women's convention as a giant 8 by 10ft photo drop at the convention center to display their booth, and not only would I be able to get a few complimentary prints, but I would also be given an online password and gallery viewing so I could purchase extra prints.
well... I should start off by saying, I was so happy to be able to do that, I have ALWAYS loved seeing photos done by Evans. I was very pleased by the professionalism of Rod and his staff, during the shoot, I was even asked if they could do a few extra shoots with some props that Rod had purchased, I basically got a free shoot, and in return I would be purchasing the prints through them. After 3 hours at the studio, I was given the information on when I should be receiving a phone call (2 weeks) to let me know when my photo's were done, and what the password would be so I could choose what prints I wanted... I was so excited to see the pictures... after a few weeks I had called once, left a message, and not heard back.. The women's convention was about a week after my first phone call, so I just waited... I got to the convention center, and there were NO pictures of my daughter(they had her laying on the bicep of a body builder).. I was given some excuse that the photo's didn't turn out or he was unable to finish them to his liking.. well bummer, but OK, at least I was still going to get my own copies...
The woman I had been mostly corresponding with prior to this whole ordeal, said she got my messages, and my photo's should be ready by the weekend with sincere apologies, ok well over the next 3 MONTHS, I called maybe 12 to 15 times (about 1 or 2 times a week), each time leaving a message basically asking if there was something I needed to do on my end, and if I could please get my pictures as I would like to purchase them, and I followed each message with an email asking for the same information regarding the other photo's that were taken and how eager I was to purchase prints, so I could put them in our Christmas cards, and well display proudly on my walls and give them to our whole family... It took 3 MONTHS for me to FINALLY get an EMAIL APOLOGIZING FOR THE EXTREMELY LONG RESPONSE TIME, and was provided with an online gallery viewing. ALL OF MY PHOTOS WERE COMPLETELY RAW!!!! I couldn't even see them and none were finished in any way.. they just took a bunch off the memory card and loaded them up to the photo gallery..
I AGAIN sent emails, called and left numerous messages asking if I needed to pic out the specific photo's to be finished, If I needed to purchase them before he would do any work to them, if there was any way I was going to be able to see a "finished product", and that I was getting really frustrated by this whole ordeal.. I just wanted my pictures of my baby!! (I purchased a few through the gallery, never got them either). I never got a response back and finally gave up, I have never been so let down, I think Rod is a VERY talented photographer and I have admired his work for YEARS... don't let the charm fool you. they are unprofessional, they do not return phone calls, and I would NEVER recommend ANYONE to have to deal with that... Never have I EVER been so disappointed by a photographer... It's not a good thing If I am wondering, had I been a paying for the shoot as well as the prints, maybe(HOPEFULLY) I would have experienced better treatment..
ETA- January 2012.
After posting this review, I was contacted by a staff member from Evan's in an effort to right some of the wrong doing. I was offered ONE complimentary picture (8x10) valued around 127$. I went in and was finally able to see some of my photo's. I purchased TWO more 8x10's I had to pay full price out of pocket for to be able to enjoy them. I love the photos, I think the editing job was exceptional. Unfortunately, it was pretty clear, my review was the main concern, with the desired outcome for me to remove it. My Daughter is now 16 months old, and I am just now able to enjoy at least 3 of the many photos that were taken over a year and a half ago. The staff member I was working directly with, had a very professional attitude, and made every effort to return any calls in a timely manner. I'm still very disappointed about the time, and frankly the cost as well. After all this time, I expected a little more concern with client relations and a little less with public image.
In conclusion, I am now finally able to enjoy some beautiful photographs of my daughter. I sincerely appreciate, regardless of the reason, getting a somewhat positive outcome. read more