I wasn't going to write a review…read more
In April 2024, I "Won" a "free" boudoir shoot on FB. I accepted, to celebrate my 30th birthday, even though I live over an hour away. Everyone was lovely. I had a lot of fun and felt pampered. It was wonderful, but that changed when it was time to book a follow-up.
The session was "free" and came with one print - I assumed low-res digital pics were included. I had checked the website, but couldn't find pricing - I would've never thought to look at a page called "investments," I'm not an investor. Even then, it's not clear that you can't get ANY digital copy of the photos you don't get printed unless you pay specifically for high-res photos. Especially since I know industry averages, I was stunned and disheartened when they handed me a rate sheet, but at the time I still hoped I could get the digital photos without paying an arm and a leg.
If they didn't choose me because my FB shows I'm sentimental and value the arts, they got lucky. They reeled me in and put me in a situation where I had no good options. I had to book another appointment to see the photos, beautifully arranged in a video with an empowering song. They were AMAZING! I had to decide then and there - pay $1300 (including a $100 fee for not being able to pay in full immediately..seriously??) to get all the digital photos in high res, or any number of very pricey options to only get some photos. Any I didn't choose would be deleted at the end of 2024 and I'd never see them again. There was no option to get lower-res files, proofs, etc. for cheaper. If I had known, I would have never even booked the shoot.
I started the payment plan, which was a significant financial burden due in part to the fact that it had no flexibility for length and had large bi-weekly payments, meaning one month would have 3 massive payments. I couldn't get the photos until I had paid in full.
A couple months later, I got an offer to transfer my payment plan to an online pay-later platform, which I gladly accepted - it made the length of the plan longer but the monthly payments more reasonable. This change allowed me to receive the photos in June. I paid it all off early in Feb 2025.
The customer service and the work was amazing, but I definitely felt mislead by the fact that I "won" something for "free" and ended up only being able to get the product by spending almost 4 months' rent on something I would not have even wanted if I hadn't been told I "won" it for "free." They talk about empowering people and lifting them up but it was the opposite for me.
I chalked it up to a learning experience. I wasted a LOT of gas and money, but I had the photos and would be more careful in the future. I decided to move on with my life, remove myself from their FB group, unfollow the business page, and wash my hands of the situation, not even bothering to leave a review.
Until today. Months after I'd already paid off the plan, I received a text AND an email from the studio telling me that for 24 hours only, I could get ALL of my photos (that I'd paid $1300 for) from 2024 (that were supposed to have already been deleted) for $89. I would've been annoyed to receive any communication from them at this point, but THIS was cruel. I was embarrassed about having been fooled until now - now I'm just angry. I was lied to and misled in a number of ways.
I'm writing this to warn people. If you found this place through a social media contest, remember that "if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is." If you're considering them for your paid photography - they do amazing work and are lovely, but you can find more honest business practices and better prices elsewhere. This business ran a sucker scheme that is as close as you can get to a scam without actually being one. I fell for it, thought it was over, but they had to insult me one final time. I had decided to be quiet and let it go, but now I'm going to make sure to warn people as much as I can.