Lisa and Nathaniel came to our home to meet with us in September of 2016. At our meeting, Lisa and Nathaniel explained they are a team of three including their daughter. Following our meeting, we decided to book West Photography in September of 2016 in anticipation of our wedding scheduled in September of 2017. Besides liking the pictures they showed us, we wanted a photographer who could provide us videography (wedding video) of our wedding day. On our wedding day, Lisa, Nathaniel, and a lady showed up. I enthusiastically greeted them and introduced myself to the lady I hadn't yet met. Nathaniel and Lisa explained to me that they had had a falling out with their daughter and they had brought a friend along in their daughters place. They were confident in stating this particular friend had assisted in the past. Nathaniel was taking the majority of pictures throughout the day. Lisa and their friend mainly stood on the side lines, while Lisa appeared agitated and often complaining to the friend. Lisa's frustration looked to be mainly directed at Nathaniel although she was unfriendly to everyone she encountered and never smiled the entire event. I had some perfume in the bathroom while getting ready. One of my bridesmaids had smelled the perfume. I stated that the perfume was something new I had purchased for the day and it smelled differently than day than I had anticipated. Irritated with a scrawl on her face, Lisa blurted out "That's what I wear!" Nathaniel was very passive in organizing the wedding party for photos, again while two additional assistants stood on the side lines chatting leaving me wondering why three people were needed. I as the bride felt I had to often direct the bridal party to line up for many of the photos. The pictures did capture the wedding party and family with very limited poses. I have one pose with me and mother who was also the maid of honor. Also, there is only one pose with me and my father. In December of 2017, I requested a few wedding photos for our Christmas card. Nathaniel obliged with several pictures via Dropbox. We spent several months contacting Nathaniel via telephone, text message, and instant message on Facebook to request the remainder of our photos. Nathaniel kept insisting that we obtain our pictures from Dropbox. After several months of not receiving all of our pictures, I contacted Dropbox. Per Dropbox, we needed to pay additional money for enough storage to upload the remainder of our pictures. After collaborating with Nathaniel, he sent us $30.00 via PayPal to upgrade our account in order to receive the remainder of our pictures. We have received all of our wedding photos in March 2018. West photography reassured us multiple times via multiple avenues that he would get out wedding video to us. Starting February 5th, 2018 Nathaniel stated he would send us a DVD of our wedding video, which we never received. At this time, Nathaniel instructed us to continue to check Dropbox, stating via instant message on Facebook "There's a reason I use Dropbox." At this time, I offered to pick up the video from Nathaniel in Mattoon, Illinois; Nathaniel assured us the video would be uploaded to Dropbox, which never occurred. May 7th, 2018, Nathaniel stated IM via FB "I will just send them via UPS or the postal service. I prefer to require a signature for delivery, but I don't have to if you won't be around." I assured Nathaniel I would be happy to sign for the video, which we never received. I approached Nathaniel again on May 31st by instant message on Facebook, when he offered to drive the video to our residence. My husband spoke with Nathaniel via telephone and requested Nathaniel mail the video due to the 90 minute drive; which had not received. 6/1/2018, Nathaniel reminds us to continue to check Dropbox for the video. Upon questioning from Nathaniel, I replied "I discontinued it about 2 weeks ago because I uploaded all the pictures off of it, it requires a monthly fee, and you said you would mail our wedding video." On 6/26/18, we filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. This complaint was closed on 7/26/18 by the BBB, which was initially closed as unresolved. On 7/26/18, we filed a complaint with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. On 7/26/18, we filed a dispute with our credit card in order to get reimbursed from West Photography for the cost of the videography ($1,000.00). On 8/11/18, we finally received our wedding video. Nate was diligent enough to contact the BBB to have the closed complaint changed to resolved. read more

I was really impressed with Nathaniel's portfolio when I met him at a bridal expo. I booked him and his wife for our wedding in August after meeting with them. Lisa, his wife, was not friendly, but I looked past it. Communicating with Nathaniel was difficult as it was mostly by email and it took awhile to respond. I expected more communication and guidance from him rather than me always seeking him out to ask questions. The photography package was pricy at $1800 but a lot cheaper than other photographers. We liked having all the rights to our photos in the end. In preparation for our wedding, there was difficulty setting up times for photographs. Again, Nathaniel didn't provide much guidance on what other couples did. On our wedding day, Nathaniel and Lisa locked their keys in their car, which took away 40 minutes of our photograph time. They did not give us a partial refund or much of an apology for taking away a large portion of our photo time. The poses were structured based on what they did before rather than adjusted to our personality. They didn't have a great attention to detail with the photos ( untucked shirts, items in the frame that shouldn't be, etc.) We weren't able to go to all the locations we wanted pictures at because of the lost 40 minutes. The photos took a full 6 months to receive back. I knew this was a possibility, as it was stated in the contract, but it would have been nice to have known up front that 6 months was the usual amount of time. There was no communication whatsoever from Nathaniel in this time. I assumed we would never get our photos. When we did receive them in the mail, there was no note or anything from Nathaniel or Lisa. It was very impersonal. Every photo was "Photoshpped," which turned out to mean that pre-set filters were overlayed on the photos, some of which did not fit or look good. Dirt stains on pants or other messy parts of the photos were left untouched. Overall, I'm happy I got the pictures back and some were really good. But the experience as a whole was unsatisfying, and I doubt that I would recommend West Photography to anyone. read more

Nathaniel is an amazing photographer (and this is and understatement!). He is able to not only capture amazing photos, but he does it in a professional and non-intrusive way. He has a way of getting awesome pictures without distracting the focus of the guests from the bride and groom. Nathaniel takes the time in editing to make sure that the pictures he is giving to his clients are perfect. West Photo does have a wait time that is a little longer than some other photographers to receive your pictures. This may turn some people off, but let me tell you that the wait is MORE than worth it. They aren't just snapshots, they are works of art. (I would much rather wait a couple of extra months and have pictures that will be cherished for generations to come than ones I will look at once and stick away in a drawer for years.) Another great thing about West Photo is that they give you the rights to your pictures. This has been great for multiple reasons...for example, we do not have to worry about ordering super expensive prints in a rush and regretting that we got picture A instead of picture B a couple years down the road. I have had the pleasure of seeing the West's in action from wedding pictures to family pictures and more. I will continue to use West Photography for all of my photography needs and recommend them to everyone I can!!! read more