I finally got our on-site photographer’s photos by mail yesterday. We’d done the photoshoot December 11, paid the photographer Kari in cash then, and she’d said that the photos normally take 2-3 weeks to be done but she’d agreed to edit a few images for me and email them within 2 days so that I could use them for Christmas cards. She did start working on them right away, it seemed, as I’d seen some photos go up online, but all of them had her watermark across them. I waited a week then called, emailed, and texted her asking for the photos to be emailed. She finally got back to me and said sure, she’d email them that night, and did. She actually emailed something like 15 photos (sans watermark). I was delighted with the photos, the xmas card was a big hit. Her package included a CD of edited images and two 8×10 prints. We didn’t really need the prints, but we wanted the images. I was hoping for a good photo that I could use to take advantage of an online special for a design-your-own cell phone cover, 50% off. I checked online periodically, and the special was still ongoing.

Weeks went by with no photos in the mail, and I started wondering whether the emailed photos, to Kari, was a replacement for the CD. I emailed Kari December 26 asking if we are still getting the CD, and she responded a week and a half later on January 5 (Saturday), saying that yes, she will put the CD and prints in the mail by Monday. The next week came and went. The week after that came and went. I once again started my multiple ways of contact. Phone calls were again unanswered, so I finally emailed her on January 17, “Hi Kari, Have you sent the CD/prints, yet? We haven’t received anything, I wanted to make sure it didn’t go to a wrong address. The correct address is [address].” No response. This is someone who was responsive to the point of multiple back-and-forths in a day when we were booking the session, as she addresses her emails via her smartphone as well. I called her and left her a voice mail January 23 asking if she got my email. I got a text later that evening saying that she’d sent the photos and they should be at our house no later than the next day. We did get the package the next day, and saw that she’d used overnight shipping and spent over $12 on postage alone. (She didn’t charge much at $125 for her entire package.)

When we got the CD with over 30 images and two 8x10s of Kari’s choice — a shot of Allie laughing in the beach chair and a shot of the 3 of us, Mr. W was so happy with them that he’s already considering using Kari again, but I wonder if he really wants to go through all that again. He had been annoyed at our delayed photos, as well. I actually felt bad for “pestering” Kari about the photos, and then I felt annoyed that I felt bad because she’d clearly had the photos done already and just not gotten around to sending them, and if she’d done what she’d said she’d do, I wouldn’t have had to pester her. I don’t like being in a position where I have to hound someone to do something and feel embarrassed hounding them. I still like her and she’s clearly been busy doing photoshoots since our photoshoot (I’ve seen new albums go up online), but sending a prepaid package over a month AFTER the promised date and not being responsive to my inquiries and calls are not very professional. I wonder how long it would’ve taken, or if I would’ve ever gotten it, had I NOT pestered her about it.

So with both companies, the one that did Allie’s studio portraits and the one that came out on-site for an outdoor shoot, I’m content with the quality of the work and the photographers themselves, but their follow-up could use some work.

Anyway, here are some favorites from the CD. First, an Allie portrait:

Then, some Daddy-Allie shots:

Then an Allie and Mommy shot:

And finally, Allie with both parents:


(As usual, rest mouse pointer over photos for captions. For more photos from Kari’s photoshoot, see here.)

I tried to make the last photo above into a cell phone case, but no matter how I worked it, the cut-outs for the rear camera and flash of the Galaxy SIII phone would be over Mr. W’s forehead. =P And altho the 50% off special had still been available this week, it has now expired, anyway.

So would I recommend inGrace Photography? Yes, if you want good quality prints (their prints were beautifully mounted on cardstock, matte), don’t need a big variety or digitals, and/or if money were not an object. Would I recommend Kari Flores Photography? Yes, if you’re not in a rush and like variety and digitals. Both were great with Allie.