2020 Photography Goes by Courage --smokes chronic while shooting, liar, thief, sleazy, late and overrated, Internet

It all started when I ridiculously decided to take pictures with Courage in September, the owner of 2020 Photography based in Atlanta, Georgia.  Prior to even meeting Courage I told him I needed the photos in a week and that it was imperative that I receive it then. He hastily agreed and told me he could do it. I was ecstatic! The only reason I booked with him was with the impression that the photos would be done by then.

At the time I was visiting Atlanta and he was in town. Getting to his rickety “studio” with the walls made out of cardboard (seriously cardboard) proved to be difficult. It was hard to find because it literally was not on the map. It was in a very sketchy neighborhood in a decrepit warehouse in the middle of the hood. Not good for anyone carting around expensive belongings. Men right outside the cardboard had women with them doing God knows what.  I waited for almost a hour for him to get there.

By the time he got there he was completely blitzed! High as a kite and get this, he had lean in his cup. I know because I asked him and he confirmed. No, they don’t just drink it in rap videos and yes, he was drinking it. Mind you at this point I had already stupidly paid him the full amount for my shoot. His websites tell you that you only need to pay half, that’s a lie. Not to mention, an additional $60 was due before he would start doing the editing process.

We start shooting and he’s wobbling and incoherent. I start getting dresses and who do I see trying to sneak a peek like a slimy snake. Courage! I had to beg him to not take the photos. Who knows maybe he did and I didn’t know about it. I certainly would not put it past him. The photo shoot is done in 45 short minutes and he literally rushes me out of the door. In the midst of rushing me out I leave my $400 Chanel necklace. As soon as I realize this, I tell him and ask if he can meet me back at his studio so I can get it.

He immediately tells me that I can get it the next day and tells me to come two hours before my plane boards. He then hangs up in my face. I call him back and explain to him how impossible this demand is and beg for him to meet me then. Needless to say, he declined and tells me that I can get it the next day. The next day I come back up to his studio and what do you know, Courage never shows and never calls that to tell me the he’s not coming. I call him on my way to the airport and ask him what happened and he tells me he slept late, then later tells me he had a flat. Why he negated to call me or notify me in any manner that this is what his situation was is beyond me.

I never get my photos when I need them, which I should have know was going to happen at this point. I beg him to mail me my necklace and he stalls-- telling me he’s not at his studio. A photographer never at his studio… LIAR! I know that he’s only telling me that because he doesn’t want to give it back to me. I can only bet that when he found that it was Chanel that he either kept it and uses it or sold it for some more illegal drugs.

I ask him for my photos and only received them in January the following year. Yes, 5 months later. I seriously has to ask, and ask, and ask for them. I made countless calls to him in this regards—many of which ended with him hanging up the phone in my face, cussing me out, disrespecting me or screaming at me. He’s very unstable. When I did receive them (the pictures), I asked for some minor changes and he tells me to wait another week. What do you think happened? Nothing of course! Still don’t have them and it is the second to last week of January.

So here’s my sum up of Courage. He’s a liar, a pothead, a sleaze ball, a thief and completely overrated. Save you money, save you time and your loved jewelry because this guy is a crook in every sense of the word. There’s not an honest bone in his body. Don’t be fooled by his pictures on his websites, they’re probably not even his. Half of the pictures on his websites don’t even have his watermark on them. This way it doesn’t look like he’s stealing copyrighted work. Just trust me and run as fast as you possibly can for the hills.

If you have had similar problems with this photographer get in touch with me and together we’ll make sure he never does this to anyone. I plan on taking this to small claims court.