Roberto Ligresti Photography Waste of money and time New York New York

To whom it may concern, 

I have nothing but great experiences with Robert Ligresti and his Studio/associates for many years. No client has ever had negative feedback about him. We have worked together on multiple Naoe magazines and international beauty product camPaige. This is the first negative review I hear. furthermore a test shoot doesn’t guarantee future work. Aspiring models and actors believe photographers can make miracles. I call bs on the mentiomd accusation.

One more thing hicks, your statement that the "model" was smart and would not try to be a model if he didn't think he could ....what a laugh a minute that is!!!  These would be "models" come from far and wide with huge egos thinking they can be models - well, they can't. 

Will you smalltown hicks please go away.  The "model" in question is ugly and not even fit to model dog food, which he obvioulsy found out.  Anyone knows - or at least us New Yorkers know - it's not the quality of the photos one bit that leads to a contract with a modeling agency.  If you have model potential an ageny will PAY themselves to get pictures of you.  Why should Roberto refund anything???  He prob worked very hard to give this "model" the best photos he could possibly ever have considering how he looked.  So please, small town hicks, go back to shooting weddings and headshots and leave the fashion and models to us New Yorkers.

Johnson, you need to read again. He did not get work because he did not get any good pictures to send to agencies. I see the photos and I can not see his face so I do not know but he is in good shape. He blamed the photographer for simply not taking good photos. He did not come back and blame the photographer after receiving good photos and then no one hiring him. At that point yes you would have to say he simply just did not have the right look to be a model. Also this guy does not sound stupid and I am sure if he could not get work as a model he would not fly in to pay for pictures.

The photographer simply took bad photos of this man and therefore wasted his time, money, and effort as well as one or two people also said probably cost him money from not getting work there after from having no pictures so yes he is responsible for a refund as any business owner is to someone unhappy with what they paid for. I can also see where he caused some damages. If this Roberto is so "amazing" like some people on here say he is (obviously his friends) and is making so much money why doesn't he just send this person some money and this person can write on here that he was compensated? The solution is simple here. Give this person some money. 

I have to laugh.  I looked at the photographers site and he is amazing - I'd love to see the work of these other so-called "photographers" condemning Roberto.  To make a claim that a photographer should refund and pay damages because this person did not get any work modeling says it all - these "photographers" haven't a clue to how modeling works.  First and foremost, you have to look like a model and that is extremely rare.  It is not the photographers fault if some homely person pays him for photos to look like a model and doesn't get work.   By looking at the photos in this comment section it's obvious the man is in no way model materal as he probably found out when he went to see agencies.   This is a pure case of sour grapes.  

I read the report and was about to close out when I saw the Rebuttals this "amazing photographer" clearly asked his friends to write. Who the f*** would ever tell someone their pictures did not come out good because they do not look good??? Are you out of your mind!?!? We have all taking professional photos for some reason or another. I have had to go take some for my job. If they did not come out well of course I would have let the person know it. If they then told me they did not come out well because I did not look good or was too retarded to stand there properly and get my picture taken I would have clocked the jerk! My ex girlfriend who was beautiful went to get photos taking by someone who offered to do them for free. They looked terrible after however it was free so I guess you get what you pay for (or get ripped off like this sorry guy). If she had paid for those we definitely would have been back there demanding her money back. And my god if the person said oh they came out horrible because you don't look good or because you are too stupid to stand there and hold a simple pose, it would have been so ugly the police would have had to come. Roberto you are a loser and everyone should know it. Your manager, who can not evening f****** write properly... Great choice for an office manager... Said you get so much work (which I believe is bull). Well if that is the case why didn't you just give the sorry guy his money back??? Now you should give him all his money back and more since he lost work from not having pictures as he had none from you to send to agencies who could then send them to prospective clients. John  worked so hard to get good pictures as he wrote and you give him s*** then blame him for it. Unbelievable Roberto and his loser friends. 

As a photographer in NYC, I totally understand what Roberto is dealing with.  Many unattractive people come to us and try to be models - the fact that the "model" in question is on that tacky unprofessional website Model Mayhem says it all.  LOL.  The fact that the "model" didn't get any work says it all.  These model wannabees show up at our studios with bad haircuts, bad clothes and bad attitudes and expect us to turn them into supermodels.  Sorry, it's not going to happen.  We can give you amazing photos but that won't make you a model.  Sorry, honey, but that's the way it is.  If you don't like the way you look or don't have the genetics to be a model, don't come blaming us after we worked hard to give you the best photos you are capable of taking.  Refunds?  I don't give them.  

The photos that Roberto's manager displayed seem quite good.  Keep your chin up Roberto, your website looks amazing.  As for the other photographer that commented, sorry Carl, but you seem like a hick in a small town shooting weddings and school portraits - not a NYC photographer like us - you have no idea what we deal with.  

This is Marcus, who works as a studio manager for Roberto Ligresti Photography.

They say there are 3 sides to a story is really true and i need to speak out for my boss

In December 9 2015 John arrived at the studio for a photo session. Roberto met John 7 years earlier after being introduced by his first modeling agency and did John's first photo shoot.

John was very happy with the results and the photos taken are currently in his model mahyem website.

John got in touch with Roberto again in the middle of 2015  for new photos.

John now lives in a different state and really really wants to shoot with Roberto again after 7 years. Roberto is very flattered  since he knows that John has the choice of many photographers to hire, and happy with the prospect to work with John again.

Roberto rarely does model shoots anymore, as he's now regularly working with catalogs and campaigns.

He made an exception for John.

After many attempt to meet they finalized the date of December 9 2015 in New York  Roberto  treats all of his clients with respect and with the warmth of a true friend.

He recommended John to shop for classic but fashionable clothes that can be interesting to photograph and recommended him to go to Zara. John went to Macy’s instead and the clothes he brought were pretty much all generic sweatshirts and 2 pairs of baggy jeans. Anticipating John’s visit and knowing what the agencies are normally looking for in a model shoot Roberto displayed on the rack  some classic “americana’ garments from Abercrombie and Fitch, to add to John's wardrobe.

Disappointed with what John brough except for a bright blue shirt, and  proceeded to take many headshots with him wearing it since it looked very good on him.

He also tried to shoot the garments John brought, but just couldn't find them inspiring or flattering. At the end of the session he put together a collection of 89 photos where John could have definitively found at least one good shot of each look.  Roberto probably took close to 500 shots, 89 photos being the best ones. They did 5 looks. During the session John tells Roberto that he never got any work as a model in New York when he was with the agency, and consequently moved to a different state where he had a 9 to 5 job all this time. He was trying to start a modeling career again at 31, but he was obviously very out of practice It was hard for Roberto to get him to loosen up and get a relaxed expression or position, and worked twice as hard as he would with a regular client because they had a history and really wanted to please him. Roberto was happy with what was accomplished  and mailed John contact sheets and a disc. On December 16. 2015 John emails Roberto saying that he was disappointed with the photos and the whole experience, he demands $ 75 % of the money back because he only can use one head shot and one body shot. (Roberto was hesitant to take John's body shot because he didn’t think he was physically in the top shape required to get underwear jobs.)

He knew they were many more photos John could have chosen, other than 2, but he ALWAYS  wants his customer happy and offered to refund him half of the fee, Immediately via paypal or at his return from Europe on January 5 via direct deposit. John ACCEPTED the partial refund. Since John didn’t have a paypal account Roberto refunded him half of his fee on January 6 2016. The fact that John HAS BEEN refunded  of half of the fee  (a fair amount to cover the price of one headshot and one bodyshot) has not been disclosed in the report. It’s a sad thing that he’s reporting my boss as a ripoff, since if John was unhappy with our arrangement he could have made us aware privately. 

You need to refund the persons money. It is unacceptable to take someone money for an unfair value in return. Any professional photographer would have invited them back for a reshoot or giving a refund although a refund in itself does not cover the persons travel cost, time, and energy. I have had many models over the years come to me upset about bad experiences with other photographers and very delighted to receive very good pictures from me. Never ever would I allow a client to leave unhappy. On top of fashion I also do weddings, events, and school pictures for yearbooks. I have shot people who were not at all photogenic and spent much extra time working with them to give them good pictures. Even when I take pictures of a below average person or even ugly person I still get them good pictures. If they do not get good pictures out of it then what was the point? In the world of photography there are so many photographers and very few really good ones. Any good one will give a guarantee. 

I am another model that has shot with Roberto with stunning results.  I'm shocked that another photographer would even make comments without knowing the entire story.  My guess is he is in some hilbilly town with no clue to what goes on in a real modeling mecca like NYC. His comment  "A good professional photographer can make an average looking person look good so there is clearly negligence here on Roberto's part." is so wrong.  Believe me, a photographer can not make a regular person a model. And how can you make that comment/judgement without seeing the subject and the results?  And his comment that a model needs more than 2 photos to get work is ludricrous.  A bonafide real model needs nothing more than a snapshot on an iphone and if he/she has potential an agency would sign that person on the spot.

I have been a model for two decades in New York City and I have never in my life been given 100 shots per look, so I doubt that this commenting photographer is a real legit photographer.   Most photographers pick the best 1 or 2 shots and give them to the model or agency.  I doubt said photographer works in a major market.  As I reported earlier, I have shot with Roberto numerous times with amazing results - he shoots major international advertising jobs with major models.  I called Roberto to get information about this complaint and I was told he did refund the model - and I use that term very very loosely since I saw the pictures - and that he had shot the "model" 7 years earlier with no complaint.  The problem is bascially this "model" is not a model and was probably told that by numerous agencies in the small town he is from regardless what photographer took the photos.  Sorry, not everyone has the looks to be a model.  

I think what the author of the complaint meant when he said 1-100 photos are suppose to be good enough to be an ad is that one out of 100 photos will be good enough, meaning when you take 100 one comes out perfect which being a photographer myself I can say that is true. Just a slight typo on his/her part. Also he listed Alabama as his state and not Arizona which I also imagine he just simply did not put his actual state whatever that may be. When you make your account on ripoff report the default state is Alabama.  I think most anyone knows a model can only get work in Los Angeles and New York.

The photographer is absolutely at fault here. If the model was not satisfied with the photos they should have either been giving a full refund or the photographer should have offered to do the entire shoot over again (although I suppose the model would not have wanted to fly back there). It is not right that this model only received 83 photos and most were head shots. Actors only need head shots. Models need full body shots and only one or two head shots in their portfolio. I find there very unusual. I do not know how many looks the shoot was suppose to be for but typically it would be 3-4 looks. The model is right in that they should have received 100 photos or more per look to choose from. Even if this model was not the most talented, with the help of a professional photographer he should have still received some very good photos. A good professional photographer can make an average looking person look good so there is clearly negligence here on Roberto's part. I understand this persons level of frustration as this was an investment for them to make money and with out good photo's they can not make any money. One certainly can not make money from as this person puts it two decent pictures. 

My advice to Roberto would be to contact this person and give a full refund for the shoot and I would even give a little extra for the persons wasted time and travel expenses as well as to not ever let a client go unsatisfied again. I have redone shoots in the past where I felt the pictures came out absolutely perfect but the client was not satisfied. I was not happy about this but the saying the customer is always right really is true.

My advice to models looking for a photographer is to ask an agency who they recommend as they will refer you to the good ones. 

I am a model in NYC and I have worked with Roberto numerous times with amazing results.  I think the problem with the complaint is he is not a real model and unaware of how the business works - I mean, he lives in Arizona where there is very little if any modeling work.  I have been a model for 18 years and his statment that a model will get 1- 100 good shots per look is ridiculous.  I am very photogenic - I am a model with a top tier NYC agency - and I am lucky to get one good shot per look.  This complaint also states that he didn't get any work from the photos - I can assure you, if this man had any modeling talent at all, an agency would have scooped him up regardless of the photos - I am sure Roberto did the best he could with what he had to work with.