Artistry In Photography We have been ripped off! This is a matter of 2,100.00 worth of pictures. At this point we just want our money back not the pictures! It's been a year and a half now! Elkhart Indiana

Artistry In Photography is Located at 2707 Middlebury St, Elkhart, Indiana. 574-522-3938. Visit us online @ www.artistryinphotos.com. Email us @ artistryinphotos@aol.com.

I am the owner of Artistry In Photography & One Stop Wedding Shoppe. Artistry In Photography & One Stop Wedding Shoppe are a fast growing, Christian organization, specializing in weddings and portrait photography. Our mission is a magical customer experience. I am a wife of 10 years, mother of 3 and former teacher with the Elkhart Community School System. I am a member of The Chamber of Commerce and have a spotless record with the Better Business Bureau. I have no criminal record and have had few complaints, certainly none like this one. In in '08 we expanded, and added a 2nd entity-One Stop Wedding Shoppe.

I, Stephanie M. Lain, believe all following statements to be completely true and accurate.

The man Louise refers to as her son is actually her step son. At the wedding, Louise was described to me as a newly wed herself. Slandering our character has become important for Louise. We dealt with the State Bureau of Consumer Investigation. In those documents, Louise names the bride as her daughter. This is the second bad review we have found online from her. We've only now realized we need to be looking for them. The other bad review, I have to address today,also. It is on Goshen.com/Local.com. It is an equally colorful complaint, but very different. Her story changes dramatically.

The couple came for a wedding consultation appointment. They were given approx a 50% discount, on the package they chose. They signed 2 contracts and the invoice. The grooms father, an ex-State Police Officer called to confirm the amount and sent the standard payment. Louise didn't participate in the consult or contract signing. She's not a blood relative nor did she pay for anything.

On wedding day, as usual, I showed up about 20 mins early and didn't charge for that time. Showing up early was part of Louises' complaint to the state. They booked me for 5 hrs, but kept me for 7.5 We do not leave our couples high and dry because they don't know how the day will unfold. It is the couple's responsibility, or whoever signed the contract, to release us. At the reception, when I could, I reminded the couple we were running over. Understandably, they wanted me to stay through dinner and cake and to take pics of them with some friends and family members. I knew money was a concern for them, and it usually is. Afterward, I approached them again and said "we have amazing photographs, would you like me to stop the clock and go?" They hesitated but said okay. Since I worked so many hours and through dinner, it was pre-arranged for my dinner to be included, but it was overlooked. I figured they forgot. This is actually the first time I've mentioned it. Being in heels, working all 3 stories of an old mansion, for the reception, and for 7.5 hours, actually had my feet bleeding. My being hungry or breaking in new heels wasn't anyones fault, the point is I wasn't trying to milk the clock, it was late and I was ready to go. The added hours went on a post-wedding balance. They were services rendered, but never paid for.

Also on the post-wedding balance was a custom framed autograph mat portrait, with easel and special autograph pens. Autograph mats get reframed to add the acrylic glass. It also was never paid for. The son/groom began calling within 2 weeks of the wedding. He was notably frustrated the first time. Shooting weddings every weekend through the summer and regular appointments through the week does tend to add up for photographers who are in demand. There are short cuts, ways around it being so time consuming, like not backing up your files, or not converting from Raw, or not doing preliminary editing. Our conviction to our high standard of quality has to take presidence over the convenience of caving into a step parent who did not pay or sign the contract. Had Louise been part of the consulation or contract signing she would have had this explained to her then. For whatever reason, the bride wasn't smiling on wedding day and had a little black eye. The bride was sweet as pie. She told me, beautiful pictures and the editing was especially important to her.

Over 700 edited images were online, a 4 song wedding day slideshow Dvd was ready, the autograph mat print was reframed, the album of more than double the previews she was supposed to get was prepared, the contact sheets of all the images, and also a stack of freebies prints were all ready. With our workload, it took 16-20 weeks. Louise and her mother showed up to that appt. early and angry and confused. She told me the bride was having a difficult pregnancy and couldn't come. After seeing all our hard work and best efforts, the usual reaction is tears of joy. She began yelling aggressively shaking her stack of free prints at me, yelling "I want to know where my prints are." Never having seen this kind of reaction, I was a bit stunned. She didn't understand the previews album was for viewing and marking at the studio - our record of the images - it wasn't included in the price, but certainly could be. She had matching contact sheets, a DVD and an interactive online site to help them choose what they wanted in their 10x10 Renaissance Album and the prints they had coming. We obviously do not choose their favorites for them. Many people do not realize, the 10x10 Renaissance Album we use is custom bound. It takes me literally 7 weeks to get and is over $600 my cost. Thats easy to confirm by looking it up online. Afterward, I spoke with the bride and she understood from before, she was to chose her favorites for her album. Then I could do the album layout or she could, her choice, nothing extra. Like most brides, she was all weddinged out. She wanted to do the layout and got back to her album at her convenience, and that was fine. She waited until after her baby was born. So, it was over year before they got their album. Louise had already made a huge production of their "horrible experience". They received a 16x20 canvas, and the complimentary preview album in the end, as well as several other complimentary prints. The hope was to touch her heart and make her happy depite her actions. The more I gave the more angry she became. There's a delicate balance in trying to rectify with an angry customer that often falls into reinforcing the false complaints. Sometimes the reason for the false complaints is to get more than what is due. Most people understand, what all that costs, plus weeks of man-hours and the use of high dollar equipment. There's overhead and the down economy, in Elkhart. I literally paid them twice over, and yet we are still contending with her. I am still spending hours explaining it.

Incidentially, in one of the many harassing phone calls, Louise shouted out "They broke up, we don't want the pictures anymore", trying to get out of the post wedding balance, which was not "pictures". It was hours on wedding day and their autograph mat. She kept on full force. The $600 was not paid and they got more than twice what they had coming. I'm really not sure how much of it was confusion or misunderstanding. I did the best I could for them, and I'm so sorry it turned out so badly for them. If you would like to see how beautiful their portraits came out, you can see their DVD slideshow online. That link is on our website, www.artistryinphotos.com., you may be offered a free reader software download so your computer can play the slideshows. We've used it since 2003, it's safe : ) They are the couple in black and white standing off to the side, holding hands, looking at each other in a landscape/field(that was what they chose for their 16x20 brushstroke canvas).

This is more time than I care to spend on negative things. I am truly passionate about what we do, and hope you will visit our website. You can see the work with your own eyes. It speaks for itself.

There is a distinct possibility Louise will update or change her claims or add more complaints. I cannot waste any more time on this matter and will not be revisiting my rebuttal. Doing so, simply keeps a tennis match going. It is in the past, as far as I know, we were not able to please her. This is unfortunate, but we need to leave it in the past. It's best everyone move forward. We forgive her and don't have any anger toward her. I'll keep her and their entire family in our prayers.


Sincerely, Stephanie M. Lain
Owner of Artistry In Photography & One Stop Wedding Shoppe
2707 Middlebury St, Elkhart IN 46516
(574)522-3938
www.artistryinphotos.com
artistryinphotos@aol.com
Espanol:(574)522-5202