e-official photographer (part 2)

the official photographer for the engagement was from avicenna studio.
reasons of choosing them, ultimately, of course because me and my fiance like their job.
we've seen the portfolio and i love how their do the editing where the pictures aren't overly edited like some of the wedding photographers available in the market and i like their style of editing where pictures appear to be colored in slightly yellowish tint (if you get what i meant).
secondly, was because of their many years of experience especially in wedding photography.
thirdly, because of the location of their studio which is in bandar baru bangi and the fact that the founder is a bangi-an.

unfortunately, the principal photographer, fairuz ismail, was not available on the date of our engagement since he already got another wedding assignment somewhere else.
so we don't have any choice than to have the senior photographer, hatta moiz, for the engagement.

actually, i've read some of negative reviews on avicenna by wedding bloggers (e.g. diah & dytia) before we went to their studio and booked for them.
so, lucky me because since both of mentioned reviewers were not that satisfied with their photobook (e.g. certain pictures that they really liked did not end up in the photobook), i chose to have avicenna just to take photographs and to complete editing process and i will do the photobook myself.

my verdict on avicenna's work:

-PR was quite bad.
we've settled the first payment upon booking and supposedly have to make the second payment a week before the event and the third payment upon receiving DVDs.
but until 3 days before the engagement, we didn't receive any call from them.
they didn't confirm the date or ask for the second payment and they still didn't have my address.
at first, i just want to wait because i am their client, so why should i contact them.
they should call me to confirm this and that and at least to ask for the address.
but since the date was approaching, i finally asked my sayang to call/sms them.
and know what, fairuz said he just about to contact me that day, tapi kitorang dah contact dulu.
then, he sms-ed the bank account number so we can settle the second payment and told us that hatta will not be available on my engagement day because he's in the hospital and undergoing hernia operation, so they will replace him with another photographer.
we asked him, who will be the photographer then? he said that the name is fairuz too and he takes good photos.
i pun masa tu dah malas sebab dia pun macam malas layan je, so i redha and tawakkal je la.

-photos are not up to their level and the style was different too.
yelah, sebab they hired another freelance photographer, so of course the outcome will be different.
they shouldn't just tangkap muat and replace hatta with any of their friends and just told me that the replacement takes good photos too.
at least, give me the website/blog/flickr/anything so that i can check on the replacement first.
i was in complete shock when i found the portfolio's of my photographer over the internet.
if only it was prior to my engagement, i can still complaint and ask for another photographer.
but after the engagement baru found out, so what to do?
they should give us discounts or requote the price since the amount that we've paid was for hatta or at least photographer yang sama level dengan hatta kan.
although it was hatta who did the editing, still, photos angle pun penting juga.
tapi takpelah, redha.

-my fiance's name on the DVD pun salah.
padahal i dah bagi nama betul masa booking dulu.
redha.
eh tak tak, i want them to make another copies of the DVDs, with corrections, of course.

overall, i am unhappy with most of the pictures.
but still, there are some yang okay juga.
in fact, i edit many of the pictures myself.
worse thing worst, i didn't happy with the PR too.

so for what we have paid, i think i am not satisfied.
but i am happy that i made right and wise decision to make the photobook myself.

p/s
the review explains why there's a post-engagement photo shooting for us - because i need more of better engagement pictures!