Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Newlyweds’ anguish



I just wana get the word out fast to prevent anyone to go through the same pain as us as he is still posting on Clubsnap advertising his services. 

I am going to attempt to summarize what has to have been my most frustrating 2 months in a short blog post. I don't think this is going to be short. Kindly pardon my poor english.


Will be updating this space with more pictures and proofs in the next few days.

Looking back on the last 2 months, I remember tears and frustration, anger, and dismay. From the first time I looked through the 4000+ raw pictures, my blood pressure was increasing with each passing photo. I was appalled...there were nearly 4000 photos and not one was even close to the product he advertised. BlurOut of focus, Over exposed, Under exposed, shadows in the faces of the formals, formals with eyes closed / not looking at the camera...poor composition, poor lighting, 80% were half bodies tightly cropped pictures etc... In a word, it was LOUSY photography. There is no other way to put it.

A little background on how we decided to get Caleb Cheong aka C.C as our Actual Day Photographer (AD PG):

We started planning our wedding almost 2 years ahead. From the "big things" like banquet venue, Pre-wedding photoshoot bridal studio, AD bridal studio, AD PG/VG, proposal ring, wedding bands etc down to "small things" like Makeup Artist (MUA), hairdo, nails etc we did our research and really planned well.

CC was a friend my hubby knew when he joined clubsnap outings few years back but they lost contact for quite some time as CC went to study photography in USA after that. 


CC started msn-ing my hubby in year 2010 when we were still searching for our Pre-wedding photographer. CC was trying to persuade us to go to USA for him to take our Pre-wedding photoshoot there. But due to budget reason and also we are quite skeptical about him, we declined. But he was still trying hard to persuade us to change our mind.

In August 2011, CC started FB messaging my hubby again after we came back from our Taiwan Pre-wedding photoshoot. He knew we were looking for a AD PG, thus he keep on pushing his services to us. But we were not keen at all, firstly its the cost, his cheapest package is $3,000 which is way out of our budget for AD PG. If we can afford 3k, we may as well get some of the better established ones in SG. My hubby rejected him straight.

Then in Nov 2011, he told my hubby he might be coming back to SG (due to USA bad economy and hard to find a job there) and in time to be our AD PG. Again, my hubby rejected his offer as we are considering to get the AD PG from our bridal studio which we signed up for their AD package, with additional top up of only $700.

He finally came back in end Feb 2012. We 1st met him in early March, he showed us his portfolio we were quite happy with what we saw. But still i was quite skeptical as we will be his 1st chinese couple he's gonna shoot in SG, i'm worried he doesn't know about our chinese traditions and will missed some important moments. But he rest assured us, before he left for his studies in USA few years back he had been a 2nd shooter for his cousin wedding in SG. I told him i need to go back and consider again.

In the end we decided to give him a chance, after reviewing his works and thinking this person got 10 years of experience in photography, got a degree from Brooks Institute in photography nothing should go wrong. Another deciding factor was he's willing to match his price with the bridal studio, even lower at $600! Most importantly was we really felt he was sincere and serious in wanting to start his photography biz in Sg.

From March to our AD in May, CC was always in contact with us. He was always messaging me through facebook almost everyday, asking about how's our wedding progress etc and also constantly showing me his previous works, asking me if i like this kind of style and he assured me he can produce the same kind of standard for me.


He even came down with us to see our banquet venue, so as to know the lightnings conditions. We were quite impressed with his services and knowledge in photography as he was always explaining how he can manually control the flash etc. We met up a few times, communicated so well and detailed. I, being the bridezilla, showed him examples of the photography styles and photographers i like, i told him to look at how others take chinese AD wedding, what are the important shots etc... but seriously i think he never looked at those links i send him, he's too arrogant to learn from others like what he had told me before, he only learn from those he thinks worth learning from. But still, i was quite assured and trusted him that with his skills and knowledge, things will be fine.

Of all of the tiny details on our wedding day to worry over, actually photography was one of the least of my concerns. We trusted him so much that he will do a good job as this will be his 1st SG portfolio, and he will cherish this chance.

Finally The Big Day 12 May 2012!

I started my makeup at 6am, he told me he will try to arrive as early as possible as he will be taking the 1st train! Ok understand, he wanted to save $ from taking cab. So he reached around 6.45am, i had already completed my makeup and doing my hairdo. So he already missed my makeup process, luckily i told my nephew to use his digital camera to take some pictures before that.

When he arrived, he told me that he did not sleep the night before! I got a shock! I just hope that he can pull through the day! 

So he started taking pictures, and i remember very clearly i reminded him many times not to take so closed up pictures as he was standing so near to us! 


This was how close he was always standing! Hello, you are using either a D800/D3, need to stand so close meh?


*Pic removed

Then we went out for our outdoor PS at Bontanic garden. 1st location was a bench, he told me to sit on my hubby's lap, then we asked him where should we look etc he just say look anywhere not him... 

2nd location was when we were passing a flight of stairs, he wanted to take a picture of me, i am very sure i told him i want a full picture of my gown with the long train. But when we saw what he took when we received the pictures... we almost fainted, no pictures of my long train! I spent so long looking for the perfect gown, but from morning till night, no proper full image of it was captured by CC.

3rd location was at an open field, he wanted to shoot me and my bridemaids. So he asked his assistant to hold the diffuser, but apparently his assistant did not know how to hold it and my hubby, the groom gotta teach and hold it for him!

*Pic removed

Last location was at the signature big tree, this time round its a group photo of us with our brothers and sisters. We were all waiting for him to change his gears under the hot sun, he took such a long time that the groom just took my cousin D7000 to shoot us before CC was ready.

*Pic removed

And did i mention, he was so slow in every shots that we were all starting to lose our smiles and patience! He's really so slow that the enthusiasm and mood in all of us were lost.

I just wana cut the story shorter, these are the moments he missed for the morning session:

1) Makeup process (I can forgive)
2) Car opening. No picture showing who was the one opening the car door for the groom!
3) Tea Ceremony, he focus mainly on the hands, tea cups, ang baos... there's no pictures showing who are we serving the tea to! Gosh! Even my aunt wanted to ask him, why take ang bao only never take her face!
4) No proper picture of our wedding bands at all!
5) Picture of groom removing the veil for the bride when we came back to the bride's house after our outdoor PS.
6) Took picture of my jiemei wearing my shoe for me but without our faces and worse its blur!

Beside missing important shots, those that he took are all so tightly cropped, half body closed up picture, if not its blur or out of focus... we don't even have an idea what some of our friends and relatives are wearing that morning. 

We had our ROM on the same day, sad to say all those photos during the ROM are BLUR, out of focus! One word GONE.

My hubby feedback to him before the evening session, asking him not to take so closed up pictures. And we believed that when he was doing the morning highlights he should had realised his own mistakes. How can he make the same mistakes at night??

During the cocktail session before the banquet, we were there welcoming the guests and wanting to take photos with the guests. Everytime we wanted to take a photo, we gotta "shout out" for him as we did not know where had he gone to. And again, we reminded him so many times do not take so closed up photos but he replied me no worries, his lens were wide enough.

We had a 1st dance in with our brothers and sisters. We rehearsed for this dance so many times and the photos turned out so closed up that nobody can tell what are they doing! 

His mistakes for the night:
1) 1st dance all closed up if not out of focus shots
2) Our 2nd March in. (ALL the photos were BLUR)
3) There were 2 photographers for the table shoots, him and his assistant. The guests did not know which one to look at as they did not give clear instructions (etc look here 1,2,3). End up some were not even looking at the correct camera.
4) As usual, taking his own sweet time in taking pictures that some of the guests were losing their patience too and girls being vain, my gfs also asked him not to take so closed up, who wana show their flaws?

He passed me all the soft copies that very night. We were so happy to know that he had taken so many pictures... not stingy on his shutter... but little did we expected all the photos to turn out a horror...

After we settle our things, we finally have time to look through the photos on Sunday 13/5. We can't believe our eyes, there were so many similar shots, same subject at same angle, so closed up pictures, blur, out of focus, over/under exposed pictures etc... We went on a roller coaster ride...from such a happy joyous mood...immediately fell into a deep dark pit...

We immediately message him, asking him how come the photos turned out like that? I send him at least 8-10 messages from 6.30pm before i receive a reply from him at 8.30 am the next day. Both me and my hubby did not sleep that night at all. 

The next few days i continue sending him messages, no reply from him at all. Till 18/5 i received a reply from him saying he got my sms and finished his processing. I told him to come down to our place to review the photos on 19/5. We spent the whole afternoon going through and telling him how we want those photos to be edited. He said he understood what we want and will go back to continue editing. He admitted it was his own fault and he did not know what went wrong with himself. He had let us down. He's so grateful that we did not exposed him as he was gonna take part in a Channel 5 photography competition soon. So we gave him a chance to salvage those photos and hope he can do his best to make us feel better. We really treated him as our friend and protected his reputation even when many friends are asking who is our PG, we did not mention his name at all till now.

Below is an email i send him but never gotten any reply from him...



He shared his edited photos with us in dropbox. Again we got a shock when we saw those so call edited photos. We were really disappointed again and again! I don't think anyone can accept such edited pictures. I posted that photo on my FB and everyone agreed with us. This kind of photo can never be accepted! Then i tagged him in the photo, i think he got scared and blocked me off his facebook! If you think you had done a good job in post processing the photo, why are you scare of your friends seeing the photos you took? He still got the cheek to tell me, he thought i will like the dreamy blur effect...

We are really sick and tired of this whole thing, it's been 2 months and things are still left there hanging... So many messages and email send to tell him how i felt, he saw us breaking down and cried infront of him but till today he still yet to say "Sorry" to us. 

He had passed me 2 dvds of his "final" post processed pictures but those pictures are worse than the previous edit. This goes to show that he did not put in any efforts in choosing the right pictures (etc got open eyes one he chose the closed eyes one) and the skin tones, lightnings etc were all wrong! He just used the same settings and applied it to all the pictures in the same group. 

We really gave him so much chances and encouragements to tell him slowly edit, do not rush, do a good job but the end results are so disappointing.

We had a talk last Sat (7/7), we wanted to put an end to this matter as we felt, no point dragging as he really cannot deliver what he promised. We asked him, if he wanted to solve this problem among ourselves or legally, he asked us to settle it among ourselves. He said if we wana expose him online we can always go ahead and mention his name. 

Since previously he promised that if he can't do a good job in post processing, we will get a Pro to do it and he will pay for it. He agreed readily. And also he agreed to compensate a reasonable amount to us (he initiated himself), but he will need to go back, consider the amount and let us know again his decision by Friday 13/7.

I received his call today 11/7, he told me he will not make any compensation and he already did what he should so if we wana sue him we can go ahead. He sounded so "ya-ya" on the phone! This was really my last straw! How can he leave his work unfinished and expect us to come out with our own $$$ to get another person to clean his "backside", thats totally irresponsible! Gave us some shabby works and expect us to accept it? It's your own fault that you failed in capturing proper pictures and you should do your best in trying to salvage the pictures, thats the least you can do. 

I just wana share my experience with everyone, we don't wish to see the same tragic happening on anyone else. He is just a scammer, his attitude before and after the wedding is 360 deg different. We can only blame ourselves for being so stupid to trust him so much. I know some people will say that you pay peanuts thus this is the kind of quality you get but hello, he is charging others at $200/hr and consider himself a Pro. Please don't call yourself a PRO, you are far far from it, not only failed technically as well as morally you failed too. 

He is not remorseful and he seems like he already gotten over this while we are still trying very hard to recover from this pain. Actually initially, we told ourselves to forgive him, he did not did this on purpose and we sympathize him (due to his past accident). But he went missing on us! B4 our wedding, he pestered us almost everyday even though we were so busy with our wedding preparations we still entertain to him! now... we need to chase aft him to get our pics, follow up wf him else he wouldn't even contact us. He even blocked me on FB! He had over estimated himself and underestimated the job. He should not take us as his guinea pigs in SG, the responsibility are far too great for him to handle and the consequences are not possible to mend if anything went wrong. If he had shown some sincerity & efforts in trying to salvage the photos we would not be so angry, the main point is after admitting his mistakes he still don't do his best to mend anything! This is major disappointment. We felt betrayed by someone who we genuinely treated him as a friend we trusted so much. 

If you can't take nice pictures at least do a better job in post processing, how come our pictures are such a far cry from those on his website? Are those really taken by you? You yourself also admitted that you wouldn't use our pictures as your portfolio. This goes to show how terrible are those photos.

By the way, these are the equipments he was using,

D3, D800, (His assistant using D300) 

Nikon AF-S 17-35F2.8

Nikon AF-S 24 F1.4

Nikon AF-S 24-70 F2.8

Nikon AF-D 85 F1.4

Nikon AF-D 50 F1.4

Nikon AF-S 70-200vr2 F2.8

Flash

Nikon SB800

Nikon SB900

pocket wizard

Now we finally understand what it really mean by its the man behind the camera... Even a newbie or anyone using a hp can do a better job than him.

This pain is really too much to bear and the regret to chose a right PG is gonna live with us for a long time. He ruined our once in a lifetime wedding which everyone waited for 9 years! No $$$ can bring back those moments to us again... Wedding photos are supposed to bring us happy memories when we are looking at them, but ours....its only heartpain each time we see those pictures...


Till date we are still waiting for him to say a word of apology to us at least...

64 comments:

  1. Hi,

    Your story was shared with us by a reader.
    Could you get in contact with us about the story please?

    Thanks!
    STOMP Team
    stomp@stomp.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh god, this guy really tarnished the reputation of Photographers!

    I've seen Photographers with 1/5 his gear cover weddings!(D3, 24-70, 70-200 and a SB900) It really isn't about the gear!

    Are you sure he's using a D800? With a camera of that caliber, the photographer has no excuse at all.

    And he's a disgrace to the Brooks Institute.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 200/hr? Wow.

    I use D200 (yes old camera) and a small professional compact camera for my event work. And it is no where near what the guy have in totality.

    As we don't judge a person by its cover, more so we shouldn't judge people by the toys he plays with (including the car).

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm curious to see his photos, anyway can send me some samples? maybe i give you my email?

    theredeyenetwork@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Please give us some time, pictures will be coming up...

    ReplyDelete
  6. If he is still advertising on ClubSnap, please report to the Administrator of CS so he can be removed. I totally understand how you feel as it is extremely important to have good AD pics because pics are the only memories we havr of the actual day.

    If you don't mind, sharr some pics with me and i will share with my friends to prevent more people of getting hurt.

    Email: ahjan77@yahoo.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  7. Share it on stomp...so there wont be 2nd or 3rd couple's once in a life time event being ruined by this photographer...

    Would you mind to share the photos???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blog updated with pictures. Do feel free to comment.

      Delete
  8. i have the same experience with those so call pro on club snap with another pg

    ReplyDelete
  9. could you post some of his works and edited version of photos in clubsnap? you must warn others and give at the same time giving the proofs.. thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i already posted those pics on my blog. more will be coming up...

      Delete
  10. I can share your pain and my heart goes to you. I absolutely understand the pain of an AD PG spoiling the whole show albeit over equipped with tons of pro equipment.

    There are moments of honeymoons, anniversaries, birthdays etc. to come with many many more wonderful memories to behold. Don't dwell in this one too much.

    p/s Looking at the other side of the coin, your sacrifice has now saved many potential pairs of innocent couples the trauma you undergone; it is def not in vain.

    Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The only justice you can get out of it is to sue him for appropriate damages.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This person is such a disgrace even as a human being. He will be screwed by himself.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Could you post some sample photos of how bad the photos were?

    I looked at his website pics, quite sharp.
    I looked at his equipment - adequate, pro lenses.

    so what went wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi, I'm truly upset to hear this,
    And i'm very upset that there is such photographer who actually ruined someone else's wedding.
    I feel you and your husband, i'm truly sorry for that.
    As i'm a photographer too.

    I believe i can help you,
    And i sincerely hope to.

    Please feel free to contact me @
    HP - 84448857 [Costa Yeo]
    Email - costaphotography.hotmail.sg
    Facebook - Search for " Costa Tian Ci "
    Facebook page - Gymkhana Productions , or Costa Photography.
    Portfolio - http://www.costaphotography.daportfolio.com/


    I'm not helping you and your husband for any single cent, I volunteered to help. No money involved.

    Hope to hear from you and your husband soon.

    Sincerely,
    Costa.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am very sorry for you bad experience. On behalf of the photography community, I would also like to offer my help to touch up all your images. I can be reached at Gary, 90907746, gary@sgmedia.com.sg, website www.sgmedia.com.sg

    Fee: 1 coffee at Starbucks and a handshake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow this guy is a good man (~ '-')~

      Delete
    2. We all need someone like you!!!!

      Delete
    3. Kudos to Gary. As someone who is keen on photography, i'm absolutely gutted that someone who calls themselves a professional would take so little pride in their work and would go back on their word. The price paid by the couple is irrelevant in this case.

      I am not a pro photographer but even i feel the need to do the best i can while presenting the photographs to my friends. Appalling attitude.

      Delete
  17. Seems like you've done quite a bit of research before engaging this guy. Did you actually paid him just $600 for the entire project? Get ALL the images back? (good and bad), and are all of the images unedited?

    ReplyDelete
  18. ‎$600.00 is a steal man - for two photogs working from 6.45am to midnight!! What do you expect from a $600.00 job? As the saying goes: "Pay peanuts and you get monkeys!"
    I paid $1,200.00 (that's what he asked for - no bargaining!) for one AWD photog for my son, working time from: 7am to 2pm and from 7pm to 9pm. I got exactly the same results as the complainant above!!!
    I've passed around that photog's name to my CS and other photography group friends. I did not want to publish his name officially in forums. I hope my email to him had woke him up and I gracefully let him make a living.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is not about the money. Even if you take $1 from a client, you are responsible for whatever you have promised.

      Delete
    2. thats right, as a photographer, its not only about the money, its also about the art.

      sibeh jialat this caleb guy, wah lao eh

      Delete
    3. Paying $600 to 2 monkeys in human suit is a rip-off and 1 of them even carry a Nikon D800 with bag of professional lenses, yet produce picture worst than a class of amateur photographer. I really doubt that his wedding photography portfolio are taken by him.

      Delete
    4. its not about the money u pay but professionalism expected ....

      Delete
  19. LOL, did he use his Nikon AF-S 24 F1.4 pro lens? I wander how the photos look like...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow i'm really sorry to read this as a avid travel photography hobbyist. I mean, really, i can take better photos than this errr whatever institute graduate, by using my iPhone!

    This is absolutely rubbish, he should refund all ur money for the sake of ART!

    ReplyDelete
  21. The photographer has 3 camera bodies and 1 assistant and there is still a need for him to change lenses by himself...

    The tiny softbox/diffuser is cute.. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  22. For pro to change lenses on the job is darn fast... back in those days, i can change lens on my camera without the need to look at the alignment, guaranty to engage, within 10-20 seconds. I shoot with 2 camera bodies, the guests or couple dont even need to wait for me to change film.

    If everything need people to wait, might well ask the couple to take a 30 mins nap while you change lens or memory card.

    If he even dare call himself a professional photographer, he should refund you in full amount and willing to re-take a decently good outdoor shoot to compensate you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try to googling the real definition of "professional".. LOL.

      Delete
  23. So sorry to hear about your unfortunate incident.

    I can help to salvage some of your photos by editing it during my free time.

    Visit my facebook profile to add me as friend.

    https://www.facebook.com/BensonChuaSA

    My number is 8222 0028.

    ReplyDelete
  24. As I'm also a photog , is a shame for such ppl in our industry , but hope you can recover asap and enjoy your new life , always remind your friend that choose a photographer with a strong portfolio and good review , wish u have a new life , envee from Malaysia .

    ReplyDelete
  25. I went to see his photos on facebook. (see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.438626255457.245780.544660457&type=3). His portfolio photos are not bad. I am neutral, as i believe some of you are his competitors.

    Well, sometimes when you pay less, you get less photographers to shot the wedding. When there is only one photographer (his assistant cannot be considered as photographer!), you may miss some of the shots and camera angles, but just he missed too much.

    While taking photos, we need to consider lighting, composition, moments etc. May be he spend too much time in determining the composition, resulting bad mood.. But simply snapshot is not a good photography habit, you need the balance both..

    Note: composition is not easy..but you need to get ready before the day. $600 is, may be too less for him to spend time to test everything before the day.. and it is not good.

    Well, i am not professional photographer, just a hobbyst. I just can't believe some words from his competitors..

    sometimes, hide something show something will give mis-perceptions. It is better to show all photos.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear CC Ting ... are u CC aka Caleb cheong in disguise?

    Can you stop bombarding my blog with your comments and going into every posts to leave your comment?

    I had been tolerating not to reply anything as i wana move on and take a breather from all these!

    But i had been receiving alerts on your comment every other hour!

    And most of your comments seems to be siding wf CC.

    I have nothing to hide... to show or not i have my rights... to believe or not is up to the readers.

    我看开了,people can say whatever they want. Readers wana believe they will believe if not i have no issue.

    If you are so free to comment every other hour, pls use your time for other more meaningful stuffs.

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. and i dun owe anyone anything... i'm just sharing my experiences in my own blog!

      Delete
    2. Hey, i am not Caleb Cheong (CC), i am another CC from Malaysia. Your blog really does some damage to me too as some ppl may think he is me.. Could you please use his full name instead of CC?

      Delete
  27. Should post his photo and post of his club snap online so that more people will be aware of that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. It's not about the money man. Please remember, it was he who offered the discount. When you go Comex to buy a camera for a big discount at their fair, would you expect the camera to be of the same quality as a normally priced 1 at Courts?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dear Ferlyn,

    I am not defending him. While he has not shown his professionalism (e.g. late, did not sleep, blur photos found in his portfolio), you should not selectively post only 0.3% of his photos, which probably the worst ones, that give wrong perceptions that assist his competitors to turn him down. I am quite surprise when some ppl draw quick conclusion based on the only 0.3% selected photos taken by him.

    Why not show all the photos to us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Cc Ting,

      I have not seen the so-called "disastrous" photos taken Caleb Cheong and hence, would not comment on his photography skill.

      Regarding your comment that mentioned "0.3% of his photos, which probably the worst ones", would a professional photographer choose his/her worst photos (together with his/her best ones) to be sent to the clients? Especially those photos which would definitely invite negative comments/bashing? Remember, every single photo bears the name and reputation of the photographer. He needs to learn how to select his photos appropriately.

      As a professional photographer, Caleb Cheong should perform and complete his task like one. It is not about the agreed fee, but on the promises he had made with his clients. I believe many people out there are capable of delivering fantastic photos, but not everyone can be a professional photographer. Professional photography is about giving clients what they want, and also what they need.

      Sincerely yours,
      Maxie

      Delete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  31. sorry for your lost, it seems all the photos was removed. at least put something to show the credibility of the blog ?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi,

    I feel for you about what happened, but sorry to say this, I do not think you should have written his name down on your blog, and harassed him on his facebook page.

    I'm not a photographer, so I can't give an opinion on bad photos. However, it is pretty confusing how you have spent 9 years waiting for this "dream wedding" to happen, and yet you didn't manage to find someone professional to take your photos.

    9 years is a long time to plan things.
    When you were unsure of his professionalism, why didn't you find another photographer? I have heard many couples got 2 photographers, one for the day and one for the night. Or they might even get 2 photographers at night.
    If you were willing to spend so much looking your best, how come not spend a little more on getting good photos? Especially if you are still moaning about the memories, lost, and how they are like losing a loved one.

    It is coming across to me as weird, and sounds like you're just bitching about how your wedding was ruined, and pushing all the blame to one guy.

    Sure, he has not kept to his promises, he took your money. But writing his name here on the world wide web, and defaming him is wrong and disgusting.

    Perhaps you should think about taking down this blogpost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think she is just sharing her experience in her own blog and we can already see how sad she is.
      I do not think we should add to her sadness by blaming her

      If the Caleb Cheong is really good, this blogpost would not affect him at all.

      And I do believe this blogpost is a very good reminder for other couples , so they would be more caution in finding photographer in future.

      Delete
    2. hi Phoebe,

      If i stand @ photographer's stand,

      1) First, you should understand the cost of the equipment that he used - about RM70k. If any of these equipment damaged, $600 is nothing to cover the lost

      2) Second, The pen(blog) is mightier than the sword. Imagine that you are the photographer, and you get $600 to get this severe damage like this.

      3) 3rd, people may believe what has been claimed. Without looking at all the photos that he has taken, it is just not fair. Internet is just a invalid source of data, that has not been validated / verified by 3rd parties. You can write whatever you love.

      4) 4th, I don't know how the relationship between the client and his competitor. Could it be a tool to turn down a competitor? I never know.

      5) 5th, I don't know whether Ferlyn knows how to see photos or not. Perhaps a motion blur photo is considered as a blur photo...

      "If the Caleb Cheong is really good, this blogpost would not affect him at all." - what if a blog talking about your bad which may not true (without evidence).. and ...LOL- some people will just believe it..

      "A very good reminder to other couples". 1st, are you giving any guarantee that other photographers in that country are better than him? Could he learn the lesson and improve shots for the next ones?

      If i stand @ Ferlyn's stand, by looking @ the 0.3% photos & FB,
      I strongly believe, some photos are blur. and
      I believe some moments are missing forever...
      But, i am not sure how serious those problems are.

      At this point, i believe his competitors, either better or worse than him, are laughing happily as this blog helps killing him forever. For new couples, you may need to pay at higher cost for wedding shots. This is absolutely a good news for his competitors - less competitors, earn more.

      Delete
  33. I somehow agree with lyricalfish, you spent so much money time and effort on this wedding so why did you try to skim on photographer, I mean you know how important it is to capture the moment and encapsulated the memory but yet you didn't feel the need to pay as much for it. is saving a few hundred bucks worth the poor photography job on your special day. that said I do feel sorry that your most special day got ruin and sympathize with you, but looking ahead you now have a bright and brilliant life to begin with the one you love.may god blessed you and your marriage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ThIS show both you and lyricalfish did not read the blog content properly to understand why they choose.. CC as ADPG.

      base from what i read they already have the package from bridal studio which only at $700 top up (this price usually offer by yhe Bridal stidio when u sign up package from them to rent the gown and MUA). what CC do is to under cut the price offer from the bridal studio, moreover CC also show his pro-folio that should have impressed the blogger that why they choose him over the bridal studio.

      Only those who are marriage or in the mid of planning should understand what i said here.

      if i understand correctly CC also fail to recover his mistake.... his attitude change 360 after the wedding ..... this what i dont understand why CC doing this??

      I SUGGEST BOTH OF YOU TO RE READ THE BLOG AGAIN..

      Delete
    2. Please use his full name (Caleb Cheong)instead of CC. I am CC too.

      Delete
  34. Interesting story, and looking at his portfolio in FB, I can tell how amateur he is. I'm a professional photographer, not a well known one, and recently started as well (around 2 years), but his photo can easily be taken with a pocket camera.

    I do think you are making the wrong decision with choosing Caleb. But let's move on. You are missing on the wedding reception, but hopefully you can salvage some family photos as the very least. That's what matters. As for others, you can find a way better photographer and have post-wed session, with rings etc. I hope that can erase the sad memory.

    One thing though, why remove all the pictures? This story was shared among Indonesia wedding photographers, but some of us (including me) are curious about the photos you've taken off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Indra,
      Show us your pocket camera photos, let us compare with his.

      Delete
  35. This story lacks photos a lot. This story not worth a penny with absolutely no images. And still 600$ is a bit too low for a full day shooting with an assistant. According to the market, this outcome was highly expected in case the pictures are as bad as they are told to be. I'm not defending the photographer, but without seeing not even single image... What can be said?

    ReplyDelete
  36. OMG, i am another CC too, not Caleb Cheong. I think other ppl will think he is me.. This blog does damage me as well LOL..

    ReplyDelete
  37. Please post photos here or elsewhere, I have requested helps from a few influential professional photographers from Western Countries to judge this work. Ty.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi I've seen the pictures posted and honestly for me as a person who only uses a point n shoot camera, the pictures are really unbearable to see.

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi, I'm Wai Yee, a journalist from Straits Times Life and am doing an article about bad wedding photography experiences. Could I interview you about your experience please? Feel free to call me at 63192783 or email me at yipwy@sph.com.sg. I hope to hear from you soon!

    ReplyDelete