Amative Creative

truly something I take so personally, and I'm just happy to know that this is felt by our clients! I do really try to make each of my couples feel seen and heard, and be more than just a “vendor,” but someone who wants to really craft the best reflection of their day, and it’s humbling to know we accomplish that in some way. While not always perfect, we do strive that in every step that we take! And in a world of so many excellent photography companies, we try to stand out by offering the most personalization we can, while never sacrificing quality. The word “irreplaceable” brought tears to this artist’s eyes and I’m so incredibly grateful for you! xoxo

h you!

h so much!

ut I haven’t heard back… You had just reached out yesterday saying how much you loved the images, and were “reliving everything with so many amazing moments and captures. They are already so cherished. Thank you!” So I’m a little surprised to say the least… I do want to address all of these concerns however, so that future couples can know all the details and be able to make an informed decision for themselves about these issues, and to hopefully give some clarity to things. As a reminder, my husband was approaching surgery prior to your wedding date, and his health was very poor leading up to it, which you were made aware of, and I asked if you had a preference of me shooting the wedding (I, someone you had not worked with yet, so had not formed a relationship with), or Jo one of our best photographers who shot your engagement session, who you said you loved and already had experience with, and I was actually surprised you wanted me there personally as well as her. I had texted you at 9:30am the week before the wedding asking if you had a preference considering my husband’s health and that I may take the day for my family but wanted to check with you first, you replied your desire at 9:45am, and at 9:57am I confirmed that I was happy to be there regardless and was looking forward to your wedding day! I’m sorry that question was stressful for you, but I honestly thought you might not have a preference considering we had not worked together and you were already familiar with another photographer. And I alleviated all your concerns in less than 30 minutes, so did not know that was a major point of stress for you. And yes, about the contract, that is something I should have updated before you signed… but during our consult call I had explained our new timeline for things, so I incorrectly assumed that aspect was understood by you prior to your booking as it seemed to make sense to you over the phone. To clarify, instead of 3 photos, 3 days after in a single edit style that you could not modify (our “old” way of doing things without customization), you received 59 images, in three different edit styles, where you were allowed to tweak and modify your preferences. And after review I created a brand new edit style we’ve never used before, just to match your specific desires (which is what we love to do, and why things take so long! :) ) We consider this a more tailored and personalized approach, which we also talked through during the booking process. This wording has since been updated in our contracts but at the time of your booking was still not defined, and I did try to explain that to you afterwards as well, but I apologize if it was not satisfactory. I also really, really want to address the statement of, “I had several pictures of my dj but zero of my family,” as this is factually incorrect. There are literally hundreds of images of your family. If you are referencing during the reception portion where I did include 2-3 dj photos, as we always do along with images of cakes, food, decor, lighting, the venue, and every other aspect of the reception. If there was a family member you are specifically thinking of that did not get captured during the reception, it is perhaps they did not dance, did not wish to have their photo taken, or were not in the reception space. I’d also love to point out that the Instagram Editing Queue is actually a helpful resource for our clients, and something that most photographers do not supply, giving you an active look at your editing process so you can be more in-tuned to the status of your galleries. Unlike other photographers, we custom edit everything, and with that comes a little extra time, which most of our clients understand considering the lifetime they will be viewing their images. We prefer not to slap the same preset on automatically or use batch editing software that makes fast turnarounds possible for single-edit photographers. And yes, just as I did with you, I try to make it clear that we are a creative team of photographers and videographers, and we make sure the very best person on our team is matched up to align with your vision! I hope that future brides reading this can understand how much heart and soul we put into each wedding day, sometimes at the expense of personal family issues that may arise. Every couple is part of the Amative family, and we are honored to be able to celebrate with so many amazing couples every week.

at we do without people like you!!! Absolutely love you both!

ever deleted any previous review, but informed The Knot of multiple inaccurate statements and discrepancies the previous review contained, and provided the proper documentation showing that the previous statements weren’t fully accurate. At which point they removed it on their own. Truthfully, I’m shocked and a bit hurt you never reached out to us as a company, or me personally, as you have my personal cell number (as do all my clients) to address any of these concerns in the past year. That said, I would like to address all the statements in this review fully and clearly, so that future couples can make an informed decision. In terms of quality, your wedding photos and videos are still some of my absolute personal favorites and can clearly be seen on our website and social media. I’m extremely proud of the work our team did there, and will continue to applaud those images. I even have a large scale print from your wedding that I use at bridal shows, and have frequently referenced it for current and potential clients. We even featured your wedding in a blog post as can be seen here: https://amativecreative.com/journalposts/megan-pieter-9-11-2021/ In regard to me not being in attendance personally, you were informed during your inquiry call and prior to booking that we already had another wedding on our schedule that date, and I was unsure exactly which team member would be your primary, but that we would let you know who it would be prior to the wedding day. We followed through on that, and you had a video call with myself and the lead photographer prior to the date, and from my understanding you were happy with that. I also do understand your frustration with the photos and videos being a few weeks (not “months”) delayed in delivery, but I did express my apologies due to the fact my mother had passed away from cancer, and that had impacted my productivity significantly. It was also the year many couples had rescheduled their dates due to Covid lockdowns, so we had an unusually high number of weddings that fall as everyone wanted to tie the knot before lockdowns resumed that winter (understandably so), but it did put an additional strain on our standard editing procedures and communication flow. For the angle of Megan walking down the aisle, I’d like to point out that you purchased the single videographer only package, and so that does limit the amount of angles achievable during the ceremony. We did get an excellent capture of Pieter’s reaction as he cried seeing Megan for the first time, and also of Megan’s hand-off from her dad. Again, due to some Covid concerns our team did not want to crowd the front aisle area or obstruct your family’s view during the processional since it was a tighter space, so the primary photographer captured Megan’s walk in full, but video did not stand in the aisle as well. Overall, I’m mostly just surprised you never reached out to me personally to express any of these concerns, and aside from the personal appearance elements you requested to be photoshopped (which is not part of the normal editing process, but that we performed free of charge), in addition to some venue architectural details you wanted removed from images, there was nothing in the photos you were disappointed with as far as I knew. You originally wrote that you were extremely happy with things, and as you have my personal cell number (like all our clients), we could have communicated easily to address these concerns in depth, if desired. I mostly just hope that future clients reading this reply can know my heart behind it, and that I try more than anything to ensure my couple’s have the best footage possible, and with great attention to their personal needs. No couple is a burden, and if anything I put my own life on hold to make sure my clients are as happy as possible within my control. Life can sometimes become out of our control, and we all have to work together to make sure we make the absolute best of it. I’m so thankful to be able to create memories for clients like Megan and Pieter, and will continue to love their images and films as part of the Amative family. - Andrea

dance on the clouds might be one of my favorites ever so far we've shot! 🤩 I couldn't have asked for a better couple to work with than you and Louis too. Literally ANYTIME you wanna take pictures lemme know!!

clearly that didn’t happen! Due to covid and getting double booked most dates because of reschedules we had about 17 weddings the weeks before and after of your wedding. And with the passing of my mom from cancer this summer my backlog did take a hit unfortunately. But I’m working diligently to complete your gallery as well as was going to include a complimentary highlight film along with your RAW footage package, if desired. Again, I apologize for the delay, and we’re doing our best in this crazy season we’re in!!

in for allowing us to be there to tell your story!