Daniel Doke Photography

t made me feel 110% about trusting him with our special day. I did not tell him what to do, just let him work his magic. And that is exactly what he did! I am in LOVE with our final product, and the pictures came in such a timely manner. His studio was also very good with emailing me back in a timely manner.!

otographic eye. He captured our most precious moments in the best way. We're so happy we had him on our team.

rtable in front of the camera. Seemed to have gotten some good shots. The one-star rating comes from your complete disorganization and lack of effort on the back-end. We waited 6+weeks to get access to the site with our photos, no previews or anything. I was so excited when I finally got to review the pictures, but convinced myself after looking at the first 10 pictures that these MUST be the untouched/unedited versions of the photos. Some of the pictures seemed crooked and there were shadows in places that I thought would be fixed in the editing process. Well, I was wrong. Apparently, the crooked photos were my final product....Honestly, I could deal with some crooked pictures. Let me explain further. During the shoot, I was arranged with my bridemaids and flower girl. The way we were arranged, we were basically framing an eletrical outlet. She suggested we shift a little to cover the outlet. Dan, the main photographer, assured us that the outlet (and any other imperfections) can be photo-shopped out. We address this exact same issue again with lighting equipment in the back of the photos, and were assured again not to worry, the equipment will be removed during the editing process. Based on how this review is going, you probably guessed correctly that no one of the concerns we brought up in the moment were taken care of on the back end. It's pathetic that non-professionals had the wherewithal to adjust the posture to avoid random items getting in the shot. We had some great photos that are pretty much ruined with bulky equipment, outlets, shadows, etc in the background. Alright, next point of business. The Doke team typically mail a thumb drive with all of the photos. Which I truly do appreciate. I can download and create photobooks and prints from my preferred vendors. Followed up a couple of times to see when I'd be getting that USB...months later it finally arrived. Yay! Not so fast...1/3 of the photos were missing!!! Just not there. Again, just rushed and lazy jobs from the group. They must have ejected the USB before all of the photos uploaded or something. Super annoying. Followed up again and now they're sending me a new one. Hopefully I'll have all of my photos and I'll never had to interact with these people again. Hiring Dan Doke's team is literally the one decision I regret in my entire wedding planning process. We have a few keepers, but thank goodness I have some free time to keep following up. Please, I want everyone to have a flawless wedding with beautiful pictures to reminisce with. Do yourself a favor, don't use Dan Doke.

res - and he took some good photos. We were disappointed, though, that he took about so many pictures of things like floral centerpieces (who cares?!) and no pictures of the guests at their tables. The family so rarely gets all together and it would have been nice to have some photos of them as a group. But I’m sure these could be non-issues if you were explicit about what you want ahead of time. I had just assumed table pictures were standard. Also, we opted to add a second photographer through Dan and he was awful - not only were all his pictures poor (most were off-color or something), but he ended up in the frame of the photos Dan was taking. The album-making process was truly dreadful. First of all, the first draft of the album they sent us was cuckoo. It was so cuckoo we had to schedule an appointment to meet with Dan to discuss all the edits we’d like to make. And just to be clear- we’re both super low-maintenance, not artsy or very picky about appearances, so this was not just some Bridezilla being insane - the first draft was bad. When we met with Dan, he said something like, “Oh I don’t know what Zach was thinking”. Wait, what? I had assumed Dan would assemble our album. But I guess he has his underlings do it. FYI. To his credit, Dan worked with us during this meeting to assemble something good. But it was annoying to have to drive an hour each way to do this, when he should have done the album in the first place (in my opinion). More importantly, it took over two years to get our album - and that was with me HOUNDING them for the last nine months or so. It’s a multistep process, and we’d submit our part and then...radio silence. For months, sometimes. Then I’d email to check on them...no response. A week later I would call...usually no answer. Or if someone answered, they’d say Pam was out and would have to get back to me. Then she wouldn’t, and I’d have to call again. Ugh! Who has time for this? This happened multiple times throughout this process. And when I explicitly asked Pam via email if the album cover was engraved or simply printed, she said engraved. It wasn’t - and when I pointed that out to her after receiving the album...you guessed it - radio silence. By this point, I was so tired of hounding them that I just gave up. What can you do? They already have all your money before they even start making the album. So, to make a long story short: Dan takes some good photos, but be explicit about what you’re expecting. And save yourself years of aggravation and do not hire them to make you an album!

need for a professional photographer (honestly that’s from my dad…#wantedtosavemoney) Here are my thoughts on Dan Doke Photography - Dan as my photographer… HIRE DAN DOKE PHOTOGRAPHY! I can’t even BEGIN to describe to you how from the second I met Dan, to my engagement photo session and down to my actual day of marriage how taken care of and happy I was to work with him. When I met Dan, he immediately made me feel comfortable and confident in his presence. He is the best around and I knew I wanted him for my photographer, but we were on a strict budget. After chatting with him, and making sure to get the photographer booked a year early, Dan worked with us to get his price down a smidge so he could be a photographer! Ladies, the day of my wedding Dan came in with his calming presence, and was able to get very shot of what I wanted to capture. He had a massive undertaking with our families (we had 5 LARGE families we had to get through) and Dan was able to usher them in and out with such a great level of professionalism and poise that we got through everyone in 30minutes. We also were able to get a second photographer and it made all the difference. Cindy, who was working with Dan, was able to capture all the moments I missed with Pat and all the reactions of our families. During the ceremony they got so many different angles without ever intruding on the ceremony itself and were able to pivot and get me some BEAUTIFUL shots after the rain stopped! I got the photos back a couple of days ago and can’t stop looking at them. I’ve never felt more beautiful in my life. Dan and his team made me feel incredible and I was so blessed to get to work with him. Sincerely, Gina Crane (An ecstatic Dan Doke Bride!)

d in while understanding that we wanted to be a part of our wedding. He is also really helpful in guiding everyone where they need to be without being pushy. They take a ton of pictures to make sure they get plenty of great ones.

r chasing us. After a quick pause he looked me dead in the eye and said "Absolutely." and I knew I was hooked. Paul was so awesome to work with, he showed up early, took as TON of photos (and all of them were awesome mind you) and was just the best to work with. From his professional demeanor and a constant reassurance that this was by far not the wildest request he has had, I decided then and there that I would work with him for all of my pictures for the rest of my life. Paul, you are the BEST and I look forward to any potential future work we get to do together!!!

rried!

e met with him prior to the wedding and discussed our style. We mentioned wanting a lot of candid shots and not too many posed/cliché shots. Paul certainly delivered. Our pictures are AMAZING. Paul was scheduled for 7 hours total. He arrived at my house at 3:30 and got right to work taking photos of all of the essentials and “getting ready” pictures. His assistant was at our venue taking key photos there and taking some pictures with the guys. Every moment of our ceremony and reception was captured with perfection. Paul was even there for our last dance! We have received a preview of our wedding album and it looks great. We are given options to make any necessary edits. I really doubt we will need to though. In my opinion, your photographer is one of the key elements to your wedding. When the night is over - the pictures are all you have left to remember a night that flies by so quickly. Be sure to hire someone like Paul. He did a phenomenal job! Thanks Paul!

were looking for. Paul was great from our engagement shoot to our wedding day and took some beautiful photos. Highly recommended!

as true they were like ghosts. They took many pictures! They were both professional and fun. It was raining but thankfully cleared up right before the ceremony. Paul still laid on the golf course to take pictures of us! I will defiantly use Paul again! We have not gotten our pictures back yet but I know they will be spectacular!

s great, he is very professional and knows just where to take the photos, and I was overall just SOO happy with everything! I can't say enough about Daniel Doke and his staff! GREAT PLACE ! If you want top notch photos, please get Daniel or Zac!

his own expense. He did a great job. I will update after I pick my pictures, and get the book back.

s what we were looking for in our wedding photos we told him "you are an artist. Just shoot what you think looks good!" Giving our photographer full creative rein creates the most outstanding photos!! Zac and his assistant were also a blast and easy to work with!

other brides because you will end up with different feels. Paul was very professional on time and took THOUSANDS of pictures! We couldn't believe how many photos he had actually taken! We now have so many to pick from! I would recommend Paul to anyone!

the staff of Dan Doke Photography. It is a bit pricey, but once you see the samples of their work, you will understand why. I would recommend their business.

of the way but suggesting great options.

titude and was so funny. It helped everyone in the wedding party to relax. I highly recommend

something fun and unique for a family photo. We talked about doing snow angels (and he got to brag to other photographers he had a couple who wanted to do it!) ... unfortunately there was no snow to be had.... He knew how important a family photo was to us, and he captured it inside our venue just beautifully. He got great shots of all the kids having a great time dancing and laughing. He got that special moment when my husband first saw me on our wedding day... He captured special moments with my Step Daughter and Myself, and with Jason and his Son... with my Mom and Dad... It was so special. The pictures are just amazing. I highly recommend Paul and Dan Doke photography

ave of the day. He really made it worth it. From the second he showed up at the house, he just started clicking. I was nervous that it was going to be very posey, which is what I didn't want... but he did a lot of candids, and only some poses. He also was never in the way while we were getting ready, and just took pictures. He didn't keep saying "ok, what do you want to do now"... thats not what I wanted. I had enough to worry about! He even stayed an extra half an hour to make sure we got pictures with my husbands grandmother, who left the church early by accident when we were taking family photos. I will say that we got Dan through the Winter Wonderland package at Promises to Keep, so I am not positive how much he charges for his normal rate.... but this guys is so good, you can't put a price on it!

dding. Paul was extremely nice and his pictures were great. Zac was amazing at the wedding, he was fast and very professional. He even gave me a few pointers to help get thru the ceremony.I would definetly recommend them to couples looking for great service and amazing photos.

easy to work with. She answered ALL my questions and helped ease many of my wedding day jitters. I would recommend her to anyone!!!

n alot of what he did and was so nice! He wasn't in your face at all, it was like he wasn't even there during the ceremony! We would recommend Paul for any of our friends and family!

m. I can't wait to see my pictures. I just know they're going to be FANTASTIC.

some shots that he took of us and my jaw almost hit the floor-they were amazing. I always cant stand the way I look in pictures but in his, I looked good - maybe even great..I'll admit it, afterall, it was my day =) Guests even commented on how he seemed to be there for all of those tiny little moments that would make great pictures-aside from the general stuff. I haven't yet seen the final pictures yet, however I can honestly say that Jim's package is a great value. He is a great and talented photographer, and those who want to go with Dan Doke but don't have the money to pay for him should definitely look into Jim. I am 100% happy with my choice and can't wait to see the final product.

ceived the picts. back yet but we were very impressed with the amount of pictures taken. We were hoping for a little more time with the creative shots, but the weather was not our friend and it limited what could be done. Overall we are very happy with this studio. We plan on going back to them for future family portraits.

nyone.

ly have the pictures left. I would highly recommend him. Dan is a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

n assistant, Karla. They were both very sweet, very professional, totally unobtrusive, and sure to get any shots that were important to me (groups of family, groups of friends, various dances, etc). If the photos come out like I'm expecting they will, I'll be ecstatic!

t. Dan was our photographer, and up until the wedding, everything had gone splendid. We had talked about what our expectations were picture wise so we thought we were all set. Boy were we wrong. We ended up with 4000 pictures most of which were out of focus, blurry, too dark, too bright, or low quality. Several years later and we still don't have our album because of careless mistakes. Lots of mis-communication has continued to sum up the issues that we continue to have. Many of our friends have also used him and have complained that he is snap happy, does not focus on great group shots, cannot organize groups to look professional, and is too rushed. The only thing that I can say that is positive is that we ended up with a few good artsy pictures. He is great with editing. This is Dan's strength, not wedding photography!!! Consumer's be ware.

. I would not have changed one thing.

hole family & wedding party feel very comfotrable!;Daniel Doke was a little expensive, but very worth the pictures that will last a lifetime!

he background left in place). The place is too busy to set up time after the wedding to complete the job well.

ne of the best.;Overall, I have no major complaints other than communication after the wedding as to when our proofs were ready for review,etc. Nothing related to the quality of the work. He is an outstanding photographer

nd found such creative angles and lighting for our pictures. Since we did this during the day, at the actual wedding all that had to be done is family and party portraits and we had the night to enjoy our wedding instead of worrying about the perfect bride/groom portrait.