Steven Michael Photography

, and we found his personality likable, so we hired him for the day, specifically his two photographer package. All seemed to go smoothly the day of, and our contract stated that we would receive our photos 3-4 weeks after the wedding. On the four week date, we reached out asking for an update. He said he would need about one more month to finish, which we understood because he also had a full time job in New York City. A month comes and goes, and we begin to reach out about once a week asking for updates on our photos. We finally received photos more than four months late, but we received, at most, half of what we paid for. Many key times were missing from the photos he took, and we received less than five photos that were taken by his second photographer. He did not respond to many attempts at contact asking where the remainder of our photos were, and he finally resurfaced after legal action was threatened against him. He claimed in a brief email that all usable photos were delivered, and once again disappeared. He didn’t realize that we had already gotten a hold of his second photographer, who informed us that all her photos were given over to him to edit. But with these photos seemingly lost at this point, we will never receive the photos centered around myself (the groom) with my side of the wedding party, and anything else she happened to take. I don’t know if he had a severe technology issue, or deleted them truly on accident (the fact that we received a handful of photos taken by her makes me believe that he was working on them, deleted them on accident, and then didn’t have the guts to admit it), but we signed a contract, and he didn’t deliver on what we paid for. He ignored the Better Business Bureau contacting him, after we filed a complaint through them. He ignored a lawyer, who sent a letter demanding the remainder of the photos or a refund given. He ignored the Small Claims Court contacting him about a court date. He even ignored “The People’s Court,” who wished to put our case on television (I have the voicemails to back this up). In all, we have at least 35 attempts at making contact with him. This is sadly a very abbreviated version of the trauma this man has put my wife and I through. We have to accept at this point that we did all we could to seek justice for the wrongs he has committed, but at this point, not much more can be done sadly. But, what we can do is help ensure that nobody else falls prey to this man. If you want to have a photographer who will have a friendly personality at first but has no intention of following through on what you pay him for, by all means hire Steven. If you want someone who will actually do his job, then hire, literally, anybody, else.

he never intended to attend the wedding and never paid me in full. I hope he stops doing this to other couples as this is unprofessional and disgusting

” obviously this death was a lie as he has used this before. He also said a family member passed when he canceled a zoom meeting. After asking for the deposit back He threatened to take me to court and I’m thankful I found someone else before he could ruin our wedding

r engagement photos, he become distant. We had to reach out to him on multiple platforms before receiving a response. He let us know he had a family tragedy, we responded with compassion and gave him space. When it came time to setting up the engagement session again, he let us know his availability and we finally set something up. He emailed us at 5:30 in the morning the day of our session saying he had another family tragedy and he wouldn’t be attending the session. Didn’t offer to reschedule, didn’t communicate. I sent him emails asking him what will happen moving forward and when he finally responded he told me to have some compassion and that “my family and personal life is greater than your wedding” which I found extremely rude and unnecessary. I wasn’t asking to be greater than his family or personal life, I just wanted an answer. He said he wouldn’t be our photographer anymore, but he’d get a member of his team to take over. I’m sure his team is talented, however I’m not comfortable working with anyone associated with him either. I’m losing money because he took the deposit already, but at least I’ll have peace of mind.

s responsive and even helpful in providing suggestions. We eventually signed a contract which included our expectations/instructions, and payment. On the contract, we agreed to receive our pictures no later than 21 days after the wedding (which should make the date of receipt July 2 or July 3, 2022. Payment was made in full in a timely manner. On the day of the wedding, he was professional and on time. My wife to be and I made sure he was well situated. We made sure he was fed, and I even took shots with him towards the end of the night. Fast forward to after the wedding, Steven Michael basically ghosted us. My wife and I reached out to Steven via email, phone, and social media on July 5, and on July 13. He ignored us and eventually responded with an unapologetic, blank response, claiming it will take another 4 – 6 weeks, and we should be patient. No apology for the delay. After waiting for 12 weeks, we had no choice but to retain an attorney and paid a fee, to take legal action and get our pictures. On September 5, we finally received our pictures. My wife and I’s issues started with communication. Steven did not communicate what issues he had going on that led to the delay of our pictures for 3 months. Even worse, no apology. We went almost 3 months without being able to share our lovely wedding ceremonies with the people we loved as well as ourselves. I honestly believe we wouldn't have gotten our pictures if we didn’t retain an attorney. I would not recommend Steven to anyone I know or hate because he is insensitive, unprofessional, and unable to keep to his contract. Till this day, we never got an explanation or an apology. I am glad it is over and I will not recommend his services, unless you want to wait several months for your pictures and potentially pursue legal course.

ice we were able to find and book Steven as our photographer. He was very communicative and we quickly were able to schedule a time to chat about our vision and the plan for the day. Steven understood the organic feel we were going for and we ultimately booked him for two sessions (day of wedding and a second day for just wedding pictures with my husband and I). Steven was so enjoyable to have around, carries great energy, and is really amazing at his craft. The photos are stunning honestly better than what we could've imagined! We definitely made the best decision going with Steven Michael Photography.

hotographers. I actually discussed the wedding details and what I wanted with multiple photographers and Steven was a head and shoulders above them all for multiple reasons. He’s extremely well organized when it comes to documentation, the details of the occasion, ensuring he was prepared for anything that could have gone wrong (I.e. weather, location issues) that really settled me on an already nerve-wrecking day. I needed someone organized so that I didn’t have to worry about the moments being captured. His unique style of photography actually gave the moments he captured more character and life than I feel like they had in person, which was such a pleasant surprise for me in my winter wedding (where colors could potentially have been drab if photographed incorrectly). Steven was a sweetheart and so attentive during the wedding. His personality is fantastic, genuinely earnest and upfront on expectations, which I appreciated! Hiring him was one of the best decisions I made in regards to my wedding. Thank you for everything, Steven.

in responding and always so kind. Now for what you all are wandering, the pictures were PHENOMENAL. I still cry when I look at them. He captured everything so beautifully and was an awesome guy to be around. He will go above and beyond for you. Please choose Steven to be a part of your special day because he so wants to be and the pictures will be something you will cherish for a lifetime.

pdate: 5 months later and I still can't stop looking at the photos. He captured great posed photos, but also candid ones that remind me of our little elopement. Thanks so much, Steven!

nd and I seriously can not recommend Steven enough!! So do yourself a favor and hire him for your big day, I promise it’ll be the best decision you ever made.

nd he was very accommodating to what we were looking for and got some great shots. He was wonderful to work with and very personable. Following his Instagram page really showcases his talents. Would definitely recommended!

hoosing Steven was a seamless process. He cares so much about making the couple happy and finding the right photographer to do just that. His pricing is unbeatable. Other companies honestly want to charge so much money for their services. I understand for some couples money isn’t an issue but for us budget conscious brides I didn’t get a sinking feeling in my stomach when we went over prices. I thought he was extremely fair and reasonable for what we choose. I highly recommend choosing his photography.