Patken Photographer

What a nightmare. People please do your research. They promise you anything you want, just to get you to sign the contract. You email them with a question, be prepared to wait weeks before they get back to you. If you make a suggestion on a touch up on one of your photos, well let's just say a vacation in the Mid East will be more peaceful.\r \r My fiancee and I booked them for our wedding, and after trying out two different photographers of theirs, and getting the same posed shots (after we voiced our dislike how the first session came out), we are now in the process of dropping them. They can keep the deposit for all I care. I refuse to give them another penny and have my wedding photos look like garbage.\r \r If I can save just one person from choosing them as their wedding photographer, I will feel a lot better. Please, just take your time, make some calls to other places, talk to friends and family. You will be thankful you did. more

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We used Patken for our wedding. So we worked with the photographer for an engagement photo and on our wedding day. Overall, I very much liked the photographer and I like many of the photos that were taken. The pictures of my wedding looked almost exactly like the ones we saw in the lobby of their offices. But that, I think, is the shortcoming as well as the strength of this vendor. Almost all of the photos are staged. I get the sense that it is not worthwhile to mention any individual photographer's name because all the shots are taken the same way for every client. So the poses you are put into for your engagement session will be poses you do on your wedding day. And yes, you will look lovely (or uncomfortable in some cases) both times, but don't expect the photographer to be sensitive to the fact that you don't like to do the ""serious face."" And don't expect the photographer to look to capture those special moments either. For instance, during dessert, my husband and I were alone dancing on the dance floor except for one friend and his one year old daughter. A special moment, but the photographer was on a laptop editing pictures from earlier in the night at that time. Also, though my husband and I were used to the staging, our wedding party wasn't. So in some of the ""candids,"" they are making unpleasant faces. Finally, as you will see right away, their client list is massive--a testament to the overall quality of the product--but their offices are not the most attentive. They don't necessarily call you when something is finished; they won't admit to making a mistake, and they say one thing, but don't necessarily follow up. As I've said, they have a good product, but I also know there are other photographers out there who want to give you a more personal touch. It depends what you're into I suppose. Pros: Photographer very professional, large number of good photos Cons: photo opps are preset, you are 1 of 800 other clients more

Just used Patken for our wedding-- we used Kevin he is a sweet heart and did such a great job. We took engagment pictures with Kevin once and Doug the owner once... they style is almost exact. they came out amazing. i love there studios... the real life backrounds (literally they have a mock beach with sand and a garden with flowers) were great... much more variation then if we had to pick one place. the staff is great whenever i call and so organized. \r \r we just got our proofs back and loved them!! \r \r we would recommend using them... they are wonderful. Pros: Amazing Pictures, Staff is Great Cons: absolutely none more

I so happy that I picked patken photographers! They were there before i arrived. Ready and prepared to start shooting. My photographer (Jared) and videographer (Ramon) were the sweetest guys I could have had for my wedding day.Instead of being stressed out on my wedding day, I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time. I am soo grateful to have chosen Patken as my photographers.. THANK YOU!!\r \r Shanelle Pros: Best details! more

The photos were not anything like what we saw in the studio. Not very professional to say the least. Service from workers was often rude. Timeliness of receiving photos was awful, with no follow up. We made a mistake picking this photographer over others that we visited. more