Amanda Adams Photography LLC

     

*Please note, it is difficult for me to write this, but Amanda has not returned my calls/emails/social media messages since December 2024. My wedding was Sept 2024. I am in contact with others who have had the same experience from 2019-2024, showing it is a recurring issue. Her page shows other weddings from 2025, so I hope other brides are not having the same experience. Please read in entirety and check other sites to form your own opinion. *

I wish I had chosen someone else for my wedding pictures. Our initial call was friendly and she seemed like a hard worker going through a rough patch (which I truly have tried to be sympathetic). Communication issues began before our engagement shoot. She got a new phone number, but did not contact me to let me know or confirm time/location for the engagement shoot. After no response to calls, I emailed her 20 minutes after we were supposed to meet to check if she was still coming. She showed and we got our engagement photo gallery within 48 hours. I figured it was a one-off thing.

In Aug 2024, she sent me a lengthy questionnaire about my wedding that took about 2 hours to complete. 2 weeks before the wedding, she emails me her timeline, which did not match the details in my answers. I called her to discuss and left voicemails, which were not returned. I emailed her business email twice with no response. I tagged her business in an Instagram post, which she promptly commented on, but still did not return my calls or emails. She finally answered the phone 2 days before my wedding day and I conveyed the timeline issues. One concern was that the second shooter (another photographer I had included as an add-on in my contract to cover the guys getting ready), would be riding in the same vehicle as her. I reiterated the times that both the bride and groom sides would be getting ready, and noted that the locations were far apart. She promised me a new timeline the following day (the day of my rehearsal dinner) with those details worked out so that photography services could start on time.

By 9pm the next day (the day before my wedding), I had still not gotten an updated timeline from Amanda. Because the day was built around a timeline with other vendors, we had to continue on the timeline I had communicated to Amanda the day prior (which she said she could make work). On the morning of the wedding, my mother in law texts that the photographers arrived to the boys location. The second shooter (who in the contract was meant to be another professional photographer) was her boyfriend, Jon Czerniawski. Amanda showed him how to use the camera, then left for my location. Jon told my husband "I don't know why I am here." Needless to say, no photos taken by Jon were included in our final gallery and we were shocked at the lack of professionalism.

Amanda arrived at my location an hour late, causing a significant delay in our ceremony start and reception for our other vendors. She focused on "detail shots" while we waited for her to be done. We then had to shorten our first look because I knew guests had been waiting at the ceremony location for 45 minutes already and we still had to drive to the ceremony location, which was at a mountain overlook near Charlottesville. We started our ceremony an hour and a half late. Because of the delay, my husband and I had only 10 minutes before the sun went down for any bride and groom photos with the mountains (which was the whole purpose we chose that location for our wedding). We then had to rush to the reception, which was shortened by 2 hours. As you can imagine, this was incredibly frustrating and upsetting to us and our guests, but I tried to get through the day focusing on the positive aspects.

Our contract stated we'd receive photos in 8 weeks. At 10 weeks with no word, I contacted her. I thought it odd I was reaching out to her first as opposed to her contacting me with a reason for the delay. She promised the photos in a few days, which I received in early December (delayed, but received). Unfortunately there were no photos from Jon's perspective of the day (meaning no photos from the boys getting ready or other angles from the ceremony/reception), and many of our group shots had closed eyes, rendering the photos unusable. We also never received the physical album we paid for. Amanda said it would be shipped by Christmas, but since Dec 2024 she has stopped communicating with me. I reached out to Jon on Facebook Messenger with no answer. I also reached out to a photographer friend of hers on Instagram with no answer. Amanda had told me she had been going through a divorce during this time, which I know is incredibly difficult, especially with kids involved. Although I have tried to be as sympathetic as possible, I am incredibly disappointed to see she is still working with other brides while myself and other clients have had this experience with her and have not received our products. If the divorce was this taxing, I don't understand why she is still booking clients and taking money when she cannot keep up with her current load. Furthermore, she was the most expensive part of our wedding (even with the reception venue, food, and alcohol package combined). At this point I know I will not get my money back, and I cannot undo the frustration surrounding the day, but I would like the products that I paid for.

Take your time and your money to someone who will respect you and your day. Amanda is talented, but I would advise against her services until she is at a place where she can dedicate the time, communication, and her resources appropriately. Amanda, I just want my album and to put this behind us.