Jacqueline C. Sent on 17/01/2013

5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5.0 out of 5 rating
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5.0 out of 5 rating
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5.0 out of 5 rating
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5.0 out of 5 rating
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Martin was absolutely wonderful to deal with! Leading up to the wedding he answered all my emails promptly and helped me to decide when and where to do my pictures on the day of. I knew right away when I met him in person for a quick 'interview' that he was definitely the perfect person to work with on our day.

On the day of, Martin was efficient, and it never felt like he was intruding. In fact, without Martin's gentle steering I'm not sure everything would have happened on time. We left ourselves in his hands when it came to where our portraits should be taken and I am absolutely in awe of some of the photos we ended up getting. My husband who was against spending any money at all on photography said "Worth every penny" the moment he saw our album. In fact there are so many beautiful pictures I'm not sure how we'll ever narrow them down for our album.

As for the monetary end of things the value for his services in unreal. I was quoted some staggering prices by other vendors, so when I got a quote back from Martin I was worried at first. But after looking at his portfolio, knew we'd be in good hands. I have suggested Butterfly Photography to a few friends already and HIGHLY recommend him to anyone thinking of using them for any occassion. I will cherish the pictures that Martin took the rest of my life, and I'll be proud to show them to any future children we have. Thank you Martin!

[Anonymous] Sent on 19/09/2016

1.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2.0 out of 5 rating
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2.0 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1.0 out of 5 rating
Value
2.0 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1.0 out of 5 rating

We wrote an extensive review so if you don't want to read it all... here is a brief rundown

The good:
He has been photographing photos for a long time
He has experience (not sure if that matters?)

The bad:
1. He uses his contract to do the LEAST amount of work possible
2. He is NOT accommodating (I had a vision of filters, poses, locations) and he basically was not interested in helping me.
3. He is holding out RAW photos hostage and will not give them to us...even tough we paid his 3,200$$!!!!!
4. You as the client have no say in the quantity that get finished, or the selection that they finish.
5. His ideas and poses are from 1999! He tries to put you in poses from old traditional looks
6. Not very artistic or talented in current 21st century looks
7. Not a very nice person

Long story:
We decided on Butterfly Photography as our wedding photographer based on a selection from their website. We had 1 engagement photo session, seemly went okay, although I wasn't overly impressed with the photos. While not bad, I found them to be "under-whelming", which truly is the theme of our experience with Butterfly.

The main photographer, seems to know his trade, arrived on time, with equipment and ready to shoot. He is a bit quirky, but once you get used to him, you can have a bit of fun with it. He and his secondary photographer took a plethora of photos, I'd say 50/50 poses we had researched and poses they typically do, probably to the tune of 1000-1200 photographs. Now, we were very particular that photos were very important to us, therefore we did a lot of research of locations and poses that we specifically wanted. The photographer was open to working with us in an effort to get the specifics we wanted, after all, it is our wedding right?

The trouble came when we got an email that the photos were almost ready, less than 2 weeks after the event. In my experience, wedding photos can take months to edit and "produce". With baited breath we waited... when the link came in, we eagerly opened it, and, as before.... So under-whelmed.

Of the 1000+ photos taken, less than 10 had been heavily edited/modified, the remainder had very little of anything done, and truly were very under-whelming. Now, with that said, the selection had some impressive work done to them (like I said, he seems to know his trade). The problem with this is, of that selection, there was only 1 that we actually wanted as an edited/manipulated photo, the rest, although nice, were not ones that we were interested in. You see, the company went ahead and edited a selection of photos, without so much as asking if there were any specific ones we may want them to work on. When we contacted the company and explained that his selection of photos weren't photos that we were interested in, the company initially indicated that this was all they would produce, as per the contract they reserved the right to select which photos they would edit. After some back and forth, the company reluctantly agreed to edit 4 more photos, as we wanted a thank you card, and to make a photobook. We provided an example of the type of finishing we were hoping for (off Instagram), and so, that's exactly what they did, for all 4 of those photos, no more, no less - they may have even just used Instagram for all we know.

So, again, dramatically under-whelmed by our wedding photos, and with little other option, we decided to offer further payment on top of the thousands we have already paid for their services. We told the photographer that we would like to make a photo book and would like to know the cost for him to finish 20 photos of our selection for us in order to make the book. He quoted $50.00 per picture.... So now, for us to finish 20 pictures of the 1000+ available, the company wanted another $1000 dollars?? If they had simply asked us originally what photos we wanted done, we could've avoided this all together - feels like a really bad cash grab now that we're literally locked in.

We solicited a friend who is in the industry to help us with the 20 edits, they reluctantly agreed, but said the JPEG quality was not high enough to enable significant edits, and therefore, would be little they could do to edit the photos to our liking. When we asked Butterfly to provide us the raw photos for editing, they indicated they would not as it is industry norm to not offer raw photos, because photographers don't like "unfinished" work being "out there"..... wait, what?!? We're trying every avenue to have them finished!? So as it stands we are at loggerheads.

Get a per picture price for additional finishing - we failed to do this, and therefore are essentially being extorted as we can't get the photos we want finish unless we pay the ransom, and we can't get the raw files to have someone else help us out, doesn't that feel like extortion?

Unfortunately we are left with a photo for our thank you card we don't like, no opportunity to make a photobook as we have insufficient quality photos (even if we used the ones we don't care for), and no raw photos in order to have someone else produce them for us.

Our memories are literally being held hostage by our paid contractor.... We are now actually considering small claims court in order to at least get the raw files so we can make our damn photo book of our wedding!

Would I recommend Butterfly - no, not with the amount of photographers out there. If you do go down this road, look at the contract in detail and get everything in writing. Their contract is very one sided weighted to their benefit, and leaves the client very little room to move if unsatisfied - and well, the bill is paid, so what can you do? I mean, after all, it's only your wedding right?

Butterfly Photography and Photo Booth Rentals's reply:

Thank you for providing us a detailed review. It is unfortunate you felt that you did not get your monies worth with my photography services. I try my very best, within reason, to make clients happy. With that said, I feel it is necessary to clarify some of the points you raise in your review. Many of the points are partial truths, distorted or taken out of context. I will respond below to the points that are not correct. Before I provide my response I have to say that I am a bit surprised by your review. When I contacted you after the wedding you said “ Thanks again we for sure need to meet at some point for a little thank you.” and “ You and your wife were a blast! We have a little something for you guys so let us know when you are in the neighbourhood or downtown and we will come find you guys.”

“We had 1 engagement photo session, seemly went okay, although I wasn’t overly impressed with the photos”. Sorry, but this is not a truthful statement. This is exactly what you wrote to me once you got your engagement photos “Thanks a ton I really love them and you are truly worth the $$$ !!!I was so apprehensive at the beginning because the overall cost for photography is so expensive but I would pay it all over again. They are exactly”what I wanted!”
“He is not accommodating (I had a vision of filters, poses, locations) and he basically was not interested in helping me.” This is so far from the truth. 1. I spent a lot of time answering all your emails (Over 100 email exchanges) 2. I accommodated you by giving you an opportunity to provide a 1 page document of photos you love and would like me to try to incorporate into the wedding party photos. I tried my best to get the majority of photos on the list for you. 3. I made sure we were on time for photo taking and was on top of things in general 4. I provided you with beautiful engagement and wedding photos. I provided you with over 1000 photos so you have great selection. 5. I accommodated you by editing more photos then I am obligated to edit. 6. I was very pleasant to you, your wedding party and guests and try to make the photo taking fun while being efficient. To further clarify, your “vision of filters” was not brought up to my attention until after the wedding photos were delivered to you. Also, as a photographer, I have my own style of editing and photography and the photos I provided you with are the style that you see in my portfolio. You hired me based on what you saw in my portfolio and that is what I delivered to you.
“He is holding out RAW photos hostage and will not give them to us...even though we paid his $3,200” There are two points that need clarification. It is clearly written in the contract that photos are provided to the client in jpeg format”. RAW files are not included in the package. In fact it is common for professional photographers not to provide RAW files to clients. If you were expecting RAW files to be included in the package the best thing would have been to contact me before signing the contract about this. Also, the package price I provided you for $3,200 as you mentioned was for photography, engagement session and photo booth. I also included a few hours of unpaid breaks to stretch your time with me by 2hrs. You received a very good package deal. Other companies easily charge $1000 or more for a similar package.
“You as the client have no say in the quantity that get finished or the selection that they finish” The contract is very clear that it is the photographer who decides what photos are edited and how. Clients hire me for different amounts of hours and the amount of photos they receive will vary according to the number of hours they hire me for. Therefore, it is not feasible to write in the contract a precise number of photos that will be included as it will vary from wedding to wedding. The photos that I do choose to do further editing on are chosen by me. Logistically this is the most efficient way of doing things. Further, clients hire me because they see the work on my portfolio and want that style of photography and editing. That is what I deliver to them.
“His ideas and poses are from 1999!” My photography poses are classic and timeless and as I previously mentioned I do give my clients the opportunity to provide me with a 1 page document of photos they really like and would like me to try to incorporate into the photo session. I offered this to you and accommodated the majority of your pose requests in the document you sent me with various poses you like. Further, if you found my style of photography “1999” then you were under no obligation to select me with to be your photographer.
“Not a very nice person”. This comment by far saddens me the most. I try my very best to make sure my clients have a fun day and that they get beautiful photos. I put in 110% effort into every wedding. You comments in past emails to me “You and your wife were a blast! We have a little something for you guys” and in your review “The photographer was open to working with us in an effort to get the specifics we wanted...He is a bit quirky, but once you get used to him, you can have a bit of fun with it” show that I am in fact a caring person.
“He uses his contract to do the LEAST amount of work possible”. This is not true. I have photographed hundreds of weddings and have never heard any of my clients say this about me. The contract is fair and balanced. I have had clients that are lawyers and they had no problems at all with the contract. The contract is 100% transparent and my clients appreciate that. You did have a few points of clarification you wanted me to add to the contract, when you were initially signing it, and I was happy to accommodate you where it was feasible. The best thing to do if you thought the contract was one-sided would be to communicate that to me so I can clarify and potentially make amendments. We had several email exchanges about the the contract and you had time to review the contract before signing. During that time you did not contact me about any concerns related to the editing. I would have been happy to answer any further questions you have about the contract.
“The trouble came when we got an email that the photos were almost ready, less than 2 weeks after the event. In my experience, wedding photos can take months to edit and “produce” It is clearly written in my contract that I provide clients their photos within 21 business days after the wedding. I work very hard for my clients to make sure they get their photos in a timely manner. I give each client the same level of care and attention to their photos. Most clients would be thrilled to receive their photos in a timely manner!
“The company reluctantly agreed to edit 4 more photos, as we wanted a thank you card, and to make a photobook”. This is not a truthful statement. This is the exact text I wrote to you: “you can send me a couple of photos for me to look at for further editing. If you want only filter application to the photos then 20 additional photos (max) is fine. If you want filter and/or editing (i.e. removal of boaters) then it will be 2 additional photos.” These additional edits offered were already beyond the scope of the photography package. You only provided me with 4 additional photos when I clearly stated that you can send me 20. You then proceeded to send me another email, after I edited the additional photos you requested, asking for more photos to be edited. At this time you offered to pay for additional edits. This was a fair proposition but after providing you with a quote you decided not to proceed and instead demanded I give you RAW files or else you would write negative reviews all over the internet which is extortionary in nature.

In summary, I provided you with over 1000 beautiful images from posed to candid photos. I tried to accommodate you as much as possible but within reason. You received a package price that was very competitive. I was friendly and professional to you, your wedding party, and your guests and it's truly sad you would write a review like this.

Heather Sent on 18/09/2016

3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
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4.0 out of 5 rating
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3.0 out of 5 rating
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I found Butterfly photography looking on google, but I wish I had waited. During the engagement photos everything was great (with only 2 people) and I was happy with the way my photos turned out. On my wedding day I felt completely let down. Rosalines attitude that day was harsh and abrupt. I felt like every photo was a production and it was causing tension with the bridal party. I felt like I didn't get all of the photos I would have liked to.

I am most dissappointed by the photobooth. I actually regret paying for it. Rosaline refused to set up equipment before photos which meant we had to wait until after photography was done for the night to set up the photo booth, which she did not tell me before I paid my deposit. She was very demanding the moment people walked out of the photobooth to give props back, not even giving guests a chance to do it without being asked. I understand not wanting to lose items, but people are having fun and not instantly thinking about putting things down. A LOT of my guests were complaining that she was being rude. It caused the photobooth to hardly even be used, with the line often being empty, therefore my regret in spending money on it. I at one point watched Rosaline chase a family member around the ballroom because he forgot to take his hat off. Later she even GRABBED my brother in law, which is never ok!!!

When I emailed her after the wedding to give some constructive feedback for the future she emailed me back with a long list of excuses which made me incredibly frsutrated (ex. "we have guests colliding into one another which could lead to injury", "sometimes guests are unable to see where they are going because they are wearing props", "sometimes guests feel claustrophobic" and so on. Her response to grabbing my BIL was that he was unsteady, yet other guests saw and that was not the case. Her responses made me feel like she didnt even care that her client was unhappy and that she took no resposibility for her own actions/behavior.

Butterfly Photography and Photo Booth Rentals's reply:

Hi Heather,

Thank you for your review. I am sorry you were unhappy with the photo booth set up time. You received a discount for the photo booth because the photo booth services would be after photography. This was explained to you in a email that "The photo booth deal I gave you would mean that the photo booth would have to start after my photography shift is over. I would most likely have to do set up during dinner when there isn't any activities happening OR if you have time for me to set up right after the photography shift is over. " Because you had speeches during dinner, setting up the photo booth during dinner was not feasible so I further accommodated you by splitting the photo booth unloading time before the reception, and finishing setup after the photography shift was over.

I'm sorry you felt my attitude was abrupt. I appreciate that your feedback. My response to your concerns were not excuses. I wanted to provide an explanation of events because I did not grab your guest. My email response to your concerns are as follows:

"I always try my best to follow the schedule and information provided to me. During the wedding planning process, the schedule that you provided to me did not include a receiving line. The receiving line took over 30 minutes and that shortened the time for photos afterwards. Furthermore, some family members dispersed after the receiving line and it took quite a bit of time to round up everyone again for the family photos. In an effort to put us back on schedule, I felt that it was important to take charge and quickly point out things that were out of place so we can get nice group photos. I wanted to make sure that your family portraits looked nice even with the less time we had available to take those photos due to the receiving line. I'm sorry if I seemed abrupt, my intention was to get us back on track so you would have nice family photos without cutting too much into the time allocated for wedding party photos.

For the photos at the beach, during the planning process, you mentioned that you'd like to go to the beach if there was time after Earthwise. We did have time for a quick stop there and that is why the beach portion is a shorter session. Also, it was quite hot and humid on your wedding day. Because the weather was so nice, parking for the residential private beach was busy also. We started taking photos with the girls as soon as we got there. The groomsmen parked farther away and had to walk a significant distance to meet up with us. Several people mentioned that they were tired and were done with photos, and they were perspiring quite significantly. Good thing I packed some paper towels and I was happy to offer it to Mark. We were able to continue with some bride & groom photos after he dabbed off with the paper towel. We returned to the venue at 5:30pm -- right on time for photo booth loading from 5:30pm to 6:00pm. This was the time we agreed to previously so we would be ready for your grand entrance at 6:15pm.

For the photo booth operation, safety of the guests is always my top priority. Guests are often very eager to go into the photo booth and I'm faced with a situation were guests are trying to enter and an exit the photo booth at the same. The photo booth is an enclosed space so when this happens, we have guests colliding into one another which could lead to injury. On top of that, sometimes guests are unable to see where they are going because they are wearing prop glasses or masks, sometimes guests are unaware that they are "taller" with props hats on and will get caught in the photo booth rod, sometimes guests are slightly tipsy from having a good time, and sometimes guests feel claustrophobic or warm from being in the photo booth and rush out. These are all thing factors I have to be aware of when operating the photo booth. I am occasionally put into a situation where I have to assist guests and help steady them or guide them out so they do not injure themselves or other people. I recall the particular situation that you mentioned about your brother in law: he was exiting the photo booth backwards and appeared unsteady. I helped steady him so he didn't fall and turned him around so he was facing the direction he was travelling. Safety is really important to me so I would never want a guests to hurt themselves entering/leaving the photo booth. In regards to the props, many people are often excited like to stand in front of the booth waiting for the print. I try to avoid having people crowd around the entrance so I always encourage guests to put the props back and then come back for the print. This is really a safety issue and I inform each group of guests as they exit to put "please the props back and come back for the print". Usually after they put the props back and return, the timing is perfect and the print is ready. In regards to Mark's cousin, in my experience some guests like to goof around and "run off" with the props as a joke. I recall receiving eye contact from him as I informed him about the props that he was still wearing -- and that's when he dashed away. I'm sorry if I've misread the situation; we did joke afterwards so I had understood the situation to be something that is supposed to be a fun joke."

Thank you for providing your feedback.

Alana Sent on 20/09/2015

5 out of 5 rating

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We hired Martin at Butterfly Photography for 9 hours on our wedding day. We planned an outdoor wedding and Martin scouted some fantastic locations to realize our vision of nature pictures downtown. He listened to our ideals and we have now received our edited photos within 3 weeks - quick turnaround time and beautiful images. What really stands out are the amazing candid moments. We barely noticed him taking photos at the ceremony and reception; he makes you feel comfortable and kept the whole day flowing right on schedule. Our wedding day ended up being the stormiest day of the year, and one of the only rain days in the summer. Martin rose to the occasion, scouted amazing new locations and even brought Rosaline with him to deal with the rain challenges. She was a complete blessing, pausing to adjust my dress or quickly coordinating people for photos. The images are more than we had hoped for and we highly recommend Butterfly Photography. Outstanding value with very competitive rates, a WOW experience and a team you enjoy working with and having there on your wedding day.

[Anonymous] Sent on 31/07/2015

5 out of 5 rating

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What an amazing photographer! Rosaline was incredibly professional, personable, and punctual. She answered emails and questions immediately and offered perfect suggestions for photo locations. She helped calm the nerves of the anxious bride on more than one occasion, and made everyone feel comfortable on the day of the wedding. She captured not only fantastic portrait shots, but beautiful candid ones as well. We couldn’t have asked for better service from her and her photography partner. They were wonderful and the turn around for receiving the photos was quicker than expected – which is a bonus!
We also used the Photo Booth service and it was a huge success! The guests loved it and it was busy all night. There were a variety of props for guests to choose from, and EVERYONE, from 7-82 years of age, enjoyed it. I loved that we got an electronic copy of all of the photos - the best part was that they weren’t just copies of the photo strips, but of each individual photo as well.
Thank you Rosaline for a wonderful experience!

Laura Sent on 13/07/2015

5 out of 5 rating

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We were so delighted to work with Martin! He is professional and punctual, extremely personable (all our family and friends loved him). He managed to get photos from all angles and we didn't even notice him moving around (it's like he's a ninja). Looking at our photos, you would think we had several photographers shooting the same scene. He has an extremely artistic eye - we love every photo! We took pictures at Capilano suspension bridge on the busiest Saturday. Martin managed to get beautiful shots without anyone in the background. His confidence and skills really shone through as he asked tourists to move, wait and stand aside. We couldn't have picked a better person to record our memories. Thank you Martin and Butterfly Photography! - L & J

[Anonymous] Sent on 11/05/2015

5 out of 5 rating

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Amazing photographer! very organized and ready to go. Very quick turn around for photos.

Jocelyn F. Sent on 25/11/2014

5 out of 5 rating

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Butterfly Photography provided us with memories that we will cherish forever. Martin and his wife did such an amazing job on our photos. I was really nervous of being in front of the camera but Martin has a way of making you feel completely comfortable. They were always very professional and on time. I highly recommend using Butterfly Photography for any special occasion.

Quentin & Jocelyn.

Jordana N. Sent on 04/09/2014

5 out of 5 rating

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We highly recommend any newly engaged couple to use Butterfly Photography to photograph their wedding. We had the pleasure of working with Rosealine who was an absolute superstar. She was able to capture so many amazing moments throughout the wedding day from the ladies getting ready to the ceremony to the bridal party and lastly to the reception. We felt very confident that Rosealine would do a great job as she has photographed many different weddings at our venue. She showed us many past examples of her work and it was an aspect that made us both feel calm for the day of the wedding as she had an intimate knowledge of the location and was able to suggest the best spots to capture the moment. The quality of the photographs were amazing. She was able to make us look like models! Every photo was extremely flattering and we couldn't have asked for a better photographer. Rosealine was extremely down to earth, professional, and punctual. If we had any questions, Rosealine was able to answer in a prompt manner and was extremely helpful in helping to determine locations, poses and timing to help pull off our big day. We are extremely satisfied with the quality of our photographs and could not be happier to have such amazing photos to look at to remember our special day!

Also, we used the photo booth option from Butterfly Photography for our wedding day. The service was excellent and it was a huge hit amongst our guests. They had a large variety of props and costumes to create a fun atmosphere. We were also very impressed that our guests were able to receive copies of their photos right away and that the bride and groom were also able to have an electronic copy of the photos as well. It allows us to see how much fun our guests were having as well when we were busy with other aspects of the wedding. We definitely recommend hiring Butterfly Photography for any future weddings. Thank you so much Rosealine & Martin!!

Sandra A. Sent on 19/08/2014

5 out of 5 rating

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Martin and Rosaline were a pleasure to work with! We are very happy that we chose Butterfly photography for our engagement and wedding photos.
The first time we met with Martin, he was great answering all our questions, giving suggestions and was always available to answer any questions we had.
We met him and Rosaline for our engagement photo shoot and they were great at scoping the area and choosing the best places for photos.
We got married almost a month ago and we already received the photos! They all turned out beautiful and we are very happy with them!
We chose to get a photography package that includes an album. We have to choose 40 photos for it but it'll be hard to do because we like too many photos, which is a great problem to have.
We also used their photo booth service, which our guests loved and had lots of fun with and my husband and I did too. It was a great compliment to the photography service they offer and a great and meaningful favour for our guests.
We would definitely recommend Butterfly photography.

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