Product Review: Photos by ML Cornwall Films

Last year, I found myself in need of photos for my business website, social media posts, casting calls (I want to be a film extra), and dating sites. I did a little online research and found a sista that does photography. I emailed her. She emailed me back. We met, we experimented, and we got some pretty good pics out of it.

Product(s): Photos
Company Name: ML Cornwall Films
Contact Info.: ML Cornwall Films
Location: Santa Monica, CA; San Francisco, CA
Cost (of these products): $200
Date of Visit: April 29, 2018 (Late Post)

Rating: 18/20= 90%

Basis:
Purchase Process – 5
ML gave me a quote, then she sent an invoice. I’d asked for a product to be removed because I couldn’t afford it — not because her prices are unreasonable (which they aren’t), but because I hadn’t accounted for taxes, I was short on cash, and I didn’t want to go over budget. She revised the quote, then she sent me an invoice. I paid online. It was easy.

Customer Service – 5
ML is flexible, cool, and kind — “amiable” doesn’t do her justice. She picked-up a loooot of slack that wasn’t hers. She tried so hard to get me out of my own head.

On the day of shoot, an acquaintance of mine was supposed to meet with and assist me at the shoot. She didn’t show. She didn’t call. Not only did I need her to tell me how I looked and hold up the blanket that I’d taken to shield all my jiggly bits from public view as I changed looks, I also needed her there to distract me. I don’t like posing; I’m more of a candid girl. Because I was alone, I had to lug all this stuff around, I didn’t really know how I looked, and I had a hard time enjoying the shoot.

Enter ML, who was patient and kind–not sappy at all. Y’all know I can’t stand that saccharine mess. She explained to me that what I wanted was not her specialty. Unfortunately, before meeting, it hadn’t sunk in for me that a photographer or videographer can have a specialty, and that they may not be strong in other forms of shooting. Regardless, ML worked it as best as she could. She made me laugh, she relaxed me by talking to me, and she never missed a beat.

Also, ML beat her promised turn-around time of two weeks and output amount of 60 – 75 photos. She got the photos back to me in seven days, and she sent me 119 photos: almost double the original promised amount.

Product(s) – 3
The quality of the photos is excellent, but the poses and my countenance are off. I can’t blame ML for this. Still, if someone were to ask me to see all the amazing photos I’d taken, I wouldn’t be able to produce more than a handful that I really like. Of the 119 photos I got back, I like about 20 (or 17%), although I’ll be able to find uses for more than 20 pictures. Percentage-wise, I’m not sure what the norm is. Again, this is not ML’s fault, but I don’t have a wealth of great stuff to show.

NOTE: Only some of my favorite shots are featured in this post. 

Product Usability – 5
ML sent me 119 of the clearest, crispest photos in which I’ve ever appeared. They’re all 3600 x 2025 pixels, so they’re large enough for me to use for poster prints, and–of course–I can shrink the photos, as needed. She angled most shots in a way that’ll allow me to insert captions; some folks don’t have that kind of forethought.

ML’s competent, professional, and sophisticated, but not stiff; she’s human, cool, and kind, and working with her was a joy.  Would I work with her again? YES, but for videography or photojournalism, which are her specialties. For portraiture, I’d see someone else.

That’s it. See ya’ next time.