Ronald Ponkey Photography

Dear Mr. Ronald and Mrs. Debbie,
Radu and myself would like to thank you for making our wedding day so beautiful and special. They did our wedding in October 2013 at Saint George Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. They are really professional and honest people, always we will recommend them and use their business in the future.
Sincerely,
Radu&Ioana

I used Ronald Ponkey Photography for my June 2013 wedding. While we were very happy with the photographs, we were unhappy with the professionalism of the photographers. They forgot that there are more important aspects of the day than the pictures. Prior to my wedding, I was highly encouraged NOT to dismiss my guests row by row, because I would waste time for photographs after the ceremony. I stood my ground and was able to graciously thank all of my guests for coming. Guests at the reception reported thr photographers dominated the table conversation. Throughout the process it was difficult to ask/​receive answers to questions via email which was inconvenient. The answer was always «please call the studio to address this question» Ron and his wife were very difficult to work with for the production of an album. While it did take me from August to December to pick my album photos, it took them from December to mid March to put together the first draft. Each time I submit revisions it took 1 to 2 weeks to get a response, and I was ridiculed for having my album order open from December to mid-​May. It was a very condescending and unpleasant process.
In summary: if you want beautiful photographs and don’t mind the poor professionalism in email and phone interactions, the strong personalities of the photographers on your wedding day, please just purchase the basic package with rights to pictures, so you can be done with the drama as soon as possible.

First, let me say that I have NOT used this photographer. I am reviewing based on the customer service when searching for my wedding photographer, NOT the photography itself.
I contacted Ronald Ponkey photography to get a quote on wedding photography. Every time I’ve spoken with Ronald Ponkey photography, it has been the same woman. The first conversation was regarding pricing. I gave her the details of my wedding (location, time, etc). The woman made a comment about my outdoor ceremony in April being very risky (Thank you, as if I wasn’t already under enough stress). I felt very rushed to decide whether or not I wanted to use their services (just over the first phone call!). I was told that they were doing a bridal show the next night, and that if I didn’t book them right then, there was a chance that they wouldn’t have the spot open. I wasn’t finished with my research, so I declined to book them at that time. I left the call thinking «Wow, that woman was a little rude.»
The same woman called me twice two days later and left a voice mail each time asking if I was interested.
I got a call a week later telling me that they still had my date open and asking if I wanted to book. I was still researching and not ready to make a commitment. I was again told that there was a bridal show coming up (I believe the phone call was a Monday and the show was a Thursday or Friday). I inquired about whether or not there would be a traveling fee (there is). The traveling fee took me over my budget and I let her know that their price was without of my budget. I assumed we were finished. I let her know I couldn’t afford their services and we ended our call.
Two weeks later, the woman called me back again to ask if I was still looking for a photographer. I was, but they are still out of my budget. To get this woman to stop calling me, I said that I had found a photographer. She asked me who I was using «for marketing purposes». I declined to tell her who I was using. She came at me with «Well I hope you didn’t pick someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, because your pictures are going to turn out really bad!» Okay, thanks for the advice, lady.
Throughout each conversation, I felt very pressured to use their services. Every other photographer I’ve spoken with has let me know that their services do get booked in advance, but never did I feel pressured to book them on the spot. The woman I spoke with made small rude comments each time we spoke about the quality of my wedding. I feel that even if they had been within my budget, I would not have used their services just because of this particular woman. I would not want to deal with that on my wedding day.

We met with several photographers and Ronald Ponkey Photography was definitely the most affordable. They offered an excellent package for the price and they were very easy to work with. The pictures came out wonderful!