Category Archives: Photo Shyster

Photo, Photo Shyster

White Oak Images in Warren, OH

Website: https://www.whiteoak-images.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteOakImages
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiteoak_images

**THIS IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH WHITE OAK PHOTOGRAPHY IN MORROW, OH WHO IS A REPUTABLE PHOTOGRAPHER!**

The story here isn’t stolen images, although there are those at play here too but mostly it’s just ads that I’m aware of that have images not taken by Tori / White Oak Images originally.

I live in the same service area as White Oak Images and I’ve been watching over the past few years as the complaints roll in on the local wedding groups and then curiously disappear just as quickly. Today was one of those days where one bride posted their experience with White Oak Images / Tori and then the floodgates opened and the comments were lit.

The OP posted that Tori / White Oak Images canceled on them last minute for their engagement session and then the night before their wedding said she wasn’t going to be able to make it but then she ended up showing up, although she was late. Then after the wedding there was a delay in getting the video to them and the whole experience with Tori was not professional in the least.

Other clients commented similar stories – down to the same excuse for canceling on them last minute despite their weddings being years apart. In the past the complaints have been the same but since the posts are now gone you’ll have to take my word for it.

Photographers commented and privately messaged me about how White Oak Images was consistently reaching out last minute (anything from 2 days before to hours before) to cover as a main or second photographer at weddings.

Photographers also told me how there was a styled shoot (possibly more than one) that didn’t take place and wasn’t refunded.

Photographers also reached out to me privately to state that Tori was slow to pay them when they did fill in last minute and getting their memory cards back was another hassle.

Wedding Planners chimed in stating their clients have had issues with this company as well, particularly with cancelations at the last minute.

While the original client posted in a few places, one post was removed, one post had comments turned off and one post remains that I can see. I’m sure they will all be gone soon enough so I’m just done watching local brides not have all the information prior to booking. So here we are. Now they can make informed decisions on their wedding photographer.

Total last minute cancellations for weddings starting in 2022 due to being sick/injured/dog emergency/misc: 35 (so far)

TLDR; This photographer often bails at the last minute sending in someone that she likely found the night before or day of to cover for her, usually when she’s overbooked herself. Often claims to be sick but also has a lot of dog emergencies and random other excuses.

Update 1/12/2024 – I’m told that Tori is working out refunds and cancellation agreements with clients for 2025. There’s already at least 2 dates she is/was double booked for for 2025 and all thought they were booking Tori not the associate package.

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Photo Shyster

Julie Paisley Photography / Julie Paisley Education

THIS PHOTOGRAPHER HAS NOT STOLEN PHOTOS!

Yes, this is who I was talking about yesterday on the Substack.

Julie Paisley is a film photographer who has been around for quite a while and is well known within the film community. She’s part owner of Hybrid Co., has lead a shootout at WPPI, she leads workshops (she calls them retreats), she sells a ton of shit (online courses, notebooks, cards, vintage books, layflat mats…), and is an author (memoir and a never-actually printed Paris guide). I’m sure there’s things I’ve missed.

Over the weekend someone that booked a photography + mentoring session with her posted in a Facebook Group asking for advice. They’d booked with a prominent photographer and after asking other photographers for advice it was discovered there were a lot of people experiencing a similar issue with this photographer. So they posted to the group and it kind of exploded from there. It was brought to me and I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it at first since she is allegedly battling some health issues.

I posted the story to Substack without naming names and decided that the decision would make itself known to me. As the day progressed I got more and more stories and it became overwhelmingly obvious this isn’t just a couple people having an issue. Then one person turned the tides and I decided to go for it.

There’s a multitude of issues at hand here but overwhelmingly it’s people not getting what they paid for and often not getting refunds.

I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg here. I kind of feel more like I’m on Ocean Gate instead of the Titanic at this point. All I need is a Logitech controller…

The easiest way for me to tell this is via timeline I think. I don’t know. Fuck. Continue beyond the jump and I apologize in advance for the chaos.

Updated 10/9/2024 : Added more stories, added more updates, added more WTF below. It was going to be in the newsletter like it was last week but hot damn, there’s just too much.

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Photo, Photo Shyster, Scam

Lenaria Photography in Anderson, IN

Website: https://lenariaphotographyindiana.mypixieset.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenariaphotography
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenariaphotography/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lenaria-photography-fortville

Location: Based in Anderson, Indiana ish. She’s also had Fortville and Fishers as locations as well.

Other Areas She Advertises/Has Booked: All of Indiana, Illinois (she was in a Chicago based group), Missouri, Washington (Seattle), North Carolina and likely more areas I haven’t found yet.

After my post about Well Kept Design I got a few messages from people wanting me to look into Lena because she has a similar shady track record as a photographer.

The complaints are varied but all basically boil down to me not even letting my ex husband book this photographer. Stolen photos, last minute cancellations, no showing, overbooking, not paying photographers, not refunding clients, faking her Mom’s death, booking multiple photographers for her own wedding and cancelling last minute for various reasons, and just flat out not being professional.

Lena has been changing her name often on Facebook to avoid the comeuppance coming for her or to possibly evade getting booted from the hundreds of wedding related Facebook pages she’s in. She’s currently using Lena Ralston but has gone as Lena White and Lena Ervin.

This post took me almost 6 HOURS to write. So buckle up and figure out below where I finally lost my cool with all of these terrible stories.

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Photo, Photo Shyster

Well Kept Design in Summerville, SC and Lancaster, PA and Pigeon Forge, TN and more

Website: https://wellkeptdesign.mypixieset.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellkeptdesign/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellkeptdesign/?hl=en
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/well-kept-design-summerville

I cannot tell you how many times Well Kept Design has been sent in to me over the years. It never fails that something always happens when I’m swamped with weddings and I can’t get a post up.

I finally have a tiny smidgen of downtime and the thieves I was working on seem to have taken down their images so I thought it was about time I posted about Amber.

Much like her partner, Whitney (YES), Amber’s history isn’t focused just on stolen photos (although they have been part of the story) but more about her repeated backing out of sessions, not delivering sessions and not refunding when she doesn’t deliver or ghosts the client.

So grab the beverage of your choice, get comfy and your scrolling finger ready.

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Photo Shyster

Photo Shyster: SEOtographer aka Michael Thomas Ireland aka Michael Thomas in Tampa, FL

Website: https://seotographer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seotographer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelthomas0821
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hostographer
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seotographer
Google Reviews: https://tinyurl.com/2za9mpuw
BBB: https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/tampa/profile/commercial-photographer/seotographer-0653-90435327/complaints

PS Facebook Page Discussion

THIS PHOTOGRAPHER HAS NOT STOLEN IMAGES

Guess we’re back with another entry into the Photo Shyster category with another person trying to be an industry leader but instead takes money and doesn’t always deliver. SIGH.

Today we’re here to talk about Michael Thomas Ireland who ran “SEOtographer” but now is focusing on his new business Tanooki Marketing.

The summary is SEOtographer has taken a lot of money from people and not always delivered the goods.

This post is an attempt to reach more possible clients who are also waiting for work that hasn’t been completed.

Update 7/14/2023 @ 9AM EST:

  • Michael sent me his rebuttal, you can read and judge for yourself here. The clients all maintain their stories are true as posted.
  • Added Client #6
  • Added supporting evidence that Michael may be behind Tanooki

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