Christina Shook Photography

Gorgeous work by a fun, professional gal!

SUMMARY: She ignored our requests, her photos were so terrible I cried when I saw them, and she refused to give a partial refund or even apologize. We had to sue her and she still hasn’t paid the judgment we won against her. I have never had anyone treat me so unprofessionally, then expect to be paid for services that were not delivered.
FULL STORY
We hired Christina to shoot our April 2011 wedding in Walnut Creek, CA. At first, we were very excited to have found Christina; she seemed so fun and incredibly talented. She appeared to listen to us, and told us she could do exactly what we wanted. We were in constant communication with her leading up to the wedding, sending her our shot list and describing the most important photos for us. She was quite good at putting our fears to rest, letting us know she would take care of everything and that we shouldn’t worry.
I wish we had never hired her. Her photos were absolutely awful and she completely dismissed us when we complained about the quality of her work. When we told her our concerns and expressed how dissatisfied we were, she told us that she had done her job — she showed up and took photos at our wedding. No explanation, no apology.
POOR PHOTO QUALITY
Although Christina took many photos of our wedding, more than she was obligated to under our contract, the quality was absolutely terrible. Many of the shots taken by our guests were better than what Christina produced. Most of her photos looked as if they were taken with a cheap point-​and-​shoot camera; there was often no depth of field and terrible lighting. Many were blurry and out of focus, and most of our portraits were over-​exposed. Her work seemed to be incredibly careless — some of her «edited» photos still showed her finger in front of the lens. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t capture many of the shots we specifically told her were the most important.
The style and quality of photographs delivered were not even close to the photographs she presented to us in her portfolios. It seemed as if they were taken by two totally different photographers — one a professional with great skill and an eye for composition, the other an amateur just learning to use a camera.
LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM
It is worth noting that we had scheduled some time after the ceremony for photos to be taken in the garden before we had to go to the reception. However, after the ceremony Christina was nowhere to be found. She left without telling us; when she returned, she said she had gone to her car to get some water, which for some reason took about half an hour, causing us to miss out on some of the best time to take photos.
Something about this didn’t add up. Water was available at the ceremony site. Furthermore, our ceremony took place just a few miles away from her own house. If she absolutely had to have her own water, she should have carried some with her for an outdoor shoot where she was perfectly familiar with the weather.
We were so upset by the photographs and breach of contract, followed by her complete lack of apology, that we ended up suing her in small claims court.
SUING CHRISTINA
Once Christina found out we were suing her, she did everything in her power to evade service. We first attempted to serve her via certified mail sent directly by the Court. Normally, most people sign for the letter and show up to their court date. Not Christina; she would not sign for the letter.
Next, we tried to serve her in person. So, we got someone to go to her house to serve her the papers. Christina’s husband answered the door and said she was in the other room, and let the process server into the house. He went to get her, but when he came back, he nervously mumbled that he’d made a mistake, that Christina wasn’t home, and shooed her out of the house.
We ended up serving her on Halloween night. When Christina pulled into her driveway and was getting out of her car, the process server walked up her driveway. Christina’s husband confronted her and attempted to block her way to the car, shouting, «That’s not Christina!» The process server went around him, and up to the passenger side of the car where Christina was getting out and put the papers on her lap. At that point, Christina said, «Who are you? I don’t know you. I’m not Christina! I’m not Christina!»
For someone who claims to «stand behind her work,» she sure didn’t act like it.
At the trial, Christina was insulting and continued not to listen to our concerns and issues with her work. The judge ruled in our favor, and to date, SHE HAS NOT PAID the judgment. Now we have to file more court papers to get her to pay us.

I have the priviledge to have Christina helped me with my company head shot photo. She did an awesome job, her creativity will blow your mind. I really like that she takes her time to work with me and my colleague individually! Her prices are very reasonable! So for those of you who are looking to look your best in your business portrait (not SEARS quality) — please take a moment to visit her web site and arrange your time with her.
Cheers,
Kim

Christina’s photography captured our wedding perfectly. I was very skeptical of «wedding photography» in general. Can’t our friends just take the pictures, I thought? But after seeing Christina’s pictures, I realized how important the photography is. Don’t skip it.
She took every type of shot imaginable: portraits, close-​ups, candids, documentary-​style, stylized (soft light, filters, etc.). She shot not only us, our family, and our guests but also the details that we even forgot to tell her to shoot: my purse, the table centerpieces, etc. She even shot my Dad smiling, which is hard. (Sorry, Dad, but it’s true.)
And due to some last-​minute venue changes, we had to all-​of-​a-​sudden abandon our original plans for portrait shots. She handled that surprise beautifully. Our portrait shots came out great.
Plus, she’s very reliable and easy to work with. VERY important when you’re juggling 10,000 things with the wedding.
If I could give Christina more stars, i would. She’s great.

We were looking for a local photographer for our newborn son, and found Christina on Unilocal.From our first conversation over the phone, Christina’s friendly demeanor put me at ease and comfortable in scheduling an appointment. She was very accommodating and booked our photo session ASAP, so that we could come in within the week while our baby was still only 3 weeks old to capture his newborn essence in the photos. We really appreciated her working around my husband’s work schedule.
Her studio is located in a beautiful and woodsy Orinda neighborhood, and we immediately loved her enthusiasm and wonderful way with the baby. She is extremely professional and thorough in her craft, but also very efficient. I dread photo shoots, and especially ones that take forever. We were in and out of her studio in about an hour, and the time went by quickly as she made it fun and painless. From this short photo session (which is the maximum time a newborn could handle anyway), she was able to capture plenty of wonderful shots of our baby, and of us as a family.
I highly recommend Christina to anyone looking for a talented and gifted photographer, who is also professional and personable.

I continue to be a fan of Christine’s as I learn more and more about her desire to be a life photographer. She truly cares about the families she photographs and wants capture the precious life moments for you!

We visited her at her studio for a family portrait — myself, my spouse, and our 5 year old son. There, we tooled around the beautiful grounds and neighborhood, chatting about this and that, occasionally hearing a faint shutter click or two. What emerged from this alleged «shoot» was nothing short of brilliant. Christina captured not just our likeness, but our essence — individually as well as the relationship we three have between us. She’s the consummate professional, working the dialog and relationship angle with one part of the brain, while angling in on stage, scene, focus, lighting and the gods with another. The results are nothing short of gorgeous. Thanks, Christina! We can’t wait to return for another session!

The amazing Christina took pictures of me for a book she was compiling, «Chicks on Bikes». From the moment we met, she made me feel incredibly comfortable, and put me at ease. Not to mention, the pictures are absolutely stunning. Thanks, Christina!

Christina was our wedding photographer this past October and she did an amazing job! We were so please and so were our families. My mom was only upset because there were too many she like! Which if you knew my mom means a ton! But even then Christina is a real pro, being very patient and helping her narrow down photos for her album and portrait.
Although the ceremony and reception was at the UC Botanical Garden, she also took photos of us getting ready at the Claremont Hotel where she captured all the amazing little moments and exchanges of the people we love. Although her candid photos were some of our favorites she also did an awesome job getting the wonderful portraits we wanted. I would also add that although you might not be use to posing in front of a camera, Christina knows her stuff and can direct you to capture something amazing and still be you. So listen to the girl!

I found Christina through Unilocal while looking for a photographer to do family photos this year. The reviews were spot on. I was apprehensive about getting a professional photographer, but I knew that for these pics, I wanted something special. Something that didn’t look like the contrived photos you see come out of Sears or Picture People.
Christina was able to capture the essence of our newborn son (4 months at the time), in a beautiful way — Not to mention the beautiful family photos she took of us as a family. Not contrived or phony, just our son Jack, looking like Jack with all his little nuances. I have received so many compliments and just love looking at the photos everyday. Worth every penny. I highly recommend going to her website and checking her work out at
.

Christina has a good eye and she took some gorgeous shots that will have lasting memories. She was my wedding photographer & we were so pleased with the results. The colors in the pictures are vibrant and she framed them just right. Everybody felt comfortable with her & she «worked the room» to get shots of friends and family — pretty much all the guests were in one shot or another! It was a fantastic day & Christina captured in perfectly.

Christina photographed our wedding in April of 2005 and we were delighted with the photos. We got lots of great posed shots, but she also managed to capture real expressions on the faces of the guests in the various shots of our reception – the kind of photos that are so interesting you want to write captions above everyone’s head. All in all, we were delighted with her work and were very happy a friend recommended her.