HORRIBLE Experience: Rafi Assaf Productions
This statement is not intended to be threatening or malicious. It reflects my personal experience and is based on events and communications that occurred.
After initially posting about my experience, I removed my original Facebook and Reddit posts following a discussion with the photographer, who reached out to me requesting that all related content be taken down. During that discussion, I proposed a partial refund of the deposit for the issues we experienced. The photographer initially declined, and later offered a partial refund on the condition that all posts be removed.
I proceeded to remove all content within my control. However, I later learned that on Reddit, while users can delete their posts, certain elements such as post titles and comments made by other users may remain and cannot be removed by the original poster once the post is deleted. To address this, I made additional efforts, including contacting the Reddit Legal Team and inquired about removal options. They informed me that I do not have the ability to remove those remaining elements.
I communicated this information to the photographer and explained that I had removed all content within my control. Despite this, I did not receive the agreed-upon refund, and the photographer stopped communicating altogether - once again.
NOTE: The photographer indicated to me that he may be rebranding the company.
NOTE: Many others have come forward publicly with their bad experience with Rafi Assaf Productions.
In my original post, I noted that the photographer deleted his Google business profile. He has since created a new one: https://share.google/ZkPBO41rdpNCL8B8S
ORIGINAL POST:
This review is not a threatening message, nor is it written out of malice. It is simply a factual account of what we experienced.
From the beginning, communication was a major issue and remained a consistent problem throughout our time working with this photographer. There was a severe lack of communication and responsiveness. Calls were missed repeatedly, messages went unanswered, and follow-ups were often ignored. Responses appeared selective, depending on when and who he chose to respond to. This lack of reliability caused significant stress, especially during wedding planning, when clear and timely communication from vendors is essential.
When concerns were raised about missed calls, unanswered messages, or miscommunication, there was no accountability. At no point were apologies offered, nor was there any acknowledgment of the impact this had on us. Instead of addressing the issues or attempting to improve communication, concerns were largely dismissed or ignored.
The engagement photoshoot itself reflected many of these same issues. The photographer arrived late for the session. Additionally, the time he chose for the photoshoot left us with very limited daylight. We were at a very large park, yet he never took into consideration where we wanted to take photos, and declined some spots we chose. He did not take the time to identify or suggest strong photo spots. There was no collaboration or consideration of lighting, scenery, or our preferences, despite the size and variety the location offered. Instead, the photographer made all decisions independently, without consulting us or incorporating our vision. This left us feeling unheard and excluded from the creative process of our own engagement photography experience.
Another significant issue was the absence of relationship-building and basic client care. The photographer made no effort to learn or remember our names. During the engagement photoshoot, we were not addressed by name and were instead referred to impersonally as “you,” with directions such as “now you turn your head.” While this may seem minor, on a wedding-related shoot where comfort, trust, and connection matter greatly, it felt dismissive and unprofessional.
At the end of the engagement shoot, the photographer explicitly stated that our photos would be delivered within “1–2 weeks.” This timeline was not met. We did not receive our photos within that timeframe and instead we had to repeatedly attempt to follow-up through calls, messages, and emails, but no response. After nearly 2 MONTHS of persistent calling, texting, and emailing, we finally received our photos. Despite the significant delay and the effort required on our end to obtain them, there was no acknowledgment of the lateness and no apology for missing the promised delivery timeline. And in addition, he delivered every single image with watermarks. When we requested that the watermarks be removed, the photographer refused. This added to the overall frustration and further reflected a lack of professionalism and consideration for the client experience.
Overall, this experience was disappointing and stressful. The lack of communication, repeated unresponsiveness, failure to take accountability, absence of relationship-building, disregard for our vision, and lack of collaboration made this a service we would not choose again. Wedding photography is deeply personal, and couples place a great deal of trust in this role. Unfortunately, professionalism, care, and client-centered service were consistently lacking in our experience with this photographer.
The service was so inappropriate that we terminated services with him before our wedding day. We were willing to lose out on what he charged us before our actual wedding day photography and videography, which was more than half the total cost as a deposit, than to continue with his services. We knew that the outcome would be a repeat just like our engagement photoshoot and the time in between then and receiving the actual photos. We never received acknowledgement of the Termination Letter sent via Email but he coincidentally removed our engagement photos from his Instagram shortly after termination.
I am sharing this so other couples can ask the right questions, seek transparency, and ensure expectations are clearly discussed and respected before booking. Do your research thoroughly, analyze everything including why comments are turned off on social media (Update as of April 11, 2026: he has since turned back on the ability to comment on his posts on Instagram). Question the one person who has something negative to say. Question why they don’t have a google business profile, or why they deleted it (Update as of April 11, 2026: he has since created a new one - date unknown of when his new Google Profile was created).
Best of luck to everyone!
