Preston Luke

I pretty much covered my bases. The work out of this retreat may be incredible and the education may be too, but the stress of going there completely in the dark is truly a lot and I don’t feel like he cares at all.

I am not attending the retreat anymore, but I really feel like the experience I’ve had leading up to the retreat is important to know as well when deciding to attend a retreat of Preston’s. It is not cheap by any means, but I was not selected for VIP so we were told that we’d get a Facebook group where we can connect with other attendees to link up for a hotel. Not only did the group come later than expected, it did not allow for user’s to post so we can only comment on existing posts that Preston has made. Well the retreat is in just under 6 weeks and it’s only been posted in 3 times, once to introduce the group and twice about outfit themes. Well the comments are flooded on those posts so it feels impossible to find and connect with people, but I’ve hunted them down on socials. Mind you not a single mood board, no information about what to do when we get there or much info at all beyond a general itinerary. Well it’s also been impossible to get in touch with him about anything. I started feeling uncomfortable about not knowing any information and spending over $5k in total with travel too, so I tried to sell my ticket, but all of the big Facebook groups are ran by Preston’s friends and educators (Vendor Table, Cassidy Lynne, etc) and every single time I’ve tried to list my ticket for sale, it’s gotten removed. Meanwhile I’ve seen people sell tickets to other retreats in these groups, but no one will let the Club Content ones stay up. Preston doesn’t have an easy way to access him about questions and has not been very responsive on the Honeybook portal. So not only has it been virtually impossible to sell our tickets or find anyone to buy them, I’ve talked to a handful of girls in the same spot trying to sell their tickets and either they are not having luck OR I’ve heard from two who said they’ve found buyers but they sent their info to Preston to request a transfer and he is totally unresponsive. It has just been a really crazy experience of feeling like we are spending so much money for 0 communication. I decided to go even after reading the bad reviews because I figured that homemade dinner and dress clips were not the end of the world for me, but I really wish I knew how hard it was going to be to get in touch with him and how little I feel like I matter to him when I’m investing so much to be here. Idk, maybe that’s a me problem but I wish I knew this before having to eat $2000 because I have nowhere to sell my ticket and they’re nonrefundable.

There needs to be communication. Information brings peace. It should not be this hard to get ahold of you. Whether you hire an assistant to respond to these questions and concerns (with 50 +/- attendees, it would be worth it) or opening up the Facebook group for people to ask questions and connect so other people can get their questions answered too, that is HUGE when making people feel secure in their investment. You are a great photographer and content creator but a 0/10 in hospitality and that should really be worked on in the future if you care.

I think I covered everything plus more.

I would strongly advise against attending this styled shoot and retreat. I get so frustrated thinking about everything that happened that I still haven't even posted or edited any of my pictures. The only benefit of going was the community and friends I made while there, along with the great presentations by Staci (for newer photographers), Danielle, and learning from Cassidy and Preston. Beyond that, the actual event fell completely short of what was advertised. When a host is making over $100,000 on an event, the paid attendees should be the absolute top priority, but this shoot was run almost entirely to generate social media content for the host's and his guests own platform.

Throughout the trip, Preston and his speaker friends repeatedly prioritized their own content over ours. They constantly stood right in front of us while we were trying to shoot in groups of 10, cutting into our paid time which was like 15 minutes each time. They also got separate, exclusive sessions with models in places we weren't allowed to access or be around, such as taking a model off to the bridal suite or getting private sunset shots with another set of models, forcing the rest of us to wait around until they were done. To make matters worse, Preston explicitly told me I was not allowed to use a specific pose during a shoot, only to turn around and post that exact pose on his personal Instagram later, an issue multiple attendees noticed and messaged me about because they were frustrated for me too.

There was also no diversity with the models and couples.

The organization and logistics were completely chaotic. We were sent a mandatory dress code just days before the trip, forcing everyone to order outfits last-minute solely so we matched his aesthetic for his promotional videos. The schedule was so unorganized that he made us drive to the venue, leave, come back, and leave again all within a single day. Moment after moment, from staged giveaways where he directed our reactions for the camera to an extra late-night reception nobody wanted to attend, felt entirely fake and disingenuous, done purely so he could show a "look no one else has done this" for his videos. To top it off, during the vendor table's "speech", attendee notes and "hot takes" placed in the submission bag were screened. I specifically asked about speakers and guests standing in front of paid attendees, but that note, along with critical questions from others, was intentionally removed so the host wouldn't look bad in front of the group.

For an event marketed as a luxury retreat, the actual quality was deeply disappointing. First-day setups had almost no florals, and the phone booth was not cute and went completely unused. Most of the models wore poorly fitted dresses held together with massive clips, creating a major pain for post-production editing. To cut costs, he even reused the same model couple across three separate scenarios (engagement, wedding, and reception) and had his sister? and Staci act as models and his family as staff. The food was just basic Costco groceries, including pizza, tacos, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, and sandwiches, cooked by his mom. One meal was advertised as "Chickfila" but anyone who eats that knows it was not their chicken. With so many pregnant attendees present, offering microwaved deli meat for a meal while keeping a schedule so tight that nobody had time to leave for lunch was completely unacceptable. Outside of the very last session with nice florals and the connections made with other attendees, this retreat failed to deliver on its promises and put the host's platform above paying clients. Hosts need to not prioritize their own content and don't brand something luxury if it is not going to be as such.

Also, the VIP bunkhouse was not ideal for everyone since the huge bunk bed had like over 10 girls in it so I would be aware of the bunkhouse. The tickets should have been different for individual rooms and the bunkbeds.

The only plus side is Stone Haven is so beautiful and lives up to the videos I have seen online. The details put into it is crazy and 100000% luxury. The other photographers who did pay for the retreat were also amazing and I did enjoy being around them and creating friendships with them.

Don't prioritize your own content or your guest speakers aka your friends. Don't brand something as luxury if it isn't going to. It genuinely felt like we paid for his friends, family, and himself to have content and get a vacation and do whatever they want. They stayed on the property of Stone Haven. We were told how they stayed up partying one night too.

As guest speakers, they should be there for the speeches and then leave. It isn't about them. They aren't paying for content.

Also, doing giveaways and then making us redo it and act more excited isn't cool. It's not genuine and just feels fake.

He has nearly doubled the price for the wedding edit part two. Save your money.

This was sold to us as a luxury styled retreat/conference. It was anything but. Lack of florals, details, etc. dresses did not fit the models, lack of diversity in the models, and the host treated it like it was a styled shoot for him that the attendees paid for. He let the guest speakers stay and shoot both days, locked us all inside while he shot privately with the models at golden hour, and would not lets us access specific areas of the venue to shoot, so only himself and the speakers could get those shots.

Food was provided, but it was homemade but his family to save a few bucks and not eat into his profit. Every single dress was held up by clips which was so annoying to edit out. Preston’s attitude when people tried to bring this up to him was defensive and honestly bratty.

Yeah. Don’t treat the event you’re hosting like it’s a content day just for you. The attendees who paid for all of that should be getting treated like gold.