We hired Mad Chicken for our wedding in August 2013 in Duluth, Minn. After looking at websites and…read moreportfolios for several photographers in the area, and being very impressed with the photos Jes (the owner and primary photographer) showed on her website and blog -- as well as a strong, half-hour conversation with her -- we decided to go with Mad Chicken. Despite it being the most expensive photographer we looked at, we felt the investment would be well worthwhile. And despite getting married in Duluth, we live in Washington state, and we hoped Mad Chicken would give us a trouble-free experience with amazing photos of our important day. We were wrong. In hindsight, we absolutely wish we had gone with another photographer, both because of the quality of images and the stress that we've had dealing with the company since our wedding. For the most part, our wedding-day photo experience was fine. Our family photos outside the church were taken on a hill with a fairly steep slope, but in a pretty, wooded area. But despite us telling Jes more than a month ahead of time the general area where we wanted our wedding photos taken (and telling her on a timeline sheet provided by her), she seemed completely unsure of where to take the photos. Eventually, they were taken along a brick wall, behind a restaurant in an alley. When we received our photos, we were horribly disappointed -- and not just because they arrived later than the date guaranteed in our contract. First off, there were zero usable photos showing the bride and her mother. Secondly, the wedding party photos, taken in the alleyway, prominently showed neon beer signs, broken-down HVAC systems and bird droppings on the wall. When we voiced our disappointment about these shots, Jes claimed we had changed the location for this shoot late in the process (which is not true -- we never changed the location), and she would always choose a location with good lighting over good scenery. This would have been fine with us, if the photos had been properly edited, so that we didn't have to see a lot of junk in our wedding party photos. Unfortunately, they were not. Most of the photos lacked imagination and creativity. Most of the best shots, in fact, were ones that had been suggested by us before and during the shoot. Despite having two photographers working throughout the day, there were virtually no shots of the bride getting ready at the church. We sent Jes an email expressing our concerns and asking for some more photos to be edited. She responded with an offer of editing five photos, and we followed by asking for at least 20 photos to be edited. After that, we heard nothing back for more than two weeks. Eventually, just to get a response, we had an attorney send her a letter, detailing some of the problems and requesting either some money back or having more photos edited. After getting nothing but silence for weeks, Jes responded the day after our attorney sent the letter offering to edit 20 photos, or to do considerably more if we agreed not to write a review. After agreeing to have 20 photos edited, she further pushed the idea of having more photos edited in exchange for signing a non-disparagement clause. About two weeks after that (now more than six months after the wedding), we received our edited wedding-party photos, which did look nice, though not noticeably better than other friends' wedding-party shots, taken by photographers who charged far less. Had these photos been what we received at first, we wouldn't have been overjoyed, but would have had no issues that required additional months of stress and threats of legal action. We have family members who have used other wedding photographers in Duluth, and we now wish we had used one of them. Many of the other photographers offered the same 'extras' as Mad Chicken (or more), and provided hundreds of high-quality, edited images, but at a much lower price -- and with considerably less stress and aggravation.

I did a boudoir session at the studio! Jes is so fun, hilarious, and the BEST. She makes you feel…read moreat ease and like a supermodel...plus hair and makeup by the amazing Emily. You are just spoiled rotten for half the day. I am in awe at the results and products purchased. It is worth everything to get to know these two ladies and spend the day in the studio.

Anne Victoria did all the photos on my website, and really made me look great. She is easy to work…read morewith, adaptable to conditions beyond our control (maintenance guy comes in to attach curtain rod right as we are about to start shooting), and she remained pleasant and thoughtful throughout. Thank you!

Bryan is simply the best. If you want beautiful wedding photos, don't hesitate to hire him. Loved…read moreour photos from both our engagement and wedding! He gets great creative and natural shots capturing the joy and emotion of your day. Bryan's use of indoor and outdoor lighting gives photos a fresh, modern feel. He knows the Northland quite intimately from growing up here and years of wedding photography, plus he is also great at figuring out the best shots when in new locations and is always ready for a travel adventure.

From the owner: Bryan offers epic wedding photos and a great experience without the BS found in the industry. Find…read moreout why he's the best wedding photographer in Duluth, MN.

If I could give Autumn zero stars I would. Please do not purchase anything from this photographer…read more Also, review her other yelp page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/autumn-photography-chicago I ordered a youswoop session from her back in summer of 2013. Our date was scheduled for early January 2014. I was hoping she would snap some great photos of my family, including my two children, husband and dog. Only four days before the appointment, she cancels due to a personal issue. It takes her over one month to respond- only to tell me that she is now on bed rest for the next few months. I am heartbroken because now my dog has passed away, and my children are well over their birthday milestones. I ask for a refund and she agrees, only to never send it. She claims she sent the refund on March 20th and I have never heard back from her. Autumn is not someone you should do any business with.

From the owner: I specialize in portrait photography for the Twin Ports (and surrounding) areas. All types of…read moresessions available, from grad to engagement!

Derek was our wedding photographer and we were absolutely pleased in every way. He was always on…read moretime, was very professional and worked very hard to get our photos just right. He listened to what we wanted and definitely delivered. We asked for a lot of suggestions from him as far as photo locations and he had great recommendations. The wedding day went great. He captured all the big moments (and more) during the ceremony and helped us get some big group photos before dinner. I thought it would be impossible to coordinate those but he managed it. At the reception he managed to get tons of great candid shots and lots of action shots on the dance floor. We also had the Wild Booth set up. I highly recommend this set up (remember those days of disposable cameras on each table? forget about that and go with the wild booth), we got some hilarious photos from that thing. I recommend bringing some props (funny wigs, masks, glasses, toys etc) for people to dress up in or play with. The photos: they are absolutely beautiful. The samples on his website are definitely representative of what you will get. He sent us a small sample of a few of our photos very quickly after the wedding and a final, fully edited, DVD with print quality image files in about a month. We have rights to print whichever photos we want which is really nice. Overall an excellent experience and at a competitive price. I highly recommend Derek, we couldn't have asked for anything more!

From the owner: Derek Montgomery is a professional photographer based in Duluth, Minnesota specializing in…read moreweddings, editorial and commercial photography. I love shooting weddings and sports and producing creative imagery for businesses. If you are a getting married while playing frisbee, let's talk. I'm available for weddings and assignments nationally and internationally. Hint: I love Greece.