Do not trust this business!! I purchased a living social deal and I called them three times before they replied to my voicemails and then they told me that they needed four other deals combined in order to make it work. Then they sent me an email stating they can get me in on February 10th through the 13th but only if I purchased an upgrade package that fell outside of the living social voucher. Most people know this as a bait and switch marketing technique which is an illegal business practice in all states. The living social deal said it was good for an on-site photo shot and they could not honor that. They also said that they have limited times available during the winter since it's not a good time to get outside and take pictures even though there is a 90 day expiration date on the voucher so the only time you could do the photo shoot would be in the winter. Stay away from this company they are unprofessional, untrustworthy, unlawful and unethical. They lied to me and I'm sure they've lied to others before, they are bad news! read more

Found this place through a referral and I could not have lucked out more. Buyer beware, you might not use another studio ever again. In some rather terrible circumstances my fiance and I had our engagement photography session booked with another photo studio for MONTHS and only to have them disappear and go totally missing in action the weeks prior to our session. Lesson learned: the cheap ones that offer the moon aren't always a good deal, but also that sometimes things happen for a reason. If it was not for that stomach wrenching photographer disappearing act we endured, we would have never met our new favorite go-to-awesomeness-emitting-uber-talented-photog-Candace-and-company (because everyone at the studio is uhmAZing. While looking for photographers I realized just how confusing picking one could be. They went over a lot of information with us and told us "so you can make an informed decision in hiring the best photographer for your needs, even if it isn't us." That alone made us fans from the starts, so here are tips learned: -Make sure you are really into the style that the photographer's portfolio shows, don't ask for a style that isn't represented or you might be sorry. -Ask about professional affiliations, that seems to be a good indicator of the longevity of the business -Find out about hidden fees like print minimum orders, digital file sizes, print quality, and number of proofs you will get after the shoot. -When you find a photographer you want do not hold off on booking cuz ya may wait toolong and miss your chance The first consultation we had went over a lot of those questions we would never have thought to ask and found that this was one of the very few that offered this information freely. Honesty and openness up front about what to expect was just good customer service. Purchased the option for $499 that included digital files and 2 hours of photoshoot with a DVD. Our photo shoot was a lot of fun and we were talked through each pose as well as given some freedom to be creative. Some of the candid shots were prompted but didn't look posed at all and she caught us laughing and even sneaking a couple moments that weren't really meant for the camera but turned out super-awesome like walking back to our car holding hands. It felt like we had hired a location scout on top of a photographer because they really knew the city and picked out some great spots we never would have come across on our own. Waited about 3 weeks for a proof gallery and although anxious to see the finished products and checked in a couple of times, we were met with patience and understanding along with some words of encouragement and reassurances that the pics were "turning out great." Although we would have liked the photos a little quicker like every impatient and excited newly engaged couple, it was well worth the wait. The pictures all turned out GORGEOUS! Talk about stunning envy of our friends and Chicago skyline in the background at the perfect position- I could go on forever about the pictures. Seriously. The email with the gallery link was designed so thoughtfully and we had to share it nearly immediately. There was a password needed to get into the gallery and we didn't have to make a separate appointment to view our images. Everything after theshoot was easy and ordering was straight forward. We felt so blessed to have come across such a sweet and talented photographer in the vast sea of the flighty, semi fake, and the unknown that seems to be the current "faux-toggrapher" market of Chicago. Can't recommend highly enough! read more

This review is long overdue. Me and my family bought a living social deal in July 2015. We hadn't been together for 3 years so this was a really special occasion for us. We chose to have an outdoor session at a park that Candace suggested. We got ready and the minute we got in the car it started pouring super hard. We were afraid that the photoshot would be cancelled and our way to the park,Candace called my brother to cancel the photoshot. We were heartbroken because we did not have time to do it another day. I called Candace again and explained the situation she agreed to meet us at the park hoping that the rain would be over then. Thank God when we got to the park the rain stopped and Candyce managed to do a mini photoshot in 20 minutes and saved the day! Pictures turned out perfect! Thank you Candace!!!! read more

Candace Marie Photography - Our successful photoshot! - Session Photography Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not being shoved in a studio really helped calm the nerves and pictures outside are cool. Nobody likes their pictures taken or else they are aliens with no souls to steal. Do aliens have souls? I digress. Two things I learned: 1.Having a hot woman as a photographer to hang out with you while taking pictures around the city that make you look awesome is much, much more funner than being locked in a studio with a stodgy dude with old man breath. 2. Pictures with Chicago in them always make you look more handsomer and hip. I lied there are three things 3. I still don't like pictures taken, but I now know who to call to make the necessary "every 10 years cause mom wont stopp bugging your for photos and need social and dating site photos where I don't look like a tool" experience bearable. Drawback: The end style was very GQ Editorial and now my cat thinks I am destined to be a model and keeps signing me up for modeling gigs. Dammit Giselle- quit calling me, it's over- two models just don't work. read more

I never knew at home photography was even a thing, and don't think I'll ever stuff my family into an uncomfortable studio ever again. Three shoots later, this review is overdue. I first hired Candace two years ago to do a photoshoot of my newborn and the pictures turned out spectacular. Not only were the pictures great but she was relaxed and personable which really put the baby at ease. I can't imagine trying to pack up a newborn and props and extra clothes and deal with nursing at a studio. Allowing for this to take place at home made things much easier on me too since I had just had a C section too. Two photoshoots later, Candace works even more flawlessly with the kids and is able to get them to laugh and show natural expressions. The kind of genuine happy expressions you just can't fake in an uncomfortable situation. She's one of those rare down to earth people who will let the dog give her a big wet slobberly hello and then really takes the time to get to know the children and play with them and act silly. Having the option to keep digital files was a must have, and it's something that I found a lot of places lack or wanted to charge some outrageous fees of upwards of a thousand bucks for some. I was so thrilled that there were packages available with this built in so there were no surprises later. Then to be able to download pictures right from the gallery so we could get baby announcements made quickly was really an added comfort. Can't wait for the next shoot and I'm already planning ideas for a family beach shoot this summer thanks to Candace's thoughtful suggestions. read more

Candace did an excellent job with my family's portrait in 2014. The experience was wonderful, easy to schedule, photo session went great, and the pictures turned out wonderful, and were delivered before promised. This year, I again tried to book another session with a LS deal. After a few weeks pass with multiple emails and calls to Candace, and her answering service, no response whatsoever. Nothing. really disappointed as I was so happy with her previous service. read more

Candace is really sweet and her work is beautiful. The customer service does need a lot of work, though (her answering service, her assistant, the time it takes to send confirmations, the time it takes to return e-mails, etc.). read more

Nothing takes the place of a great profesional photographer, not iPhones or heavy editing or filters. Overdue review thanks to the bustle of life but earned nonetheless. I found Candace about 10 years ago and have never needed another photographer yet todate. The versatility of style portrayed in our final images thru the years is amazing ad we've requested everything from family portraits to events, 's wedding, and even pictures for my husband and my businesses. Although prices have gone up through the years- rightfully so; and she's now downtown Chicago and split with NY, i am among the many grateful for the talents of Candace. Thank you for years of greatness. read more

I, too, bought a LS voucher for photoshoot with Candace (should have checked these reviews first), only to realize that the LS voucher comes with multiple stipulations that are not listed on the LS website (nor is a link provided for where to find this information on Candace's website). I wanted to have pictures of our toddler son with my husband taken as a father's day gift. I was told that mini-sessions aren't recommended for children and that I should consider a full session. I told her the advert on LS sells her as a family/child photographer and that she should stipulate this information on the advert ,and she commented that its part of the 'Conditions Apply' Clause. I told her it was false advertising, she recommended that I can ask LS for a refund (which I did). Im sure her photos are great, just a warning - Buyer Beware if you're using the LivingSocial Voucher. read more

Candace has been such a pleasure to work with. She was quick to reply to every single email and while very professional she was also very warm and kind to all of my family and friends involved in our session. She had to travel from the city to the northern burbs for our shoot and she communicated promptly the day of and showed up early to get a feel of our layout. I haven't even seen our proofs yet as the shoot was only a couple days ago, but I am confident they will be just beautiful!! read more

I have not had a more frustrating experience with a photography company. I purchased a Living Social deal for a mini-photo shoot that was to include "15 digital prints, a 5x7 print and an 8x10 print". Candace was so nice when she took our family photos, it seemed like it was going to be great and I was really looking forward to seeing our pictures. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. She told us we should expect our proofs within 2 weeks. I waited until 3 weeks before following up asking for a status, with no response. I called and emailed again in a week and finally got an email with a link to the proofs a few days later. In the grand scheme of things, the delay was nothing to be too upset about - and I LOVED the pictures - so I was still relatively happy. But my first red flag was that "trouble with their server" was the reason for the delay in receiving the link. I've been getting the run around ever since from Candace's office manager, and this is now over a month in the works (since I starting asking for the proofs). They don't return phone calls - either to their office or answering service - I've never gotten ONE call about this, and they haven't returned emails until I've resorted to getting angry and then suddenly their "server trouble" allows an email to go through. Candace's office manager said she put a $35 credit on my account for prints but not surprisingly, the credit is missing when I try to purchase items off their website. I am able to download web resolution pictures from the website but even 4x6 prints at that resolution are grainy and just bad quality. Long, long story short, at this point, all I want are my full resolution digital copies I purchased. As I said, the pictures turned out great. For the life of me, I can't understand why someone running a business would operate in such a manner. It's really too bad that Candace Marie Photography was this difficult to work with because I definitely would have used her again. read more

Walked into the photography session an uncomfortable sap, left happy as a clam, and ended up with great pics with the beach and lake as an exotic backdrop. On the pricier side but I think it was worth every penny. I was thrilled to be able to talk to a real person every time I called the studio plus the answering service was a nice touch and the entire team was helpful through every step even with all my questions. The amount of information I was given prior to the day of the appointment like tips on what to wear made picture day easier since I don't really like my pictures taken. It was empowering to take pictures on the beach and that made me feel like a vogue model. My photographer was Candace and man that girl got talent! She knew all the right angles that were flattering for a woman to pose and very sexy even if that meant she was on her stomach in the sand to make me look like I dropped 20 pounds and got tall. Fun experience and I got digitals and no sales pressure afterward. My husband really enjoyed all the pictures he just didn't like paying for them. read more