10 years ago I hired Ben Mahoney to be the videographer for our wedding. At the time, we hadn't…read morebudgeted for a wedding video and Ben was a last-minute addition. Second only to marrying my wife, hiring Ben was the best decision I ever made. We still watch our wedding video every year on our anniversary and it's a precious keepsake that I will always treasure. It's now 2022 and my dad just turned 80 years old. So, to commemorate the occasion, I hired Ben and the Our Days film crew to put together a montage of videos of my dad spending time with his grandkids. As usual, Ben did a masterful job weaving together pictures and videos into a beautiful movie. We screened it for the whole family and there wasn't a dry eye in room. If you are thinking about hiring Ben and Our Days, don't hesitate a minute longer. You won't regret it!

How do I fit 50 of Jess' pics on my Holiday card? Does anyone know?…read more I have a million thoughts but I'll narrow it down - Jess captured my family's natural essence; the quiet, in between moments that make us... us. I just looked at one photo in particular of us looking at a turtle over a railing and thought, "this captures our family in its entirety." On SO many occasions, I want to put the sweet moments of my kids in a jar and put it on my shelf forever - the album she delivered is my jar. Thank you, Jess for capturing the intangible joy we feel on an ordinary afternoon and thank you even more for reminding me of the blessings that we have.

I should start by saying that I historically do not take great photos. I usually end up cringing at…read moremy unnatural poses and forced smile, but the shots that Maggie and Kelly captured were an absolute dream come true for me. I absolutely loved every single image they shared! They made the shoot so seamless and downright fun that I'd hardly noticed when the hour was up. The retouching process was quick and painless, and the online gallery was easy to navigate. For background, the shoot included my younger sister and myself, and the last time we took professional photos together was 20+ years ago. We gifted these photos to our parents, and it was so incredible to be able to give them this snapshot of us in time. Thank you again to Maggie and Kelly!

We have had the pleasure of working with Maggie over the years to capture our family's special…read moremoments. She was our engagement photographer, wedding photographer, and our go to for yearly family photos. She has an amazing eye for composition and has turned out incredible photos despite the chaos of photographing three rambunctious kids. We are so lucky to have found her!

Simply the best. Cristina made us feel so comfortable and captured the day exactly as we had hoped…read morefor. She understood our style and the photos from our wedding day perfectly capture that. But Cristina as a person? 10/10. You feel like you've known her your whole life and her enthusiasm and positivity is infectious. Could not recommend more!

Cristina and her second-shooter, Konstantin, are beyond amazing…read more When we first started searching for a wedding photographer in Chicago, we were overwhelmed, as there are so many options. However, Cristina's portfolio quickly caught our attention. Specifically, we noticed her nighttime portraits and the excitement and energy that each one captured. I had never seen photos that were so beautiful. After speaking with her and looking over her packages, we knew that she was the one. There are so many wonderful things to say about Cristina, so this post will be a little long. But most importantly (to me), Cristina is incredibly responsive. Before and after the wedding, she responded to each of my emails within 24 hours, no matter how small or silly the question. She was always kind, straight-forward, and patient. A few months before our wedding, I saw in one of her Instagram posts that Cristina offers hybrid (film + digital) packages. Since our venue was very romantic and garden-esque, we knew that we wanted to benefit of both mediums. It was one of the best decisions that we made in the wedding planning process. Obviously, everyone knows that Cristina's digital images look as if they were taken straight out of a high fashion magazine, but to me, her film images are even more beautiful. She was able to capture such vibrant colors and soft images. I honestly can't stop staring them. Also, I can't imagine that our day would have run as smoothly with any other photographer. Cristina kept everyone on schedule. My day-of coordinator actually told us that she was one of the best photographers that she's worked with. After the wedding, we received so many photos, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I love all of them. We have so many images perfect for printing and hanging, but she also captured our guests and our interactions with them. I think many people underestimate how meaningful those photos end up being. We are able to look back and see our family and friends enjoying themselves on the dance floor, and we weren't able to enjoy all of those moments on our wedding day, as we were so busy mingling. I look back at the photos, and they take me right back to that day. And finally, we ordered our wedding album and parent albums through Cristina. That process was seamless, and we are blown away by the quality of the albums. (I've actually had five people reach out to me to ask where I had them made.) If we had to do it again, we would choose Cristina and her team every time! They are simply the best of the best!

We have done TWEEN sessions with Shalimar for each of our daughters, and each time it has been a…read morefun and special experience! When we suggested the idea, our daughters were like eenh, I don't know... But they went along with it, and Shalimar has such a fun and gentle demeanor, so the sessions were not at all intimidating! She made the process natural and brought out the beauty of their precious personalities and ages. The photos turned out fantastic, and she put them all together in books with a personal word cloud and encouraging quotes from friends, family, teachers, and coaches. In a world where we seldom print photos, we are so glad to have these photobook treasures! Thank you, Shalimar

We used Shalimar Photography for my son's high school senior photos and loved how Shalimar worked…read morewith us to find the perfect site and vibe for the photo shoot. She encouraged my son to dress as comfortably as possible and brought out his personality on film. We are so pleased with the results. The scheduling was straightforward as was the prep and day of plans. We received our proofs so quickly and we would use Shalimar again. 10/10 recommend.

She does wonderful photos! I love how she can capture how people are dancing! She also has a…read morewonderful personality and is super friendly!!!

LaHari Photography is simply stunning. Lavanya manages to capture the moments so incredibly that…read morewhen you look at her work you feel like you are actually there. The photos come to life and as you look at them you feel the emotions people in those pictures feel. If you haven't tried LaHari for your special event, you should definitely give them a try. You will not regret it!

After viewing what seemed like an endless number of wedding photographer websites, Avant-garde…read morestood out for the artistry and beauty in Lukasz's work. He has an incredible eye for design and composition which I truly appreciated as an architect. Lukasz nailed the vibe that I was looking to capture on film even though I chose a technically challenging venue. He took the time to fully understand the objective, the look and schedule beforehand then provided valuable advice to ensure that everything flowed smoothly. What impressed me the most though is that Lukasz went above and beyond to ensure that I ended up with what I wanted. I was on a budget, but he agreed to stay a bit longer to capture the dancing and even took extra time to touch up my favorite photo. It's rare to find an individual so committed to this level of excellence. Lukasz takes great pride in his craft and is a very talented artist. He has a gift for capturing the best version of you in a natural and beautiful way. Looking at my wedding photos makes me so happy because I get to re-live that magical night and experience all of the joy again. My photos turned out beautifully and I promise that you will love working with Avant-garde!

Lukasz did an amazing job at our wedding. He kept everyone's attention during family photos at the…read morechurch and they got done pretty quickly! He had a good eye for details and grabbed a ton of great getting ready shots. The most fun was the photo session at a nearby forest preserve - Waterfall Glenn - he took all of us to the waterfall and got a bunch of fun and beautiful photos of the whole bridal party. One of the great parts about working with him was that it was clear he was having fun taking the photos too. Great at getting people's attention and coming up with poses. I didn't even have to send a shot list, we just told him where to be and when and he knew what to do. Very easy going and trustworthy photographer - you will not be disappointed with your experience or your photos!

The best thing we did to prepare for our wedding day was have Peter there to capture our engagement…read morephotos. Also, I would like to add that he was extremely flexible with rescheduling "3 times" in the midst of COVID-19. Five stars doesnt even do it justice! Peter doesn't just take photographs, he creates beautiful works of art, and to be a part of his art is an absolute honor. Not only is his work stunning, but he is just such a lovely individual all around and it was natural! We talked as if we knew each other for years. My fiancé and I were so nervous and he guided us with each picture he snapped. We cannot express just how grateful we are to have had him. We cannot wait to do future business with you. We love you, Peter. Thank you for everything!

Hands down, Peter and his team was the best option we picked for our wedding photos and video. We…read moreread his reviews and recommendations that rated him a top professional in the Chicago area. Our first meeting at Soho House Chicago was very relaxed and very nonintimidating. We just looked over Peter's work while sipping on some cocktails. After the meeting was over we felt like we were hanging out with an old friend and decided Peter was who we were going to choose. Our second meeting was for our engagement photos which were taken on the Chicago lakefront and then after a change of outfits we moved onto more photos on the bridges over the river and along the river. The photos came back very quickly and we were extremely happy and now excited for the outcome of our wedding photos. We got married at the London House Chicago on 10/13/18. Peter had a team 3 people with him. We spent about 2 hours walking the locations near the venue and also capturing epic pictures in the cupola overlooking the entire city. When the ceremony started, Peter and his team stayed with us all the way until midnight. It was fun for our guests to have access to all of the photos captured on the GIF booth through a link sent via text message to every guest. Within a few weeks later, we received an entire photo album sent via email. The photos are awesome and it solidified us making the right choice in choosing Peter and his team! Kevin and Mari

Jill has taken pictures of our family from my pregnancy to grade school. She has always captured…read moresuch lovely images of our family that make me smile every time I see them in our home. She even got our very reluctant dog in the picture! She is wonderful to work with and has always captured amazing pics of our family!

I had my daughters' pictures taken here 2 months ago and they are amazing. Jill was born to work…read morewith young children. My 3 year old is known for her fake photo smile - but Jill was able to get her to give us genuine smiles with ease (something I've been trying to do for 2 years!). She takes photography to the next level by not just snapping pictures, but creating works of art, and unlike other photo studios I've been to, Jill does something I feel I could never duplicate myself. Isn't that what you want out of a professional? I'd give her 6 stars if I could.