I can't even express how amazing it was to work with Robert, Izabela, and Agnes for our wedding week in October 2024. Not only are they incredibly talented, but they really took the time to understand our family customs and captured countless special moments with our loved ones all week. Their attention to detail and understanding of South Asian weddings is unmatched and I am so fortunate to have them as our photo and videography team. Izabela and Agnes were our photographers and they were amazing to work with. Their smiles never wavered and were so good at keeping up with the countless rituals. They truly managed to catch each moment. As someone who is very awkward with getting her photos taken, they really put me at ease and walked me through the photos. Really cannot thank them enough for their patience and talent- they are gems! Robert was our amazing videographer and from my first phone call with him, he truly surpassed all my expectations. He made our video shoots so fun and was constantly trying to set up the perfect shot- his passion for his art made the experience even more enjoyable for us. So lucky to have him as our videographer! In such a saturated market, REM really goes above and beyond to make sure they've done everything in their power to make the process as seamless as possible- from their responsiveness to emails, phone calls leading up to the wedding to make sure they understand our vision, to being prepared to capture every single moment all week long, and finally to stitching together beautiful documentaries and albums that let you relive each moment. I know we are going to cherish these photos and videos for the rest of our lives. I highly recommend the REM team to capture your special milestones- they treat you like family and truly love what they do read more

I hired R.E.M to provide photography and videography services for our wedding. To be honest, even though they were recommended to me, I was still a little hesitant as the South Asian culture has such a particular taste when it comes to photo and video. And not to mention, our weddings have so many traditions that take place, that it's extremely important to be extra attentive to these. To my assurance, I had NOTHING to worry about. I should have known from the start because the moment I reached out to Robert, he surpassed all my expectations. He was so patient with my many, many questions; always provided quick responses; was more than accommodating to our needs and even change of needs; and had an obvious interest and devotion to his clients. Unlike some vendors who show this charm prior to booking their services and then going AWOL after, Robert stayed true to character from the moment we booked him, up and through our wedding day and even after. As our videographer, his artful eye was evident in how he captured moments throughout the day. Agnes was our lead photographer and she was amazing! She has a strong personality and knows how to get things done. Our wedding had over 800 guests but Agnes knew how to get the day moving and did what she had to in order to ensure that we were on schedule. Her dedication to making sure her client's day goes smoothly while capturing all the important moment and then some is one of her greatest strengths. My husband and I loved the engagement session she took for us. Agnes captured moments that were edited by Izabela, and together, the two created pictures that my fiance and I absolutely cherish. Those pictures are our favorite pictures to date and we cannot wait to see what the wedding photos turn out to be! :) Overall, we have had an amazing experience with R.E.M. Robert, Agnes and Izabela were a great team to work with and I highly, highly recommend them. You'll have nothing to worry about because you'll be in the best of hands! *Will update after receiving video and photo from the wedding :) read more

ROBERT!!!!!!! All we can say is HE IS AMAZING!!! Made our day so fun and effortless! He really got everyone involved and was so kind! He helped me organize my day of schedule which was amazing! read more

Robert, Izabela, and Agnes were all fantastic to work with! We were so impressed with the quality of their work - our photos really stand out. The team at REM went above and beyond on the day of the wedding -- managing to capture everything we hoped for while maintaining a pretty tight schedule. The photos have come in and we are SO happy! We would highly recommend!! read more

I contacted Robert 5 years after my video was done and he responded same day to address it. Nice to know that this is a business that I could reach out to even after my service was done. read more

Photos and videos are a crucial part of your wedding; it's what you look at 10, 20 years down the road so we wanted a great team to be covering our event. After speaking with Robert on the phone, Kevin and I knew we wanted his team to cover the wedding. We wanted the photo and video team to be a part of the same company and the REM-team worked so well together to cover all of the angles and the important parts of the ceremony. It was great knowing that they've done South Indian weddings before and have worked at the Chicago Syro Cathedral before. During our photo shoot at The Wilder Mansion, they were great working with each subject to make sure the collective photos came out great. They worked diligently after the wedding to make sure we got our photos and videos in a timely fashion and always kept us updated with their progress. read more

BREATHTAKING photos! My husband and I chose R.E.M. photography because not only are their photos artistic and unique, but also their post-production work makes all the difference in the world! We hired two photographers and two videographers, and it was worth every penny. We have over 2,200 photos and the truly captured every moment, and then some! Our wedding and reception were held in the Aon building's Mid-America Club, so we took pictures around downtown and Millennium Park. The angle and attention to detail in the photos is beautiful. And the post-production work of enhancing the colors, enhancing the light source, etc., really brought out our best features. I couldn't believe it was us in the pictures, that's how *amazing* we look! Our main photographer was Megan Beader and she did a wonderful job. She was enthusiastic and extremely interested in getting all of the best shots, which was fantastic because she really wanted my husband and I to truly be captured in the best light. Our main videographer was Ben Strong. Ben was kind and was very interested in meeting all of my expectations. He continued to ask me leading up to the wedding and throughout the night about what I wanted to capture. He did a great job of checking in to make sure he was making our dream wedding video. We can't say enough great things about R.E.M. and we would highly recommend them to any engaged couple. Their photos are breathtaking! read more

One word, perfect! We really wanted a photographer AND videographer for our wedding, but couldn't exactly spend a million dollars. REM offered video & photography for less than what some photographers(no video) were charging. Once we met with Robert we knew we wanted him & his team for our wedding. They have plenty of packages to choose from, lots of options! We were lucky enough to have Robert film our wedding, and Tiffany take our photos. They were so easy to work with, they made us feel so comfortable. They really listened to everything we wanted and delivered. The photos and video are amazing, we will cherish them both for the rest of our lives! Some things I really liked: They gave us a disc of every single photo they took. A lot of photographers I researched only gave you "x" amount of photos. The photo album is gorgeous! They give you options for the design, and paper quality. They have you approve the layout so it is exactly what you want. They ask what kind of music you want to use in your video and make it work perfectly. The whole REM team was very easy to communicate with. They always responded promptly to emails and phone calls. I cannot tell you enough how nice Robert and Tiffany were. They were so funny, and friendly! Basically, if you have to pick two people to follow you around with cameras on a day as nerve wracking and emotional as your wedding - I would definitely recommend Robert and Tiffany from REM Video and photography :) read more

When it came to our wedding, capturing our special day was at the top of the list for what was important to me (other than marrying my best friend!). We were so lucky to have found REM Video & Photography, and I couldn't be happier to have had them be a part of our wedding. We first worked with REM for our engagement photos and had the amazing Agnes as our photographer. To set the scene, my husband and I were racing across the city of Chicago on foot to make it to our location on time to meet Agnes (a late workday caused us to be late), which resulted in us being drenched with sweat and out of breath from running in the August heat. Agnes not only met us with a smile, but she also had a vision that I could only dream of. Our engagement photos turned out beautifully, you would never know the rush or aftermath my husband and I experienced getting there! For our wedding day, we had Robert as our videographer and Armen as our photographer. Working with these two was a dream (notice the trend with working with REM!). Armen made sure we got every photo we wanted and captured every special moment. I am very self-conscious when it comes to photos, and every bride wants to look gorgeous on her wedding day. Armen made sure that happened and eased all of my fears. I initially didn't think I wanted a video of our wedding, but after seeing Robert's work I was convinced! And I am SOOOO glad we had him get video of our special day. He creates a highlight montage that is absolutely magical. Now I can't stop looking at our wedding photos or video! Our wedding day was perfect, and I am forever thankful that Robert and Armen captured all of it for us to cherish forever. REM Video & Photography is simply the best! read more

John Lavere was our photographer and he took awesome pictures of my husband & I for our reception. I've known Robert Mazur for many years as I've done wedding planning. REM never fail to surprise me with their talented work. I also had hired REM for videography. I was also very pleased with my video. Couldn't be happier. Would highly recommend to anyone! Thank you REM for capturing awesome memories for Raza and I =) read more

We had the pleasure of having Robert and his assistant video our wedding in July. From the very beginning the experience was wonderful. We were very particular and so we called and email several times before the wedding to make sure everything was going to be perfect. He was always very patient while communicating with us. Robert and his assistant seemed to be everywhere with the video cameras to ensure they were capturing every minute and they did. We knew we were going to like the video so the day we picked it up we watched it with both our parents. All of us where just blown away at how perfect the video was. When my wife and I got home after watching the video with our parents, we actually watched the whole thing again! Since then we have watched it at least 3 more times and each time it just gets better and better. We love that we can relive that day just by watching it. A wedding is the one of the most special days of your life and we would defiantly recommend Robert from R.E.M. to capture every moment. Thank you Robert! read more

Out of all the vendors I chose for my wedding reception, R.E.M. Video and Photography was by far the best decision I've made. My husband and I worked very closely with the owner, Robert Mazur, who is not only committed to ensuring his clients are happy, but also works with you on a comfortable price range. They only hire the best of the best photographers who bend over backwards to get the perfect shot (for example, our photographer climbed on top of the Lasalle Bridge to capture unique shots of Chicago and the wedding party). Our photographer in fact worked with the Chicago Tribune, and as a result our pictures were wonderfully candid and captured all the little details of the wedding. R.E.M. also has extensive experience working with couples from different cultures - from American to Indian, they've done it all! Before your big day, R.E.M. works with you to ensure that they capture all the critical moments of your wedding ceremony and reception so you can rest assured all of your important memories are digitalized. Lastly, Robert's wife, Izabela is an EXTRADORINARY editor! Iza takes your pictures and creates unique, beautiful layouts that will leave you more than satisfied. Throughout my experience working with Iza, she is extremely efficient - any changes you ask of the layout of the album, she turns it around in a matter of minutes. They also contract with the best album binding company, Zookbinders. The Mazur family is truly committed to making sure you're happy with the end result. I literally visited 15 studios in the Chicagoland area, and out of all the vendors, R.E.M. gives you the best quality for the best price - you won't be disappointed! read more

R.E.M. Video and Photography - Chandeliers at the Fountain Blue Banquets four seasons tent. - Video/Film Production Near Me

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They did an amazing job on our wedding. We did photos and a video and had 4 people with us the day of our event. You can't appreciate how skilled they are at editing until you watch the unedited footage and see how much work they put in. Easy to work with. Responsive. Really nice. read more

REM is staffed with a team of highly skilled photographers and videographers. I consider myself to be awkward and not the most photogenic, but REM definitely worked some magic: our engagement photos and wedding photos both look stunning and we can't wait to see the video in a couple months! They've been flexible and easy to work with even though we have had to make major changes in plans due to the pandemic. They're super friendly and know what they're doing. Having photographs and video of our wedding day is especially important now so that our loved ones who were not able to attend due to the pandemic can also share our day. I highly recommend REM for your photography and videography needs. read more

Robert and his team have done wonders for our wedding. We have always known we have made the right decision hiring them but that has been more so reaffirmed when we had to navigate wedding planning amidst a pandemic. Robert has been highly flexible and has been quick to adapt to the changing needs of the current situation. He was able to make livestreaming possible for us which made our event accessible both in the US and the Philippines. We had lots of compliments about our wedding coverage. There were several roadblocks thrown our way, but Robert was quick to find solutions leaving us stress-free. We can only say enough great things about R.E.M. The experience that we've had and how they made our wedding plans possible and even beyond what we have expected, is simply priceless. R.E.M. has mastered their craft and are very passionate about what they do. If we can give them 10 stars, we will. read more

I am hoping this is the correct place? Robert Mazur from R.E.M. Video and Photography is so talented. We had the pleasure of having Robert and another video guy at our wedding, which was great because they were able to capture different angles and film in different areas as all of our wedding events took place. Now I haven't seen our final video yet but from looking at all the other wedding videos he has produced I know it's going to be fantastic. We get to pick it up tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes. Robert is very easy to work with and makes the process very easy, the only downfall is that if you live downtown you have to drive up to his home to meet with him and for some people that can be inconvenient. read more

I used R.E.M. for my wedding video...and I couldn't be happier. Not only were they professional, creative and easy to work with; they catch all the moments you don't want to ever forget....vows, first dance, toasts, ...and special wink, your first tear, his biggest smile. They take the time to get to know you and produce a video to fit your personality and exceed your expectations. Do I watch the video every Saturday morning? Maybe. read more

I have not seen the video for my wedding yet but I have to say from my initial consultation to my actual wedding day REM was great! Robert is amazing!! He is sooo easy to work with, fun and just perfect! I wanted to use him for my photography as well but we just couldn't afford it. He stayed over to get more coverage of the wedding free of charge and was so polite and nice to everyone. If you want courteous professional service choose REM. I know my video will be amazing and I can't wait to see it! read more

We used Robert for our March 2009 and couldn't be happier. I was really struggling to find someone for our wedding, it was a mixed ethnic wedding and I needed someone that could capture all of the traditional dancing. I heard of Robert from a friend who used him and so glad that he had my date open. He's the only person I met with and booked him right away. There were no issues at all, he was very organized and the wedding went perfectly! We have a beautiful 45 minute video and a 4 hours unedited video with raw footage, which is great! I highly recommend R.E.M. read more

My experience with R.E.M. was everything that a photography company should aspire to be. My husband and I first met Robert almost two years ago to discuss our wedding--he showed us gorgeous albums with equally gorgeous pictures from different photographers who work with him. That night, we decided to book R.E.M. two years in advance for our wedding day. When the date started to arrive, Robert got in contact with me and sent me a checklist of all the types of pictures that we wanted our photographer to take. The options were numerous and gave us even more ideas than we initially had in mind for our wedding pictures. The communication regarding this company was absolutely wonderful. Emails were responded to immediately, and we were able to converse with our photographer a few weeks before the wedding (something big photography companies don't do!). One of the things my husband and I loved about John LaVere, our assigned photographer, was that he showed up at the exact time we agreed upon at the venue and dressed professionally. John was in charge the entire time--it was great! We had a very large wedding party (16 people), so when people were still floating in late, John was able to work with what he had for shots. He was firm, but very kind and approachable, and I could genuinely smile with him taking my picture and it showed in every shot. Another great thing about R.E.M. is that they charged by the hour, not by the number of photographs. About 500 pictures were taken in 7 hours and a vast majority of the pictures were artful and showed the decorative work that was put into the wedding. We really appreciated that. Shortly after the wedding, the pictures John took were touched up by Robert's wife, Izabela (Yes! A real husband and wife team!), and put on a website, so I could send invites to people who wanted to view and order any pictures. Note to the bride: when you get excited to see the pictures online, make sure you read and respond to the entire email regarding whether you want your photos on a CD or a flash drive. I was so excited to see the pictures that I did not realize that I hadn't responded to R.E.M.'s question which delayed the shipment of my pictures. This was entirely my fault--their communication is pretty much perfect! The flash drive arrived and we immediately backed up all of the images to our external hard drives, just in case. R.E.M. provides digital rights, so you can copy and print out your pictures on your own time, but they also back up your pictures as well. This is important because if you want to contact R.E.M. in the future about ordering one of their gorgeous professional albums, you have the opportunity to do so. This provides a real sense of security for us. The photographs are the only things that last after that crazy expensive day is finished, and seriously, you want to have stunning pictures to remember your wedding. If you choose R.E.M. Video and Photography, I promise that you will be patting yourself on the back for years to come because it was the best wedding decision you made. read more

I recently had the pleasure of working with R.E.M. Video at a recent wedding I photographed. Robert, the owner and main shooter, was simply incredible. As a photographer it is always wonderful to work with someone who is easy to communicate with and work alongside. We communicated our plan of action for nearly every event with no qualms whatsoever. Robert focused relentlessly for all events (it was a 4 day wedding for me, he was shooting 3 of those days). I was SO impressed by his work ethic, and can tell you that it is honestly very rare to see. Additionally, every staff member Robert had on board was polite, professional, and wonderful to communicate with. I am simply thrilled to be able to add another outstanding videographer to my list of recommended vendors in the Great Chicago Area. I highly recommend this company. read more

Our wedding planner found REM Videographers. We were not very proactive in the search. We just needed someone within our budget, with two videographers, eight hours of shooting and available on our date in November 2011. REM fit the bill and we hired them. We only had a few email communications before the wedding. We met them on the wedding day and they were professional and nice. That is all we could say about them until we got our draft of our wedding video four months later. Honestly, having not been proactive in our search, we truly lucked out with REM. They did a fabulous job! Having the video for nearly two months, we have watched it nearly ten times. It brings tears to my eyes every time. They captured so many beautiful things of our special day and I just love reliving it over and over. I love how the first part of the video was a "recap" and then it went through the ketubah signing, ceremony and reception and then it did another recap at the end to one of our songs. So amazing! Our first draft video was 92 minutes and after we saw it, we decided to purchase all of the unedited raw footage in addition which was three discs, over four and a half hours footage and worth every penny!! Having already gone through the wedding planning process, I value a vendor who is on top of their communication with me about the status of the products and what they need, etc. Robert Mazur, who is the person you will likely have the majority of your communication with, was excellent about this. I send him an email and I always, 100% of the time have a reply within 24 hours. I don't know about other brides out there, but this was extremely important to me and was appreciated. I highly recommend REM Videographers because they make beautiful videos. I also recommend to my friends who are getting married and actually on the fence about hiring a videographer that they come over to our house, watch our video with us and see how we react. They will hire a videographer every time! Thank you REM! We will continue to refer our friends and family to you! read more

R.E.M made everything so easy for us. They worked around our schedule through the entire process. The staff on the day of our wedding was cheering us on and making us smile even in 90 degree heat! We are extremely pleased with how our photos turned out and would recommend R.E.M to anyone who is looking for gorgeous, classic photos and a reliable yet efficient team. read more

Had a really great engagement shoot with John! He is super fun and immediately loosened us up. We started our shoot at Eataly, and he told us to get comfy, have a glass of wine, and knew exactly where to place us in such a busy place. We walked over to Gilt Bar and got some pics at their tables outside and in the middle of the street. Overall, he was very professional, humorous, and we had a great time. I'm excited to see how the pictures turn out! read more

We asked Robert Mazur to be our videographer for our wedding in June 2011. It was the BEST decision we made when it came to vendors for our wedding and we recommend him to couples every chance we get. Robert was absolutely refreshing, enthusiastic, and so fun to be around on our wedding day. He is so informative about the Hindu wedding rituals and knows exactly how to capture the traditions. One of the many things that amazed me about Robert was that he goes out of his way to put the client first; It started raining when we were out taking pictures and he took the risk of damaging his equipment to get the footage of us playing in the rain. Now that is dedication! He also somehow seems to be in many places at once. He gets all the different angle shots that you would think one person is not capable of doing. AMAZING! The final product: What we realized as soon as we sat down to watch our wedding video is that Robert not only works hard on the wedding day, but also days after editing the footage. Our wedding day looked flawless on video and I can't help but want to show it off. Since many of you know that the day goes by so fast it was nice to look back and watch how much fun our family and friends were having. Robert did an amazing job making our wedding video say exactly what we were feeling on our big day. We thank you for giving us such an AMAZING keepsake! read more

We used REM Video and Photography for our wedding video. I initally went to Robert's house to meet with him and view some videos. I felt like it was a little bit difficult to communicate what I wanted with him, but in the end he understood. He showed us some videos that I was not crazy about, in terms of the effects (seemed a little cheesy), but he seemed to get what I was looking for. His prices are pretty good for the quality and value, and I did a LOT of research on videographers. Ben ended up being the one to video our wedding, and he was great on the day of. He was very unobtrusive, courteous and accomodating. He arrived when we were getting ready at our hotel, and went with us to a few locations around the city to take photos, and then to the ceremony and reception site. We opted to save some money and not pay for any additional hours, which I think was a good choice. He got a few minutes of dancing, but otherwise, we didn't need him to stay for three hours of dancing. After the wedding, they asked us to choose 3 songs, and I was extremely lazy in choosing these. It took me several weeks to finally send the songs to them. They then sent us a draft of the video. We had several changes and tweaks to make, but were overall satisfied. It was really nice that we got to see a draft of the video, so that we were able to get a feel for the style and content, and then make changes accordingly. Robert took our changes into account, and sent us a final version of the DVD a few weeks later. Overall, we were very satisfied with REM for our wedding video. It's certainly not the absolute best quality out there, but the price and value are great for what you get. I would definitely recommend them. read more

I haven't gotten my photos or video back as my wedding was just this past Saturday, but the photographer did an AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG JOB!!!!!!!! Granted I haven't seen the finished product so I can't completely vouch for that (although I'm certain it is going to be Fantastic!), but I can vouch for her worksmanship. She made every minute count! Always suggesting new and creative poses. Her attention to detail was extremely impressive. She made sure there were no purses or other uncessary objects lying in background of the house photos. In the park, she made sure we didn't have too much light and shadow on our faces. She was a sincere pleasure to work with, and a great personality. Can't wait to see the product!!! So glad we went with R.E.M. read more

My wife and I cannot say enough good things about Robert and his company. They were perfect as can be, right from the first meeting. The one quality that I loved in him, specially was that he's never trying to sell you anything. Rather, he has his company's work speak for itself. And boy, do they shine? My wife and I had a special situation with our wedding, in that we performed and hence needed to cover 2 seperate, ethnic ceremonies and receptions in one day! We worked with 2 different photographers-Isabella Mazur and Megan Bearder (and her assistant, whose name we now forgot). They made us feel at ease and very comfortable. They collect all of the information beforehand and come fully prepared on the day of, which is very important. Not just that, photography being such a creative profession, their ideas and styles are fantastic. If you don't want to take my word dor it, browse their portfolio and meet with them. We've only seen a teaser of all the pictures to come but they look phenomenal! We cannot wait to get out entire album and relive our most special day all over again. I should additionally mention, both our photographers - Izabella and Megan was so accomodating of our schedules, on the day of. We were running late, but they kept the mood so light and didn't let us think or worry about it at all. In essence, this is as best as your money can buy, value wise and you'll not regret your choice, picking this company. In fact, you'll end up patting your back, after the event. Will absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for an amazing photographer/videographer to cover their wedding day. read more

Best decision my fiance and I made was to do videography for our wedding. We originally weren't sure we wanted the entire day captured (we were thinking just the ceremony) but after meeting with and talking with Robert we decided we wanted to capture all of the moments. My fiance and I chose REM because we heard such great things about the quality of their work. We were extremely pleased with how our video turned out and enjoyed the entire process of working with Robert and everyone at REM. Our videographer was Robert and he was wonderful to work with on our wedding day; we really enjoyed having him share our day with us. He was professional, courteous, unobtrusive and flexible. The footage that he shot was gorgeous and the way the video was put together was phenomenal. He exceeded my expectations. Robert and REM were very easy to work with, they provided a lot of flexibility and were very concerned with the finished product and making sure my husband and I loved it. While I love our wedding video, I was a bit sad picking up the final copies because I had enjoyed working with REM so much over the last several months. I would highly recommend their services. read more

I wanted to write this review thoroughly impressed by REM's service. My fiance and I were searching for a good Photographer in the Chicagoland area for our wedding, we were looking for great service at an affordable price. We did our homework shortlisted and met with 3 companies. When we went to REM's office, we had a lot of questions, on our first meeting with Robert Mazur, we felt very comfortable after he had patiently answered all of our questions. He was well aware of south asian culture and wedding rituals. After we signed our contract we kept in touch with Robert via emails and everything was going as planned. They sent us an online questionnaire well in advance of our wedding. A couple of the days before the wedding John (photographer) and Sorin (videographer) called me and spoke to me to re-confirm all details in the questionnaire. My fiance and I are meticulous planners and it was absolutely delightful for us to work with REM as they were so well prepared. On the day of wedding both John and Sorin did an amazing job. We were so glad that we chose REM team to shoot our wedding and had a stress-free experience. read more

We selected R.E.M. for our photography and videography services for our wedding. We had Agnes as our lead photographer and Armen as a second photographer. Our videographer was Robert. We were SO incredibly happy with all three of them and the service they provided on our wedding day! They all were professional but also very fun and easy to work with. They captured everything that we had asked them to and more! They had a lot of hopping around to do between the bridal parties (my husband and I didn't want to see each other before the ceremony) and to different picture locations throughout the day. Some windy weather made us change photo locations at the last minute and everything was handled easily and calmly. Agnes is wonderful and has an eye for beautiful lighting. She grabbed our whole group and got us outside for some amazing sunset pictures at just the right time. Agnes also handled the chaos of our family pictures wonderfully and was so patient with everybody. Armen worked with the groom's side a lot for pictures and I heard nothing but wonderful things about his work with them. Robert was fun and did a lot of neat shots for the wedding video. I can't wait to see how everything turned out!! We are very happy with our experiences with everything and everybody at R.E.M., including Izabela and Robert Mazur, who did all of the work with our contracts, payments and all email correspondence leading up to the big day. Everybody at R.E.M. are truly kind and talented and very easy to work with. We highly recommend them! read more

My husband and I got married in October 2015 at the Patrick Haley Mansion and used REM for our wedding video after searching and searching for the perfect vendor (I was very picky about how I wanted the video to look). We just got our wedding trailer and video back and I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by Robert's talent in capturing our special day perfectly and making such a gorgeous video!!! I can't stop watching it. He was so fun to work with and truly has an eye for creativity, and you can tell how passionate he is about his work and making it the best it can be. We are SO happy we chose REM and absolutely recommend them!! read more

STAY FAR AWAY! We used R.E.M. for our September, 2015 wedding. We have received the photos and the video. There is not one photo I love. To be fair, there are a few decent photos but not one that makes me go "awww!" in a good way. I am the first to admit that I am very picky about photos. I told this to Robert when we had our initial appointment. I told him that I had reviewed a number of photographers & their work. I told him exactly what images on his website took my breath away & that I wanted some with the same "feel". I told Robert that in addition to the standard wedding photos, I wanted "gritty city" photos. I also told him that I was very nervous about our wedding photography because of all the disaster scenarios. I said I would be crushed if there were no photos I loved. He promised the moon, stars, planets, and galaxy. He assured me that the photographer would be spectacular. We went (well) over budget to hire R.E.M. based on his assurances. To be cautious, we had REM do engagement photos. Agnes was fantastic! The photos are beautiful. She was personable, articulate, helpful, & really knows her stuff. She took time to pose us correctly. She even worked with our dog to get just the right photos! Agnes talked about the wedding details and told us she was excited to see us on our Big Day. We were super impressed. After the engagement photos came back, we were pumped about R.E.M. The photos posted to our wedding webpages received oodles of compliments. We were THRILLED. 2 days before the wedding, another photographer called. Agnes was booked for another wedding. Robert assured us that this photographer was awesome and we would be happy. "You will love his work." Well, this photographer had ZERO personality. Every person in my bridal party remarked about his "bad attitude". But, you know what? If his work is excellent, who cares!? He's not gonna ruin the day! So onward we went. Well, it became very apparent very fast that this guy was no Agnes! He photographed my mom, dad and I (only photos of us) in the hotel room in front of a blank wall claiming the lighting would be great and the views from the downtown Sheridan would be beautiful in the background. Get the pictures back and there is no "view" - only blank beige walls. He took only standard photos. No gritty city photos, or photos in the beautiful hotel lobby, or photos on the river, or interacting with the U of C architecture (the second photographer who was working with my husband/the guys DID take these!) He didn't pose people. He didn't see something unique and try to capture it. He left it to us to suggest "fun" or creative photo ops. He took a few photos during the cocktail hour and rarely could be found during the reception. When my sisters asked for photos with their families, they were met with huffs & sarcastic comments. We also planned for sparkler photos. Since a few of the members of the bridal party were a bit tipsy, he decided that we needed bump that up. He came to me and said that since my bridal party was already drunk (they were not!), "it was now or never." What?! Ok, go with the flow. I got them outside and he starts arranging them in several rows so that they would be holding sparklers in front of one another! What?!!! I took control of the situation and arranged them myself. After the photos, he went and hid until it was time for him to leave. When he was leaving, I asked him if he had gotten all the photos on the list. No. Of the ones missing, some I could not get. But I did tell him that I wanted photos on the staircase with my husband (on the must have list & discussed with Robert) and of my bouquet with the charms of my dog who passed away (also on the list). He huffed, rolled his eyes but took the pictures; not giving my husband enough time to get his tux jacket or for me to freshen up. He also told me something along the lines of, "I hope you like your pictures. I don't think they are exactly what you wanted." Ummm, what does that mean? Well, I now know. He was right. We've had the photos for 7 months. We have not had a single photo printed except for photo I extensively edited for Thank You notes. I will NOT do a wedding photo album. The photos will stay on a flash drive in a drawer. No wedding photo will hang in our home. We are so very sad and disappointed. We told Robert about these issues and that we did not care for the photos. His response was that he and his wife liked them. Great. . . If you must use REM, PLEASE write it in the contract that Agnes will be your photographer! Also, be prepared to wait a long time for photos and video - no big deal if they would have been awesome. NOTE: I have not reviewed the video because it is on blu-ray and I don't have that kind of player. I will add to this review once I am able to play the video. read more

My wife and I had a photographer and videographer for our wedding. They did such a wonderful and beautiful job!!! The pictures came out very beautifully and we love them so much! The video was beautifully done with a highlight and then the main video. Watching the video brought happy tears to my wife and mine's eyes for the wonderful memories as well as the fantastic job of the videographer to capture wonderful moments that we'll cherish!!! I very highly recommend R.E.M. to capture important moments such as our wedding!!!! read more

Used him for our wedding a few years back, all I can say is WOW!!!! We then told our friends about him and they used him too. You can't go wrong here. He truly enjoys his work and making you enjoy your video. LOOK NO FURTHER !!! read more

I used REM for my wedding photography and we are really happy we chose them. Many photography studios can take nice photos, but what makes REM stand out as better than the others is that they actually listen to you describe your 'perfect wedding photo look' and deliver the type of pictures you have always dreamed of. Our wedding included a trip on the L, an ice cream party at the house, and then a beach luau the next day. The pictures we received were just stunning. The photo journalistic style that we had hoped for was perfectly executed. Each location had its own 'feel' and specialness about the photos. We have gotten so many compliments on them from family and friends. I know it sounds like I am gushing here, but honestly, we have been going through the photos with family and I am still just floored on how good they are. read more

We used R.E.M. as our videography company for our August 22, 2014 wedding. From the initial consultation Robert was amazing. He is polite, friendly, and professional. As Robert told me on my big day, "there's nothing normal about your wedding day." From having practical strangers in your home doing your makeup, videotaping, and taking pictures, to posing for that "right shot", it's all awkward. You want to be as comfortable with your vendors as possible, and Robert made it easy to be comfortable with him. He was laughing and joining in with me busting jokes as my girls and I got ready and was never too "in your face" with his camera. His personality and light hearted spirit helped to keep things calm and enjoyable. He seemed to work well with the photographer and I never noticed any conflict between them. Even though our wedding day was HOT and HUMID (in the midst of a very mild summer), he was ever so patient with us and our bridal party. I noticed other reviews from brides who are self proclaimed Type-A planners and women who were on top of every single detail of their wedding and R.E.M. met their standards. I was the opposite. I was fine emailing back and forth whenever needed and preferred not to bother with too many questions or requests, and R.E.M. did a great job conforming to my carefree ways. That tells me that they are able to work with a wide variety of bride personalities which is an extremely important trait for a wedding vendor to have. On top of the awesome service, the price was unbeatable for the quality of work that I have seen of theirs. I cannot wait to see our finished product as I have full faith in Robert and his team to deliver something great, and would recommend their services to absolutely anyone. read more

My husband and I recently used REM for video and photography for our wedding at Salvage One on April 1, 2017. We couldn't be happier with their professionalism and talent. We haven't received our photos/video yet, as it has only been about two weeks, but I can say that based on what I have seen and know so far, we will love them. We had two photographers (Agnes and Izabela) and Robert as our videographer. They were extremely accommodating, professional, and were always open to my ideas. I believe they were able to capture the photos I was looking for. Also, the price was awesome! Thank you to you all! read more

When thinking about who might record our entire wedding day, we couldn't think of a better person or place to do this than R.E.M! Robert was so easy to work with from day one. He was so prompt and thoughtful in his responses to us throughout. Our video was ready for pick up right when he said it would be. Robert goes above and beyond to ensure you are happy with the product. We watch our video once a week and cannot get enough! Robert with the help of Garland for recording it all, helped to make our special day so memorable and now we can re-live it whenever we want! If you want detailed, caring and wonderful people that make a tremendous memory for you, look no further than R.E.M!! read more

Robert was the immediate, unanimous choice by my daughter, her fiance, my husband and I to video her wedding. Robert has great ideas, is fun to be around, kind, patient , thoughtful, totally professional & unobtrusive. These are all qualities that one should be considering when choosing a videographer/photographer as they can be with you for as many as 12 hours, so you better like them! Robert also helped me make a special dvd of my daughter and her fiance that I surprised them with at the dress rehearsal that was a big hit. Robert helped with music suggestions and all the little touches that he incorporated into the video made it more special. If I can get either of my other two kids married off, I would definitely be asking Robert to video the wedding and help me make another special dvd for them! read more