I should start by saying that I historically do not take great photos. I usually end up cringing at my 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! read more

We have had the pleasure of working with Maggie over the years to capture our family's special moments. 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! read more

Maggie has been taking our family photos for seven years and we will continue to ask her to photograph our family at every occasion. She has captured the most important times in our lives including welcoming new babies and saying goodbye to our beloved first dog. She is an exceptional talent and is wonderful with kids. Thank you Maggie--your brilliant work adorns our hallways and we will have these memories forever because of you. read more

I've used Maggie for our annual family photos the last two years, and she has been fantastic! Both times, she took the time to listen to the style and vibe we wanted, then suggested some great locations. She was also flexible and brought such a warm and relaxed personality, which we appreciated as a family of five with three kids under five and a dog. Her communication from the start was excellent--she responded quickly to emails, answered all our questions, and made sure we felt prepared for each session. Our latest session had its challenges: the weather wasn't cooperating, and the kids were definitely not in the mood. I went in with pretty low expectations for how the photos might turn out, but Maggie blew us away! She stayed calm, patient, and somehow managed to capture genuinely beautiful moments, both posed and candid, despite the chaos. We ended up with a lovely mix of family shots, individual and small group photos, and even some special detail shots that felt so personal. If you're looking for a photographer who can handle a little (or a lot!) of unpredictability while delivering beautiful photos, Maggie is fantastic. We're so grateful to have these memories thanks to her talent and skill! read more

We have used Maggie for 10 years now - everything from newborn photos, both in home and at her studio, as well as family photos! She is creative and so easy to work with, plus she has a really special way with capturing our kid's personalities. Our family can't recommend her enough! read more

Maggie is truly talented! She has done both of my newborn photo shoots and is wonderful. She is patient and kind and has a special way with capturing a newborn's beauty. She also took beautiful photos of my toddler and of my entire family. Cannot recommend her enough. read more

We first worked with Maggie for an outdoor family photo session in the fall. She was so great with kids that our usually shy 3 year-old took to her immediately. This has never happened at first meetings with anyone. We were prepared for an hour of meltdowns and instead had smiles, laughter, and amazing fun. We had such a good time, we asked Maggie to also take newborn photos at our home. All the photos were incredible. Maggie skillfully captured the spirit of our family in the best ways, utilizing the environment and finding the perfect lighting. She gave just enough instructions so that we don't feel lost but everything was still very natural and organic. We had a perfect collection of dynamic, candid and posed photos. Our holiday and birth announcement cards were a hit! We will definitely be calling Maggie again. read more

Maggie (and her team) were lovely! Maggie has a great eye and made me feel completely comfortable. She has a unique studio which was a great setting. I love my photos, something I never say. read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Maggie! My family shot with her twice -- first for my son's six month photos (indoor in her studio), and second for a more Chicago-focused one year session (Lurie Gardens). She was SO great before, during, and after the sessions. Maggie understood exactly how to pose us, how to keep my son smiling, and how to capture just the right moments. In the rare instances in which we asked for light edits, Maggie did a remarkable job and did the edits super quickly. I would go back to her in a heartbeat and recommend everyone choose her for their family photos. read more

Our photos are beautiful and Maggie does a great job helping kids have fun during the session!

Professional, friendly and we love the photos! I hired Maggie for a family photo shoot as a gift to my sister and brother-in-law. This entailed getting twin 8-month-olds to try to look at the camera at the same time - no small feat! Maggie was super comfortable both behind the camera and with the kids. I was so impressed watching her at work. From giving mom and dad direction to engaging the babies, all while composing the perfect shots, it was clear that Maggie has both passion and incredible talent for telling stories with her camera. The photos are beautiful. I was so excited I got prints right away to share with the family. We'll cherish these forever. Thanks Maggie! read more

Rife Ponce Photography - Family photo shoot, shot by Rife Ponce Photography. - Event Photography Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Maggie was so friendly and accommodating, and we love our family photos! Maggie was beyond accommodating as we worked through a personal situation, rescheduling last minute and multiple times to fit us in. She created such a comfortable environment during the session in her studio capturing such beautiful and natural photos of our family including a newborn and a dog. We received our photos quickly and it was so easy to work with her to make some minor touchups to a few of our photos. We highly recommend Maggie and will be back for more sessions in the future! read more

Maggie was great in capturing my family's personalities through photos. She made my 5yr daughter and 1yr old puppy comfortable by providing a relaxed environment but also allowing lots of time for play and letting them be silly. Can't wait for our next session! read more

Great experience with Maggie! We were able to book something on relatively short notice thanks to Maggie's flexibility. We shared with Maggie some general ideas on the session (wanted to be outdoors, a little bit of urban grit, etc.) and she immediately had several options that fit the bill and were extremely convenient to where we live. The session went smoothly despite our youngest child developing some acute stage fright halfway through... Maggie was patient and understanding and we ultimately persevered with a wonderful set of family photos to show for it! She has an amazing eye for color and scenery and captured some very precious moments! read more

When I first told my teenage son I had scheduled a 'senior photo' session for him, the response I got was 'ugh-I hate taking pictures'. After the session, his remarks were 'that was so relaxing' and 'I had a lot of fun'. Maggie's professionalism and delightful demeanor were the key to that change of tune! Not only was the session seamless, but the final product exceeded expectations. She made a kid who shys away from photos look like an Abercrombie model. :) read more

Can I double-down on stars? My experience at Rife Ponce Photography was a "10!!!" I've never had a professional shoot before and had a few "nerves" over it. Maggie and Kelly erased that feeling as soon as I walked in the door. I immediately felt as though I was in great hands! Maggie has an exceptional talent for photography and sweetly coaxed the best out of me as I was posing. The location is super cool and had endless choices for backgrounds. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind building. The photos were "WOW!" I couldn't be happier with the outcome! :) For me, it was more than just a photo shoot... it was a blast! read more

Maggie is both a pleasure to work with and incredibly talented. Our family has done newborn photos, fall photos, and a couple minis with her. She is easy to communicate and schedule with. Her studio is beautiful and was perfect for newborn photos, but she also did an amazing job with our active kid during fall photos in the park. Her work is gorgeous and she is fast getting images back to you. We absolutely love working with her! read more

We have used Maggie for years now. She is incredibly flexible, professional, and easy to work with. We have two active boys and she captures their best in photos even when their worst is what is being presented. The turn around time is far less than what we have experienced with other photographers in the past and the fact that the photos all belong to us without a list of how we can and cannot use them. We will continue to use her in the years to come and recommend you do too! read more

Maggie is the best!!!!!! She is so calm and patient and helped make this photo shoot my favorite ever!! She had a quick sneak peek for us and a quick turnaround for the gallery! I truly love EVERY picture. read more

Maggie has been taking photos of our daughter since she was just a few weeks old. Her interactions always bring out the best photos and we treasure each photo session that we have. The tough part is deciding what photos to use. We routinely use her photos for our holiday cards. Maggie is the absolute best and her work is amazing! read more

We used Maggie for our newborn photos and she was a joy to work with! It was easy to find a time, and she was flexible when we had to reschedule last minute (thanks, newborns). Maggie was professional, on time, and great with our little one! She knew all the tricks to get great shots, and her pricing was very reasonable and fair. We love the photos we received, and plan on using Maggie again for our next round of family photos! read more

We have used Maggie twice for our family photos, and been so impressed both times with her incredible eye and ability to capture our family in such a beautiful way. She is highly responsive and very easy to schedule with. More importantly though, she somehow magically got several amazing photos in a recent photo shoot where literally at least one of my two children (a toddler and an infant) was crying about 95% of the time. I didn't expect much when we got the photos back, and was blown away by what she was able to capture in such a small window of calm! I highly recommend her, and we will certainly go back. read more

I just launched a media company and knew that I needed to have some professional portraits taken. After reviewing dozens of portfolio websites, I was starting to feel like I'd never find the right photographer for me. See, most of the other photographer portfolios I perused had a generic, corporate look and feel. I wanted a more natural, artistic look but still professional. The minute I landed on Maggie's site, I knew I'd found my photographer. It's hard to explain, but Maggie has a way of capturing the true personality and spirit of people. Her photos are breathtaking. I also loved that she's well-traveled and has a diverse group of people in her online portfolio. Something that's not always common. Working with Maggie was laid-back, yet prompt. Relaxed, yet professional. She has an easy way about her and is able to communicate exactly how she'd like you to pose, in a way that is clear and understandable. Do yourself a favor and hire her. What are you waiting for? read more

I stumbled onto Maggie's website while I was looking for wedding photographers and I was immediately taken in. I loved her wedding pictures, but what really hooked me was a shoot she'd done at a Bikram Yoga studio I'd used to frequent. In her pictures, the studio looked beautiful and sun-drenched, nothing like I remembered, although the room itself hadn't changed. I figured that if she could make me appreciate the beauty of a room where I would go to sweat and suffer, I had to meet her. I'm a novice to getting my picture taken. I'm a novice to photography in general. My now-husband is the same, if not worse. When Maggie asked us what we wanted her to take pictures of, who we wanted to focus on, etc, we both looked at her blankly. Maggie was able to ask us enough questions, both in person and over email, to figure out what we actually thought was important. Our pictures are like a storybook. Maggie put up with my in-laws constant requests for posed pictures. She took pictures of my husband and me in the cold, giving us great direction - the photos are beautiful. She captured so many moments, big and small, as well as some details that I think I missed, and I was there! I couldn't have asked for a better photographer. Maggie is professional, she's prompt and she is totally worth your money! read more

Maggie is superb. I found her by looking at the public galleries of many Chicago area photographers, and her photos stood out as "capturing the moment" especially well. And despite having high expectations for our first photoshoot, I was still impressed at how well her photos of our family came out. She takes great posed and candid photos, knows many great locations, and is able to get our kids to follow directions, which is not an easy task! Maggie has been taking our family photos for four years now, and we could not be happier. read more

Maggie was a joy to work with. She made our family feel comfortable and captured beautiful moments of which we will cherish forever. She was flexible in her custom approach to our individual needs - wanting a combination of posed as well as candid photos - even for some of us who are a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera. Her studio is gorgeous and she had even offered some outdoor options we could have used if the weather were a bit nicer. We will definitely continue to work with Maggie for future photography sessions. read more

I used Maggie for both our family/engagement session in February 2011, and also for our wedding ceremony and reception on 8/12-13/11. All I can say is, I could not have found a more talented, hardworking and personable photographer for such an important time in our lives. As an Art Consultant, I was looking for someone who has a good eye with an artistic vision, someone who could capture the moment yet not make anything look posed or staged. She is extremely talented of knowing when to take shots...all our pictures came out beautifully and I don't even remember having to pose for anything. All of our friends/family absolutely loved having her along for the ride, and I can't say enough about how wonderful the experience was, and how our photos turned out. She is very quick to respond with requests, and I found that the value of the work she does for her pricepoint is unbeatable. Maggie and her photography truly made our wedding weekend special, and I can't say enough great things about her work. read more

Maggie beautifully captured our family with a rambunctious toddler! I told her our goal going into our session was to get one good shot and we got multiple! She's professional, efficient and makes the experience comfortable and fun. I highly recommend her to everyone! read more

We used Maggie for our newborn session and LOVED the photos! She was so patient while working with our crying newborn and was able to deliver amazing memories for our family. Highly recommended. read more

I am so happy with the amazing photos that Maggie took of our family! She was so friendly and accommodating, letting us adjust our time to when our little one gave us her first smiles! We felt at ease with her immediately and would recommend her to all of our friends! Happy to have these amazing photos forever read more

I had the privilege of working with Maggie Rife this past July as she photographed my daughter's wedding. The photos were fantastic! She was able to capture the love and joy shared by the couple. Her photos were artistic and unique, from the shoes to the sparklers lit late in the evening. My daughter's grandpa who attended the wedding sadly passed away a mere 6 weeks after. Photos of him from the wedding exemplify what a great man he was. Thanks Maggie for making our special day the best!!!!! Diane Akins read more

Maggie is a really talented photographer. She made me feel really relax when we took the head shot. She can definitely capture every great moment of you. You are the best, Maggie!!! read more

Maggie is a gem. She was just the right mix of responsive and easy going in the planning stages of our wedding. She had a great understanding of our vision, from just a couple of phone calls and she has a great handle on where to take pictures in the city of Chicago (including staging backup plans for inclement weather). On the day of our wedding Maggie was indispensable. She was authoritative when she needed to be, knew how to capture amazing photos without putting herself right in the middle of the action and she was professional and amazing with all of our guests. Best of all, the end product brought us to tears. Maggie posted our edited photos to Pictage just 10 days after our wedding. I could not believe the range and quality of the photos. I would recommend Maggie to anyone getting married who places a value on high-quality, fantastic pictures that they will treasure forever. read more

Maggie is incredibly talented. We truly LOVE the photos she did of our family. Amidst the chaos and mayhem of two young boys and two dogs, she beautifully captured the sweet moments and love of our family. She is incredibly artistic and has a way of making photos come to life yet look so peaceful and serene. She was also wonderful and patient while working with our kiddos. read more

Maggie photographed our wedding this past July and was so easy to work with. She was very responsive and professional throughout the entire process leading up to the wedding and the day of. We ended up with hundreds of photos that perfectly captured our big day, and have received nothing but compliments from our family and friends. read more

My husband Todd and I knew we wanted a fantastic photographer for our October 2014 wedding and immediately begin to ask our friends for recommendations. We knew Maggie through mutual friends as she had been their wedding photographer as well. Our initial meeting with Maggie was wonderful. She is the kindest, sweetest, well-thought out and most creative person we worked with throughout our entire wedding process. I knew planning a wedding was going to be stressful, but I never once worried about our wedding photographer. She was responsive and thorough the entire time. Maggie was so impressive on our wedding day. She has such a calming energy and makes capturing pictures so effortless and fun. She is such a gifted photographer and we will be forever grateful for that. She was fantastic gathering pictures on our wedding day with tight time frames, especially with the large family shots and the little children. Everyone was complimentary on how she handled everything with such poise & confidence! Everyone was so impressed with our wedding photography! We still get so many compliments on our wedding photos AND engagement photos to this day. I would also like to add we got married on such a cold and rainy day in October and you would never know with how the pictures turned out! Maggie is creative beyond her years and is such a pleasure to work with. Her prices are fair and competitive with the market and I would recommend her to anyone looking to capture their engagements and wedding photos. We will be sure to use her again for family photos to come! read more

Maggie is a fantastic photographer and wonderful person to be around. She photographed our wedding several years ago and has done numerous family sessions since. We've never used (or even inquired about) anyone else, and don't see a scenario where we ever will. Great with kids. Highly recommended. read more

Maggie Rife did photography for my wedding. She is amazing and has more heart than any other wedding photographer you will find. I was more than pleased and suggest her to all of my friends! read more

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My wife and I had the joy of using Maggie Rife photography for 3 sets of photos: Engagement, Wedding and "Trash The Dress". We could not have been more pleased with the product and experience. Product - Maggie has the "it" factor and it certainly came through in the final shots. We have received a tremendous amount of compliments and the wedding and trash the dress shoots were featured on more than a half dozen prominent wedding blogs (these blogs are not my area of expertise, but from what I understand, it is not easy to get featured). We also received our finished photos back in less than 30 days, which I understand is quite quick. Experience - If the product is excellent, than working with Maggie is exceptional. She has a tremendous passion for her work (which will be evident within the first 60 seconds) and a knack for making the session(s) comfortable (let's face it not everyone, i.e. me, enjoys taking dozens of photos). As an example of Maggie's passion, when shooting our trash the dress shots, my wife decided she needed to wade into Lake Michigan. Maggie, caught up in the moment, waded in after her shooting, not realizing that she was up to her waist in water and her iPhone was in her back pocket. I do not know much about the photography business world, but I have a feeling Maggie is going to be extremely successful. She is already highly sought-after (read: busy) and she has the personal touch and likeability to truly be a leader in whatever she does. read more

I would like to extend this cautionary warning to newly-engaged couples, or to people looking to hire her for portraiture work - Ms. Rife is not a responsive business person. I had made a request of Ms. Rife recently to have her send me a photograph from a party for which she had been retained to take arranged and candid photos. That said, the request has been outstanding 10 days, and I've yet to hear from her. Now - at this point - I don't really care about the photo. What I DO care about, though, is providing caution to people who want to hire someone who answers your email, or phone calls, on a timely, professional basis. No professional should wait 10 days to return someone's message. If someone is looking to hire a city-based photographer; there are MANY of them on the near north/north side of Chicago. I might suggest that you keep shopping, and interview carefully. read more