When we first started our quest to find a wedding photographer, we came across many big corporate type photography studios (Modern Image Studio comes to mind). While the prices might be reasonable, we wanted more individualized attention for our photography needs for our big day. Other independent photographers we talked to quoted some VERY crazy prices that simply weren't in our budget. Ron McKinney came to us via a word-of-mouth recommendation by my husband's coworker. We contacted Ron and he was prompt to get back to us. We set up a meeting (note to clients in the city of Chicago, he's located in far NW suburbs and prefers to meet city clients in Schaumburg) and he showed us samples of his work, different packages and prices and contract terms. Ron offered reasonable prices and different packages that can meet a variety of budgets based on your wants and needs. Our package included an engagement session (which we procrastinated on until 2 months before our wedding) which we shot in downtown Chicago. On our wedding day, Ron arrived at my house (bride's house) promptly at the agreed upon time to take pictures of me and the bridesmaids getting ready. We took some family shots and bridesmaids shots in my backyard and then Ron proceeded to our ceremony venue to take shots of the groom and groomsmen as they got ready and to be prepared to shoot the ceremony. Our ceremony was a Catholic Mass and Ron was well educated as to the appropriate times to take photos during the Mass. Ron arrived promptly to our reception venue and began taking all the necessary shots. He worked very well with our venue manager and the DJ to make sure he was prepared to take important shots like cake cutting, toasts, garter toss, etc. Around 11 PM while everyone was dancing, Ron noticed a light rain falling outside and asked us for a few moments. He took us out in the light rain and was able to capture a great black and white image of us in the rain while my Groom held a white umbrella over us. After the wedding, within 48 hours we had some wedding pictures emailed to us as a sneak preview and within several days our entire gallery was up online. We have worked with Ron on our wedding album as well and we have just finalized it. From start to finish, Ron has been the consummate professional. His photos are breathtaking and he has incredible talent. He's affordable and thoroughly communicates with clients and puts client's needs first. He worked with us to develop a wedding day timeline and asked us for input on important shots that we wanted to be sure he captured. Overall, we couldn't be more pleased with his services and we highly recommend him to anyone looking for a top-notch wedding photographer at a reasonable price. read more

Where do I even begin?! We had a fantastic experience working with Ron. We found him when we were living in Chicago looking for an engagement photographer. We had a great engagement shoot with him in the summer of 2012 and we absolutely loved our photos! Ron came out to our neighborhood in Rogers Park and we spent the afternoon walking by the lakeshore and in the Loyola University library, taking awesome photos that we ended up using for our save-the-dates. We were so pleased with the photos and with Ron's professionalism and his pleasant personality that we were delighted when he offered to travel to New York to shoot our wedding in April 2013! Ron handled all his travel arrangements and also arranged for a second photographer from New Jersey to join him on the wedding day and to serve, if needed, as the backup photographer should Ron's travel be interrupted. Both photographers ended up shooting our wedding, and the photos are just awesome. Ron is great at providing direction for photos but also is totally open to any ideas you have. He also is GREAT with family members and guests--I can't emphasize enough how pleasant he is just to be around! He has such a great energy and enthusiasm; his love for his work shows in his photos. Ron also delivered our DVD of edited photos in person about 6 weeks after our wedding--the fastest turnaround time I could ever have expected! I can't say enough nice things about our experience working with Ron McKinney Photography--choosing a wedding photographer is obviously a huge decision, and it's one we're glad to have made with Ron in mind! We had a great experience and received high quality, beautiful photos that captured our event and our own personalities so well. I would give RMP 10 stars if I could read more

Ron has done photographs for all 3 of my children.(24,22,17)He uses several techniques to relax them. He likes to photograph outside using the evening light-if possible. In the natural setting instead of a stiff photographers office, the child feels more comfortable.He inquires about the childs interest ahead of time so he talks about what they love. A relaxed person takes a better photo! He also photographed a ballet studio my daughter was a dancer with- He was able, to get photos of the dancers in air- doing splits, etc.We're talking on stage with stage lighting too!!!This is hard to do when the dancer is only up for a few seconds. It was excellent! Professional, arrives on time, inquires what ideas YOU want for the photos instead of just lining someone up and getting the photo.He has a real artistic flair and notices things I never did-setting pictures up unusually and they look magnificent when they are done.(He had my son crouching on top of a fallen tree, and my daughter leaning over a fence looking into a pond filled with lilies.) I have had him do all my printing- the quality of the paper is better, and he is fussy- if it doesn't come out right, he will re-do it. If you are paying a photographer to get a photo, why cheap out on the paper? Overall, as I travel through life, and my children get married, I only want one person photographing all the major events- Ron McKinney. Doris Mangano read more

Ron and I had been friends on a photography website for years, through out that time he "took me under his wing" and really helped me in my dance photography, providing valuable tips and advice. I contacted Ron to see if we could possibly set up a dance session for my granddaughter Nina, We finally settled for an August date, so Nina and I flew out to Chicago from New Jersey for a 2-day photo shoot. WOW, what a whirlwind experience. Ron had numerous locations picked out to capture that perfect shot, I had to laugh when on one occasion, he was saying, I want to wait for another 15 minutes before we go to a specific location, to make sure the sun is "perfect", so we had 15 minutes "to spare", while driving, Ron saw a location that just looked right, so he had me stop the car, told Nina to get ready to hop out, we did and was able to capture a beautiful shot with some yellow flowers and trees in the background, just one of the perfect shots he was able to capture. We hopped back into the car and proceeded to his original location and arrived, just liked he planned, with the sun perfect for a silhouette shot. The next day, we met in his studio and again he was able to do his magic. Our experience could not have been better; I was able to fulfill a lifetime dream by doing this, For anyone thinking of having Ron capture those special moments, don't hesitate. You will not be disappointed. read more

My husband and I first heard about Ron through a family friend. We first set up an engagement shoot session since because we wanted our engagement pictures taken in Chicago (our wedding was in St. Louis). We immediately felt so comfortable with Ron and we loved our photographs. We even included our puppy who was 4 months old at the time. I didn't think any of those pictures with the dog were going to turn out, but Ron somehow did his magic. When it came down to choosing our wedding photographer, we thought it would be out of our price range to bring Ron down to St. Louis to do our wedding. We were wrong. Ron was able to come down for our wedding weekend and shoot the most amazing photos. But most importantly, he knew the balance of letting us enjoy our wedding day while still capturing great moments. My husband and I are not naturals at getting our pictures taken by any means, and Ron was so helpful in getting those shots I knew I wanted without it looking forced. Would recommend Ron to anyone for all kinds of photography and I look forward to having him photograph another event again! read more

Ron is phenomenal! We hired him to take photos of our extended family in celebration of my parents 50th anniversary. Ron was the perfect balance of talented professional while still listening well to our wants for the shoot. There were 21 of us, ranging 3 generations and everyone had an awesome time at his studio. Ron is so easy-going in his demeanor, creating a wonderful environment for people to have fun, making for fantastic photos. He was so on top of our shoot we finished early and had actually taken more photos and combinations of groups than we were expecting. The only "problem" was he took such awesome photos our family is having a hard time picking out final photos from the group. Honestly, I wouldn't hesitate recommending Ron to anyone. Whether it's an anxious bride who wants to make sure she gets just the rights photos of her special day, or young parents who are wanting photos of their precious baby, or a family who hasn't had their photo taken in a while...Ron McKinney Studios is absolutely the way to go! read more

We used Ron McKinney for both our engagement and wedding photos. I have been in a number of weddings and learned from being a participant what I wanted/didn't want with a photographer. Ron made us feel comfortable from the very beginning. We made the right decision selecting Ron as the photographer! Related to our wedding pictures, Ron has a vision before setting up the different shots and he also understands how important it is to make sure the shot looks fantastic. He pays attention to the details and remembers that people intend to have these pictures forever. Our wedding pictures were posted on Ron's website to look through fairly quickly, which was great for family members to click through. We also have compliments for Ron's Assistant Jason. He was very encouraging, a professional and had a customer service attitude towards us and our guests. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, definitely meet with Ron! read more

My husband and I are floored with everything Ron McKinney photography did for our wedding! We received our wedding album and I cannot express how excited we are about the hundreds of pictures that so perfectly captured the emotions and special moments of our wedding! Ron and his wife were there from the beginning, from planning and knowing the schedule of the wedding to having a precise list of our must-have pictures. He was so calm while keeping us on schedule, and so professionally experienced. This as a bride is priceless, because enjoying your day is the most important thing you can do. If you are going to splurge on anything for your wedding, it should absolutely be the photography! Ron is the best of the best and I recommend him to everyone who wants to cherish all the incredible moments of your wedding or special occasion. Thank you so much Ron McKinney photography!! read more

I first heard about Ron through a friend. I was looking for a photographer to take my daughter's Senior Pictures and I wanted a photographer to capture my daughter's true personality. That was 2 years ago and this year I had the pleasure to have Ron do my Son's Senior Pictures. Ron is a Professional who makes you feel comfortable and captures your true personality. His work is impeccable; it is amazing to see what he comes up with while taking pictures. He takes full advantage of his surroundings including the wind, sun, clouds, etc. I am hoping to do a family portrait this summer when my in-laws are in town for my Son's graduation and once we know for sure, I will definitely call Ron. In fact, my kids have already been told - Ron will doing their wedding pictures!!! read more

We asked Ron to be our photographer for our wedding in October 2015 and we are so incredibly happy with the results. Several months before the wedding, we did engagement photos with Ron that turned out just perfect. We had so much fun and Ron made the experience very relaxing. Our wedding day turned out to be a VERY windy day, but Ron used this as a positive and got some really neat pictures of my veil blowing in the wind. For other pictures that we didn't want to look wind-blown, Ron was able to time the pictures perfectly so it didn't look as windy as it was. I would definitely recommend Ron to other brides. You won't be disappointed! read more

Ron McKinney Photography is the BEST! Ron took our daughter's senior portraits and he exceeded our expectations in every way. Ron was happy to travel to the Naperville Riverwalk to take our daughters portraits. He captured wonderful images of her working with the sunlight and natural backgrounds on the Riverwalk. The colors are beautiful!. Our daughter felt comfortable and relaxed working with Ron. Ron was recommended to us from a family friend who had fantastic portraits taken! When looking at Ron's portraits he captures all his clients in their own special and unique way! I wish I knew more people to recommend him to! read more

Ron was responsible for our engagement and wedding pictures, and my wife and I were thrilled with how every picture turned out. Throughout every step of the way, Ron was particularly outgoing and personable. He made us feel comfortable with everything, and very confident that every picture would come out perfect - which it did! What was especially incredible was that Ron volunteered to come out to New York for our wedding. Not a second went by when we had any doubts at all. He was very dependable and we were thrilled to have him with us on our big day. I would recommend him without any reservations. Ron is the best! read more

Ron "went the extra mile" to book a family photo shoot with limited time windows. His demeanor and professionalism in handling some 25 people including younger ones was laudatory. He got the best out of us all and the pictures were terrific - composition, theme, sets, and lighting were exactly what we wanted - even though we did not know it going in. Thanks, Ron! Marc Frank, Westminster, CO read more

Ron did our wedding and engagement photos. He was great to work with. Very laid back, makes you feel comfortable. He had great ideas of locations to take photos. It even rained on our wedding day and he made it work, umbrellas and all. We love our photos. Definitely made our big day a success. Would recommend to anyone! read more