Mark Trela and his wife Magda photographed our wedding August 2019 at Garfield Park Conservatory…read more When I say they exceeded every expectation of ours, I mean it. To be honest, the photographer was the only vendor I was picky about and as soon as I saw their wedding photography, I knew immediately that they had to be ours. I love the lighting and style of their work. They are incredibly talented and have an eye for what makes a good photo. I loved how their documentary style gave us a full story of that day. If that wasn't enough, Mark and Magda are incredibly kind and will put their whole heart into your day. They were present and attentive the whole time. When the events of the day were underway I didn't even notice them buzzing around snapping photos. They were also responsive before and after the wedding and worked well with our wedding planner when it came to scheduling, etc. We received the photos within a couple weeks of the wedding. They also helped us select photos for a leather-bound book (honestly, they did most of the selecting/formatting themselves which was wonderful - I'm a hands-off kind of bride). I've told Mark and Magda I want them to be our family photographer forever! I'm just so in love with their work and I don't want our wedding to be the last time we work with them. I can't recommend them enough and they'll be worth every single dollar you spend on them (something pretty uncommon in the wedding industry!!)

Mark & Magda photographed our June 2017 wedding and I could not have been happier with the entire…read moreexperience. From the very beginning, Mark was super easy to communicate with and he always responded promptly to the plethora of questions that I threw at him. At our initial meeting, he really took the time to understand what I was looking for in a photographer and what was important to me when photographing our wedding day. From looking through his blog, I knew immediately that his style of photography was exactly what we were looking for; candid, artsy, and a unique way of capturing light (this was huge for me). After we signed the contract with him, Mark was great about keeping in touch over the months leading up to the wedding to get all the specifics of the day and to check in to see if I had any questions. He always made himself available via email or phone if I needed advice for how to best set up our schedule for the day or even if I had silly freak out questions about worst-case weather scenarios (which he always put me at ease about). I really appreciated that Mark & Madga took a day ahead of time to scope out our church and reception venue. I told him it was very important that we incorporate the outdoors as much as we could, and he made sure to find some great potential locations for photos. On the day of, Mark and Magda were able to coordinate perfectly to ensure that both my husband and I would have pictures of us getting ready with our bridal parties. They are both so personable and fun that they quickly put me at ease and really blended into the background to get all of these amazing candid shots throughout the morning. The ceremony went flawlessly and they coordinated group family shots with ease. I think that my favorite thing about working with Mark and Magda was how enthusiastic they were about taking amazing photographs. They went out of their way to convince an owner of a private barn to let us take pictures on his property and I couldn't help but really get into the photo session as Mark was so excited about the location and the light filtering into the barn. The photos from our cocktail hour were such a pleasant surprise to look at after the wedding as I barely even noticed them mingling in the groups to snag some amazing candid photos of all our friends and family. Mark was able to coordinate the timing perfectly at our reception to sneak us outside right after dinner to get these amazing golden hour pictures on the beach. I highly highly recommend Mark Trela as a Wedding Photographer. He is a true professional, a super great guy to have around on your big day, and he creates absolutely stunning photographs.

I recently had the most amazing experience with this boudoir company, and I cannot recommend them…read moreenough! From start to finish, everything was absolutely perfect. I was a little nervous going in, but they made me feel completely comfortable and confident the entire time. The woman who did my hair and makeup was incredible--she truly worked magic and made me feel beautiful before I even stepped in front of the camera. The photographer was phenomenal. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but she guided me through every pose with patience and expertise. Her direction and encouragement made a huge difference, and it shows in the final photos--which turned out stunningly! This was such an empowering and fun experience. I walked away feeling amazing, and I'm so happy I decided to do it. Five out of five stars, hands down!

Lesson Learned: Nothing in life is free…read more I recently won a giveaway through Sylk Marti Studios, which advertised a free photoshoot valued at $1,500 on Instagram ad. I thought it was an amazing deal and a unique experience, so I signed up and "won" their Luxury Boudoir Giveaway. The prize included professional hair and makeup, a 2-hour creative portrait session, expert posing direction, a prep guide, magazine-quality retouching, and $750 worth of artwork or credit toward additional artwork. Before booking, they called to get to know me and asked me to create a Pinterest mood board. At the end of the call, they required a $250 "fully refundable" booking deposit. I asked how many pictures the $750 credit would cover--only two, at $375 each. That was shocking. My photoshoot was on April 20th. I brought my outfits to the studio and was shown an album of their high-quality photos. Individual portraits were $375 each, including a digital copy and printout. When I asked if the $750 credit included printouts, I was taken aback to learn it only covered 2 DIGITAL copies. Allie did my hair and makeup, and while I enjoyed her company, I usually do my own makeup and wouldn't have minded doing it myself. The photographer, Mercedes, reviewed my outfits but seemed unimpressed since they didn't include much lingerie, despite the prep guide saying lingerie wasn't required. The session took place in a room with a few sets and backgrounds, but the energy was lacking, and the experience felt awkward. Mercedes was sweet, but I didn't vibe with her, making the session less enjoyable. The viewing appointment on Zoom on April 26th was also awkward. They showed a slideshow of favorite shots with dramatic music, then asked me to rate each photo as "Love it, like it, or leave it." Knowing the $750 credit only covered two pictures, I liked a few and left the rest. After another round of choosing, I selected my top two pictures. When it came time to refund the $250 deposit, they deducted $76.88 for tax, which was not what I had in mind. So, I essentially paid $38.44 for each DIGITAL picture, making them the most expensive pictures I own. The claim that the deposit was fully refundable felt like a blatant lie. After the viewing appointment, I waited for an email from the production manager, April, with the link to my photos and my refund. Communication was poor, and I had to follow up multiple times. It took almost two weeks to get any response. When April finally sent the link on May 13th, it didn't work. She promised to fix it and text me when it was ready, but, of course, she never did. The next day, I had to email again for a working link and reset password. Regarding the refund, it was initially sent to the wrong account due to a mix-up with another person's profile. They had no idea until I pointed it out. After correcting this, April finally refunded the correct amount of $173.12 the next day. I knew it shouldn't have taken 5-7 business days because Chase Bank processes these things quickly. Overall, this experience was long, frustrating, and not worth the advertised value of $1,500. I'm still upset that they taxed the 2 digital photos supposedly valued at $750 (which they aren't because I'm only getting the digital copies, not printouts). If I had known I wouldn't get my full $250 refund, I never would have bothered with this so-called "experience."

Bethany is truly a wonder. She has taken our family photos for some of our most important seasons…read moreof life, maternity, newborn, and toddlerhood. She seems to capture us exactly as we are, while still having a quality that feels like we're a family from a magazine, even if for a split second of time. From a booking and business perspective, part of why we chose her was because it was SO EASY. Her website, pricing, contracting, proof process, and image delivery are all ABSOLUTELY seamless and easy. Booking her the first time was the path of least resistance because she was right in the neighborhood and had her pricing and booking easily available online. We keep coming back because it is so simply and joyful. Book her if you can get a session on her calendar, you will be so glad you did. And so will your extended family when they receive all of your gorgeous photos.

Best photographer ever! We have been using Bethany since 2016 for all of our family photos- she…read moredoes our sons birthday photos, family Christmas photos, and a Mother's Day shoot every year for us. She is the sweetest nicest photographer and she understands kids and moms so well! Your kid will feel comfortable with her and she will get shots you couldn't imagine were even in that shoot when you were watching it happen. She has an amazing work ethic and will never not deliver a stellar product. She takes the time to talk with you and you can tell how much she cares about her clients. She sells out of her special sessions so freaking quick because her clients all love her because she is AMAZING. If you have any hesitation about booking with her, look at the photos attached to my review. I'm definitely not the most photogenic and look what she does for me every year! You won't regret it!

I had so much fun getting my sassy/flirty pinup photos done by Your Inner Pinup Photography! The…read morephotographer/makeup artist/hair stylist Corrine was great to work with. She made me feel at ease and confident about myself. Corrine did an excellent job of guiding me through fun poses throughout the shoot. I decided to treat myself and purchase the full package which included a facial micro dermabrasion (an instrument is used to gently sand the skin, removing dead skin), hand paraffin dip (made my skin smooth and to gave it a more radiant look), hairstyling, professional makeup (fake eyelashes included), pose coaching and four retouched digital photos in two outfits! My favorite part about the whole experience was receiving a disc at the end of the session with all of my photos. I then was able to go home and select the photos I wanted retouched. All the photos turned out great and boosted my self-esteem! I enjoyed the experience very much! Overall, you certainly get the whole pin-up feel/look/experience out of your shoot. My recommendation to prepare for your session would be to bring some music that makes you feel good and smile, as well as some cute flirty heels. Also, send Corrine hair ideas you have in mind prior to the session. If you don't have any ideas, no worries. Corrine will help you select a fun pinup hair style! I'll post pictures soon!

Pregnancy is an exciting time and finding out I was having Twins I definitely wanted to document…read morethis special time. As you can Imagine your body goes through some "massive" changes with twins on board. Corrine and her staff were professional and made me feel comfortable and at ease and most if all Beautiful throughout the shoot. I am so satisfied that I am returning one year later to do my "sexy" I have my body back shoot!

I cannot recommend Sri enough as a Chicago maternity photographer! I set up a pregnancy photoshoot…read morefor my sister as a gift. She hadn't planned on doing a shoot for herself and I wanted to make sure she had something beautiful to look back on to remember the moment. It was important to find someone who would make her feel comfortable while also delivering truly stunning maternity pictures-- and Sri exceeded all expectations. From my first call with him, Sri was warm, professional, and incredibly straightforward about pricing, deliverables, and the entire process. He made everything seamless, even arranging hair and makeup. When I introduced Sri to my sister, he was just as kind and reassuring, which instantly put her at ease. The maternity photo shoot itself was an amazing experience. Sri's studio is in a great location and offers the privacy that was important for my sister to feel relaxed. Throughout the session, Sri brought great energy and took the time to understand how my sister wanted to see herself in the photos. His expertise in artistic photography really came through-- his use of light is masterful, creating simple yet powerful images that perfectly capture this special moment. I found Sri by searching online for photographers in Chicago, and I'm so grateful I did. If you're looking for a talented, professional, and thoughtful Chicago maternity photographer, Sri is the one to book!

I honestly don't know how I got this lucky finding Sri for my daughters' senior photos. We were…read morelooking around for something with the Chicago urban vibe, trying to find something unique and exciting. Sri was prompt in responding to our inquiries and made it a very personal experience from the first phone call. He really was interested in what we were looking to get from the shoot, our ideas, our vision. We worked through it all! His work speaks for itself. We had a fabulous time and my daughter loved the makeup and hair stylist that got her ready. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Another great thing that he does is give you ALL of your pictures, not just a handful. They also send your photos in high resolution separately from the ones perfect for social media. That took the guess work out for us. Amazing.

We've now done two fall mini sessions with Rebecca and have been incredibly pleased with her work…read more She handled our wild toddler with ease and captured beautiful photos of our family. She has a natural style, and the locations she has selected are spot-on for vibrant photos. Highly recommend!

Rebecca did a newborn photoshoot with our son when he was just 11 days old. She caught such…read morebeautiful images of raw emotion that we will now cherish forever. Her style is so natural, pure, and organic, and she found beauty in our home that we didn't know existed. Not only is Rebecca professional, but extremely down to earth and easy to work with. We will definitely work with her again in the future!

REALLY glad we hired paola and vivid photo + video for our may 2018 chicago wedding! i was…read moresearching for a company that could do photo + video both, at a reasonable price, and they popped up in my search. thank goodness they did! i met paola for coffee back in the beginning to learn more about them, and left with a really good feeling. after hiring her + her team, as it got closer to the wedding, she wanted to do a walk through of our venue with us since it was a new one for her - we appreciated this a ton, and felt even more comfortable knowing they would take care of capturing our day. (they also worked really well with the many other vendors we used the day of) i had a bunch of creative ideas on my own for photos and/or video that i wanted to accomplish, and she was incredibly open to all and had some great additional ideas. our wedding included a first look at an old fire station, ivy walls, shots downtown on the bridge, a (warm) rooftop ceremony, and then food trucks for dinner + a glass blowing demo for our guests. they managed to capture so much of our day in photos/video/or both.our photos are vibrant and colorful and candid, just as we wanted. and we'll be watching our highlight reel over and over with friends & family, while our full feature footage will be reflected on at least every year to relive the whole day. hire vivid photo + video - we feel like we got incredibly lucky finding them for our wedding!

It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Paola and her team at Vivid Photo and Video for any wedding…read moreor event! My husband and I worked with Paola and her team to provide photography and videography for our wedding during August 2017. Paola was kind & flexible from the start, meeting us at a coffee shop in our neighborhood for an initial consultation. Upon meeting, we instantly felt at ease. She took time to learn about us as a couple and to our delight, worked with us to customize a package of photographers and videographers to fit our needs and budget. After seeing Paola's work, we were thrilled to learn that she would be our primary photographer for our wedding. We found this to be a fabulous perk of working with a smaller boutique studio. Paola and her team did an excellent job on the day of our wedding. They were all friendly and made our wedding party feel very comfortable. They did an amazing job capturing the important moments without being noticeable or "in the way." Paola has a way about her that could put the most anxious bride at ease! She was always one step ahead with her quick thinking, suggesting creative and fun poses, as well as beautiful locations for our "first look" and group shots before the wedding. Several members of our wedding party, friends, and family mentioned how much they liked Paola and the energy that she brought to our event. We were also impressed to see her positive & creative energy last all day and night! Last but certainly not least, Paola and her team take beautiful photos and create lovely videos. They do an excellent job of using light and focus to highlight important details within different shots. They also pieced together our highlight video in a meaningful way that told a story about our relationship and brought together different elements of our special day. It was evident that Paola understood who we were as a couple and captured our day perfectly. As we watched our highlight video it almost felt as if she had read my mind! Every beautiful detail of our story can be told, remembered, and cherished for the rest of our lives. We have Paola and her team to thank for that.

Marcin is wonderful! He is on time, professional, and so nice! He always responded to my emails…read morewithin the day, he was very open to what kind of photos we wanted, and he was easy to get along with. He captured some wonderful photos at our wedding that we just love! Not just that, but we got a lot of compliments on how nice and professional he was from our guests and the wedding planner. By hiring Marcin, a photographer is one thing you won't have to worry about on your wedding day! I would recommend him to anyone.

I hired Marcin for my engagement photos and wedding photos. I cannot say enough how thrilled my…read morehusband and I are that we went through him. Our photos are beautiful, and my friends and family have been asking me for his name and remarking about how really outstanding our pictures are. He gave us copious amounts of time for a great price when doing the engagement shoot and the wedding. He's exceptionally nice to work with, and he has a marvelous eye for detail. This is absolutely the person you want photographing your wedding.

Ben not only shot the most amazing wedding photos and videos, but he and his team did everything in…read moretheir power to make our day run smoothly, especially when our bus didn't show up. I could not speak more highly of Ben, the quality of the product and person. When our usb was later corrupted, Ben saved the day by providing a whole new set of photos and videos. Our family still talks about how great Ben and his team were and how amazingly he corralled both families seamlessly so it did not take forever to take group photos. Do not look further, he and his team will be the perfect addition to your wedding.

Such a talent! Very generous with his patience and skills…read moreto get it right. Highly recommend for a wedding or big event!

Grace was our photographer for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's Advocacy Day in Springfield. She…read moredid an amazing job! She went out of her way to be there for a long, complicated schedule and the photographs came out great. Would definitely hire her again!

From the owner: Multimedia Creations: Photography, Video, Motion Graphics, and Animationread more