Pardon me if this comes off as a brag session.

So many people just seem to ask this when I meet them so here are some reasons I share.

Experience - I have photographed and filmed over 1000 weddings in several states and a few countries. I have worked for magazines, photographic wildlife safari companies in Africa, newspapers in Chicago, sports publications and the worlds largest sailing magazine over the years. All this experience comes to every wedding I photograph.

Personal Service - Clients meet with me, get my cell number and I make myself available for advice on timelines, logistics and so much more.

Adaptability - I have shot weddings in rain, near hurricane winds and managed formals in ten minutes in snow after the Limo got lost. I have seen family brawls, one included a stabbing and an ambulance, a best man arrested mid wedding. One wedding a grandparent had to leave in an ambulance. Once I had to help stop a fight with a groom and his cousin and carried said cousin out the venue. I don’t stress, I adapt and I love the challenge. It's a perk of growing up in a civil war in Africa as a kid. I just smile and roll.

Quality - I'm not egotistical enough to claim to be the best of the best, but I am confident enough to say I am good at what I do and produce work comparable to many photographers charging way more than I do. My portfolio is as diverse as any other photographer I have run across.

People Person - I love people. I really do, and I love family.

Passion - I love what I do. I look forward to my next wedding as soon as I finish the last one. Photography was a hobby for years before it became a job and I still love it. In fact it's still a hobby and I photograph as much wildlife as I can in my spare time. Call me over the top, but I even have a totally separate camera, set of lenses and gear just for family trips and daily fun so I do not wear out my wedding gear haha.

Professional - I'm not a weekend warrior! This is all I do. 90% of photographers shooting weddings have a week day job. I take what I do very seriously. Despite being laid back in personality. Every camera I use has two cards, I carry way more gear than anyone I know and I backup photos to two drives as soon as I get home. The only organized thing in my house is where my photos and gear are haha. Weddings are a one shot deal and I cannot do a redo. So I plan and plan and prepare for all I possibly can. I have had a camera die at a wedding and it was no big deal as I had two more. I can share horror stories of "pros" with one camera and they had a camera issue and bam no more photos. I filmed a wedding once and the photographer had their camera battery go flat and did not have a spare.

Candid and Classic - I shoot most of every wedding with an unobtrusive style. I will not stop a couple mid first dance and say "look here". But I do pose the formals and family times. I use poses I feel will suit couples and we are not all models looking for huge dramatic poses. ( I do them though when they fit haha). I love that often couples say they never saw me take a photo they love. Those are genuine feels and moments.

Awards and Reviews - During the ten years I advertised with Wedding Wire, I won the Couples choice award ten times in a row. Those were based on reviews by clients and placed me in the top 5% of Chicago wedding photographers in their network of several hundred photographers. Read the reviews from other clients too and you will see the consistent quality of my work and wedding day ethic.