How Long Have You Been In The Business?
I consider my first wedding on July 21, 2012—although I shot weddings for other companies starting in 2009.
How Did You Get Started?
After graduating from the Los Angeles Film School and moving back to Illinois, I spent a few years working freelance gigs. It wasn’t until I started second shooting weddings that I realized I had the ability to capture weddings on my own.
The first wedding I shot I actually had to pay to film it—I filmed it for free and needed to rent a bunch of extra gear. I turned that one video into 3 clients the following summer, 5 clients the year after, etc.… and now I’ve been lucky enough to capture nearly 80 weddings!
What Do You Love Most About Shooting Weddings?
Weddings afford me the ability to raise my children during the day, edit until the early hours of the morning, and sleep on occasion.
What Do You Think Makes Your Work Distinct?
Simply put, filmmaking is storytelling. Every story has 3 parts: a beginning, middle, and an end. Too many times, I see a beautiful looking wedding video that leaves me feeling like I’m missing part of the story. I focus my attention on documenting the day as a whole, as candid as possible. You’re not going to get any crazy visuals or flashy edits, but you will end up with a video that tells the complete story of your wedding day.
What’s Your Favorite Part of a Wedding Day?
No two weddings I’ve captured have ever been the same, yet there is ALWAYS coffee after dinner.
What’s Your Favorite Time of Year to Shoot?
Every season has its advantages and disadvantages. In my experience, no weather has ever changed the outcome of a wedding day as long as the couple embraces it and has the best time possible! Although I used to dream of shooting a wedding in a blizzard until I did it 3 times in a row!
What Advice Do You Have For Newly Engaged Couples?
Find a vendor whose work you like but maybe more importantly, find someone you get along with!
Why Do You Love Working With The Haight?
I was born and raised in Elgin so I tend to have a different perspective on The Haight than many other vendors. Growing up you’d see people getting
married at the churches in Elgin, but their receptions were always somewhere else—different towns. When The Haight opened, it gave locals a beautiful space to host their weddings (or any event, really) but it has grown into something much larger. Now you’ll find couples from all over the Chicagoland area coming to The Haight to have their wedding, bringing their families from all over the country and even the world to Elgin. It’s great for the community and I love anytime I can help The Haight provide a great experience for the families!