Planning a wedding is stressful as it is, but add in a global pandemic, and that stress is maximized. My heart goes out to all of the couples who have had to postpone, have lost retainers, and are unsure of what lies ahead. If you have been following me for a while, you may have […]

I get asked often by friends and family members planning their wedding: how much should I expect to pay for a wedding photographer? I have written this blog post to provide genuine expectations for your wedding planning process, and hope that this helps you in your planning journey! Wedding photographers in Chicago start at anywhere […]

In this guest post from In Light Photo Booths, we’re going to take the stress out of the decision-making surrounding the countless photo booth options. In this article, we’re going to break down your choices so it’s easier to make a decision about your wedding photo booth.  Open-Style Photo Booth Option for Your Wedding Open-style […]

As a Chicago wedding photographer, I get asked often what a parent album is, and what the difference is between a parent album and a client album, so I thought I would write a post about it! What is the purpose of a parent album? -The purpose of a parent album is to gift each […]

What to wear your your engagement session. An engagement session style guide by Chicago wedding photographer, Rachel Mandel.

So you’re engaged!!! This is one of the most exciting times to cherish in your life, and you are all set to get started on all of those planning details. I have organized a list of the order in which to book your wedding professionals with some recommendations of my favorite trusted vendors, too! 1. […]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to photograph a photographer? Or on the other side of the same coin, have you ever modeled when you have only been the one behind the camera before? I decided that as a graduation gift to myself, I would pay Becca Waterloo at oolretaw.com take my […]

As Golden hour struck at 6:30 PM on a GORGEOUS sunny June night, Kristin and I hit the field at McGuane Park in Bridgeport, Chicago. As the main motivation for this session was to get tacos afterwards, Kristin and I had so much fun laughing and sharing jokes as the gleaming beams of light danced […]

Clients often tell me that they love the style of my work because my images look natural, like I am capturing real emotion between my clients. That’s all because I am! I love to start out by posing my clients how I want them to stand (see above), and then I add in either a […]