The Photographer
A decade of training my eye and putting people at ease—before I ever shot a wedding.
I spent ten years in professional theater learning how to help people drop their guard. I spent nine years as a fine art street photographer learning how to see. Now I do both at once—and the combination is something no other Chicago photographer can offer.
The Unusual Path
Most wedding photographers picked up a camera in high school and ran with it. I showed up sideways—through a decade of professional theater and nearly as long chasing light on city streets.
The theater years gave me something you can't learn from YouTube tutorials: I know how to help nervous people relax. I performed at Steppenwolf, won a Jeff Award, racked up IMDb credits. But the useful part wasn't the accolades—it was thousands of hours learning to create conditions where people feel safe enough to be real.
The street photography years trained a different muscle. Nine years of hunting for frames in chaos. Learning to see light the way a sommelier tastes wine—instinctively, obsessively. Finding the extraordinary hiding inside ordinary moments.
Wedding photography gets both. The comfort direction and the creative eye. The instinct to help you forget I'm there and the skill to find the shot nobody else would see.
For the Camera-Shy
Seventy percent of my couples describe themselves as camera-shy. They want stunning photos—they're just convinced they don't photograph well, or they've had awkward experiences before.
I don't tell you to relax. I give you something real to do. Instead of "smile at the camera," I might say "whisper something that made you fall in love." You're focused on each other. The camera becomes background noise. And somewhere in that space, the photos practically take themselves.
By the end, most of those camera-shy couples tell me it was the most fun they've had in front of a lens. That transformation is the whole point.
For the Creatives
Some couples don't need help relaxing—they need a collaborator who can match their vision and push it further.
Nine years in the trenches of Chicago's fine art street photography scene taught me to see frames other photographers walk past. Reflections in rain puddles. The way afternoon light cuts through an alley. Textures and shadows that turn a simple portrait into something you'd hang on a gallery wall.
If you have ideas—bold ones, weird ones, ones you're not sure will work—I'm the photographer who'll figure out how to make them real. Signature portraits aren't accidents. They come from creative ambition meeting technical skill.
The Background
Jeff Award Winner
Chicago theater's Tony equivalent. For directing—the skill that translates directly to helping couples on camera.
Steppenwolf Theatre
A decade as actor, acting coach, and director at some of America's most respected theater companies—including Chicago's own Steppenwolf Theatre.
9 Years Street Photography
Fine art foundation. The eye that finds extraordinary frames in ordinary moments—trained before weddings.
300+ Weddings
Every venue, every challenge, every curveball. Nothing surprises me anymore—I just solve it.
151+ Five-Star Reviews
Most from couples who called themselves camera-shy before we worked together. By the end? Their favorite photos ever.
Industry Recognition
WPJA Spotlight · Fearless Photographers · PPA · Best of Zola 2026
Off the Clock
I live in the Chicago suburbs with my wife, two kids, and a high-maintenance Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Ziggy (after Bowie's alter ego—obviously).
- Thai iced coffee is non-negotiable fuel
- Perpetually hunting Chicago's best Detroit-style pizza
- Butcher & the Burger has the best burgers in the city and I may just die on this hill... unless you can change my mind
- I do a flawless Scooby-Doo laugh—ask me on your wedding day
- Caraway, anise, and fennel seeds are my kryptonite
- "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open."
See If We Click
Camera-shy or wildly creative. Intimate elopement or 350-guest grand celebration. A day you'll actually enjoy being photographed—and photos that exceed every expectation. Both are possible.
Start a Conversation151+ five-star reviews · Preferred at Chicago Winery · Jeff Award Winner
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