Chicago Wedding Photography

Chicago Wedding Photographer | Illinois Wedding Photographers

Discover Andy Dufton Photography, Chicago wedding photographer, an experienced photographer working in Chicago, Illinois and the United States.

A little about me

Hi I’m Andy, welcome and thank you for stopping by.

So where do I start? Well, I guess the first thing you should know is I’m English born and raised. But before you ready the stereo typical accent, I’m from a historic city in the North called York. For any Game Of Throne fans, I’m told I sound like Jon Snow.

In my spare time

I’m a big lover of cars and motorsports, which are very different in Europe compared to the U.S. Sadly I’m yet to tick Nascar off the list of things to see, but ill get to it soon I’m sure. I’m not your typical English guy either, I’m not a huge fan of football (or soccer as you call it). I am however a huge fan of Basketball. Chicago Bulls were my favourite team growing up (the Jordan, Rodman era). Even though they aren’t quite the team they used to be, I always enjoy going to watch them at the United Centre. I’m a huge pizza lover too! So I usually get a pre game pizza from one the best pizza places in Chicago (in my opinion), Pequods.

Of course it goes without saying, I also have a big love for photography too. That love started way back in 1993 when my dad bought me my first camera for my birthday. But I had no idea at the time that it’d become a huge passion, and then a business though.

I started my business in 2017, and although I cover all areas of photography, weddings have always been my main focus (pun intended). I love meeting new people, seeing all the different and unique ideas people have for their wedding day, from the smallest of details to the most extravagant.

Its an honour to be asked to document one of the biggest days of two peoples life, and capture memories that will last a life time for them.

Why I chose Chicago as one of my destinations

There’s a few reasons to be honest. Firstly, I love Chicago! I love the multi cultural influences and how diverse the city is. It’s also quite similar to my home city in that respect, just on bigger scale, and I visit quite a lot throughout the year too.

From a photography point of view, it has so many features and backdrops to create some amazing and timeless wedding photos. No matter what the weather is doing, you are guaranteed some stunning shots.

A few of my favourite places in Chicago

The Chicago Board of Trade is first on my list. Not only is it a well known building, its also a very prominent and dominant building. Its complimented by the buildings and street lights in front. As it doesn’t see direct sun light, its a perfect location for wedding photos on a hot summer day.

Another of my favourite places is the Wrigley Building. If you’re comfy in crowded places, this is a perfect spot to have the city skyline as your backdrop. However, if crowded places aren’t your thing, but you still want the city skyline, theres always the slightly less crowded areas. Montrose Harbour, North Avenue Beach and Museum Campus work amazingly well.

If flowers and trees are a little more of what you’re looking for though, maybe the Lilly Pool, or Art Institute Gardens might be better suited for your couple shots.

But what if its raining?

Well, Union Station is a beautiful location, both inside and out for some stunning wedding photos. So is the Lyric Opera House, with its corridor of grand columns, ornate ceiling hung lights and rows of big windows. It offers a lot of great photo opportunities

So whats next?

Now you know a little more about me, the person behind the camera. But what does my work look like? Well, here’s a link to my Gallery to take a little look at some of my past weddings.

You can also take a look here, to find out exactly what to expect for your investment.

After looking at those, if you still think I’m a good fit for your wedding day, then the next step would be to contact me here. Tell me a few of the key details about your wedding day, like the date of your wedding, where it will be, and a brief outline of your plans.

First ill check to make sure I’m available for your date and reply as quickly as possible. Just a side note though, if I’m not currently in Chicago when you first contact me, ill be in the Uk, which is six hours ahead of you. So if it takes a few hours for me to respond, I’m not ignoring you.

Make a list

If I’m free on your date, then ill arrange a day and time with you so we can speak a little more in depth about your wedding plans via phone call. I prefer to do a video call as I find it helps to get a better feel for each other. On the lead up to the day of the call, make sure you make a note of all your plans so you don’t accidentally miss anything out. Like any must have photo locations for example.

Some places, like Montrose Harbour, Museum Campus, Alfred Caldwell’s Lilly Pool, and even Buckingham fountain, require permits to take photos. No matter how small the detail is, I need to know everything to be better prepared.

Equally, its just as important to make sure you make a list of all the questions you’d like to ask me. Its easy to get side tracked when talking and totally forget to ask something. So having a list will ensure any questions or concerns you have will addressed. I will also send you a copy of the contract to read through before the call.

Booking

When you’re happy with everything and ready to book me as your Chicago wedding photographer, we can sign the contract. I will also send details on how to pay the deposit. From there, I will make my travel arrangements and contact you to confirm once its done. I will always arrange my flights so I land two to four days before the day of your wedding, just to be safe. Which will give you the extra peace of mind. I will however, stay in constant contact with you throughout. Including letting you know when ill next be there, which gives us the perfect opportunity to meet in person before your big day. We can use that time to go over any last minute changes to your plans. We can also have a walk through of the locations you’d like photos at.

If you’ve booked an engagement shoot, or have thought about it after, we can do that too.