About this vendor
Independent Photographer providing coverage for Weddings, Engagements, Surprise Proposals & Elopements. Based in Chicago and taking Weddings anywhere.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Photo Shoot Types
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- Wedding
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.031 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 6
We used Renae for our content creator for our wedding. She was amazing! We got a reel of our wedding the next day! In addition we got all of the raw footage as well. Definitely rec...
ommend!
Renae is a true pro!! We’d worked together in Chicago on a few things and then she travelled to our New Orleans wedding this year!! We will treasure these photos forever! And can’t...
thank City Savvy Imaging enough for the best photos, easy process, and help on our wedding day!
Renae and her team did an amazing job capturing our wedding. We've only seen a few photos so far and we're totally blown away, we can't wait to see everything else!
Renae is, without a doubt, one of the best professional photographers in Chicago. We worked with her for our wedding and we love her!! It rained nearly all day on our wedding day, ...
but Renae was quickly able to adapt and accommodate to make sure we still got amazing photos. When I was first looking at who to hire for wedding photography, I was only really looking at Instagram photos and seeing if I liked the style. After having gone through the entire wedding process, I've learned there are sooo many different aspects of a wedding photographer that make them phenomenal. First off, their years of experience are not to be discredited. Renae has been shooting weddings for around 17 years- she knows exactly what she's doing. She can analyze a room or space in an instant, make creative decisions quickly, and provide direction to fit the vision. Second, Renae doesn't just take pretty photos, she creates art- with you and your partner at the center of it. We had so many gorgeous, artsy, well-balanced, and creative photos of us that we loved because of how unique they were. Whether it was capturing a sunset skyline reflected in a building behind us, or having the second shooter shake the wet tree branch behind us at our wedding to create "the perfect rain," Renae has given us no shortage of stunning photos that we will treasure for a lifetime. Last, you obviously want to vibe with your photographer's personality. One of the things I love most about Renae is how calm, cool, and collected she is. She is incredibly professional, knows how to get stuff done, and has a great sense of humor to top it off. She is great at giving direction during a photoshoot, whether to a couple or a large group. In conclusion: HIRE RENAE!! She is the best!!!
We had the most incredible experience with Renae and can't recommend her enough. She is a rock star by every definition of the word.
We were nervous and anxious about picking a p...
hotographer because we knew we would be looking back at our photos for the rest of our lives, but after meeting Renae in our introduction call, we knew we made the right decision. Renae immediately eased our anxiety with the way she spoke about how she works, everything that goes into photographing a wedding, and how she would do everything in her power to make sure things went smoothly.
From that first call up to the day of, she kept us in the loop every step of the way – whether it was making sure we had our photo list put together or talking us through the timeline of the day, her constant updates and guidance made the entire process smooth and stress-free.
One of the things that stood out the most was how she made us feel incredibly comfortable throughout the entire day. Her friendly and reassuring presence allowed us to relax and be ourselves, resulting in authentic and heartfelt moments captured in every photo. Renae wasn’t just a wedding vendor, but a friend, and that made a world of difference. Even though there was a sense of gravity to the whole day – after all, it's our wedding day and it only comes around once – Renae brought a positive, light-hearted energy to everything she did, which we certainly appreciated.
Apart from the relationship and rapport she immediately established with us, her professionalism was evident in every aspect of her work. She was organized, direct, and handled every situation with grace and expertise. From wrangling an energetic bridal party for group shots, or coordinating family portraits, it was clear that she was experienced and dedicated to ensuring our day ran seamlessly.
Another thing that truly set her apart was her ability to understand our vision, while also bringing in her own creative ideas and personal touches. The result was a collection of photos that perfectly captured the essence of our day. From group photos to solo portraits, getting ready moments to detail shots, every photograph was a work of art.
Renae exceeded our expectations in every way. The photos are not just images; they are cherished memories, beautifully documented and preserved for us to look back on and remember the amazing day we had. If you're looking for a photographer who combines great communication, comfort, professionalism, creativity, and efficiency, look no further than Renae.
Renae is amazing! She did such a great job for our intimate wedding during COVID, that there was no hesitation to ask her to photograph our ceremony+reception.
Renae is so easy to...
work with and makes you feel comfortable immediately in front of the camera. She captures the natural energy of the moment and would highly recommend her for any project!
Renae was a dream to work with and the photos exceeded any expectations we had. She was very easy going and made my husband and I feel so relaxed during the whole process. We were ...
initially drawn to her stunning photography and natural style. We were equally impressed when initially talking with her, we knew she would be a great fit. She was wonderful during our wedding weekend, she captured all the moments and more that were important to us and we genuinely loved all the photos. After the wedding she was quick to give us a sneak peak and met all of the timelines we discussed. We also used her for a wedding album for both ourselves and our parents, which we adore to this day. She was very organized and paid attention to all the small details! Highly recommend, worth every dollar!
I hired Renae from City Savvy Imaging to capture our proposal in July of 2021. She was incredibly easy to communicate with, especially considering the logistics involving a surpris...
e proposal. Her experience and expertise made the entire process very easy, and she perfectly captured one of the greatest and most memorable moments of our lives.
We used Renae for our wedding photographer, based on a recommendation from a friend. We loved working with her on our wedding day. We are not photo people, not often serious and sh...
e was able to capture us in a way that we wanted. On our wedding day, it rained which ruined our plans to take photos outdoors and she quickly pivoted, taking beautiful photos of us in the atrium of the church. She was truly professional, but easy to work with, like working with a friend. I LOVED all the photos she took on our wedding day.
Words cannot properly describe how much we loved working with Renae. Not only is she wildly talented (our wedding photos are breathtaking) but she is kind, funny, and the person th...
at you want directing you (and your family) on the day of your wedding. From our first conversation it was clear that Renae was going to be a good fit, her style matched what we were looking for with our photos and we couldn't have been more happy with that decision. Anytime someone in Chicago mentions that they are looking for a photographer, we immediately send them her number. We could go on and on but simply put, you should run to book Renae today. She will help capture your day and is an absolute joy to work with.
I don't even know where to begin with raving about Renae. Your photographer is someone you are with most of the day on your wedding day, so you want to really like them. We immedi...
ately loved Renae, and were so excited to get to work with her. We had to postpone our big wedding in 2020 and she was so understanding with moving our date. We still did a small ceremony in 2020 and Renae worked with us to get amazing pictures. When we finally had our wedding this year, we were so comfortable knowing Renae would be with us to capture all the important moments. Renae is professional and friendly and her attention to detail really produces the best pictures. After the wedding, I told my husband I wish we could do it all over just so that we could get to work with Renae again. I would recommend booking her to anyone looking for an amazing photographer.
If I could give Renae 10 million stars I would! She is talented, approachable, professional, funny, laidback, and so kind (I could keep going, but I’ll spare you the long post).
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Planning a wedding during a pandemic was nothing short of a nightmare, but Renae stuck with my husband and I as our plans constantly changed. She was so reliable during such a turbulent time.
We were nervous to be awkward taking a ton of pictures on our wedding day, but she made it so relaxed and natural it never felt forced. Her work ethic and talent were obvious from the start.
BOOK HER NOW. You won’t find anyone better, plus you’ll literally want to be best friends with her after. We hope to work with Renae again in the future!
I can’t say enough great things about Renae! Of course the photos were beautiful and took me right back to the moment, which I love! But her perspective on the day and her calm, ...
cool mannerisms just vibed with my family and friends. The best part of her calm, cool mentality is that she didn’t allow chaos to take over and she went into drill Sargent mode (in a good way!!) when needed... I have a massive family and 3 older brothers who love to goof off so a bit of stern direction was needed at times, and much appreciated!! Renae worked with us to make sure she captured our day perfectly. You’ll be happy booking her!
(Videographer/Creative Partner REVIEW) My company had the pleasure of working along side the City Savvy Imaging team last summer and the experience was anything but exceptional. HI...
GHLY recommend Renae and her company to document your special moments.
Before finding Renae, I felt unsure about "who" to hire. I have worked with other photogs for professional purposes, but hiring one for my wedding, I wanted it to be "just perfect....
"
We decided to work with Renae because she was thorough, helped us think through the logistics and timelines for the day (a good photog will do this, and you should listen), she did research about the things she thought would add to the photos, and she was just as enthusiastic about our day as we were. She is real, honest, fun to hang with, her portfolio is amazing and she is an actual fine art photographer, not just a hobby photog - yes, these things are important to us.
What stood out to us was how seamless and easy her process was pre-wedding, and the day of the wedding was perfect. Like, honestly, our wedding would've been 100% different had we gone with anyone else. She's natural, relaxed, fun, and there were NO forced poses or awkward cues, which was very important to us.
The results of us working together was a gallery of hit after hit. we had the best time revisiting our day when it arrived, and were amazed at how many awesome photos there were. The photos were rich with color and story, cinematic and felt so romantic. Great portraits and some candid gold.
We were married in Nola so we needed someone who would be fun to travel with (check), easy to get along with (check), quick on their feet/be able to find great spots for photos in places she's never been to (check), indoor, outdoor, day AND night (check), able to incorporate architecture and nature pieces in the composition (check), has an eye for color, narrative, energy, angles, etc (check), total pro (check).
If you are considering Renae, we would say: if she's got your date, SNATCH IT! She's WORTH IT. Do it before she's a million dollars and booked three years out. We joke that we'd get married again to have more of these photos.
We picked Renae for our engagement & wedding photos and are SO happy with her work! My husband and I are both very into photo memories, so this felt like a big decision, and we cou...
ldn't be happier with everything we've seen so far. I am starting to wonder if the pics look better than the day itself, ha! Renae is awesome to work with and "no bullsh*t" in a great way. She knows her stuff, and does what it takes to get everything you want done, in what feels like a flash of a day. I would not hesitate to recommend Renae to ANYONE for their big day -- wedding or otherwise. We would absolutely work with Renae again!
Renae is simply amazing at what she does. We initially booked her for our engagement photos and were so impressed with her work and her ability to make us feel so comfortable in fr...
ont of the camera. Taking pictures can often times feel awkward, but with Renae my husband and I always felt totally natural and relaxed. We were so incredibly happy with those pictures that we booked her for our wedding. I don't know how she did it, but our wedding pictures are even more incredible then what we could have imagined. There *literally* is not 1 bad picture in the 1000+ pictures in our gallery. Renae is able to capture those very special moments in a way that will make you and your loved one feel like magazine models! We can't thank her enough for really capturing our day and leaving us with such special memories.
Your wedding photography search should start and end with Renae and City Savvy Imaging! From our initial contact email until our last photo delivery we had exceptional communicati...
on and pictures (of course)! My husband and I did both our engagement and wedding photos with Renae. She is professional and relate-able and very skilled at her craft. Renae made us super comfortable in front of the camera. She scouted out multiple locations for our wedding day photos and was super creative and upbeat when it both rained and snowed on our wedding! Our final products are truly wonderful and we will cherish our photographs forever. Thank you Renae!
Renae did beyond amazing on our wedding photos!! We couldn't be happier.
She knows what she is doing, everything is well thought out and nothing is overlooked. We had a couple con...
versations before the big day to discuss exactly what my husband and I wanted from our photos. We also created a detailed Day-of schedule and family formal list. Renae also scoped out photo locations in advance and came back to us with cool ideas for bridal party pictures.
The day of went off without a hitch. Renae really took control and did amazing with our big groups. I know our family formals were not easy because there were a lot of us and people kept trying to wonder off, but that did not deter Renae as she made sure to get all the shots we requested!
She was fun to have at the wedding, our guests said great things about her. She takes a lot of pride in her work, she will care about your photos and will make sure they are everything you want and more!
Working with Renae was AMAZING. When we first talked to her over a year ago, we knew that she had to be our photographer for our wedding. She was so easy to communicate with and wo...
rked with us to create a perfect timeline for the day. We had a few ideas of where we wanted to take pictures, and her added suggestions were absolutely gorgeous. We had a pretty large wedding party (8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen) and she did an amazing job giving instructions--she knows her stuff! My husband Adam typically feels really uncomfortable getting his picture taken, but kept looking at me throughout pictures and telling how much fun he was having. Renae made us feel extremely comfortable; Adam said it was like spending the day with another friend who just happens to be a super awesome professional photographer. Her second photographer, Roland, was also a blast to spend the day with. Our wedding day had some on and off-again rain, but both Renae and Roland were prepared with super cute umbrellas for us to use. We came up with a rain plan in advance, but ended up getting to go to all of our outdoor locations. Their positive attitudes helped us have positive attitudes about the weather as well, and we ended up having such a fun time. The pictures we have received as previews from Renae so far are absolutely stunning and we are so excited to receive the rest. If you want a photographer who is professional, responsive, communicative, personable, easy-going, and has amazing ideas then you NEED to use Renae for your wedding!
Renae is simply the best. She is fun to be around, a talented photographer, an excellent businesswoman and a great business partner. I most definitely recommend her for any photogr...
aphy needs, wedding, babies, etc.
City Savvy Imaging. Simply, the best.
Responsive, flexible and great prices for the highest of quality- equipment, shooting and editing.
5/5
We had such a great experience with Renae and City Savvy. She was so kind and wonderful to work with. Our engagement photos turned out beautifully. We would definitely recommend th...
is service!
I cannot recommend City Savvy Imaging enough. As the groom, I questioned just how important it was to have a great photographer at our big day, but Renae was THE most important ven...
dor we hired. I've been blown away by the way the images she captured. Our wedding photos are truly something we will cherish forever!
Renae and City Savvy Imaging is the best wedding photographer in Chicago! She captured our day so perfectly and was so fun to work with. Renae had the perfect spot scoped out on th...
e Riverwalk and stayed longer to make sure we got all the shots we needed. She is absolutely the best and we cannot recommend City Savvy Imaging enough!
I worked with Renas on a styled shoot she organized and stylized this past July in Chicago. Renae reached out to me on social media and asked if I would be willing to create statio...
nery designs for the shoot, as she felt my design style aligned well with the vision she had for her styled shoot. My favorite part about working with Renae was that she had a PLAN from start to finish. The photoshoot was in sync with the mood board and style goal she had shared with me months before at our initial meeting, the end plan never wavered. This showed in the carefully curated group of vendors she chose to partner with- each bringing their own expertise to the shoot and creating an unbelievable final product. Renae is talented, well-connected, and knows what she's doing. I had such a great time working with her and would love to work with her again!
Renae photographed my wedding and she is so incredible I had to review her right away! Renae lives and breathes photography. She is a master at her craft and her passion and joy is...
contagious. Upon first meeting her, my now husband and I completely clicked with her. She was funny, easy to work with, kind and on top of that she is CRAZY talented. She doesn't do this as a hobby, she is a professional. It shows. She has been doing this for many years and she is constantly perfecting her work, learning new techniques and getting incredible shots every. single. time.
We first did our engagement pictures with her. She had amazing and unexpected places in downtown Chicago that had breathtaking views that were not jammed with people. We used the engagement photos for some displays at the wedding and we received numerous compliments on how high quality and professional they were.
On the wedding day, Renae absolutely crushed it. She was organized, prepared, fast but effective. She blended right in with the group and worked so hard. People shouldn't take photographers for granted because they WORK their butt off! She had wonderful ideas, kept us on schedule but also made it very fun. Its only been a couple weeks and we are already getting sneak peeks of photos from the wedding. We have about 6-7 of them and we are blown away. We are overjoyed that we get to keep these wonderfully captured moments of our wedding for the rest of our lives! We worked with numerous highly recommended vendors and they were all amazed by her photos. These are people that see wedding photos all the time!
We are so so so happy with our decision to hire Renae, her talent, execution, personality and passion cannot be touched.
We hired Renae for both our engagement and wedding photography. Renae was more than accommodating to come to our destination of choice for our engagement session and wait until the...
season timing was right to get the pictures we wanted with Fall scenery. When it came to our wedding, she wasn't familiar with the wedding venue we had chosen, so she went out of her way to make a trip to the venue to familiarize herself with the layout and plan ahead for picture opportunities. We couldn't have been more pleased with her professionalism, suggestions, and openness to whatever we asked.
Renae is just the best! Her work is stunning and we couldn't be happier with how she captured our big day! She's friendly, easy to work with, and super responsive. Personality, pro...
duct and perfection - we are so happy with our decision and now get relive our perfect day through her incredible craft! You get what you pay for and she was worth each and every penny!
Renae was the best to work with! She is very quick to respond to your e-mails, takes great notes and completely understood what we were looking for. She worked so hard on our weddi...
ng day and we received so many compliments from our family and friends the day after about how great she was, so others noticed as well. We wanted unique pictures and told her to just use her creativity during the day and trusted her with it all.
Renae really saved the day! After searching long and hard for a Chicago wedding photographer to capture our elopement, we finally found one...... THEN he bailed on us last minute ...
and naturally I was in PANIC MODE because I thought we weren't going to have any photos of our special day. I emailed Renae right away and she was so excited and enthusiastic... she really loved our story and wanted to create some art with us. She truly saved us. She was very flexible and affordable for what we wanted. We were so lucky that she was able to fit us into her busy schedule. She was very professional and asked me some questions about what we envisioned our photos would be like. We emailed back and forth several times so we could make sure that we were on the same page, and she was very responsive to emails and texts.
On the day of our elopement, she arrived on sight early to scope out the venue. We got all of the shots that we wanted and much more. Her photos are truly stunning and so artistic... much better than the traditional cheesy poses! She took advantage of every opportunity and we got so many incredible shots walking around the city. She even called a cab for us back to the hotel and she spent an extra 40min with us just to get in those final shots of the skyline at sunset. She was really fun and easy-going... very fun to work with but she also knew when to step back ie: when we were exchanging our vows... it was as if it was just me and my husband - everyone else in the room evaporated. Very professional. We were given 22 sample photos in a private online gallery, and I just CANNOT WAIT to see the rest of them!!!
We are having a vow renewal ceremony and reception with the family in 2018 and I really hope that Renae will be our photographer on that day - we would be honored to have her again!!!
-Ashley and Mike
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