Dear Hart Photography Group

ice, always quick to respond to me emails, and you can tell this was not his first rodeo! He was great at directing us all very efficiently in such a way that created truly beautiful photos. He was just super organized and good at guiding us all throughout the day. I can't speak for everyone, but I LOVE that he gave us the space to not have to get our photos taken basically all day. We wanted to be present with our friends and family and it was just perfect for this. Our photos came back and they are absolutely perfect. I strongly recommend anyone who is looking for a wedding photographer to hire Darin.

we liked their work, but weren't sure exactly what to expect. The results were phenomenal. I personally don't think I'm very photogenic but I loved every photo these amazing & professional photographers took. They knew exactly what they were doing, helped me and my husband with poses, and came up with unique ideas using our environment (botanical gardens) to capture stunning photos. Beautiful photos that me and my husband will treasure.

d concise answers. They showed up exactly when they said they would, and got to work immediately, and they were fun to be around, too. It was an entirely enjoyable experience working with them. They made a wonderful day even better! If/when I need photography services in the future, I would absolutely hire them again. 10/10.

ckage (due to COVID) that was above and beyond our expectations! Now that we are having the full wedding and reception next April; Darin will absolutely be our photographer as long as he’s willing.

our wedding photos out of the water! We had three photographers for the day, and they did a great job of capturing all angles during the ceremony as well as candids of all the guests at the reception. We had nearly 300 people at our reception, and I was so pleased that they got photos of almost everyone rather than 50 photos of the same guest. Darin and his crew worked efficiently. Our ceremony was at 2, and they arrived at the church by 11 to start taking the men's pictures while the ladies got ready. We chose not to do a first look, so full wedding party photos and family portraits were taken after the ceremony. Even with a large wedding part (~20) and family (~60) AND moving to a different location other than the church to take photos, they were still able to get all their shots post-ceremony in about an hour an a half. As far as turn-around time and quantity of pictures, we received them approximately 8 weeks after the wedding (as outlined in our contract), and the number fell in the middle of the range for our specific package. There are probably three main reasons that Darin and Dear Hart Photography earned this 5-star review beyond the fantastic quality of their photos. I want to start off by saying that Darin is very personable, but more importantly he is kind and considerate when faced with challenging circumstances, which leads me to my first reason: he was adaptable to our situation. About a week before the wedding, we notified Darin that it was unlikely that my father would be at the wedding due to the rapid progression of his cancer, and Darin was willing to drive 15 minutes away from the church to take pictures at our home before driving the additional 30 minutes to the reception so that Dad could be included in our special day. By a miracle he was able to attend the ceremony, and the Dear Hart crew were able to get several priceless photos of Dad and the rest of us in a short amount of time. My second reason is their ability to work well with large groups. We were able to take an impromptu extended family portrait of my side of the family, and Darin was able to gather everyone together for several shots in less than 10 minutes. My final reason relates back to efficiency. Unfortunately, my father passed away eight days after the wedding. Rather than have the traditional sneak peak of wedding photos, my mother messaged Darin and asked if we could use the family and group photos with Dad from the wedding as displays for the visitation. He not only sent those shots requested, but sent a beautiful collage of photos of Dad smiling that day. Everyone who came to the funeral complemented how well those photos turned out and on the amazing job the photographers did capturing the better sides of Dad that day. I'll conclude by stating that I'm very impressed with the quality of work by Dear Hart Photography, and I will definitely use them in the future and recommend them to anyone who wants a great photographer that creates priceless memories.

ts we wanted and more. He made it fun for the bridal party as well. I have my sneak peak and can’t wait to see the rest! Thank you Darren!

are the only photos I have from my wedding day to look back on. I cannot proudly display any of the photos in my home. They are not only fuzzy, but almost every shot taken was unflattering. There also were zero touch ups done. I feel like I could have had a family member take those photos with a disposable camera and gotten better quality. If you want good quality photos from your wedding, do not choose this photographer. It also took many months to receive the photos, as others have mentioned. His pricing is good, but you get what you pay for.

ghly recommend him as a photographer

on until the wedding day, Darin had everything under control! My husband even enjoyed taking pictures with him, even though he does not like getting his picture taken. He will vouch for Dear Hart Photography as much as me! Darin even emailed me a few sneak peek photos just a few days after my wedding! I cannot wait to use Darin again to capture our memories as our family grows!!

ter the event and they are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! We can’t wait to see them all!!

r engagement photos took less than 30 minutes at the SIUE Gardens, and they were breath taking. He got all the pictures back to me within a week, AND the rights to them so that I could print them off at home or at Walgreens. That saved us so much money. We took all of our family pictures during cocktail hour, and he did such a great job keeping everything moving. Throughout the evening he continued to capture fun action pictures of all our guests and bridal party. He was so fun and easy to work with, and we will 100% recommend him to anyone asking for a photographer near or far. While Darin is located in Edwardsville, he drove 1.5 hours away to Salem, IL for my wedding without cost or complaint. He made our big day very special. Thank you, Darin!!!

orders and would not be able to come home. I immediately called Darin, and he told me he would send me the $500. I have reached out to Darin multiple time since, via text, message, or flat out calling. He always said he forgot, and would send it. I have since moved three times, each time giving Darin my new address to send a check. It has now been nearly TWO YEARS! I have come to the conclusion that I will never be paid back for the photos that were never taken. I hope others read this warning and steer clear of Dear Hart Photography.

de our wedding day relaxing and enjoyable. The photos are gorgeous and I had no issues whatsoever. I would HIGHLY recommend Dear Hart photography to anyone looking for a photographer that has excellent quality for a reasonable price. Great choice!!!

e was willing to be flexible with our schedules and needs. We had a fall wedding (October 2018) but booked him around November 2017. We knew we wanted to do save the dates and wanted fall pictures for those but time was running out on the pretty leaves and weather. He was willing to do a mini 20 minute shoot so we could get some fall pictures. We were still able to get a full hour engagement shoot in the spring. The pictures from the 20 minutes were just as beautiful as the spring ones. Even last minute he was able to add some videography to our contract! And its not just his skill. Darin has an energy that can make everyone feel comfortable and genuinely smile. He was always excited to try new poses and places for pictures. I think he knows what brides want in their pictures and from what I have seen so far I am confident that our wedding pictures and video will be nothing short of perfect.

t was a pleasure working with this company. They made sure Ro capture the special moments for my wedding. This company was willing to travel free of charge. I will always refer this company to people looking for professional work at a reasonable price. Thank you for capturing our beautiful memories.

ily and friends, and he also kindly kept things moving so that we were on time. Plenty of candid photos were captured to compliment the traditional essential photos. He also took time to experiment with some more edgy photos that made us feel like celebrities, hah! We could really feel Mr. Harlieb's enthusiasm and creativity while he was taking photos, which made us more confident and natural during our photos! We can't thank Mr. Harlieb enough for his incredible work!

ith. They had amazing ideas for photos and locations. They were extremely professional and experienced, an all-around amazing experience! Definitely worth the money, I would not change a thing!!!

dly, takes any pictures you request, and high quality. Darn is easy to work with and made taking pictures the easiest part of the day. Extremely affordable. Would highly recommend and hope to use him in the future for other photography needs. Couldn't say enough good things about him.

eople are still telling me how nice Darin was and how awesome the pictures turned out! I highly recommend Darin!

so that was good enough for me. I didn't know that day that I hired him, I hired my photographer for life. We use Darin all the time for family photos. We love him and my kids adore him! He's always prompt, fast and never turns down any of my crazy "Pinterest" finds and he always has great ideas. Our pictures always turn out amazing and something that I am proud to give to people, hang in my house and treasure for a lifetime! On our wedding day, he was amazing and a blast to have there! He fit in like we knew him forever - and our pictures were beautiful! He is a very gifted and talented photographer! You will never have any regrets hiring Darin for anything!

s they've worked with in the past. He really works to get everyone smiling for their pictures. Our photos turned out great and he worked with me on pricing since I couldn't afford a whole day of photography with what most people charge. My only criticisms would be #1 he didn't get all the pictures I was hoping to capture. I had some ones with my stepsons I really wanted to get, but I was distracted by other things and forgot to pin him down for those and a few others. Also, his turnaround time on getting the photos to us was a bit long. We got married in October and I was bugging him to get them by Christmas.

on of photos. My husband had an issue with the wrong tux coming in, which made him late to the wedding and ruined any opportunity for pre wedding photos, but Rob kept things going quickly. I’m a pretty go with the flow person. I really wanted first look photos, but I am so happy with what we got I honestly don’t even mind. It wasn’t Robs fault in any way, shape or form. He kept us on track even though we were rushed after the ceremony to squeeze in a ton of photos. Darin was super easy to communicate with. I love that he was honest if things ran a bit behind. Honesty goes a LONG way with me. I received the photos in a decent timeframe and I love them all.

, but the sneak peek we got was stunning.

s are printable and viewable. I apologized several times and offered to give her a full refund. My hard drive is STILL at a recovery company and they do not have a recovery date, I am not offering excuses. This has never happened to me before and I have made sure, through off-site back-ups, that it will never happen again.

ll of his photos. He has been telling me for months that they are "at a recovery center" and he'll get them back, but that still hadn't happened. Every time he gives me a new deadline, he changes it once that deadline comes and I still don't have any photos. He has never offered to give me money back or anything. It's a shame because the photos came out beautiful (I can view them online) but I can't print a single one because he didn't have them saved to photo quality when he originally gave me my disc. So I'm stuck with my physical memories of my special day. Think twice before you hire someone who doesn't even know how to keep a backup drive of his work when he is a professional photographer!

most real shots. Him and his team had great vibes about them. Everyone commented on how fun and upbeat they were! I would definitely recommend Dear Hart for anyone looking to get married or have professional photos taken. He was amazing to work with and even made the kids feel welcome and somehow got them to cooperate, against all odds!

tely wonderful to work with. It rained almost our entire wedding day. Thankfully, Eric was able to quickly direct the group outside during 20 minutes of no rain to take as many outdoor pictures as possible. He was always paying close attention to detail - placed my skirt in different spots, adjusting my hair, telling me where to place my hands, etc. As this was being done, Tim walked around and focused on those special candid moments. Overall, Dear Hart was AMAZING. You get a fair price and awesome photos with this group. I can't thank them enough for their efforts to make my day as perfect as possible!

asn't just working there, but felt like a he was part of our big day. We had a lot of different personalities in the mix for our wedding and he managed each flawlessly. Not only does everyone love the photos he took from our wedding, but they've commented on how much they love him as well. Having him there with us getting ready, during the ceremony and at the reception made our day better. I will continue to recommend Darin and his team to everyone looking for a photographer. If you want someone who is going to add to the magic of your day and capture it all while it happens, which I don't know why anyone wouldn't want that, then you've found your guy!

re than pleased with everything he produced for us. He was easy going, handled all of our guests in a professional, yet fun manner and made everyone feel comfortable. He was organized and moved us all at a quick pace, all while not missing any of the shots we asked for...this was especially amazing seeing as our wedding party consisted of 22 people, our total guest list was 450, and the temperature that day neared around a heat index of 117 degrees. I would not only recommend Darin and Dear Hart Photography for any bride-to-be, but I would also utilize him again in a needed event.

as a lot of fun and patient with us! He is amazing! Check out Dear Hart Photography in Edwardsville, you won't regret booking him!

dn't make anyone stop walking down the aisle to take a picture. He had a good sense of humor and had the best prices in town. I would defiantly recommend.

aphers to his business (now full time) and one of his guys were available. Darin was very communicative and available for questions throughout the entire process. We (including our guests) were thrilled with Rob's services during our wedding. He was unobtrusive and easygoing the entire day. He had a wonderful eye to correct the little things that I wouldn't like in my photo's i.e. how my veil, dress or hair were laying but more importantly to develop the situation into a beautiful shot. I can not wait to see Darin's edit's but I am completely certain just by the few shots I viewed on Rob's camera the day of I know I will be thrilled. Absolutely positively the Best AND incredibly reasonable. I highly recommend Dear Hart Photography to everyone.

ved him.

helped make the wedding day run smoothly! Was on time, efficient, and really fun personality!

graphy) was a decent solution. His wedding package was only $950! Now, wedding photography is only his side/weekend job, but he is very busy. My husband is not a fan of pictures, but Darrin made him feel comfortable. He was very accommodating and listened to what I wanted. Pictures are good quality and he is very fair with pricing. I would say the only negatives are his lack of attention to what's in the background and his lack of staging. There was a camera bag in one of the pictures. A few other pictures had items in the background that were unwanted. Also, on the group shots people weren't spaced evenly or organized according to height (this may only be a problem for me because I'm a type A personality). :) Regardless there were TONS of wonderful pictures and he did a great job. Excellent choice if you want quality photography with a cheap price tag. :)

he hundreds of pictures some people receive. He was so enjoyable the whole wedding day, and he sent us a picture the morning after our wedding. We received online access to our pictures 2 weeks after the wedding. They were great! We can't wait to order them and get our album all picked out!!