R.E.M. Video and Photography

My husband and I got married in October 2015 at the Patrick Haley Mansion and used REM for our wedding video after searching and searching for the perfect vendor (I was very picky about how I wanted the video to look). We just got our wedding trailer and video back and I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by Robert’s talent in capturing our special day perfectly and making such a gorgeous video!!! I can’t stop watching it. He was so fun to work with and truly has an eye for creativity, and you can tell how passionate he is about his work and making it the best it can be. We are SO happy we chose REM and absolutely recommend them!

We selected R.E.M. for our photography and videography services for our wedding. We had Agnes as our lead photographer and Armen as a second photographer. Our videographer was Robert. We were SO incredibly happy with all three of them and the service they provided on our wedding day! They all were professional but also very fun and easy to work with. They captured everything that we had asked them to and more! They had a lot of hopping around to do between the bridal parties (my husband and I didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony) and to different picture locations throughout the day. Some windy weather made us change photo locations at the last minute and everything was handled easily and calmly.
Agnes is wonderful and has an eye for beautiful lighting. She grabbed our whole group and got us outside for some amazing sunset pictures at just the right time. Agnes also handled the chaos of our family pictures wonderfully and was so patient with everybody. Armen worked with the groom’s side a lot for pictures and I heard nothing but wonderful things about his work with them. Robert was fun and did a lot of neat shots for the wedding video. I can’t wait to see how everything turned out!
We are very happy with our experiences with everything and everybody at R.E.M., including Izabela and Robert Mazur, who did all of the work with our contracts, payments and all email correspondence leading up to the big day. Everybody at R.E.M. are truly kind and talented and very easy to work with. We highly recommend them!

My wife and I cannot say enough good things about Robert and his company. They were perfect as can be, right from the first meeting. The one quality that I loved in him, specially was that he’s never trying to sell you anything. Rather, he has his company’s work speak for itself. And boy, do they shine? My wife and I had a special situation with our wedding, in that we performed and hence needed to cover 2 seperate, ethnic ceremonies and receptions in one day! We worked with 2 different photographers-​Isabella Mazur and Megan Bearder (and her assistant, whose name we now forgot). They made us feel at ease and very comfortable. They collect all of the information beforehand and come fully prepared on the day of, which is very important. Not just that, photography being such a creative profession, their ideas and styles are fantastic. If you don’t want to take my word dor it, browse their portfolio and meet with them. We’ve only seen a teaser of all the pictures to come but they look phenomenal! We cannot wait to get out entire album and relive our most special day all over again.
I should additionally mention, both our photographers — Izabella and Megan was so accomodating of our schedules, on the day of. We were running late, but they kept the mood so light and didn’t let us think or worry about it at all.
In essence, this is as best as your money can buy, value wise and you’ll not regret your choice, picking this company. In fact, you’ll end up patting your back, after the event. Will absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for an amazing photographer/​videographer to cover their wedding day.

John Lavere was our photographer and he took awesome pictures of my husband & I for our reception. I’ve known Robert Mazur for many years as I’ve done wedding planning.
REM never fail to surprise me with their talented work.
I also had hired REM for videography. I was also very pleased with my video. Couldn’t be happier.
Would highly recommend to anyone!
Thank you REM for capturing awesome memories for Raza and I =)

I wanted to write this review thoroughly impressed by REM’s service.
My fiancé and I were searching for a good Photographer in the Chicagoland area for our wedding, we were looking for great service at an affordable price. We did our homework shortlisted and met with 3 companies.
When we went to REM’s office, we had a lot of questions, on our first meeting with Robert Mazur, we felt very comfortable after he had patiently answered all of our questions. He was well aware of south asian culture and wedding rituals.
After we signed our contract we kept in touch with Robert via emails and everything was going as planned. They sent us an online questionnaire well in advance of our wedding. A couple of the days before the wedding John (photographer) and Sorin (videographer) called me and spoke to me to re-​confirm all details in the questionnaire.
My fiancé and I are meticulous planners and it was absolutely delightful for us to work with REM as they were so well prepared. On the day of wedding both John and Sorin did an amazing job. We were so glad that we chose REM team to shoot our wedding and had a stress-​free experience.

We used R.E.M. as our videography company for our August 22, 2014 wedding. From the initial consultation Robert was amazing. He is polite, friendly, and professional. As Robert told me on my big day, «there’s nothing normal about your wedding day.» From having practical strangers in your home doing your makeup, videotaping, and taking pictures, to posing for that «right shot», it’s all awkward. You want to be as comfortable with your vendors as possible, and Robert made it easy to be comfortable with him. He was laughing and joining in with me busting jokes as my girls and I got ready and was never too «in your face» with his camera. His personality and light hearted spirit helped to keep things calm and enjoyable. He seemed to work well with the photographer and I never noticed any conflict between them. Even though our wedding day was HOT and HUMID (in the midst of a very mild summer), he was ever so patient with us and our bridal party.
I noticed other reviews from brides who are self proclaimed Type-​A planners and women who were on top of every single detail of their wedding and R.E.M. met their standards. I was the opposite. I was fine emailing back and forth whenever needed and preferred not to bother with too many questions or requests, and R.E.M. did a great job conforming to my carefree ways. That tells me that they are able to work with a wide variety of bride personalities which is an extremely important trait for a wedding vendor to have.
On top of the awesome service, the price was unbeatable for the quality of work that I have seen of theirs. I cannot wait to see our finished product as I have full faith in Robert and his team to deliver something great, and would recommend their services to absolutely anyone.

Had a really great engagement shoot with John! He is super fun and immediately loosened us up. We started our shoot at Eataly, and he told us to get comfy, have a glass of wine, and knew exactly where to place us in such a busy place. We walked over to Gilt Bar and got some pics at their tables outside and in the middle of the street. Overall, he was very professional, humorous, and we had a great time. I’m excited to see how the pictures turn out!

I recently had the pleasure of working with R.E.M. Video at a recent wedding I photographed. Robert, the owner and main shooter, was simply incredible. As a photographer it is always wonderful to work with someone who is easy to communicate with and work alongside. We communicated our plan of action for nearly every event with no qualms whatsoever. Robert focused relentlessly for all events (it was a 4 day wedding for me, he was shooting 3 of those days). I was SO impressed by his work ethic, and can tell you that it is honestly very rare to see. Additionally, every staff member Robert had on board was polite, professional, and wonderful to communicate with. I am simply thrilled to be able to add another outstanding videographer to my list of recommended vendors in the Great Chicago Area. I highly recommend this company.

We used REM’s services for both videography and photography for our June 2014 wedding and were thrilled with our team. We originally went with REM because of their expertise in both video and photo as well as their reasonable packages for the services offered. Robert was great to work with from our first meeting through the entire process. His quick responses to calls and emails was always appreciated (especially by me, a Type-​A planner).
On our wedding day, our main photographer (Maria) and videographer (Garland) were personable and fun while still being efficient (wrangling 20+ people for a family photo is not easy!). I know they captured the overall fun feeling of our wedding. We received many compliments on the photography and videography team and how they were able to capture shots without being obtrusive– a huge thing for us!
We also used REM for our engagement photos and I can say we were THRILLED with the amazing work from Maria. We expect the same quality for our wedding photos when we receive them soon! :)

I have not seen the video for my wedding yet but I have to say from my initial consultation to my actual wedding day REM was great! Robert is amazing! He is sooo easy to work with, fun and just perfect! I wanted to use him for my photography as well but we just couldn’t afford it. He stayed over to get more coverage of the wedding free of charge and was so polite and nice to everyone. If you want courteous professional service choose REM. I know my video will be amazing and I can’t wait to see it!

I haven’t gotten my photos or video back as my wedding was just this past Saturday, but the photographer did an AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG JOB!!! Granted I haven’t seen the finished product so I can’t completely vouch for that (although I’m certain it is going to be Fantastic!), but I can vouch for her worksmanship. She made every minute count! Always suggesting new and creative poses. Her attention to detail was extremely impressive. She made sure there were no purses or other uncessary objects lying in background of the house photos. In the park, she made sure we didn’t have too much light and shadow on our faces. She was a sincere pleasure to work with, and a great personality. Can’t wait to see the product!!! So glad we went with R.E.M.

My experience with R.E.M. was everything that a photography company should aspire to be. My husband and I first met Robert almost two years ago to discuss our wedding – he showed us gorgeous albums with equally gorgeous pictures from different photographers who work with him. That night, we decided to book R.E.M. two years in advance for our wedding day. When the date started to arrive, Robert got in contact with me and sent me a checklist of all the types of pictures that we wanted our photographer to take. The options were numerous and gave us even more ideas than we initially had in mind for our wedding pictures. The communication regarding this company was absolutely wonderful. Emails were responded to immediately, and we were able to converse with our photographer a few weeks before the wedding (something big photography companies don’t do!).
One of the things my husband and I loved about John LaVere, our assigned photographer, was that he showed up at the exact time we agreed upon at the venue and dressed professionally. John was in charge the entire time – it was great! We had a very large wedding party (16 people), so when people were still floating in late, John was able to work with what he had for shots. He was firm, but very kind and approachable, and I could genuinely smile with him taking my picture and it showed in every shot.
Another great thing about R.E.M. is that they charged by the hour, not by the number of photographs. About 500 pictures were taken in 7 hours and a vast majority of the pictures were artful and showed the decorative work that was put into the wedding. We really appreciated that.
Shortly after the wedding, the pictures John took were touched up by Robert’s wife, Izabela (Yes! A real husband and wife team!), and put on a website, so I could send invites to people who wanted to view and order any pictures. Note to the bride: when you get excited to see the pictures online, make sure you read and respond to the entire email regarding whether you want your photos on a CD or a flash drive. I was so excited to see the pictures that I did not realize that I hadn’t responded to R.E.M.‘s question which delayed the shipment of my pictures. This was entirely my fault – their communication is pretty much perfect!
The flash drive arrived and we immediately backed up all of the images to our external hard drives, just in case. R.E.M. provides digital rights, so you can copy and print out your pictures on your own time, but they also back up your pictures as well. This is important because if you want to contact R.E.M. in the future about ordering one of their gorgeous professional albums, you have the opportunity to do so. This provides a real sense of security for us.
The photographs are the only things that last after that crazy expensive day is finished, and seriously, you want to have stunning pictures to remember your wedding. If you choose R.E.M. Video and Photography, I promise that you will be patting yourself on the back for years to come because it was the best wedding decision you made.

Out of all the vendors I chose for my wedding reception, R.E.M. Video and Photography was by far the best decision I’ve made. My husband and I worked very closely with the owner, Robert Mazur, who is not only committed to ensuring his clients are happy, but also works with you on a comfortable price range. They only hire the best of the best photographers who bend over backwards to get the perfect shot (for example, our photographer climbed on top of the Lasalle Bridge to capture unique shots of Chicago and the wedding party). Our photographer in fact worked with the Chicago Tribune, and as a result our pictures were wonderfully candid and captured all the little details of the wedding.
R.E.M. also has extensive experience working with couples from different cultures — from American to Indian, they’ve done it all! Before your big day, R.E.M. works with you to ensure that they capture all the critical moments of your wedding ceremony and reception so you can rest assured all of your important memories are digitalized.
Lastly, Robert’s wife, Izabela is an EXTRADORINARY editor! Iza takes your pictures and creates unique, beautiful layouts that will leave you more than satisfied. Throughout my experience working with Iza, she is extremely efficient — any changes you ask of the layout of the album, she turns it around in a matter of minutes. They also contract with the best album binding company, Zookbinders.
The Mazur family is truly committed to making sure you’re happy with the end result. I literally visited 15 studios in the Chicagoland area, and out of all the vendors, R.E.M. gives you the best quality for the best price — you won’t be disappointed!

We used REM Video and Photography for our wedding video. I initally went to Robert’s house to meet with him and view some videos. I felt like it was a little bit difficult to communicate what I wanted with him, but in the end he understood. He showed us some videos that I was not crazy about, in terms of the effects (seemed a little cheesy), but he seemed to get what I was looking for. His prices are pretty good for the quality and value, and I did a LOT of research on videographers.
Ben ended up being the one to video our wedding, and he was great on the day of. He was very unobtrusive, courteous and accomodating. He arrived when we were getting ready at our hotel, and went with us to a few locations around the city to take photos, and then to the ceremony and reception site. We opted to save some money and not pay for any additional hours, which I think was a good choice. He got a few minutes of dancing, but otherwise, we didn’t need him to stay for three hours of dancing.
After the wedding, they asked us to choose 3 songs, and I was extremely lazy in choosing these. It took me several weeks to finally send the songs to them. They then sent us a draft of the video. We had several changes and tweaks to make, but were overall satisfied. It was really nice that we got to see a draft of the video, so that we were able to get a feel for the style and content, and then make changes accordingly. Robert took our changes into account, and sent us a final version of the DVD a few weeks later. Overall, we were very satisfied with REM for our wedding video. It’s certainly not the absolute best quality out there, but the price and value are great for what you get. I would definitely recommend them.

Our wedding planner found REM Videographers. We were not very proactive in the search. We just needed someone within our budget, with two videographers, eight hours of shooting and available on our date in November 2011. REM fit the bill and we hired them. We only had a few email communications before the wedding. We met them on the wedding day and they were professional and nice. That is all we could say about them until we got our draft of our wedding video four months later. Honestly, having not been proactive in our search, we truly lucked out with REM. They did a fabulous job! Having the video for nearly two months, we have watched it nearly ten times. It brings tears to my eyes every time. They captured so many beautiful things of our special day and I just love reliving it over and over. I love how the first part of the video was a «recap» and then it went through the ketubah signing, ceremony and reception and then it did another recap at the end to one of our songs. So amazing! Our first draft video was 92 minutes and after we saw it, we decided to purchase all of the unedited raw footage in addition which was three discs, over four and a half hours footage and worth every penny!
Having already gone through the wedding planning process, I value a vendor who is on top of their communication with me about the status of the products and what they need, etc. Robert Mazur, who is the person you will likely have the majority of your communication with, was excellent about this. I send him an email and I always, 100% of the time have a reply within 24 hours. I don’t know about other brides out there, but this was extremely important to me and was appreciated.
I highly recommend REM Videographers because they make beautiful videos. I also recommend to my friends who are getting married and actually on the fence about hiring a videographer that they come over to our house, watch our video with us and see how we react. They will hire a videographer every time! Thank you REM! We will continue to refer our friends and family to you!

We asked Robert Mazur to be our videographer for our wedding in June 2011. It was the BEST decision we made when it came to vendors for our wedding and we recommend him to couples every chance we get.
Robert was absolutely refreshing, enthusiastic, and so fun to be around on our wedding day. He is so informative about the Hindu wedding rituals and knows exactly how to capture the traditions. One of the many things that amazed me about Robert was that he goes out of his way to put the client first; It started raining when we were out taking pictures and he took the risk of damaging his equipment to get the footage of us playing in the rain. Now that is dedication! He also somehow seems to be in many places at once. He gets all the different angle shots that you would think one person is not capable of doing. AMAZING!
The final product: What we realized as soon as we sat down to watch our wedding video is that Robert not only works hard on the wedding day, but also days after editing the footage. Our wedding day looked flawless on video and I can’t help but want to show it off. Since many of you know that the day goes by so fast it was nice to look back and watch how much fun our family and friends were having. Robert did an amazing job making our wedding video say exactly what we were feeling on our big day.
We thank you for giving us such an AMAZING keepsake!

BREATHTAKING photos!
My husband and I chose R.E.M. photography because not only are their photos artistic and unique, but also their post-​production work makes all the difference in the world!
We hired two photographers and two videographers, and it was worth every penny. We have over 2,200 photos and the truly captured every moment, and then some! Our wedding and reception were held in the Aon building’s Mid-​America Club, so we took pictures around downtown and Millennium Park. The angle and attention to detail in the photos is beautiful. And the post-​production work of enhancing the colors, enhancing the light source, etc., really brought out our best features. I couldn’t believe it was us in the pictures, that’s how *amazing* we look!
Our main photographer was Megan Beader and she did a wonderful job. She was enthusiastic and extremely interested in getting all of the best shots, which was fantastic because she really wanted my husband and I to truly be captured in the best light. Our main videographer was Ben Strong. Ben was kind and was very interested in meeting all of my expectations. He continued to ask me leading up to the wedding and throughout the night about what I wanted to capture. He did a great job of checking in to make sure he was making our dream wedding video.
We can’t say enough great things about R.E.M. and we would highly recommend them to any engaged couple. Their photos are breathtaking!

Used him for our wedding a few years back, all I can say is WOW!!! We then told our friends about him and they used him too. You can’t go wrong here. He truly enjoys his work and making you enjoy your video. LOOK NO FURTHER !!!

We had the pleasure of having Robert and his assistant video our wedding in July. From the very beginning the experience was wonderful. We were very particular and so we called and email several times before the wedding to make sure everything was going to be perfect. He was always very patient while communicating with us.
Robert and his assistant seemed to be everywhere with the video cameras to ensure they were capturing every minute and they did. We knew we were going to like the video so the day we picked it up we watched it with both our parents. All of us where just blown away at how perfect the video was. When my wife and I got home after watching the video with our parents, we actually watched the whole thing again!
Since then we have watched it at least 3 more times and each time it just gets better and better. We love that we can relive that day just by watching it. A wedding is the one of the most special days of your life and we would defiantly recommend Robert from R.E.M. to capture every moment.
Thank you Robert!

I am hoping this is the correct place? Robert Mazur from R.E.M. Video and Photography is so talented. We had the pleasure of having Robert and another video guy at our wedding, which was great because they were able to capture different angles and film in different areas as all of our wedding events took place. Now I haven’t seen our final video yet but from looking at all the other wedding videos he has produced I know it’s going to be fantastic. We get to pick it up tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes. Robert is very easy to work with and makes the process very easy, the only downfall is that if you live downtown you have to drive up to his home to meet with him and for some people that can be inconvenient.