Peter Coombs Photography

I’m sure that he may be a great wedding photographer, but for the purpose of shooting night time photography, he was less than par. He oversold his capabilities over the phone for night time photography needs.
And when he arrived «early» which was actually one minute before the start of the project since he arrived late and couldn’t find the location where we were meeting, he complained that he was not informed of what he needed to do. (How about showing up 10 – 15 min prior. Then we would have plenty of time to discuss what is necessary for the photo shoot and set up your lights and everything else that you needed to transport). And he would have been able to hear all of the instructions that were given during introductions.
The project was to film a product to highlight its features and to show the guests using the product. However, since it took him an exorbitant amount of time to create a single shot, he spent most of his time photographing 4 out of the 12 guests that were in attendance… Kind of like going to a wedding and not getting pictures of the entire guests in attendance. When I saw him, he was photographing his assistant for about 10 minutes trying to create the one pictures that I had requested of him, which he realized couldn’t be done outdoors. But, he kept trying, thus wasting even more time. Hence, the shoddy outcome.
He complained that I didn’t have a shot sheet for him (which he never told me that he needed. But if he could have shown up more than 1 minute before we began, I could have verbally shared all my directions with him and showed him the locations of where the shoots would take place). The end result, which was an expensive $ 500 worth of useless photos, didn’t even focus on the product. Most of the pictures that he staged had the product flat vs. angled towards the camera. You couldn’t even see the product in a majority of his shots! Again, kind of like shooting a wedding, and missing the bride. And for one scene that he tried to create, it took him over 20 minutes to orchestrate. And he ended up having to Photoshop that picture since it didn’t turn out either — thus missing the remainder of the photos that he needed to shoot. FYI: My photographer in Crawfordsville did the same night time shoot a day prior with stellar results and much more artistry, and with very little direction, since she knew that the focus should have been on the product. And not once did he take any ownership in all this debacle. He guided the guests to a third location which had changed the day of the shoot since there wasn’t enough light to photograph in the dark. But, had he shown up prior to 1 min before show-​time, he would have known that since he would have heard about the change during the introductions. So, 5 guests were stranded at a different location until I figured out that he directed them to a spot that was initially scouted. The video team learned early on that he didn’t know how to shoot night time photography; but they were hesitant to say something to me since I hired him.
If you have any needs other than wedding photography, I would definitely look elsewhere.

Hired Peter based on the Unilocal reviews. He showed up a little late to the event. He said he could stay as long as we needed as long as we pay him by the hour after the 2 hour minimum. So we asked him to stay for 3 hours. The party started winding down just after 2 hours, and he was already packing up to leave. I asked him to stay longer and take more pictures for our friends and family. He obliged for 5 more minutes, and then he was completely packed up and ready to go. Felt bad asking him to unpack and take more pictures as he seemed really want to go. So he took my money for 3 hours and stayed just over 2 hours. His photos were nothing special. Most of them were throw aways. Didn’t bother to ask whom the party was for and who the VIPs were until the middle of the party, so barely got any good shots of the VIPs. Asked for some B&W photos days in advance, and all he did was send the exact same color photos in B&W which was a joke. He seemed nice enough, but would not recommend him.

We used Peter for our wedding last March. He was wonderful! The pictures were so lovely. I always have one as my background at work and always receive compliments on the beauty of them. He has such a good eye for natural moments. My only suggestion is to have a must shoot list. Even without that Peter captured such wonderful images of my husband I that we will treasure forever. The slide show he sent us while we were on our honeymoon has us impatiently waiting for more. He even helped walk us through some wedding events like the cake cutting. Thank you Peter and Gina for capturing our happy day with your Brilliant photography.

Since my wedding, I have recommended Peter to as many people as I possibly could for any of their photography needs. I wouldn’t think of Peter as a «wedding photographer» — he does everything, and he does it well. In addition to weddings, Peter takes family pictures, baby pictures, maternity pictures, engagement pictures, pictures for corporate events, theater, etc. I feel comfortable recommending Peter to anyone with photography needs because he has the personality that can coax a smile out of even the most uptight individual, and he is able to really capture people’s spirits in his pictures. For such important moments in life, it’s worth getting someone who knows what they are doing and can deliver on what they promise — a fun experience and gorgeous pictures that you will want to look at for years to come.
Additionally — take a few moments and scroll to the bottom of these Unilocal reviews and click to see his filtered reviews. They’re all excellent reviews. I recommend Peter to anyone and everyone for any of their photography needs, and look forward to having him take some more pictures of us in the future.

Peter and his wife Gina are an absolute joy to work with. I was so pleased with not only the pictures but how quickly he got them back to me! An amazing professional that makes you feel like you have been friends for years. I highly recommend!

Our experience with Peter and his wife, Gina, just keeps getting better and better. We did another family photoshoot with them as we wanted to introduce the newest member of our family — our baby daughter — and we had such a great time running around Millenium Park. The pictures that they got were amazing from the typical posed shots to even tender moments between myself and my husband or us with our children or even each one individually.
For great customer service, attention to detail, and creative shots, I’ll keep going back to Peter and Gina over and over again. Thank you for the new canvas in my living room of my family!

Peter and his wife came to our house and were absolutely excellent with our baby. They both had a fantastic eye, but just as importantly were able to keep our 8 month old fully engaged throughout the hour plus session. Their prices were reasonable and they don’t try to sell you on a million expensive prints. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to write this review. Married life goes by fast! Everything said about Peter is true. He brought his wife, Gina, to help him with our wedding and she took a few of my favorite shots, so I can’t leave her out. Our wedding day started a little stressful because the weather was a bit «iffy.» Peter calmed me down and got to shooting. He didn’t want to do any cheesy photos and I appreciated that. He listened to what I wanted and even took a few pictures that I suggested. Since we had a brunch wedding we had time to kill after wards. Peter and Gina drove me and my husband around Oak Park in their car, stopping at different places to take pictures. They even dropped us off at home when we were done! Five months later, when I go to look at one picture from our wedding, I end up looking at them all. I get caught up in them and they still make me emotional. Pictures are the only real thing you have to remind you of your wedding day. We are so glad that we trusted Peter and Gina with the most important job of our wedding. Thank You!

I’ve worked with Peter numerous times for several different theatre companies. He’s shot setups, run-​throughs, press pictures, poster images — you name it, he’s done it for us. I have continually found him professional, efficient, artistic, and reasonable on the price tag. I have recommended him time and time again for personal and professional photos (headshots, shows, weddings, etc.). I will continue to recommend him with a full five star rating. He’s great!

Update: Peter and his wife Gina photographed our wedding a little over a week ago. We had high expectations after our fantastic engagement shoot, and Peter more than surpassed them! The photos turned out absolutely gorgeous-​our relatives and friends can’t stop talking about how beautiful they look. I was thrilled to see that I look better in the photos than in real life! My husband says that he never looks as good as he does in one of Peter’s pictures. And my mom commented that Peter has the gift of capturing everyone with their best expression and at just the right moment. Looking through his photos lets me relive one of the happiest days of my life and remember all the unique moments and lovely people who were there. We truly got everything we hoped for from our wedding photos and are looking forward to sharing them for years to come.
And as the icing on the cake, Peter is incredibly fast. Just a few days after our wedding, he had assembled a video slideshow of many of the best photos and posted several more on his blog, so we were able to share pictures with our eager friends and family almost as soon as they returned home after the wedding. Less than a week after the big day, we had the full collection of high-​resolution images on a DVD, and the same set was on-​line for our friends to view and download. Amazing! Thanks so much to Peter and Gina – we will treasure these photos for the rest of our lives.

Working with Peter was fantastic! My fiancé and I had him do our engagement pictures in early November by the Planetarium. He was extremely friendly and we felt at ease with him right away. He was able to give us direction and then capture natural moments between the two of us that could not have come out more beautiful. Definitely better than I expected from any photographer.
When sending us our pictures, he included additional copies that he had changed the colors and lighting for impact. WOW! They looked incredible too! I put together a slide show for our families and they were equally impressed with his work. If you want excellent quality and pictures that really capture you as a couple, Peter is where it’s at!
You can see a few of our pictures on his blog here:

Peter was outstanding. He was the glimmering beacon of professionalism that navigated our wedding memorialization experience between the Scylla of a no-​show limo (Peter drove us around for pictures himself) and the Charybdis of an overzealous and controlling band director (he tactfully asserted our wishes to the band). I would greatly recommend Peter.
Additionally, he is very charming and enjoyable to be around.

I don’t think that I can find enough ways to praise the work of Peter! I feel like I am his biggest fan, but after reading his other reviews, it sounds like I may not be alone!
A friend of mine used Peter for her wedding and showed me the slideshow set to music that he sent her less than a week after her big day. I was not engaged at the time, but I filed the email away knowing that when I became engaged (which was soon after) that I’d be looking up Peter Coombs.
Once the time came to choose a photographer, I referred back to the link and checked out his website. As it turned out, there were 2 other friends that had used him as well. All of their photos were awesome and captured their personalities perfectly. I knew we had to use him so I booked him for our engagement pictures – mainly because my husband needed some work in front of the camera before the big day! ;) I was so pleased with the engagement session and knew right there that we had made the best choice! I couldn’t wait for our wedding!
Peter was FABULOUS on the day of our wedding! He captured so many wonderful moments and found some unique ways to catch others. He was not at all in the way and he was great about pulling us out to grab more photos when there was down time. Less than 48 hours after our wedding, I had my own slideshow set to music to share with friends and family. I almost cried when I saw how wonderful the photos looked and couldn’t wait to see the rest. I didn’t have to wait long… FOUR days after my wedding, all of our photos were available online and he had a DVD for us to pick up! I was floored! And I was blown away by the wonderful images of our special day.
I’ve shown several people the photos and one friend said that they were some of the coolest photos she had ever seen. Another friend said, «Wow! He is seriously amazing! These look like they should be in an ad.» I’ll be seeing my family tonight and I know they’re going to go gaga over all the images!
I know that I am rambling, but we were just SO pleased with Peter. If you’re looking for a photographer for any special event, you will not regret choosing the best… and Peter is definitely the BEST!

How could I have been so remiss as to not write this review sooner?
Possibly because I’ve been basking for more than a year in the sweet afterglow that comes from wedded bliss. Or I’m just forgetful. You decide.
We were so pleased with Peter Coombs as our photographer. If only we had gone through him directly (as opposed to finding him through Modern Image — but more on that in my other review — see Modern Image)
Peter is professional and courteous and thorough and all that stuff — but he’s also a lot of fun to hang out with all day (also very important!). He was attentive and seemed to be everywhere at once, but very unobtrusive. He even wedged his tall frame in between a toilet and sink in order to capture a picture of me in the ‘brides room’, applying makeup and lookin’ all pin-​up girl-​esque. These photos were among my favorite!
It was sunny when we got married, and then quickly turned dark and rainy and cold. We had just arrived at our reception and I couldn’t wait to get my dinner and CAKE. But Peter wanted to quickly snag us away for some shots outside on a rain slicked bridge with cars going by, a very urban, cool set of shots. At the time, I was a tired, cranky bride and did not want to be out in the cold again, but I trusted Peter and I’m glad I did. Those shots that he took were among the BEST of the batch!
He knows what he’s doing, folks! And… he will give you your digital negatives for FREE afterward! (Something that we wished we had known before we booked him through Modern Image — a company that does not offer that generous parting gift.)
So, book Peter DIRECTLY. You will not be disappointed
Oh! And I almost forgot the digital slide show set to music that arrived in my email less than a week after we got married. It was such a neat surprise to come home to. It was set to a song I’d never heard before, but now when we do hear it, we remember our wedding… most recently we heard it at Buy Buy Baby as we were picking out our baby registry.
Thank you for being such an integral part of our day, Peter!

Got the pictures and in the midst of making a photobook with the DVD Peter provided: D Loved working with him and I wish I was in another wedding and he was shooting for it! Thank you so much Peter!!!
Brides to be — Book him! His prices are awesome and I’m still getting compliments on my pictures! You won’t be disappointed, trust me!

My husband and I both agreed that our wedding day was the happiest and most memorable day of our lives. We had such a great time! Having Peter Coombs as our photographer contributed to such an incredible day. Many thanks and much appreciation to him!!!
We found Peter through
and it was Dee W.‘s review that sparked our attention. Wedding planning is such a daunting task, but finding individuals like Peter makes the planning process so much rewarding.
As everyone has mentioned in their reviews, Peter is such a great individual to work with. Our wedding day was jam-​packed with so many different events occuring as we had an ethnic Cambodian ceremony at my house in the morning and a Catholic wedding ceremony during the afternoon with a evening reception to boot. Even though it was difficult for Peter to manuever about at my house with tons of family in friends during the morning ceremony, he was such a great sport. The pictures turned out great. With the craziness of the day, Peter made sure that we got shots that we may not have thought about at that time, but are so glad to have!
We were also planning on shooting some pictures of the bridal party at the Morton Arboretum but were accompanied by some rain. So we had decided to take pictures at the reception venue and in our bridal suite. However, because we had two ceremonies that occurred back to back, I was soo hungry! We took a detour and stopped by McDonald’s.The chicken nuggets I had was my saviour for the day. Peter came along without a fuss and we got some fun shots there!
He shot the wedding a couple of weeks ago and were surprised how quickly we received links to the photos. Some other couples that I knew who had their wedding about a month before ours told us how jealous they were since we got our pictures so soon! Peter also made this wonderful slideshow preview of the photos that we were able to share with our family and friends. Everyone loved it! He provided the slideshow on an disc which LOOKS wonderful on an HD tv screen.
Many of our guests commented on how funny and accommodating Peter was, which I was glad to hear.
My husband and I are excited and looking forward to working with Peter towards creating our wedding album. If you need a photographer to work with on your special day, I highly recommend Peter Coombs!

I have to echo everything already stated here. Peter is absolutely amazing. I haven’t even gotten our pictures yet and already feel the need to tell anyone looking for a photographer how great Peter is. You will not get your typical bland cheesy wedding photographer stuff. He’s so easy to get along with and makes everyone feel at ease. Anyone looking for a photographer should 100% use Peter. I’ll update after I get the pix!
UPDATE
We got our photos and (gasp) they’re brilliant! I know everyone is shocked. We got a slideshow put to music which was such an entertaining thing for the family and then he gave us all of our negatives and with those he did a bunch of professional work on a bunch of them. My photos are much better than most people I know and I won’t even mention the savings with Peter over a typical wedding studio. The quality, the personality, and the professionalism are so much better than anywhere else. Seriously, if you’re thinking of hiring him, just email me. You won’t be looking anymore!
ALSO LOOK AT THE FILTERED REVIEWS… APPARENTLY IF YOU ONLY HAVE 1 OR 2 REVIEWS Unilocal FILTERS THEM (LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE). BUT ALL OF THESE ARE 5 STARS TOO… AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM SO PLEASE READ!

so the Big Day has come and gone… and Peter still gets 5 stars and a major thumbs up :)
He is extremely talented and obviously not human. He has some insane ability that allows him to be in about 5 different places at once! He (and his intern) were taking pictures left and right and captured some wonderful images (yes…the wedding was 15 days ago and we already have our pictures).
We even had guests telling us that he was great! I will undoubtedly recommend him to anybody!

My (now) husband and I got married four weeks ago, and we were lucky enough to be able to book Peter to photograph our wedding. As he (and everyone else who has been around me any amount of time) knows, I hate having my picture taken. I’m uncomfortable in front of the camera, always dislike how the photos turn out, and really just do my best to stay behind the camera rather than in front of it.
Well, I still don’t love being photographed, but I love the photos that Peter took at our wedding. I actually look human in them, and I owe it all to Peter. He spent the entire day with us, made us feel completely at ease (and not just us, but all of our family and friends), and took over 1200 photographs. I’m having trouble narrowing it down to a small enough number to include in my album because there are just so many to choose from.
And, because I’ve seen what he does with Trash the Dress after the wedding, I’m even considering hiring him to do that with me (yes…me…the one who hates to have her picture taken.) My sister hired Peter to do Trash the Dress, and the photos make her look like a professional model. Some of the pictures could be in a magazine. I’d pay anything to just have one picture of me that would look like that in a unique (non-​wedding) location.
I would definitely recommend him to any couple. If you’d like to speak privately, let me know. I’d be happy to answer questions, give you a review over phone or email, etc.

What an AMAZING find!!! I could not have asked for a better photographer for my wedding! And It seems that everyone who has had the pleasure of working with him agrees.
As most brides know, your photographer is one of the most important aspects of your wedding… and because of this I looked at nearly 20 photographers online and visited 5 studios. I found Peter Coombs as a photographer associated with Modern Image Studios and fell in love with his photos and style. (Note: Peter Coombs also has his own full scale photography company/​set-​up). If you are looking for a photographer who is both extraordinary at candid and posed shots then he is the right guy for you (I found many photographers that were good at one or the other. or that had one style).
Peter is professional, friendly, creative, skilled, personable, easy to work with, and just plain fun. He took every photo on my list (and I had a very long list), every «special moment,» plus so many more photos that I would have never thought to take. He arrived early, followed us to 4 different locations, made everyone feel extremely comfortable, and exceeded all my expectations.
Peter took 1400 phenomenal photographs and truly captured every aspect of my wedding! I can’t thank him enough! As an extra bonus Peter made us this really cool preview slide show of some of our wedding photos with a song playing in the background. I still watch it and show people 5 months later!
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Peter again! After kicking around the idea of «trash the dress,» viewing many photos, and discussing the idea with Peter, I really fell in love with the idea. We picked the photo shoot locations and were off (locations were all in the city and included a bridge, railroad tracks/​boxcar, and lake michigan).
Wow! What an amazing and enjoyable experience! I can’t describe how much fun the photo shoot was and how perfect it was to work with Peter again (even my husband had fun). He made the photo shoot laid-​back and comfortable and his creativity soared. We both felt like models running around the city! The photos are fabulous and so artistic. The scene, lighting, and set-​up were impeccable. I loved everything about the experience (if you can’t tell)!
I would highly recommend Peter Coombs!