gerber + scarpelli

I simply cannot rave enough about Nick Gerber!!! Nick shot both our engagement session and our wedding day! It was great to get to know him during the engagement session and definitely was great practice for the big day! We really didn’t even care about engagement pictures, but they were so stunning and creative that we’ve used them for all sorts things and have them framed in our home. The wedding pictures were so beautiful I could only cry and cry when I received the flash drive with all of them. Nick is insanely talented and captured the editorial shots I wanted (they seriously belong in a magazine!!) and the classic photos our families wanted. AND Nick was so fun and hilarious to work with! All day long my bridesmaids and family/​friends kept talking about great and personal he was to be around! I never thought or stressed about pictures all day– Nick was the perfect balance of everything you want in a photographer. I also thought I would regret not paying for two photographers– but when you hire someone this phenomenal, you only need one. I don’t feel like there were any shots I didn’t get or that I sacrificed at all. Our wedding album is better than I could ever imagined all thanks to Nick! I recommend him to anyone and everyone! We had the BEST experience with him and I feel so incredibly grateful that he captured the beauty and glorious energy of our day!

Kurt Gerber did our engagement session and was the lead photographer for our wedding, and the photos turned out better than I ever could have imagined (and I had high expectations)! I am so thankful to Gerber and Scarpelli for capturing this special time in our lives in such an artistic and editorial way. The photos were the PERFECT blend of capturing the spontaneous, emotional moments of the day, as well as creating some truly artistic images that could live in a high end magazine.
They were totally professional, unobtrusive and always went with the flow. In fact, I hardly noticed them during our wedding ceremony and reception, but it was clear they were in the thick of things once we saw the images. My mom even commented how nice it was not to have a distraction during the emotional and meaningful ceremony — they truly managed to stay under the radar while capturing some of the most amazing photos!
Thank you so so so much for everything!

Was referred by a good friend to Nick Gerber and he did a awesome job on our engagement shoot and wedding. He made us feel so comfortable and brought out so many extra smiles and great photos were the result. I would certainly hire Nick 10 times out of 10.

Mike and Belen shot our wedding on November 22. They were great to work with! They captured some many details and great memories from our special day. We traveled to many sites around the city and had a large bridal party, they made all of that work! Our pictures were ready to go two months after our wedding, which I believe is faster than a lot of other wedding photographers.. We are currently working on our album and Belen has been great to work with. Thank you Mike and Belen for being a part of our special day, and capturing amazing photos! We definitely recommend Gerber and Scarpelli!

Mike and his team were amazing to work with. It was very important to me to work with someone who could, not only, capture my ideas, but also bring their creative side to the shots. I needed someone who was going to create the candid shots without feeling posed even though we were POSED! Mike and his team did exactly that and we were blown away with the results. Mike made both of us feel at ease and relaxed throughout the whole day. They created a video montage which (an incredible surprise) really captured how perfect our special weekend turned out. Thank you Gerber+Scarpelli! We couldn’t have asked for a better team.

Megan shot our October wedding and did a wonderful job. She made things fun and easy and we ended up with great results. Thanks again Megan for a wonderful job!

We wish we bad gone with someone else. It is really sad to us that when we look back on our wedding what we remember most vividly was how unpleasant our photographer was. We hated our experience working with her and most of our wedding photos. The backup photographer was wonderful and captured some interesting groom/​groomsmen shots.

These guys are AMAZING! WOW! Very very professional. We loved our engagement photos. We were able to do them outside in the snow and we got some amazing winter shots. Our wedding photos topped the fabulous engagement photos. The turnaround time was quick… about 1 month. Also we used a «thank you» photo and they were able to send us that immediately after the wedding. Kurt and Tim did our big day and we are just so happy with how everything turned out. Kurt is very experienced, knows A LOT about weddings, and was very easy to work with. Both Kurt and Tim are very creative and artsy. I would highly recommend them for a wedding or special event!

First, I want to say that both photographers with us were friendly, kind, and warm. We felt they were a part of our day and wanted us to feel comfortable, and they were successful in doing that.
That being said, I’m disappointed in our photos. We were told it would take roughly 4 weeks to receive our photos because they were being edited and retouched. We received photos that appeared to be neither edited or retouched, but merely uploaded. A couple photos on our shot list were missing, people were in the middle of blinking, and some of the photos would have looked better if we were instructed to shift minor things such as «drop your chin down», etc. My expectation of having professional photographers was that they would look at the frames of important shots and have the subjects take another if it didn’t turn out, or tell everyone in the photo to open their eyes, etc.
Also, our church photos were a huge disappointment. I wish they would’ve recommended that we have them in the front pew so that their shots wouldn’t be blocked by other people. These are things we didn’t even think about because we have never been married before or gone through a similar process. I would’ve rather had them sit in the front pew to get good photos than be in the back. Most of our church photos (except the shot taken from the second floor) look like amateur shots with people’s shoulders and backs in the shots, etc.
I’ve expressed some of these concerns, and have been told to go through the photos one by one and make note of the retouches I’d like — I’m disappointed as I think these changes should have been made before sending us the photos. Now, we have to make the time to request edits and we don’t even know if they’ll be possible.
Again, nice, kind photographers. Just disappointed in the product and experience post wedding, and frustrated that we have to request the retouching on specific photos. I thought that was why we hired professional photographers.

Kurt shot our wedding last September. He was a pleasure to work with. He was super accommodating to our needs. We did not want a lot of «hoopla» but wanted great shots. He ‘discreetly’ captured our wedding day perfectly. He was professional throughout all our interactions with him. He made sure that we enjoyed our day while helping us get the perfect pictures needed to savor the memories (he was very helpful in kind of telling us what to do and how to pose as we are not exactly into being photographed — this put both my husband and I at ease).
Furthermore he was willing to shoot our engagement photos after the wedding which we actually just did recently (close to a year later). All our pictures are amazing. Pricing was completely reasonable for the excellent work he does. Would highly recommend Kurt personally for any wedding or other photo shoot. Great personality and demeanor to put you at ease.

I can’t say enough good things about this company! My sister had Maggie as her photographer for her wedding and she did a tremendous job, so when it was time for my husband and I to get married we went with Gerber and Scarpelli too.
We got Belen for our photographer and she did an incredible job! She worked with us throughout the entire process (selecting locations, timing, prep etc). Her suggestions on location fit our personality and style to a T. We are so happy with our pictures. They are artistic, romantic, unique and fun. She was a total joy to work with – her calm demeanor and easy going nature was a blessing with all the craziness that can occur during wedding time! I would recommend this company and Belen or Maggie to everyone — and will!!!
Emily

Professional. Kind. Helpful. Talented. You will not find better photographers for your event. Stop looking; go with Gerber+Scarpelli.
Nick did our engagement photos and wedding. Tim was also at our wedding. They were not only excellent at doing their jobs, they did them with enthusiasm and genuine joy. They get creative with every location and always find the perfect shot. It’s incredible just to watch them work. Here are some specific examples of how these guys are awesome:
— Nick wears a classy black suit to your wedding, complete with camera cufflinks. Baller.
— Tim will straight-​up (politely) tell you if you look wrong while trying to pose, then give you a better suggestion. He probably saved me a few photos of me looking like an idiot.
— I wanted a photo of my Mom’s family at the rehearsal. I didn’t know how to get them together. Nick said, «No problem, I’ll handle it.» Then he coordinated with the DJ to make an announcement and we had everybody ready to go in 5 minutes.
— Some makeup got on my tux while giving a friend a hug. Nick noticed immediately and brushed it off before it ruined any photos.
— Nick held the bride’s purse with his camera gear during the ceremony so she didn’t have to worry about where it was when transitioning to the photo bus.
— Every location was shot with efficiency, and when the bus driver didn’t know how to get there quickly, Nick and Tim were directing them. We didn’t have to worry about a thing.
— Nick remembered a specific pose we did for the engagement photos we took 10 months earlier! We recreated it for a wedding shot. That level of recall and thoughtfulness is above and beyond anything I could have expected.
If I could give 6 stars, I would.
Check out their instagram account:
Side note: I know Nick’s work outside of weddings to be the best source of talented, unique, and creative shots of Chicago. Check it out:

Nick and his dad, Kurt, Gerber covered our special day on May 3^rd in Chicago. We had the most non-​traditional wedding in the world which probably made things very difficult, but the two of them nailed it.
They were professional, enthusiastic, polite, sooooo nice, unobtrusive, and just plain fun and easy to work with. They are exactly who you want covering your big day.
My husband and I literally cannot wait to see the final pictures and hang them in our home forever to cherish.
Kudos to a job well done to this father and son team… they have the passion and the professionalism. Rockstars!

This review is for Old St. Pat’s brides who are beginning their initial research for a photographer … I would love to be able write a review of Gerber+Scarpelli photography — it looks stunning on their website. But I can’t. I contacted them to ask about photography availability for my wedding, and met with radio silence. I sent a query email first and got no response. After waiting a couple days, I called the studio, and talked with someone who said they’d send me information. But they didn’t. After such glowing reviews on Unilocal,I expected a little bit more than nothing, which is what I got. I’m getting married at Old St. Pat’s, which means there is a very limited list of photographers I can call to photograph my wedding. So it’s frustrating that one of the vendors is a black hole. I even tried to contact Orange2Photography, which is apparently closely associated with Gerber+Scarpelli, and got the same treatment. So, OSP brides — I strongly recommend that you start somewhere else on the list. I met with other photographers who were incredibly responsive, showed phenomenal portfolios and had excellent personalities. G+S apparently has enough business; they probably don’t need yours. If this is how they treat a potential customer, I shudder to think about their follow through once they actually have you locked into a contract.

Gerber and Scarpelli were absolutely wonderful to work with at out November 2013 wedding. We had Emily C as our main photographer and she did outstanding work! We just got our pictures back and we cannot stop gushing over them and sending them to basically any acquaintance we have ever met! Emily was wonderful from our first meeting onwards. We did an engagement shoot with her as well and had wonderful shots for a save-​the-​date card! she had an assistant with her the day of our wedding (who was also fun and a delight to be with as well). Both were understanding, helpful, and took beautiful pictures we will cherish for a lifetime! We had a rainy day-​Emily was able to find great places to shoot indoors and never even blinked an eye at the challenge! We did a package with albums and we cannot wait to pick and see the end result. I would recommend them to anyone!

This Unilocal review is very overdue, but the timing delay should be in no way a reflection of how we feel about this great team.
Orange2Photography/​Gerber and Scarpelli were our wonderful wedding photographers. We got married July 7^th at Old St. Pat’s and the Chicago Cultural Center. We initially found out about Orange because they were on the very limited Old St. Pat’s approved photography list. At first I was frustrated by the limited choice, but when I started exploring their website it was such an easy answer for me. Their photos really speak for themselves, but I will speak to the experience. They were so easy to work with, happy, focused, professional and considerate.
Belen was our main photographer and was so easy going and fun to work with. We originally got to know her in our engagement session – which at first we REALLY didn’t want to do (being camera shy/​awkward) but Belen gently convinced us to give it a shot. Her point being, the e session is the time to get comfortable in front of the camera before the big day. Fantastic advice. The photos really worked well and she was so flexible with what we wanted. We learned what the experience working with a photographer would be like and understood how we could direct, change and adapt in a photo session. It didn’t hurt that Belen’s and my aesthetics lined up perfectly.
Belen came to our rehearsal dinner and easily snapped the most special moments. If anyone is considering having a photographer at your rehearsal dinner I will tell you it was one of the best decisions we made.
The day of the wedding was great and Belen and Maggie worked so well with our videography team. They were funny, quick thinking and creative on the spot. They kept very close to my (very type A) required photo list and captured all the moments we needed. I actually can’t believe how successful they were at being in the exact right place at the right time. We had so much fun taking pictures and they managed to get such great shots in a limited amount of «dedicated photography time». I will also never forget how Belen literally talked us through every single step needed to cut a wedding cake. We would have been very lost without her!
After the wedding and after we and come back down to reality, a little anxiety about the photos squeaked its way in — «what if there isn’t a picture with my mom?» «what if the photos look cheesy» and, the worst fear of all, «what if we look awkward in every shot!!!» Well all the fears were totally unfounded because Belen and Maggie found the photogenic/​chill/​happy sides of all of us and our friends and family. They managed to only capture people in the best possible light. The church was perfectly featured, the Chicago Cultural Center never looked better and all our family and friends on the dance floor looked fantastic, happy and authentic.
Net net, I was very happy (and continue to be months out) and would highly highly recommend Belen and Maggie. Thank you both! OK, now I owe you responses on the wedding album…

We used orange2 part of Gerber/​Scarpelli as our photographers for our June 22, 2013 wedding. Nick was our photographer and boy was he amazing. From the start he is so nice and makes you feel comfortable. To top it off he is always asking if he can help in any way to see if we were okay!
Our pictures are amazing! He made our wedding pictures looks amazing and to top it off we received our pictures a week later! Amazing is all I can say!

We found Mike Scarpelli from our church’s (Old St. Pats) list of vendors… and it was easy to see from reviews and website that Gerber & Scarpelli were the best!!!
We met Mike for our consultation and felt so easy around him from minute 1. We were pumped for engagement shoot which went extremely well. We’ve used the pics for our wedding website, and even some wedding DIY’s. They came out GREAT!
We had the talented Mike Scarpelli and fabulous Maggie for our June 30^th wedding… Mike hung out with us girls & got some great shots and Maggie went and took pics of the guys that morning. Both my hubby and I had great things to say… they used fun props around our different condo/​hotel environments to take some great photos that we are just dying to see! After the ceremony, the weather of course was sunny and hot. and with our trolley having only 2 hours to take us around, Mike and Maggie worked extremely hard at making it to our fave spots and then using our hotel lobby for some even more fabulous wedding photos.
Seeing their excitement that day made us feel so comfortable and magazine-worthy…they were so much fun and laid-back…Oh and the best part was when Mike took some night shots of us with our hotel’s architecture…(Tip Top Tap sign).SO COOL!
Tons of thanks and love to MIke & Maggie! We are so excited to tell everyone about your awesome work!

I hired Gerber & Scarpelli for my June 2^nd wedding in Chicago. I found them via the coordinator at Old St. Pat’s church, since they only allow a handful of photographers into the church. At first, I was disappointment that I couldn’t find just any photographer I wanted but it worked out for the best because I could not imagine having had a better photographer than Mike Scarpelli.
After having engagement photos with another photographer there and not being completely satisfied, he happily took us on, listened to our ideas and delivered 110%. He was also able to control the group, which was really important to me (you know the boys can get rowdy). Mike is professional, artistic, and FUNNY! It was really a delight working with him. He was stuck with us for 12 hours that day and was always there. He and his assistant never missed a moment of the action.
We received a slideshow in just 1 week and all of our 1200+ photos were ready and delivered to me after just 3 weeks! In fact, Im meeting with Belen tomorrow to design our wedding album. The photos turned out incredible. My family & friends keep saying our wedding should have been in a magazine, or a movie. We LOVE the photos. Cannot WAIT to see the album.
I highly recommend hiring Mike Scarpelli for your wedding or event. Amazing.

O-​MAH-​GOSHH!
I don’t even know what to say. I absolutely 1 000 000 000 000% love my photographers. Belen, Lizz, Frankie, Nick. Amazing!
Belen and Lizz shot my wedding and I absolutely loved them and the pictures. They really got into the spirit of the wedding and were such a pleasure to work with. They get excited about the pictures they take which I think is so important. They really treat each wedding as having its own unique personality. They aren’t in your face either. During the reception they just kept floating around snapping away and I actually got surprised to see all the different moments they got during my reception. It was great!
A month after my wedding, Belen shot the wedding of a friend of mine and I was the wedding coordinator. It was fun working with her from a different perspective and watching her capture all the moments that make each wedding unique.
They are really easy to talk to and whenever you have questions they get back to you really quickly. I absolutely love Belen. We worked with her a lot. She shot our wedding, and our Chicago shoot, and our Trash the Dress shoot. She made me feel like a rockstar every step of the way. Frankie, wow. Attention to detail. At some point we were at Navy Pier and he was swatting away little bugs in the air and moving cigarette butts to get them out of the shot. Now that’s someone that really cares about how a picture turns out.
The pictures are fantastic and they capture such beautiful moments and amazing candids. Definitely the best money I spent!