Ryan, Owner of Ryan Moore Photography, was gracious enough to be the official photographer of Wedtoberfest 2016. We loved reliving the event through his amazing photos. Learn more about this awesome, local Chicago photographer below!
Can you tell me a little bit about your business and how you got started?
After working as an engineer for 5 years, I knew it wasn’t the right fit so I did what all smart folks did and quit their stable corporate job in the winter of 2009 amidst the greatest recession of our lifetime. I bummed around South America and Europe for most of 2010 honing my landscape photography skills before coming back to Chicago with dreams of a career behind the camera. I started shooting engagements/weddings for friends, and I found my niche in a combination of landscape-influenced portraiture and photojournalism. Year after year, this job keeps getting better as I meet so many couples who are making their weddings uniquely their own. Every weekend is a new adventure…I love it!
What do you think the benefit is of hiring a smaller company to do a couple’s wedding photography?
The biggest benefit from what I’ve seen/heard about small companies vs the big studios is that the small companies simply care so much more. A small company knows that it’s not about maintaining a “good enough” yelp average to keep business coming in, but instead making every single client extremely happy. Word of mouth is everything for us, so we are personally invested in making sure the experience from the first email to the delivery of the album is an exceptional one. Personally, I like to spend time getting to know my clients (almost always over several beers) so that by the time the wedding day comes around, it feels like we’re all friends hanging out together instead of the creepy bearded dude taking photos in the corner of the room.
What is your favorite seasonal beer for autumn?
I’m not big on most Autumn seasonals, but this year Deschutes Brewery‘s “Hopzeit Autumn IPA” was a welcomed exception. I’m a perennial IPA drinker, and the Hopzeit hits the spot with some Fall maltiness balanced with IPA hopiness.
What are a couple of your favorite local Chicago beers?
3 Floyds‘ Zombie Dust has always been a favorite…probably because 3 Floyds makes it rare enough that I crave it. Other favorites include Aleman’s IPA, Revolution’s Hero Series Beers (all of them), and 5 Rabbit’s Chinga Tu Pelo (for the name/story behind it if nothing else).
Do you advice for couples planning their wedding bar menu?
Keep it local to make the craft beer crowd happy and introduce the macro-brewery folks to something new! For every Bud Light or Blue Moon, there’s a Chicago-made beer of the same style that can satisfy the masses!
Thanks to Ryan Moore Photography for photographing this year’s event! Make sure to take a look at the recap photos from Wedtoberfest 2016 here.
