I am Bethany, and yep, it’s totally true. I love my job!

Maybe my schedule is a little different than most… I spend my weekends attending elaborate parties with groovy brides and grooms, documenting all the awesome moments of their day. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is watching sports on TV and having a beer with their buddies. I stay up really late every night, making dinner with my hubby, listening to my favorites tunes, and editing lots and lots of photos. I love the thrill off rediscovery as I import my memory cards from the day before, I laugh out loud as the best man does the worm on the dance floor, and I get teary eyed when dad sees his little girl all dressed up (Yes, I cried when Jim and Pam got married on The Office- it was great!). And of course there is no greater reward than the squeal of pleasure when a bride or groom sees the finished product. I’m the one that gets to say “I did that.” I’m a memory maker. Why do I call it Maypole Studios? Well, when I thought about decorations, festivities, laughter, and family, I thought about the maypole. As a little girl growing up in Snohomish county outside of Seattle, all my friends lived on dairy farms, and my family would go to the fair. The real kind, where blue ribbons are awarded to giant pigs, handmade quilts are on display, and ribbons are tied around a maypole. It’s a long forgotten tradition of welcoming in Spring, just as a wedding welcomes a new chapter in life. Send me a message about your wedding day, I would love to be a part of it. I currently reside in Chicago, IL, and am a former resident of NYC. Destination weddings are awesome, so if you’re traveling to somewhere special to exchange your vows, please take me with you! Have passport, will travel. (Wedding photo packages begin at $3500, please email me for a complete list of my packages)

Weddings are for everyone, because love is for everyone. Although many states in the US do not currently recognize gay marriage, I am a firm supporter of marriage equality. After all, marriage is all about the love. Rock on boys and girls!

Do I photograph families, kids, bands, or headshots? Absolutely! I love it all! My portrait sessions are usually 2 hours, and start at $450. Please contact me for more details.

Some kind words….

“Tears, tears, tears. We love it Bethany. LOVE IT. The beautiful pictures, the music, the timing of the music, thank you does not even cover it. You are an artist and combined with the person you are, it’s a perfect package. We’ll be in touch soon with plenty of picture orders…
But for now, thank you so much is all I can say. Thank you.”
-Beth and Ben

“Hi Bethany,
Thank you; Thank you: THANK YOU! They are beautiful… I’ve cried my eyes out. I even love the music playing in the background. You are truly gifted. Thanks again!”
-Tiffany and Lee

“Bethany, You are the best. Loved “Love Bike” and knew then that you were the best.
So I waited, waited and waited to see what you’d do to surpass that. You did with “ANDREA AND DAVID -DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER”.
XOXOX
Thanks and thanks and ever thanks,
Mom of the Bride,
Cher”

“Bethany, Thank you so, so much for the amazing slideshow of our photos and your kind words. We were able to relive the whole day – lots of sweet (and hilarious) memories. We were so blessed to have Katie lead us to the gloriousness that is Maypole Studios! We are in the process of watching the slideshow over and over again and sharing with our family and friends. Thank you for capturing our big day – truly, it was the best day of our lives and we could have not have asked for better photographers to document it.” “We love, love, love the rest of the pictures you posted as well! So many great ones to choose from. I know I thanked you before, but thank you again and again! We are so happy with how everything turned out. Could not have asked for a better photographer! Wishing you all the best!”
-Diana and Kyle

“Bethany,
I wanted to thank you very much for the wonderful job you did at our wedding. You made everything so easy and you always had a smile on your face. It makes a huge difference when you work with nice people… and you and your associates were fabulous to work with. Teri and I were very lucky to have found you. You are very talented!!”
-Dan and Teri

“Hey Bethany,
Thanks so much for the photos! They look AMAZING! We are having fun going through all of them!”
-Kevin and Mark

“Bethany,
I LOVE IT!!! I am of course crying at work b/c it was so beautiful!!! I can’t wait to see the rest of the pictures.”
-Megan and Kevin

“Bethany,
Thank you!!!!! I wanted you to know that I have looked at the slideshow three times and cried each time. Clinton loves the photos too! Mila watched and pointed at herself over and over while saying “wow!” You captured our sweet girl in a way we could’ve only wished for. Thank you. I’ll be in touch soon- just wanted to share our pleasure.”
-Megan, Clinton, and Mila