Allusion Photography

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Allusion Photography It's the story of your beginning and our vow to tell it. Being a photographer is all about storytelling and seeing the world through each client's eyes.

It's about documenting the human spirit, your spirit, which is so unique. Documenting memories and turning them into tangible moments you can enjoy for a lifetime is nothing new for me. Working in the television industry as a documentary producer for so many years gave me the opportunity to understand what makes each subject so different and so special. Each time I found another artist who underst

ood the importance of each client's story; they became part of my staff. Today, Allusion Photography has one of the strongest teams of hopeless romantics in the country. Everyone is on the same page with a commitment to catch that tear in a grandmother's eye, the pride in a father's smile as he walks his daughter down the aisle or the look on a bride or groom's face when they see each other for that first time on their day. We specialize in capturing the emotion of our clients, their families and their special moments in life. A wedding album is the first family heirloom of a brand new family. I hope you'll allow us to help capture those memories and turn them into individual works of art to cherish forever. Sherry Hagerman
Founder/CEO

29/11/2023

This is the last chance to meet up with me in Michigan. Only a few tickets left. Learn light painting and my editing techniques in this two-day event!!! Live models and professional HMUA. Come out and hang with me and play with Nanlite USA at Camera Exchange in Waterford, MI December 8th & 9th. Chicago is only a hop, skip and a jump away!!!!
Tickets: https://cameraexc.com/products/light-painting-event?_pos=1&_sid=00e9fb57a&_ss=r&fbclid=IwAR20zUwT255MwOmwMqk3-Z0pa9_qqApmb_AiL_D0wvB3oy_VOhEYYnBSDIQ

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It's bridal expo day. Hanging in Naperville for a bit with The Luxury Bridal Expo
12/11/2023

It's bridal expo day. Hanging in Naperville for a bit with The Luxury Bridal Expo

When your tip is a Gucci purse!!!!! STOOOOOPPPP IT! Best tip ever and such a beautiful wedding!!! Thank you Mark Alvin G...
16/07/2023

When your tip is a Gucci purse!!!!! STOOOOOPPPP IT! Best tip ever and such a beautiful wedding!!! Thank you Mark Alvin Gajeton! It was an honor and I loved spending the day with you and Tomascz!

20/11/2022

It's Bridal expo time!!! Getting married? Come out to Georgios Banquets in Orland Park and see me. Allusion Photography

VENUE BLACKLISTED: As of November 2022 Allusion Photography will no longer be supporting Warehouse 109 in Plainfield, IL...
06/11/2022

VENUE BLACKLISTED: As of November 2022 Allusion Photography will no longer be supporting Warehouse 109 in Plainfield, IL. If you have a booking at this venue we apologize but we can no longer support photographing here. If you are thinking about booking here you should check their negative reviews.

Okay...Okay...Okay lol. You are all private messaging me about this venue lol (so sorry, a friend asked me to come to her wedding yesterday and give her some pointers)! HERE IT IS...and the situation! Now before I go into this I need to set this scenario for you so you fully understand. MOST wedding photographers begin their day around 10am. We go the entire day on full steam ahead without sitting down and without breaks (I mean not even time to use the bathroom. We generally hold it until cocktail hour). So If you do that math cocktail hour is usually around 6p....That's 8 hours of standing, carrying heavy equipment, not eating or using the washroom. By the time we hit cocktail hour we just need a minute!
This past weekend I was at Warehouse 109, which I was pretty proud of because it is actually in my home city of Plainfield, Il. I'm not so proud anymore. It is now on my blacklist and I have no issues turning away any client getting married here. The owners of this place are absolutely horrible when it comes to the treatment of the vendors that come here. If you enjoy being treated like a dog...this is your place! I also looked at their negative reviews to see if this was just a one off...but it's not. This seems to be the case here. I'll just go down the list and you guys can make your own decisions.
1) Most venues have a table for vendors to sit during dinner just so we can get off our feet for a minute. I had asked where this was and she told me to go stand at one of the high-top tables in the corner. When I said I don't even mind sitting outside (and it was raining) she said, "no, you can stand over there". I let it go. 18 years of working with just about every venue I thought...okay...they are kind of new so fine...all of us found a couch and 5 of us squeezed onto the couch lol. It was entertaining to say the least.
2) They had a charcuterie station that NO ONE ate at during cocktail hour. I decided to grab some cheese because I was starving. They had these thin wooden forks...only good enough to push through cheese because cheese is soft. Just remember that part. At this time the caterer (who provides the food) sees us all sitting and says, "have you guys been fed"? I said, "no". He was super sweet and went to the kitchen and brought us all out food. We didn't have silverware though. I then asked the venue owners sister if we could have a fork. She said in a super mean voice, "NO, we don't do that for you guys! Besides you already have one!" as she pointed to the crappy wooden fork in the middle of the table that we were all suppose to share I guess. Again, fine, we ignored it and ate rice and Carne Asada with our hands until eventually one of their staff walked by, saw and offered to sneak us some. We all seriously felt like savages. At this point we realized this venue is not so friendly...there were some other small things but not big enough to write a book about.
3) This is the one that drove it home for me. Most of you know my history. You know my parents worked their butt off to get my sister and I in a good place. We did, went to a local college, both got great jobs and I now live in North Plainfield. I am proud of my family and how hard we have all worked to give ourselves and children the lives we have! I am proud of my home, the town I live in and my community! I LOVE IT HERE!!! Read this story all the way through because what I will say at the end will completely shock the hell out of you! The bride asked me to stay for a drink when we were done. In 18 years of doing this I never have done that. I refuse to drink at weddings! I told her that is something I don't do in the sweetest voice possible. SHE WAS INSISTSANT. Said she would feel insulted if we didn't. So my assistant and I said we would have one drink and sit outside by the fire while we did. Now I know for a fact they paid for guests that did not show up so the venue actually made money not lost money on alcohol. I go to the bar (where the owner, Clayton, is the bartender). I ask for 2 burbons and cokes. Nothing to get drunk off of and certainly nothing to break their bank. He said, "Aren't you the photographers? I said, Yes. He said well you don't get free drinks. You have to pay for yours! I said fine. I seriously didn't care. I thought it was petty but whatever. He stated that if he gave a vendor a free drink every time they had an event they would be out of business. I didn't say anything but what I really wanted to say was...you spilled more alcohol on your bar tonight than what you placed in that glass....I think you'll be okay! He asked me how long I had been a photog. I told him 18 years and that I am ranked #1 in the Midwest, #2 in the United States and #6 in the world. He did the ugliest laugh and said...yeah...you're the #1 and you live in Plainfield! I WAS SO SHOCKED!!!! I didn't know what to say. YEAH I DO LIVE HERE SO WHAT??? Does that make me less of a person? Am I not good enough to be here or too good? Either way a seriously crappy statement.
I worked damn hard to live in the house I live in. I have come so far in my life to lift myself up! I am one of the top photographers in my industry and now owner of one of the largest Photography education conferences in the United States that's held annually here in Chicago. He had no right to judge my lifestyle because I was in his venue...THE FREAKIN KICKER....I LOOKED THEM UP AND THEY LIVE HERE TOO! WTF????? Again, I wanted to cry but said nothing. I told him I drop off my images for them and they have my wedding albums in their sales room. He degraded that and instead of saying, oh thank you for that, he said...We have lots of peoples wedding albums in that room! Which I then said, it's fine...you probably don't need more then! After that point I walked away and actually cried on my drive home because of the, "where I live comment". This also pi**ed me off because not many photographers share their work for free to venues. They make the venues pay for them or not share at all. I always do. I always feel that everyone should help each other out. Without our images they would have to pay a company to come in and shoot their advertising images, which would cost them a hell of a lot more than a seat to sit in, a fork and a drink! AND that company wouldn't have to listen to their degrading comments.
I have to say I usually don't let things like this bother me. I know in this industry I give my heart and soul in helping others, charity work, mommy work, photography work and my photography community as well as my home community. I am proud of what I have done in my life and where I have placed myself in this world. I live with integrity and I value everyone who crosses my path. Respect is the #1 key to making it in this world. These people had none. 18 years in my career, I am at a place that I can pick and choose where I want to work and what clients I want to work with. I have a waiting list and those I cannot help I still reach out to and give venue recommendations and other vendor recommendations. I have spent the last 7 years of my life mentoring photographers on how to run their business and how to shoot out of the kindness of my heart. I don't charge for that. I WILL NOT, at this stage in my career, LET SOME VENUE TREAT ME LIKE LESS OF A PERSON BECUASE I WAS HIRED BY A CLIENT! As of Monday I will have them blacklisted on my site and all of you know the story here. This is not a place that will have my support and I will spend the rest of my career letting others know if they ask me about Warehouse 109 why I would not use it. You give what you put out in this world. The message they gave me on Friday was certainly crystal clear....all I will be doing is passing that message on FOR them! Again, read their negative reviews...I'm not the only one.
My message to you is DO NOT let someone disrespect you when you did nothing to deserve it. Stand up for yourself and your beliefs. If you do not, then they will continue to treat the person after you in the same disrespect. I cannot get behind that!

27/04/2022
Congratulations to Hanna on your Quinceanera this weekend! Such a fun event The Farmhouse Plainfield! https://vimeo.com/...
26/04/2022

Congratulations to Hanna on your Quinceanera this weekend! Such a fun event The Farmhouse Plainfield! https://vimeo.com/703451305

This is "Hannah Novy" by Allusion Photography on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Another exciting wedding show with Windy City Wedding Show a Weekend Long Wedding Experience. Make sure you come out and...
05/02/2022

Another exciting wedding show with Windy City Wedding Show a Weekend Long Wedding Experience. Make sure you come out and see me if you're getting married!!! Photography

It's that time of year, I'm at the Rosemont convention center for the 2022 Bridal Expo!!! I'm only taking 20 wedding cou...
08/01/2022

It's that time of year, I'm at the Rosemont convention center for the 2022 Bridal Expo!!! I'm only taking 20 wedding couples for 2022!!! If you're here come visit me at both 501. www.allusionphotography.com

It's headshot day for the Doctor's at Grove Dental Associates  in Lombard! I'm nailing all of these shots with the Profo...
16/12/2021

It's headshot day for the Doctor's at Grove Dental Associates in Lombard! I'm nailing all of these shots with the Profoto - Share the light B10 and Sony A9 setup!!!

Such a great networking event tonight at The Moment on Main in Wheaton. I am meeting soooo many great wedding vendors at...
18/11/2021

Such a great networking event tonight at The Moment on Main in Wheaton. I am meeting soooo many great wedding vendors at this phenomenal place!!! This place is soooo cute! Here's a few cell phone photos for now because I'm in the moment. However, professional images to follow

Such a great networking event tonight at The Moment on Main  in Wheaton. I am meeting soooo many great wedding vendors a...
18/11/2021

Such a great networking event tonight at The Moment on Main in Wheaton. I am meeting soooo many great wedding vendors at this phenomenal place!!! This place is soooo cute! Here's a few cell phone photos for now because I'm in the moment. However, professional images to follow

Who melts when a client brings their pup during their creative session? I DO!!!! Thank you Ariel & Patrick for sharing y...
07/10/2021

Who melts when a client brings their pup during their creative session? I DO!!!! Thank you Ariel & Patrick for sharing your sweet baby with me!

05/09/2021

Sooooo...how did your night end?

Congratulations to all the beautiful brides, grooms and families that have made my new 2021 brochure cover! You are the ...
23/04/2021

Congratulations to all the beautiful brides, grooms and families that have made my new 2021 brochure cover! You are the reason I love what I do!!!
www.allusionphotography.com

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Monday 10:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 10:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 19:00
Thursday 10:00 - 18:00
Friday 10:00 - 18:00

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