Michael Weschler started doing portraits of his friends with a Kodak Instamatic camera at the age of seven. He has since gone on to study at Cal State University, eventually shooting for The New York Times for over a decade.

Known for capturing the detail, personality, and "decisive moment" that makes a photograph unforgettable, Michael is highly sought after to collaborate with many talented creative teams. His portrait work includes notable celebrities Deepak Chopra, Richard Gere, Liam Neeson, Donatella Versace, Liev Schreiber, Don Cheadle, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to name a few.

His editorial work has run in magazines such as GQ, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Oprah, Allure, Newsweek, Men's Health, Dwell, Food & Wine and many more. He has worked collaboratively on many books and his pictures have been included in photography textbooks, most notably, 'Photography in Focus'.

Michael's portrait and lifestyle work has also graced over 20 covers of magazines such as U.S. News & World Report. Recent ad campaigns include Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott, Bank of America, National Car Rental, and more. His personal work has been exhibited in art galleries and museums from LA to NY to Paris, and he is a former national board member of the ASMP - American Society of Media Photographers.

Kevin Norris is a New York-based still life photographer. Following his passion for photography, he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology. He furthered his education by completing his Master’s of Science from Long Island University.

Kevin's latest projects include work for Bulova, Flexon, Dragon Eyewear, Marchon NYC, Women’s Wear Daily, and Robb Report.

From working with intricate compositions to complex lighting scenarios, Kevin and his team of retouchers, stylists and assistants embrace the challenges that come with every still life photo shoot.

Francesco Tonelli is a New York-based food photographer whose career in food spans over 30 years as a chef, food stylist, recipe developer, and a culinary arts professor. 

His award-winning work has been featured on NY Times and Eleven Madison Park cookbooks. 

His meticulous approach to food photography and deep understanding of food and ingredients coupled with a quick eye for beauty and an inventive sense of style has made him a sought-after photographer of Michelin-starred chefs and first-class establishments all over the world as well as well-known commercial clients. 

He thoroughly enjoys collaborating with talented creatives and agencies to produce the best imagery for their product and achieve the designer’s vision.  

Some of his clients include KIND, Chobani, Godiva, Chipotle, Knorr, Daisy, Campbell, Unilever, WW Fresh, The New York Times, Jean-Georges, Eleven Madison Park and The Culinary Institute of America.

When he is not shooting, Francesco can be found tweaking and fixing things in his 4,250 square ft photography studio or joining a global climate movement.

Standa Merhout is an award-winning Czech photographer who started his career in 1997 as a photo assistant for Hearst publishing in Prague before assisting photographers at Pier 59 Studios in New York.

In 2000, Standa signed a contract with Elle Czech, initiating a cooperation that lasted over a decade. His work has also been featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Harper's Bazaar Mexico, and Vogue Mexico, amongst other renowned publications.

In 2012, Standa moved to New York where he is currently based. His passion is beauty photography and video and he loves to combine editorial and advertising. Recently, he has shot campaigns for L'Oréal Argentina, a special beauty project for Dior, and social media campaigns for Fendi, H&M, and Givenchy. He is also proud of previous collaborations with Nike, Adidas, L'Oréal, YKK, and many more brands around the globe.

"Hello Creatives, finish this sentence: 'My goal for this food and cocktail photoshoot is to ___________.' Was your blank one of these:

'Establish a new look for the brand'

'Convey my vision'

'Capture the appetite-appeal'

'Tell our story'

'Make it quick and easy?'

No matter how the sentence concludes, food and cocktail photographer and director Brent Herrig can help you achieve exactly what you're looking for, again and again. Brands including Diageo, Unilever and JPMorgan Chase as well as publishers including Rizzoli Books and The New York Times Dining Section rely on Brent to capture their vision of food, drinks and products in the most collaborative, stress-free way possible.

What can Brent help you with? Contact him directly to talk about your next project."

Emily Assiran is an internationally published, award-winning photographer based out of Brooklyn, NY. She specialises in portraiture and interiors.

Growing up in Philadelphia, Emily graduated with a BFA in Photography from Tyler School of Art. This passion brought her to New York City in pursuit of her career. She has since photographed many recognisable talents and great personalities.

Emily’s friendly demeanor and ability to work under pressure has served as an asset to many clients, enabling her to work with many different kinds of subjects. Whether celebrities, cowboys, or CEOs of major corporations, Emily's love of meeting new people and telling their stories comes through in every shot.

Recently, Emily and her team had a blast spending the day with Milestone Retirement and a group of their residents to create their new senior care campaign. Her other clients include Variety, Essence Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Bustle, Elite Daily, Backstage Magazine, Vanity Fair Italia, Brigitte Woman, Man Repeller, Grand Central Publishing, NKF, and Capital Health Group.

Check out her Instagram and website to see more new work.

Represented by Greenhouse Reps, Corey Nickols is an internationally published and award-winning portrait photographer. His quirky upbeat personality matched with a love for collaborative ideas is the driving force behind all of his images.

Inspired by Norman Rockwell, Charlie Chaplin and wonderful dad jokes, Corey provides an inviting undertone of curiosity, familiar joy and connection for his audience. He prides himself on being able to shoot quickly under pressure while maintaining an inclusively fun environment for everyone on set.

Currently, you can see Corey’s photographs on the intro of the show 'Mom' on CBS. Other clients include 20th Century Fox, Entertainment Weekly, Droga5, Emmy Magazine, Draft Kings, NBC, People, HBO, Adweek, The Wrap, MMC and YouTube.

Charles Barkley and Dr. Aftkings were photographed for Draft Kings under the creative vision of Deutsch.

Alex Almeida is a New York-based make up artist with over twenty years in the fashion industry. From his early years studying art, photography, music, film, and fashion, Alex has developed a unique eye and talent for beauty and continually hones his creative style and aesthetic sensibilities.

He has become renowned for his unique approach to beauty that focuses on flawless skin and modern, pared-down glamour. Time spent in his chair entails more than just make up. There’s uplifting energy and positive exchange of ideas that foster confidence with the client, ensuring a great collaborative result.

His list of clients and publications include such notable names as Vera Wang, Mark Ronson, Luke Grimes, Madeleine Stowe, Giancarlo Esposito, Elle Magazine, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar, Man of the World, Mick Rock, John Balsom, and Christian Siriano.

Welcome to Showcase Chicago, brought to you by Production Paradise. This issue features some of the leading photographers, directors, photo and film production companies, rental studios and hotels for productions based in Chicago.

More creative professionals and facilities for photographic and film production are available in our Chicago Photo and Film directories.

Be sure to catch our recommended events:

• Stateless: Views of Global Migration. Through the individual lenses of eight contemporary artists, this photography exhibition lays bare the contradictions inherent to the crisis, finding beauty and strength in the face of collective trauma. These powerful works of art bear witness, contemplate memory, and explore one’s connectivity to a place, even when one can no longer return. Until 24th March at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. 
• Dawoud Bey: Night Coming Tenderly, Black. An exhibition featuring photographer's Dawoud Bey’s latest body of work - a series of black-and-white photographs that reimagine sites along the last stages of the Underground Railroad. until 14th April at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Our cover image was shot by Martine Séverin. 

Miles Boone is a commercial portrait and lifestyle photographer. For over 20 years, he has created award-winning images for advertising agencies, corporations, graphic design firms and magazines.

Miles works in collaboration with both the client and the subject to create images that are authentic, natural and connected.

And he would love to work with you…