About Rachael

Since 2001, Rachael has photographed over 250 wedd\ings in the Chicagoland area and the surrounding Midwest states – Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Kentucky. As of 2007, she expanded her coverage to include all of Arizona during the winter months. Her talent has also landed her gigs in California, Florida, Rhode Island, Maryland, New York and Mykonos, Greece.

Rachael consistently photographs over 40 weddings per season. When not working with wedding clients, Rachael can be found shooting portrait sessions that feature babies & families, engagements and anniversaries, Intimate Moments and other special occasions.  She also currently handles the photography needs of about a dozen local commercial clients. Rachael and her team feel the rewards of being true family photographers when they are asked to photograph the new babies of former wedding clients.  Rachael’s current record is photographing the weddings of all three siblings in one family – thanks W family!  She is banking on surpassing that record with the M family, of which she has photographed two of the four siblings already.

Rachael began shooting weddings while majoring in Photojournalism at Columbia College Chicago, capturing her first event on film in 1997. She gained experience through internships and stringing for the Pioneer Press.

Armed with a bachelor's degree in Photojournalism, Rachael landed in corporate America while at the same time launching and growing her photography business - Rachael Silvers Photography. For five years she worked on building her business and training associate and assistant photographers. In the summer of 2006 she was fortunate enough to make the split from the corporate world and focus on her passion for photography full-time. Rachael changed the business name from Rachael Silvers Photography to Metropolitan Imageworks in 2007 to further embody the team effort.

Rachael is an internationally ranked member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) and a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) .

• Elizabeth (Associate)

  • After interviewing with Rachael to be an assistant in 2002, Elizabeth left with the last line of Casablanca in her mind, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Not only was she right about finding a close friend in Rachael, but she also found a mentor and a new profession. Elizabeth took her first photography class in 1999 and has taken a photography class every year since studying photojournalism, studio lighting, portraiture, and more. She’s currently pursuing a degree in digital photography to remain at the forefront of current trends and techniques. Working with Metropolitan Imageworks has given Elizabeth the opportunity to foster her love of photography and develop a photojournalistic approach to wedding photography that matches the creative and qualitative standards of Metropolitan Imageworks. Above all, she loves sharing in the happiness of brides, grooms, and new parents. Her heart leaps just before the bride walks down the aisle on her wedding day and she still sheds a tear during the vows. If she weren’t a photographer, she’d probably be a wedding crasher.
    

    
    View Elizabeth’s portfolio.
    
    This is Elizabeth’s favorite wedding photograph, taken by Rachael
    
    
    

• Kira (Associate)

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    Kira began her indirect path to photographing weddings back in 1995.  She was a photography student at Columbia College Chicago when a fellow classmate introduced her to Rachael and they became fast friends.  They shot class assignments together in the studio and all over Chicago.  Kira graduated with a BA in Professional Photography in June of 1997, but lost touch with Rachael not long after.

    Fast forward to 2005 and Kira was working full time in residential property management as well as planning her own wedding to her sweetie of several years.  She knew fantastic photographs were very high on her priority list, but she did not know any photographers.  To help Kira plan her big day, she joined a local on-line forum for all things wedding.  At last, she could talk about wedding details without annoying her fiancé!  Kira was an active poster and one day she got the most welcome instant message - Rachael recognized Kira from her signature photograph and they started talking as if time had not passed. 

    While catching up, Rachael asked Kira what she was doing photo-wise.  Kira shared that she missed the creative process of photography while working her dayjob, but she continued to practice her craft on her own time.  As a matter of fact, Kira had just shot her own engagement photographs (with her trusty tripod and cable release) and shared them with Rachael.  Impressed with Kira's knack for portraits, Rachael agreed to hire Kira for weddings as one of her assistants.

    Kira's first wedding as an assistant was a short time later in January of 2006 and it was such a dream come true.  She experienced and captured the emotions and excitement of the bride and groom and it did not feel a bit like work!  Kira still gets the same excited feeling prior to each and every wedding.  She feels honored to be included in ceremonies and celebrations of all the couples she meets through Metropolitan Imageworks. 

    Needless to say, once Kira began shooting with Rachael, she knew she had to book Rachael for her own wedding.  Kira introduced her husband to Rachael and  they booked her on the spot for their upcoming June 3, 2006 wedding.  As a bride in front of the lens, Kira has to say Rachael is just amazing.  Kira and her husband had a fantastic wedding day and Rachael played a major role in their enjoyment of the day.  Kira just looks at her photographs and is reminded of every part of that day (some parts she didn’t even see).  It is that special attention to detail and capturing those candid moments that really sets Metropolitan Imageworks apart in Kira's mind.

    When Kira is not out shooting weddings and other events she enjoys spending time with her husband, Andy and their photogenic kitties, Jasmine and Callie.

    View Kira’s portfolio.

    This is Kira’s favorite wedding photograph, taken by Rachael
    
    
    

• Ariel (Associate)

  • Ariel’s interest in photography started when she was very young.  When she was in her early years, she used to steal the Polaroid and take pictures of the family dog, Blue.  When Ariel expressed a real interest in photography around the age of 13, her father bought her a purple click-n-slide Kodak 110 camera.  This is where she really blossomed.  Ariel took pictures of her dog, the neighbor’s dog, her family, Ralph the swimming pig, and her friends and secret crushes.
     
    Ariel had intended to go to college for journalism.  However, upon graduating with her degree in Psychology, her father bought her another camera to celebrate - a Kodak Advantix.  Ariel used the camera to document her trip throughout Europe on a family vacation and when visiting her (then) boyfriend in France and England. When Ariel and her (then) boyfriend decided to marry, Ariel joined a wedding chat forum where she met other women planning their weddings and searching for vendors.  Although photography was a high priority for Ariel, she unfortunately did not get to work with Rachael and Metropolitan Imageworks for her wedding.
    
    Ariel did get to meet Rachael through various events.  One such event was where Rachael first saw Ariel shooting with her brand new Canon 20D DSLR in January 2007. Rachael approached Ariel and asked her about assisting with weddings.  Ariel, both excited and nervous, agreed.  Over the years Ariel has seen the work that Rachael and Metropolitan Imageworks has done with brides, who then asked them to return to shoot their maternity photos, then call again for them to shoot their child’s portrait or their sister’s wedding or a baptism or a birthday party.   
     
    The fact that Rachael and Metropolitan Imageworks are so highly regarded really touched Ariel and she was honored to join the Metropolitan Imageworks family. It did take a bit of Ariel talking about it with Rachael to become comfortable with the idea, but she never looked back.  Since then, Ariel has shot weddings, baby showers, a party in a pumpkin patch, her own Mother’s wedding and corporate headshots.  Ariel greatly enjoys being a part of these special events to help capture their precious memories.
     
    When Ariel is not shooting weddings and events, you may find her shooting in the city somewhere, brunching with her friends, taking a French class or hanging out with her husband. And do not worry, Ariel still finds time to shoot her two adorable cats, Oliver and Charlie.

    View Ariel’s portfolio.

• Victor (Assistant)

  • Victor was introduced to photography by his wife, Rachael.  He honed his knack for people and detail images while assisting Rachael and some of the associate photographers at weddings and other special events.
    
    Victor's creative background actually began in graphic design.  His eye for detail paired with his technical expertise make him a welcome addition to the Metropolitan Imageworks team.  Victor also contributes heavily to Metropolitan Mediaworks through his skills in web design, graphic design, logo design and multimedia projects for various corporate clients.
    
    Victor spends his free time photographing the great outdoors and trying to up show Rachael on artistic and creative nature images. He is also an avid outdoorsman and kayaker and is currently looking for wilderness in the Midwest. To get current updates on Victor and his excursions check out his personal blog at www.getoutnddoit.com
    
    Like the associates, Victor had a cat. Once.