Hello, and welcome to Episode 13 of the Nebraska Wedding Podcast!

In this episode, Kelly chats with Ben Ramos -a wedding lifestyle and portrait photographer based out of Chicago, with an interesting Nebraska tie.  

Ben describes his style as ‘candid,’ ‘natural’ and ‘timeless’, with a goal of looking great 20 years down the road.

He attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, hence the Nebraska ties. While he began his college education with the goal of becoming a nurse, a good friend of his was blowing up in the photography world. Deciding to give it a try, Ben realized that through photography, he could do what he loved – help people.

Ben talks about how his first few weddings were used as portfolio material – and it all blew up from there. He went from 3 to 40 weddings in no time– and soon realized that his marketing degree would never pay quite as well as the wedding industry could. He left college and made a life out of his work.

 While Ben was killing the game in Omaha, he basically had to start over when he moved back home to Nebraska. Having built a significant referral base, it took a few years to rebuild in Chicago. Ben credits the incredible support he has found in the photography community for allowing him to thrive in an entirely new city.

As in every episode, Ben chats about three things people don’t know about him, which is a CHALLENGE, seeing as he’s a totally open book!  Fortunately for us, his fun facts come with restaurant recommendations.

 He also discusses major mistakes and lessons he’s learned along the road, including not letting pride in your artistry get in the way of making your customer happy. He also stresses that contracts are SO important (In fact, he says it TWICE) so learn from Ben, folks. Don’t skimp out on your contract! He gives a few specific examples of just how important that is.

Ben talks about his growing associates program, and the logistics behind that. It’s something we had never heard about, but it’s BRILLIANT.

Ben’s clients often say they feel like friends when they’re shooting – and we can tell why. His energy is absolutely contagious!

Check out Ben’s stunning work at www.benramosphotos.com