CHICAGO FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER: MELISSA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY: STRAUS FAMILY

When I first got started in the photo biz 15 years ago, I started off working for a studio. They had big name clients, the decked out artist loft, and on paper, it should have been a dream gig to get my foot-in-the door. I lasted 3 months. Not because they let me go, but because I saw behind the curtain of wedding OZ. I wanted to protect the couples we were meeting with. To tell them all the things that were gonna get pitched to them that should be red flags. If this was how the "business" was, I wasn't gonna be in it. So I took my foot out from door of opportunity, and created a business where I could whole-heartedly know that what I was doing and giving was in someone's best interest. Where it was putting their needs before my own. And creating not only a product but an experience that they'll cherish for a lifetime! Fast forward a handful of years, I began photographing often at a wedding venue, and the event manager there right from the moment I met him was different. He never once talked about people's money, or what we could "sell them..." He was forward thinking in anticipating not only someone's needs but their experience; and making that happen for them no matter what. I loved shooting their not only for the killer views of the venue, but really because of him. I knew that we had the common goal of making someone's dream day a reality. Well, years later, Dan Straus is making people's dreams a reality in a different way. And by different way, I mean not only is he a realtor now, but he's counter-cultural to what (and often) who that is these days. I asked him what his goals are, and he said:

"It's not about the money for me. I want to have a roof over my family's head, food on the table, be there for my kids, and help people find the home they actually need. I don't need to make millions to do that."

-Dan Straus Dream Team Realty

You know what he gifted his clients? Mini Photo Sessions! It's that kind of thoughtful. He not only is finding people's home, but helping them have an opportunity to create memories to fill the walls. So if you're in Chicago, find your house with Straus! HERE.