Find the Best Photographers in Chicago

Helga Photo & Video has spent more than a decade photographing Chicago-area families, covering the full journey from maternity through birth and into a baby’s newborn days. Client testimonials describe working with the studio’s photographer across multiple milestones with the same family — maternity, delivery, and newborn portraits — a continuity that speaks to the kind of long-term relationship the studio tends to build with the families it works with.

Newborn sessions are offered as a dedicated service alongside the studio’s broader family and portrait work, giving Chicago parents a single photographer to call on repeatedly as their child grows rather than starting over each time with someone new. That consistency, paired with over ten years in business, has helped the studio build a loyal local following.

Helga Photo & Video was also recognized with a Quality Business Awards honor in 2025, reflecting the kind of sustained client satisfaction that comes from a decade of steady, dependable work rather than a single standout year. For Chicago families looking for a newborn photographer who can also grow with them through future maternity and family sessions, Helga Photo & Video offers exactly that kind of longevity. 

Chicago Andrea Creative is run by photographer Andrea Kinnear, a Chicago-area family, lifestyle, and commercial photographer known for a relaxed, low-pressure approach to sessions. Rather than a single rigid newborn package, Andrea offers two distinct newborn options: a Newborn Mini Session focused purely on the newest addition to the family, and a more complete Newborn Family Session that includes portraits of baby alongside parents and siblings.

That flexibility matters for Chicago families who aren’t sure, in the sleep-deprived first weeks, exactly what kind of session they want or need. Andrea’s broader specialty in mini sessions carries over into her newborn work — sessions are designed to be efficient and comfortable rather than long, exhausting productions, which tends to suit both a fussy newborn and an already-stretched-thin new family.

Andrea’s approach leans toward capturing genuine family moments rather than an overly staged studio look, aiming for images families will look back on fondly for years. For Chicago parents who want newborn photography without an all-day commitment, and who appreciate having the choice between a baby-only session or a full family portrait, Chicago Andrea Creative offers a straightforward, welcoming option. 

Bethany Hope has run her namesake studio in Chicago’s Six Corners neighborhood for more than a decade, with the last seven years focused specifically on newborn photography. Her style is organic and vintage-inspired — think aged wood, soft natural color palettes, and handcrafted setups — a rustic look that’s earned Bethany Hope Photography recognition as one of Chicago’s best newborn photographers.

Sessions are built around the realities of a newborn’s short window: babies are photographed under three weeks old, in-studio, when they’re still curled and sleepy enough for the detailed posing her style calls for. Every session includes complimentary props, wardrobe, backdrops, and accessories, so families don’t need to source or coordinate anything themselves before walking through the door.

Beyond newborns, Bethany Hope Photography also offers sitter sessions for babies reaching new milestones, maternity photography, and family portraits, giving Chicago parents a single studio to return to across their child’s first year and beyond. With a decade of experience and a studio open six days a week at 3924 N. Milwaukee Ave., Bethany Hope has built her business on a consistent, distinctive aesthetic rather than chasing trends — a look Chicago families keep coming back for. 

Adri De La Cruz has run The Adri Photo Co. since 2015, building a documentary photography practice around a simple guiding phrase: “Honesty Over Poses.” Rather than directing families into a set list of studio-style shots, Adri works to capture unscripted, real moments — a philosophy that carries through her newborn, birth, and fresh 48 (in-hospital) photography across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including Evanston, Oak Park, and Naperville.

That documentary approach means Adri is often photographing families in their own homes or hospital rooms rather than a studio, working around a newborn’s actual routine instead of asking a family to perform for the camera. Clients describe her as attentive and unobtrusive during birth sessions — one client noted that despite being on call 24/7, “I didn’t even notice she was in the room” — while still walking away with hundreds of images that tell the full story of a baby’s arrival.

The Adri Photo Co. has been featured in Peerspace’s roundup of Chicago’s best newborn photographers, and clients consistently point to the emotional depth of her work, with one reviewer calling her “hands down the best photographer” for their maternity and newborn sessions. For Chicago families who want a newborn photographer focused on real, candid storytelling rather than staged perfection, Adri De La Cruz has built an 11-year reputation on exactly that. 

Maddie Blecha has spent 15 years photographing families and newborns across Chicagoland, developing a documentary-style approach that favors authentic moments over heavily directed poses. Her work blends planned shots with the candid instances a family didn’t anticipate — the way an older sibling actually reacts to a new baby, or the exhausted, happy look on a parent’s face — captured with the same warm, editorial eye she brings to her wedding photography.

That dual specialty in weddings and newborns is part of what shapes Maddie’s newborn work: an editorial photographer’s instinct for composition and natural light, combined with the patience required to work around a newborn’s schedule rather than fight it. Sessions lean toward lifestyle newborn photography, staying grounded in a family’s real home and routine rather than a heavily propped studio setup.

While based in Chicago, Maddie also accepts newborn and family bookings across the country, a sign of a photographer whose reputation has grown well beyond the local market. For Chicago families who want a newborn photographer with 15 years of hands-on experience and a documentary eye rather than a formulaic pose list, Maddie Blecha Photography offers an artful, grounded alternative. 

TK Photography Chicago has been photographing newborns and families out of its Edgewater studio since 2009, when architect-turned-photographer Thomas Kubik founded the business. Sixteen-plus years and more than 10,000 sessions later, TK Photography has grown into a team of principal and associate photographers, but it’s kept its founding philosophy intact: as Thomas puts it, the goal isn’t “creating an alternate reality,” it’s “making your real memories tangible.”

Thomas’s wife and studio partner, Tiana Kubik, holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a background that shapes how the team approaches sessions with brand-new babies and young children. Newborn sessions are scheduled within two to four weeks of birth and run two to three hours, offered as either lifestyle or posed sessions, in-home or in the Edgewater studio, giving Chicago families flexibility around a newborn’s unpredictable schedule.

With more than a decade and a half in business and thousands of families photographed, TK Photography Chicago has built its reputation the slow way — through longevity, consistency, and a team-based studio model rather than a single photographer working alone. For Chicago parents who want a newborn photographer with real institutional experience behind the camera, TK Photography’s track record speaks for itself. 

This Little Piggy Photography is a Chicago-based, owner-operated newborn and child photography studio built around in-home sessions. Rather than asking new parents to pack up a days-old baby and drive across the city, the photographer comes to families throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, working in the home’s own natural light and familiar surroundings — a setup that tends to keep both baby and parents more relaxed.

Billed as an “Award Winning Newborn & Child Photographer,” This Little Piggy Photography covers the full arc of a young family’s early milestones, from maternity through newborn sessions and on to cake smash celebrations around a baby’s first birthday. That range means Chicago families can work with the same photographer repeatedly during the first year, building familiarity and trust rather than starting over with someone new each time.

The studio’s personal, hands-on approach comes through in client interactions — this is a business built on genuine investment in the families it works with, not a high-volume production model. With a 5.0-star rating from Chicago-area reviewers, This Little Piggy Photography has built a loyal local following among parents who want an experienced newborn photographer without the added stress of leaving the house in those first sleep-deprived weeks. 

Maggie Rife Ponce brings a photojournalism background to newborn photography in Chicago, working out of Le Loft, a 4,000-plus-square-foot natural light studio in Wicker Park. Her approach is built around what she calls “the real and the pretty” — genuine, unscripted emotion captured with an editorial photographer’s eye for composition and light, rather than stiff, overly staged portraits.

That background shows in how Rife Ponce Photography handles newborn sessions: less about forcing a pose and more about creating a calm, comfortable space where a new family’s actual dynamic can come through naturally. The large studio space gives Maggie room to work with siblings, parents, and even extended family during the same session, which is useful for Chicago families who want more than a handful of posed newborn shots.

Beyond newborns, Rife Ponce Photography also shoots maternity, family, portrait, corporate, and branding work, giving the studio a range of experience that carries over into how sessions are directed and paced. With a 5.0-star rating built on 46 Google reviews, the studio has become a go-to option for Wicker Park and greater Chicago families looking for a documentary-style newborn photographer who prioritizes authentic connection over a cookie-cutter set list of poses. 

Kristin Milito has spent more than a decade photographing newborns and families across Chicago and the North Shore, building a reputation as one of the region’s most credentialed portrait photographers. She holds Master Photographer status from the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP), has received an AFNS Award, and is a member of the International Newborn Photography Association (INPA) — a combination of certifications that reflects deep, ongoing training in safe newborn posing and handling.

Before turning to photography full time, Kristin earned a master’s degree in elementary education and spent years teaching. That background shows up in how she works with Chicago families: patient, structured, and genuinely comfortable managing the unpredictability of a session with a days-old baby or a wiggly toddler. Clients consistently describe her as professional, responsive, and detail-oriented, with an eye for soft, dreamy light.

Kristin Milito Photography offers both in-studio sessions and in-home newborn photography for families who prefer to stay close to their new baby’s own nursery, along with heirloom-quality albums and printed keepsakes designed to be passed down. With a 5.0-star rating across nearly 80 Google reviews, she has become a trusted name for Chicago parents looking for a newborn photographer who treats every session as a milestone worth documenting properly, not rushed. 

Abigail Joyce Studios has been photographing Chicago-area newborns since 2012, when founder Abigail Joyce first fell in love with the art of newborn portraiture. What began as a one-woman passion has grown into a full team, expanded in 2021 to meet the demand of families across the city and western suburbs. The studio now operates from two locations, in Oak Park and Hinsdale, giving Chicago parents a nearby, calm environment for those first delicate days with their baby.

Abigail Joyce Studios is recognized by the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA), reflecting a level of training and safety practice that matters most when a session involves a baby just days old. The team’s approach favors a timeless, uncluttered style that keeps the focus on the true subject: the quiet, genuine connection between a new baby and the family around them, rather than elaborate props or trends that date quickly.

With 13 years of newborn specialization and now a 4.9-star reputation built on more than 120 Google reviews, Abigail Joyce Studios has become one of the most consistently recommended newborn photographers in the Chicago area, earning additional recognition from MyKidList, Peerspace, and Expertise.com. 

Bob & Dawn Davis have built one of Chicago’s most sought-after wedding photography studios, and their client list tells the story: Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s Paris wedding, Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault’s Venice celebration, Eddie Murphy’s Bora Bora ceremony, and multiple events for Oprah Winfrey. Bob spent 15 years as a photojournalist at the Chicago Sun-Times before turning his eye toward weddings, and that editorial instinct for catching real, unscripted moments still defines the studio’s style today.

What sets this husband-and-wife team apart is the division of labor: Bob handles the shooting and on-the-ground logistics, while Dawn oversees post-production and designs the fine-art albums couples keep for decades. Recognized among PartySlate’s Top 20 Wedding Photographers in Chicago, and with Bob a longtime Canon Explorers of Light member, the pair bring a level of technical polish and composure that high-profile, high-pressure weddings demand.

Based in Chicago but booking worldwide, Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & Design is a strong fit for couples planning a large-scale, design-forward wedding who want images that feel editorial rather than staged — and a team experienced enough to handle a celebrity-caliber guest list without missing a beat. 

Averyhouse is the husband-and-wife photography studio of Matt and Stevi Savage, who have been documenting Chicago weddings together since 2008. Their work leans bright, airy, and editorial — the kind of images that feel more like a candid short story than a posed portrait session, with an emphasis on real moments over staged ones.

We like that Averyhouse has stuck around long enough to develop a distinct point of view: a blend of photojournalism and fine-art sensibility that borrows from film photography even when shooting digitally. That kind of consistency over nearly two decades says a lot about a small studio’s reliability.

Based in Chicago and serving couples throughout the area (with occasional destination dates), Averyhouse is a solid pick for couples who want editorial-style wedding photography from a team that’s been refining its craft together since 2008. 

Fox + Ivory is a boutique wedding photography and film studio working out of River North in downtown Chicago, with a client roster that stretches across the city and into the greater Midwest. The team has built its name shooting real Chicago weddings at venues like The Carter, Cantigny Park, the Union League Club, and Galleria Marchetti, favoring an unobtrusive, documentary-first approach that leans roughly 80% candid coverage and 20% directed portraits.

Couples working with Fox + Ivory can choose their lead photographer from the studio’s roster rather than being assigned one sight unseen, and the team offers both still photography and wedding films, either separately or bundled together. It’s a solid pick for a couple who wants their day told as it actually happened rather than staged for the camera.

With dozens of verified Google reviews averaging 4.9 out of 5, and a track record dating back to 2016, Fox + Ivory has earned a reputation in the Chicago wedding scene as a dependable, well-reviewed studio that’s easy to plan with and delivers on its “look and feel effortless” promise. 

Rick Aguilar Studios has been photographing weddings from a loft studio in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood for more than two decades, and that longevity shows in how the team runs a wedding day: calm, unhurried, and clearly rehearsed a thousand times over. Rick’s own start in photography came from being asked to shoot a friend’s wedding while still in high school, and that same personal, relationship-first approach carries through today, from engagement sessions through the reception send-off.

Couples who want portraits with a fashion-forward, editorial edge rather than a strictly documentary feel tend to be especially happy here. Rick’s background blends fine-art composition with candid storytelling, and it shows across ceremonies, receptions, and couple portraits shot around Chicago and beyond. As members of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the team stays current with the technical and artistic standards of the industry rather than coasting on reputation alone.

Beyond weddings, Rick Aguilar Studios also handles engagement sessions, family portraits, and corporate headshots out of the same Avondale studio, so couples who like the working relationship have an easy option for anniversary or family sessions down the road. 

Candace Sims Photography is a Naperville, Illinois-based fine art wedding photographer serving Chicago, the North Shore, and the greater Midwest, with destination coverage available worldwide. Her editorial, true-to-color style favors timeless, documentary-feeling images over heavy editing, and her wedding collections can extend across a full weekend — engagement session, rehearsal dinner, welcome party, and wedding day — with albums and priority gallery delivery available as add-ons.

What stands out for a Chicago-area couple is the consistency of her reputation over time: she’s been shooting weddings since 2013, was named a top-ten Chicago wedding photographer by Wezoree, and has been featured in outlets like Brides, Modern Luxury Weddings, and Chicago Style Weddings. Real client reviews echo the same themes again and again — calm under pressure, organized, and able to capture genuine emotion rather than posed stiffness.

As a Filipina and African American photographer, Candace also brings a personal, culturally attuned eye to family and tradition-heavy celebrations, which couples specifically call out in their feedback. Between the polished portfolio, the verifiable Yelp track record, and a service list built specifically around wedding weekends rather than a scattershot menu of session types, she’s an easy recommend for couples planning a refined, editorial-style wedding in the Chicago metro. 

This Is Feeling Photo + Video is a Chicago-based documentary wedding photo and film collective founded by Benjamin Chernivsky, who leads the team as founder and lead photographer. Rather than staged, posed coverage, the studio leans into a candid, editorial-leaning documentary style built around capturing real moments as they unfold — the idea being that couples should actually experience their wedding day instead of performing it for the camera.

Beyond wedding-day coverage, the collective also shoots wedding films, offers family portrait sessions (with a focus on first-year-of-life documentation), and runs ZippyBooth, a modern photo booth add-on for receptions. That range, paired with a near-perfect independent review rating built on nearly a hundred client reviews, points to a studio that has booked consistently across the Chicago wedding scene rather than a newer or unproven outfit.

We recommend This Is Feeling to Chicago couples who want their wedding photos to feel like a lived memory rather than a formal portrait session — and who are comfortable with a modern, low-key booking process built around scheduling a call rather than calling a listed phone number. 

Kenny Nakai has been photographing Chicago weddings since 2007, and it shows — nearly two decades of shooting at the city’s grandest venues has given him an easy, unfussy command of difficult light and big rooms. He’s a regular at properties like the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, and the Langham, the kind of hotels where a photographer either blends in or gets in the way, and his portfolio suggests he’s learned to do the former while still delivering images with real drama in them.

What stands out browsing his work isn’t just the skyline backdrops, though there are plenty of those. It’s the rooftop and hotel-ballroom shots that manage to feel candid rather than staged, alongside a genuine range — engagement sessions, proposals, family portraits, and headshots round out a body of work that isn’t just one wedding after another. For couples who want a single photographer who can also handle the engagement shoot and a branding headshot down the line, that’s a practical plus.

On the trust front, his own site displays a 5.0-star rating from 61 Google reviews, and he’s picked up mentions from wedding-industry outlets along the way. For a Chicago couple booking a luxury hotel wedding and wanting a photographer who already knows the room, Nakai is a solid, well-established pick. 

From madiellisphotography.com/meet-madi: Madi Ellis is a Chicago-born, Lincoln Park-based photographer with a Bachelor of Science in Theater from Skidmore College; she pivoted from acting to documentary photography and describes her work as blending “photojournalism and editorial photography” with theater-honed storytelling and directing skills. She identifies as a body-positive photographer and a queer woman who is “a proud supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community,” and has also shot concert photography for publications (Pitchfork, Riot Fest, Lollapalooza). Full wedding packages are listed starting at $7,550; contact is via email ([email protected]) or the site’s inquiry form only — no phone number is published. She serves Chicago/the Midwest plus destination weddings (2026 dates listed for St. Croix, Tucson, and Saratoga Springs). No stated years-in-business figure was found. 

Lauren Ashley Studios has been photographing Chicago weddings since 2013, and it shows — this is a team that knows how to use the city itself as a backdrop, turning landmarks like the Rookery Building’s spiral staircase into the kind of editorial, magazine-worthy frame most couples only dream about. Led by Lauren Ashley Grenda, the studio handles both photography and full cinematic videography, so couples aren’t juggling two separate vendors on the biggest day of the year.

What sets them apart in a crowded Chicago market is the range: alongside local weddings, the team regularly travels for destination celebrations and elopements, bringing the same dramatic lighting and storytelling style whether they’re shooting a Gold Coast ballroom or a venue overseas. Engagement sessions round out the offering for couples who want their story documented from the proposal forward.

The reputation backs it up: a perfect 5.0-star rating on Google (32 reviews), plus equally strong marks on WeddingWire and The Knot, where reviewers repeatedly praise the team’s calm, easy-to-work-with presence on wedding day itself. 

Studio Finch is the husband-and-wife team of Ela and Jason Finch, shooting weddings around Chicago since 2010 with a style they describe as fine art meeting photojournalism – candid moments framed with an artist’s eye rather than posed, stiff portraits. With 200+ weddings under their belt, they’ve built a reputation for reading a day as it unfolds and still walking away with images that feel intentional and painterly.

We like that Studio Finch keeps their team small and hands-on: the two of you are working with the people whose names are on the studio, not a rotating cast of second shooters. Their portfolio leans into real light – lakefront ceremonies, downtown skylines, unscripted reactions – which tends to read better in an album ten years from now than an overly styled shoot does.

Based out of a Wicker Park studio, they cover Chicago weddings and are known to travel for destination dates. If your day calls for photojournalism with a fine-art finish rather than heavy posing, Studio Finch is worth a conversation.