Find the Best Photographers in Illinois

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Jonae Cheger Photography operates a small, dedicated studio in the Peoria, Illinois area that is used primarily for newborn clients, with milestone sessions offered as babies grow through their first year. The studio’s main focus is fresh newborn photography, capturing babies in the earliest days of life within a controlled, comfortable studio environment built specifically for that purpose. Because newborn sessions require careful timing and limited availability, families interested in booking are invited to reach out by email to join the newborn waitlist rather than booking instantly online, which helps ensure each session gets the attention and studio time it needs. Jonae Cheger Photography has also announced plans to expand its studio offerings with Mommy & Me sessions, featuring setups both inside and just outside the studio space, giving parents an additional way to be photographed alongside their newborn. The studio serves families throughout the greater Peoria and East Peoria area and has built a loyal local following, with strong recommendation ratings on Facebook reflecting steady client satisfaction. For families specifically seeking a studio built around fresh, in-the-first-days newborn portraits, Jonae Cheger Photography offers a focused, specialized option in the Peoria market. 

Victoria Mendoza Photography offers newborn sessions across the greater Peoria, Illinois area with a flexible approach to location, giving families the choice of being photographed at home, in the studio, or outdoors in natural light. The emphasis throughout every session is on creating a relaxed, thoughtful experience, one described as designed to feel effortless rather than posed or rushed, which suits newborns whose comfort and schedule tend to dictate the pace of any shoot. Sessions run up to two hours and include professionally edited digital images along with styling guidance to help parents prepare outfits, wraps, and setups ahead of time. Pricing is transparent, ranging from $450 for in-home or outdoor newborn sessions to $550 for sessions held in the studio. Victoria Mendoza Photography serves Peoria and the surrounding communities of Dunlap, Edwards, Morton, Washington, Germantown Hills, Pekin, and Metamora, making it accessible to families across Central Illinois. Client feedback highlights a patient, gentle approach with newborns alongside a professional, efficient process overall. For families who want the option to choose between a cozy at-home setting, a natural outdoor backdrop, or a dedicated studio, Victoria Mendoza Photography offers a flexible newborn photography option in the Peoria market. 

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. 

Sheena Kaszynski Photography, LLC runs a boutique newborn and maternity studio in Washington, Illinois, serving families throughout Central Illinois, including Peoria, Morton, Dunlap, and East Peoria. The studio is stocked with an extensive collection of premium backdrops and handcrafted props sourced from artisans around the world, including wraps, bonnets, outfits, and blankets, so each session can be styled to suit the family’s taste. Sessions are built to document the full journey of growing a family, from maternity through newborn portraits and on into first-year milestones, with an emphasis on capturing genuine emotion and the tiny, fleeting features of a newborn’s earliest days. The goal at every session is to create heirloom-quality images that celebrate the connection between a baby and the people who love them most, combining technical studio lighting with a warm, unhurried approach to posing and styling. Recent newborn studio sessions completed in 2026, including sibling and solo newborn portraits for Peoria-area families, reflect the studio’s continued, active focus on newborn photography. Sheena Kaszynski Photography holds a 5.0-star Google rating, and families researching a boutique, prop-rich newborn studio experience in the Peoria area will find a dedicated specialist in newborn, maternity, and milestone portraiture. 

Pat Hermann Photography operates a dedicated portrait studio at 2000 W Pioneer Pkwy in Peoria, Illinois, and has become a go-to choice for newborn photography in the area, voted among the top photographers in Peoria for five consecutive years. Newborn sessions are built around a simple goal: pausing time long enough to capture what the studio describes as the amazing yet heartbreakingly brief newborn stage, before it passes. Each session is tailored to the family’s preferences, and clients are encouraged to book roughly six to eight weeks before their due date, though last-minute availability can sometimes be arranged for families who reach out closer to their baby’s arrival. Alongside newborn portraits, the Pioneer Parkway studio also photographs maternity, milestone, and cake smash sessions, making it a natural fit for families who want a single photographer to document a baby’s first year. Pat Hermann Photography serves Peoria and the surrounding Central Illinois communities of Bloomington, Morton, Pekin, Washington, Edwards, Galesburg, and Dahinda. With a 5.0-star rating built from 84 Google reviews, the studio has built a strong local reputation for reliable, professionally lit newborn portraits delivered in a comfortable, well-equipped studio setting. 

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. 

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. 

Chandi Kesler Photography brings studio-light newborn portraiture to families across Central Illinois, working out of a dedicated studio near Bloomington while regularly serving clients in Peoria, Champaign, and Springfield. The studio’s focus is squarely on newborns and first-year milestone babies, with sessions built around comfort, safety, and a relaxed pace so tiny subjects can be photographed at their own speed. An extensive collection of wraps, hair accessories, hats, baskets, and backdrops is kept on hand, giving families a wide range of styling options without needing to bring their own props. Beyond newborn portraits, the studio also offers Fresh48 hospital sessions for capturing a baby’s very first hours, along with maternity photography and ongoing milestone sessions through the first year of life. Every session is approached with the goal of being easy, fun, and stress-free for both parents and baby, recognizing that the newborn window is brief and easily missed. With a 5.0-star rating built from 209 Google reviews, Chandi Kesler Photography has become one of the most consistently recommended newborn photographers serving the greater Peoria area, trusted by families for both the quality of the final images and the calm, unhurried studio experience that produces them. 

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. 

Blue Daisy Art is the newborn and birth photography studio of Springfield, Illinois photographer Victoria Kegg. What sets Blue Daisy Art apart from many newborn studios in the area is Victoria’s willingness to photograph birth itself, in addition to traditional newborn and maternity sessions — a specialty that requires being on call around a due date and comfortable working quickly and unobtrusively in a hospital or home birth setting. Her newborn portfolio favors a natural, documentary-influenced style over heavily posed setups, capturing babies in soft, simple wraps rather than elaborate props, which gives her galleries a timeless, editorial quality. Victoria works with Springfield families as well as clients further out toward the St. Louis area, giving her a wider service radius than many single-city newborn photographers. Because she offers maternity, newborn, and birth photography as a connected set of services, expecting families can book with her once and have the same photographer document the entire journey from bump to birth to the first days home. Clients researching Blue Daisy Art will find a portfolio built specifically around the newborn stage rather than a general portrait business that occasionally shoots babies, which matters for parents who want a photographer fluent in the safety and posing considerations unique to working with infants only days old. 

Lauren Tomten Photography operates a spacious, 1,200-square-foot newborn studio in the Leland Grove area of Springfield, Illinois, at 1219 W. Ash Street. Lauren started her photography journey in 2014, giving her over a decade of hands-on newborn experience by the time most of today’s Springfield parents are researching photographers. Her newborn sessions are held within the first two weeks of a baby’s life and take place entirely in her purpose-built studio, which she keeps fully stocked with outfits, wraps, and props so families don’t need to bring anything themselves. Clients consistently describe her studio as clean, calm, and well-organized, with dedicated space for nursing and outfit changes built into the session flow. Lauren’s approach blends classic posed newborn portraiture with softer lifestyle-style images, giving families a varied gallery rather than a single repeated look. Beyond Springfield proper, she regularly works with families from Chatham, Rochester, Riverton, and Sherman, making her one of the more geographically reaching newborn specialists in the immediate area. She also offers maternity, baby milestone, family, and cake smash sessions, so many clients build an ongoing relationship with her studio across a child’s first year or two. Proofs are typically delivered within 48 hours of a session, a fast turnaround that Springfield parents often cite as a reason they choose her. 

Kate Holzman Photography relocated to Springfield, Illinois and has since positioned itself as a full-service baby and newborn studio for Central Illinois families. Kate markets herself specifically around newborn, family, and senior photography, which keeps her newborn work central to the business rather than a side offering squeezed between other specialties. Her studio was recognized as a new Springfield-area business by the Springfield Business Journal, reflecting her established presence in the local photography community since her move to the city. Kate’s newborn portfolio favors soft, warm studio portraits that highlight a baby’s smallest features, and she works to create a calm, unrushed environment so parents don’t feel pressure to move quickly through the session. Because her business also covers family and senior photography, many of her newborn clients return to her studio for milestone and family sessions as their children grow, giving Kate a long-term relationship with the Springfield families she works with. While her review count on third-party platforms is still building, the feedback she has received reflects strong client satisfaction. For Springfield parents looking for a dedicated baby photographer who treats newborn portraiture as a core specialty rather than an occasional add-on, Kate Holzman Photography offers a locally rooted option. 

Morgan Clawson Photography is a Springfield, Illinois studio best known for weddings, but Morgan has quietly built a strong newborn and family portfolio alongside her wedding work over more than 9 years in business. Her newborn sessions lean toward a clean, lifestyle-influenced studio style — soft natural light, simple neutral wraps, and an unhurried pace that lets a fussy newborn settle before the camera comes out. Published sessions on her site, including a twin newborn studio shoot and a newborn-and-family session for a client named Ben, show her comfort working with multiple babies at once and coordinating full family portraits around a fragile newborn’s schedule. Morgan carries a five-star rating across her client reviews and is frequently praised for her relaxed, low-pressure approach, a quality that matters as much for a two-week-old newborn shoot as it does for a wedding day. Because weddings remain her primary focus, Morgan takes on a limited number of newborn sessions each month, which means Springfield families who book with her tend to get more individual attention and flexibility around scheduling than they might find at a high-volume newborn studio. For parents who already love her wedding photography style and want that same clean, timeless aesthetic applied to their newborn’s portraits, Morgan Clawson Photography offers a distinctive option in the Springfield market. 

Tara Long Photography has built a loyal Springfield, Illinois following around one specialty: posed newborn photography. Rather than offering every type of session, Tara focuses her studio time on newborns, maternity, children, and family portraits, which lets her stay deeply practiced in the safe posing techniques that classic newborn portraiture requires. Her sessions are known for the soft, artful compositions typical of posed newborn work — layered wraps, gentle curls, and quiet studio lighting that highlights tiny details like fingers, toes, and eyelashes. Serving Springfield and the broader Central Illinois area, Tara has earned an award-winning reputation among local families and carries a five-star rating across 27 client reviews, with clients frequently praising her calm demeanor and ability to keep newborns settled through a full session. Many of her clients first book with Tara during maternity, then return for the newborn session once baby arrives, giving her the chance to build rapport with a family well before the shoot. Her portfolio includes extended family and milestone galleries as well, so growing Springfield families often continue working with her through a child’s early years. For parents specifically seeking a posed, traditional newborn photography style rather than a lifestyle or in-home approach, Tara Long Photography remains one of the most established specialists in the Springfield market.