I moved to Chicago at the end of last year, and this is my first pregnancy. At first, I wasn't sure…read moreif I wanted to do a maternity photoshoot. It felt out of my comfort zone, something I had never done before. But after hearing from friends that I might regret not capturing this moment, I decided to start searching for a photographer. I came across many different artists online, but Sri's portfolio immediately stood out. His photography style is artistic, natural, and unique--nothing felt overly posed or awkward. I was already approaching my third trimester, so time was limited. Thankfully, Sri responded quickly and guided me through the entire process. He explained what to bring, what to expect, and assured me that most of the wardrobe and accessories would be available at the studio. We scheduled the shoot two weeks later with Sri and his talented makeup artist, Laura. When I arrived, I was nervous and unsure, but those feelings quickly disappeared. Both Sri and Laura made me feel completely at ease. Laura styled my hair into soft waves and gave my skin a beautiful, radiant glow, while Sri patiently walked me through the session step-by-step. Sri has an incredible eye for detail and a clear passion for his craft. He was attentive, energetic, and never rushed the process. Even when I needed time to find the right pose, he remained patient and encouraging, always focused on capturing the perfect shot. The final photos exceeded all my expectations--they are stunning and filled with emotion. I'm so grateful I stepped out of my comfort zone and trusted Sri with this experience. He even made sure I had a beautifully edited photo ready in time for my baby shower just one week later. This photoshoot has become one of the most meaningful memories of my pregnancy, and I wholeheartedly recommend Sri to anyone looking for a photographer. He not only incredibly talented but also kind, professional, and deeply passionate about what he does.

I cannot recommend Sri enough as a Chicago maternity photographer! I set up a pregnancy photoshoot…read morefor my sister as a gift. She hadn't planned on doing a shoot for herself and I wanted to make sure she had something beautiful to look back on to remember the moment. It was important to find someone who would make her feel comfortable while also delivering truly stunning maternity pictures-- and Sri exceeded all expectations. From my first call with him, Sri was warm, professional, and incredibly straightforward about pricing, deliverables, and the entire process. He made everything seamless, even arranging hair and makeup. When I introduced Sri to my sister, he was just as kind and reassuring, which instantly put her at ease. The maternity photo shoot itself was an amazing experience. Sri's studio is in a great location and offers the privacy that was important for my sister to feel relaxed. Throughout the session, Sri brought great energy and took the time to understand how my sister wanted to see herself in the photos. His expertise in artistic photography really came through-- his use of light is masterful, creating simple yet powerful images that perfectly capture this special moment. I found Sri by searching online for photographers in Chicago, and I'm so grateful I did. If you're looking for a talented, professional, and thoughtful Chicago maternity photographer, Sri is the one to book!

HIGHLY recommended! I had an absolutely amazing experience with Emily…read more As a photographer myself, I am INCREDIBLY picky when it comes to photographers and photography, and Emily's work definitely stood out to me. There were countless other photographers I had looked at in the area, that all had subpar quality, forced poses, and all-out disappointing portfolios (and the vast majority were much more expensive). Even before the shoot, Emily was a dream to work with. She was great at providing reminders, suggestions, and recommendations for preparation, that really helped everything come together on the day of the session. As far as the session itself, Emily went out of her way to make everything completely seamless - from the hair and makeup to the actual shoot, it was a fun, laidback environment. She was flexible with me on some of the outfits I had trouble deciding between, and ended up allowing me to sneak a few looks in. At no point did I feel uncomfortable or awkward, which was unexpected given I am usually on the other end of the camera when it comes to photography. Historically, posing and serious facial expressions were something I had always struggled with while being photographed, but Emily does an amazing job at guiding you to capture the perfect shot. I was in awe of her passion, and that passion truly translated to the shoot and the end product. All-around it was an amazing, worthwhile experience, and I am beyond happy with the outcome. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for a well-priced, high-quality photographer that is fun and motivating to work with!

Emily is a true artist!!! She is so knowledgeable about all the flattering angles of the body and…read moremaking sure you look and feel your best! Literally the best photos of myself I've ever gotten! If you're looking for a boudoir photographer look no further she's your girl. Will definitely be using her again in the future !

Super reasonably priced photographer who was easy to work with and the photos turned out great! He…read morewas willing to stay an extra hour at our wedding celebration to capture even more fun.

I'm fairly disappointed with my experience here. It has also made me decide I probably will take my…read moreown photos of my kid, rather than continuing to pay anyone. What's included in the package is made unclear, so I never got what I expected. In addition, during the shoot he said that he could take my arm out if I had it on my kiddo and when I reminded him of this later, he said that was considered a complex edit and would cost money but they'd do it complmenetary that time. Had he told me this at the time of the shoot, we would have done something differently to get photos without me there in the background. Not cool.

I cannot say enough amazing things about this experience. I'm generally rather shy & modest, but I…read morebooked this boudoir shoot as a gift for my fiancé. Turns out, it was an absolute gift to ME (also blew his mind). I left feeling more beautiful & empowered than ever, & that was BEFORE I saw the pictures. Cara is not only an exceptionally talented artist, but an exceptional person & brought out a side of self love in me I didn't know existed. Then, I got the pictures. Shy me turned into a supermodel (minimal retouching needed) Seriously, I could not believe it was me. I cherish the photos, & I went back two more times for pregnancy shoots which were just as amazing as the boudoir. Book this experience, whether introvert/extrovert, single, dating, engaged, pregnant, no matter your age, it is worth every single penny & more.

If you are even 1% considering doing this for yourself, for the love of god DO IT!!!! This is…read moregenuinely one of my favorite things I've ever done for myself. I had the most incredible experience with Cara and Melissa, and I feel like the photos (which are amazing, not shy about tooting my own horn here) ended up just being the cherry on top, which is wild. Can you relate to the following? 1. You've thought about doing this before, but wanted to wait until you got fitter, hair was longer, blah blah blah - NO, STOP IT. I know you've looked back to photos of yourself and thought "damn, why was I so critical? I looked great!" LEARN YOUR LESSON! You look great now, too. Book ittttttt 2. You've gotten professional photos done before, and didn't totally love how they turned out. ME TOO. This includes professional headshots, engagement photos, wedding photos, my passport photo (ha). I would see them and think okay those are nice, a like a few, but somehow they felt like they didn't really capture how I see myself. CARA SPECIFICALLY, not just any photographer, will capture YOU how you see yourself. It's the absolute beeeeeest. Which leads to point 3: 3. Have you ever seen yourself in the mirror and are like "hell yeah, nice!" and then you see yourself in a photo the same day and you're like "what the hell....is my mind warped?!" And then you have to ask your friends/sister "yo do I look like that?" And they say no definitely not? Yeah I don't get it either. It's weird (and the cameras fault- not yours) - and it won't happen with Cara. You'll look bomb and your photos will show you looking bomb. Here's the thing, the whole photoshoot experience was so much fun, and in the top 10 times I've felt the most amazing about myself. Cara and her team care about you and will take care of you. You are so beautiful, you deserve this experience, the outcome is going to be worth the money by miles. I was worried that I wouldn't like my pictures and as soon as I opened the file to choose the ones to keep, I felt so relieved. I am so glad I found this studio and photographer. Book it book it book it. And book it here, with Cara.

Ben was awesome to work with for our engagement photos. He met me the week before at the location…read moreto make sure I was fully comfortable about what I needed to do and where he would be. The pictures came out perfect and he really took his time to make sure both our families were involved as well. Couldn't recommend him more if you're doing an engagement in Chicago!

Ben moved fast, knew exactly how to use the light, and got me through without it feeling rushed. I…read morewalked away with a full set of professional headshots, candid street shots, and indoor portraits in 60 minutes. No wasted time, no awkward posing direction. Just good work, efficiently done. He made it easy and was extremely professional. Not awkward at all. Would book again without hesitation.

Nina Did my headshot when I got into real estate back in 2017. Best person for the job hands down!…read moreEveryone always asks about my headshot and compliments the photo (I'm due for an update which is actually what made me think I should leave this review.) and I always tell them Nina! I stand by that today.

In case people are wondering, my profile picture is courtesy of Ottolino Photography…read more Ottolino Photography knows how to make her clients comfortable with the camera. As a first time client, she immediately made me feel at ease within 5 minutes of my shoot. She is a skilled photographer, but also does a stunning job with makeup and hair, utilizing unique color and style. Ottolino Photography showcases incredible talent and offers outstanding results.

Mark Trela and his wife Magda photographed our wedding August 2019 at Garfield Park Conservatory…read more When I say they exceeded every expectation of ours, I mean it. To be honest, the photographer was the only vendor I was picky about and as soon as I saw their wedding photography, I knew immediately that they had to be ours. I love the lighting and style of their work. They are incredibly talented and have an eye for what makes a good photo. I loved how their documentary style gave us a full story of that day. If that wasn't enough, Mark and Magda are incredibly kind and will put their whole heart into your day. They were present and attentive the whole time. When the events of the day were underway I didn't even notice them buzzing around snapping photos. They were also responsive before and after the wedding and worked well with our wedding planner when it came to scheduling, etc. We received the photos within a couple weeks of the wedding. They also helped us select photos for a leather-bound book (honestly, they did most of the selecting/formatting themselves which was wonderful - I'm a hands-off kind of bride). I've told Mark and Magda I want them to be our family photographer forever! I'm just so in love with their work and I don't want our wedding to be the last time we work with them. I can't recommend them enough and they'll be worth every single dollar you spend on them (something pretty uncommon in the wedding industry!!)

Mark & Magda photographed our June 2017 wedding and I could not have been happier with the entire…read moreexperience. From the very beginning, Mark was super easy to communicate with and he always responded promptly to the plethora of questions that I threw at him. At our initial meeting, he really took the time to understand what I was looking for in a photographer and what was important to me when photographing our wedding day. From looking through his blog, I knew immediately that his style of photography was exactly what we were looking for; candid, artsy, and a unique way of capturing light (this was huge for me). After we signed the contract with him, Mark was great about keeping in touch over the months leading up to the wedding to get all the specifics of the day and to check in to see if I had any questions. He always made himself available via email or phone if I needed advice for how to best set up our schedule for the day or even if I had silly freak out questions about worst-case weather scenarios (which he always put me at ease about). I really appreciated that Mark & Madga took a day ahead of time to scope out our church and reception venue. I told him it was very important that we incorporate the outdoors as much as we could, and he made sure to find some great potential locations for photos. On the day of, Mark and Magda were able to coordinate perfectly to ensure that both my husband and I would have pictures of us getting ready with our bridal parties. They are both so personable and fun that they quickly put me at ease and really blended into the background to get all of these amazing candid shots throughout the morning. The ceremony went flawlessly and they coordinated group family shots with ease. I think that my favorite thing about working with Mark and Magda was how enthusiastic they were about taking amazing photographs. They went out of their way to convince an owner of a private barn to let us take pictures on his property and I couldn't help but really get into the photo session as Mark was so excited about the location and the light filtering into the barn. The photos from our cocktail hour were such a pleasant surprise to look at after the wedding as I barely even noticed them mingling in the groups to snag some amazing candid photos of all our friends and family. Mark was able to coordinate the timing perfectly at our reception to sneak us outside right after dinner to get these amazing golden hour pictures on the beach. I highly highly recommend Mark Trela as a Wedding Photographer. He is a true professional, a super great guy to have around on your big day, and he creates absolutely stunning photographs.

amazing and comfortable experience from start to finish!! Maggie is so good at directing poses and…read morehelping you look and feel your best!! Highly recommend!!

I can't say enough about Kelly and Maggie. They made my experience so amazing. I felt comfortable…read morefrom the moment I walked in .they had me laughing and I was completely at ease. I posted one of my favorites below. They really had me laughing and smiling the whole time it just made it so easy. When I saw my photos I cried.. a lot. I've lost a lot of weight but my body has been through a lot and usually all I notice are my flaws. I can finally say, looking at these photos, I am proud of the skin I'm in. What started as a gift for my boyfriend with a shoot that just happened to be on my birthday, turned out to truely be a gift for myself. Thank you so much! If you are on the fence about doing this... you should you definitely should! We will be back for couples photos.

Where to begin with Kameera? I commissioned the Kameera team for a professional project and the…read morefinal product was better than I could have imagined. The teams vision and creativity is truly unparalleled.

I know these guys personally and I know their work ethic. When they tell you that they can get…read morethings done, they get it done. Definitely recommend their service. They got years of talent and experience. Book them today! You won't be disappointed.

OUTSTANDING. Ben came prepared with lots of soft lighting options. He took outstanding portraits of…read moreour teenage daughter on her special occasion, and also portraits of our whole family. I've ordered a bunch of framed prints to hang on our walls and to send to relatives. Ben was extremely easy to work with. He was especially great at getting our wiggly 7 year old son to smile nicely for the camera.

Ben not only shot the most amazing wedding photos and videos, but he and his team did everything in…read moretheir power to make our day run smoothly, especially when our bus didn't show up. I could not speak more highly of Ben, the quality of the product and person. When our usb was later corrupted, Ben saved the day by providing a whole new set of photos and videos. Our family still talks about how great Ben and his team were and how amazingly he corralled both families seamlessly so it did not take forever to take group photos. Do not look further, he and his team will be the perfect addition to your wedding.