$4,950 starting price
About this vendor
Emma Petersen Photography
In business: 10+ years
Team: 1 member
Languages: English
Business: Woman-owned Business
Intentional, Documentary-Style Storytelling
Emma Petersen Photography is a business in Chicago, IL, that specializes in documentary-style wedding and elopement photography. She immortalizes stories through a documentary lens, capturing the raw, real, and every candid memory in between.
Let’s dive into the details: my photographic approach focuses on seeing your day through a documentary lens. But what does that ~really~ mean? I love being a fly-on-the-wall and letting you make memories with your people instead of looking down the barrel of a camera lens all day. I love capturing those small and in-between moments of you actually enjoying your time with your people instead of posing endlessly for hours.
I’m not the photographer for you if you’re looking for a completely Pinterest-perfect and manufactured gallery. My attention on wedding days is about letting moments unfold naturally and not over-directing your day - I prefer to let those TRULY candid moments and real emotion shine through above all else. If you’re picking up what I’m putting down then we are the perfect match🤍
Awards
Prices & packages
Make It Happen
$2,850 starting price
Make It Happen
$2,850 starting price
Contact for hours
Contact for hours
For the intimate couple that wants to ditch the wedding stress and elope in the location of your dreams with just your closest family and friends.
For the intimate couple that wants to ditch the wedding stress and elope in the location of your dreams with just your closest family and friends.
Weddings Investment
$4,950 starting price
Weddings Investment
$4,950 starting price
Contact for hours
Contact for hours
For the couple that wants a wedding with all the fixings - from the dance floor to the wedding party, you want to celebrate your love with everyone in your lives that's important to you and your relationship.
For the couple that wants a wedding with all the fixings - from the dance floor to the wedding party, you want to celebrate your love with everyone in your lives that's important to you and your relationship.
Showing slides 1 to 2 out of 2
- Make It Happen$2,850 starting priceMake It Happen$2,850 starting priceContact for hoursContact for hoursFor the intimate couple that wants to ditch the wedding stress and elope in the location of your dreams with just your closest family and friends.For the intimate couple that wants to ditch the wedding stress and elope in the location of your dreams with just your closest family and friends.
- Weddings Investment$4,950 starting priceWeddings Investment$4,950 starting priceContact for hoursContact for hoursFor the couple that wants a wedding with all the fixings - from the dance floor to the wedding party, you want to celebrate your love with everyone in your lives that's important to you and your relationship.For the couple that wants a wedding with all the fixings - from the dance floor to the wedding party, you want to celebrate your love with everyone in your lives that's important to you and your relationship.
Starting prices may not include all fees a vendor may charge. Contact the photographer for customized services and quotes.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Same-Day Edits
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Documentary
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Reviews
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5
out of 5.040 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Emma, the highly recommended wedding and engagement photographer, received glowing reviews for her exceptional skills and bubbly personality from multiple satisfied clients. Clients praised Emma's ability to capture candid and posed shots beautifully, making everyone feel at ease and comfortable. Her energetic and enthusiastic demeanor, organized approach, and talent for bringing out personalities in photos were highlighted. Emma's attention to detail, professionalism, and the ability to create a relaxed atmosphere while delivering high-quality, stunning images were consistently commended, making her a top choice for capturing special moments on wedding days.Review photos
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We worked with Emma for our engagement photoshoot and wedding day and cannot recommend her enough!
She did an incredible job directing us into the best poses for all of our shots while also making things feel natural. Her bubbly personality and enthusiasm throughout the entire day was infectious. She stayed cool, calm and collected throughout the entire day even as certain things threw off plans a bit (e.g. horrendous traffic). We were especially impressed getting all the candid shots back in our first look gallery - I remember these moments through my eyes, and was totally unaware of her capturing many of them at the same time through her lens. Our family members all raved about their experience with her as well, before they even saw any of the beautiful photos.
We had full trust in Emma heading into our session, but she still surpassed all expectations. She is the ultimate hype woman that you need in your corner on your wedding day!
Emma was wonderful to work with for both our wedding and engagement session. We HIGHLY recommend Emma because she is professional and fun, organized and flexible and made us feel confident and relaxed on what could have been a stressful day. Our wedding album is the perfect mix of candid and posed pictures. Emma beautifully captured the love we felt on the day and focused on the relationships that made the day so special. One of our favorite parts of the day was the 20 minutes of couple's portraits we did between our ceremony and reception. After saying "We do", it was nice to get 20 minutes to focus on us as a new married couple. Emma and her second photographer Hanako made us feel comfortable and relaxed and it was fun to have that special time together. 10/10 we would recommend Emma to ANYONE looking for a wedding or engagement photographer.
Emma was by far the most energetic, enthusiastic and wonderful vendor we worked with! She kept us engaged and excited the whole day allowing for effortless, comfortable, and beautiful photos we will treasure forever. All of our family and friends also gave us so many compliments on how amazing emma was to work with. The photos are so gorgeous and we are so grateful to have such special images of a day we will never forget!
Any questions?
If I could add a sixth star I would!! Emma was simply phenomenal. She was organized, clear, supportive and fun to work with throughout our entire wedding process. Her website and additional resources she provides during the engagement process was beyond helpful. She was never a vendor I had to manage, rather she was a helping hand who elevated stress and preemptively answered questions. On the actual day she was the MVP. We just followed her lead and got the most amazing shots! I cannot emphasize the quality of her work enough, we are still getting compliments over a year later on our engagement photos and the preview for our wedding album was STUNNING. We appreciate you Emma!
If you are looking for the most perfect shoot experience you have come to the right place! Emma is beyond talented. She has this natural ability of brining out your personality, love, and friendship into a photo all while having a great time. We have done 2 shoots with her now because that is how obsessed we are with her work! We plan to work with her more in the future and if you are looking for memories that last a lifetime you have to pick her. Like seriously go inquire now!!
We could not recommend Emma enough!
Emma was an excellent mix of very fun to have around while at the same time being very good at what she does. We were impressed by how prepared she was for every single photoshoot we did, both in managing/directing the day and taking the specific photos we requested. Throughout all of that, she also just brought great energy to the day and helped keep everyone in a great mood throughout the photo sessions.
As for the photos themselves, they were stunning. Emma truly went above and beyond when capturing our day, and we are so grateful we chose her as our photographer
Booking Emma was the best decision we could’ve made! She was so kind and genuinely fun to be around, with the perfect mixture of helping pose us but also capturing amazing candids. We had a fusion wedding, with a complicated 2 ceremony day and she managed everything wonderfully within our timeline from big family photos to sunset portraits. The sneak peak photos the day after the wedding were the best bonus surprise, we were expecting only a few but she had some from every part of the day. Everyone is obsessed with the pictures, we couldn’t recommend Emma more!!
We are SO happy we chose Emma as our photographer. Starting from the engagement session we knew we had made the right decision for such an important vendor. She always made us feel comfortable and at ease. Her bubbly and kind energy helped to relax us on our big day. She went above beyond, she kept us on time and helped with little things she didn't even need to. She is a true artist and SO talented. We've only seen our sneak peek so far (we got over 50 photos just 24 hrs after our wedding, amazing to have after the post-wedding blues!), but we couldn't be happier. Our photos are absolutely beautiful. We still smile and tear up again when we look at them. She took into consideration our vibe/style as a couple and tailored poses and shots to that. Our family raved about their interactions with her, as did our bridal party. Booking Emma will be one of the best choices you can make for your day!
Hire Emma. I cannot stress this enough that she will be the best vendor you hire that your family will actually want to hang out with all night because she is so kinda and wonderful to be around. She's SO communicative and prepared- she came with clear umbrellas at the slightest chance of rain, she checked my bouquet for loose pollen to make sure it didn't get on my dress. Not to mention, HER PHOTOS. My guests cannot stop gushing over them- she is so wildly talented and the ultimate photographer. I will hire her for any and all professional photos I need in my future. She is 1000000% worth the investment and more. Cannot recommend her enough
Absolutely a joy to work with — Emma was kind, warm, easy going, and professional. It was a simple addition to our most important day, and we are really glad we decided to actually get photos taken for our small City Hall ceremony. Emma made everyone feel at ease and did a great job blending in with our friends and family, capturing great posed portraits as well as the simple and sweet candid photos of everyone in the group.
Emma is truly impressive! We worked with Emma for our engagement shoot as well as our wedding (June 2024). Not only is her work breathtaking, she is truly the full package. To begin, her incredibly detail-oriented planning process ensures all questions are answered before the big day and that every detail is perfect and captured exactly as you want. We did not have a wedding planner, but Emma truly stepped into this role the day of. In addition to capturing every moment, she is truly understands all things wedding- from the easiest way to hold your train to the little tricks of how to keep your wedding dress straps up all night long, Emma has it all down. When you hire Emma, you are hiring much more than just a photographer. Emma can truly do it all. Our goal for the night of our wedding was to spend as much time with our guests as possible while getting photos to "tell the story" of the entire evening. Emma did fantastic to make this dream come to life. In addition, Emma is the definition of efficient. We wanted some posed family-style portraits. Again, with the goal of partying as much as possible, we wanted this section to go quickly. We had about 30 people involved in family photos, not an easy bunch to wrangle, and the portraits were finished in less than 10 minutes. Truly impressive. Emma is worth every penny! You will not regret choosing Emma.
We would HIGHLY recommend Emma for your photography needs! From our engagement photos to our wedding day, Emma took the time to get to know us and capture every moment in such a meaningful way.
Everything felt so natural and we didn't feel like we were ever being pulled to the side or having to do rigid, common posed photos. It felt like we were able to enjoy our celebration and had someone there to capture the moments. She made us feel very comfortable and relaxed from the very start. From playing music that perfectly fit the mood throughout the day to having tissues ready to go at any given moment, she was prepared and so helpful. We really appreciated the variety of ways that she checked in with us the day of to make sure that everything was running smoothly and everything that we wanted captured was captured.
We were also very impressed with her organization and creating a realistic timeline. She had such great suggestions throughout wedding planning as well! We had a gap of time that we wanted to enjoy with our bridal party and weren't sure what exactly to do, but she was happy to brainstorm with us and ultimately helped create a plan so we could go mini-golfing with our bridal party! It was such a fun and memorable part of the day and we were so grateful to enjoy a fun experience like that on our wedding day!
We have been so pleased with our entire experience with Emma as our photographer and have been so impressed with her creative touch, positive energy, organization, and professionalism! You will be very happy with not only your photos, but your entire experience with Emma Petersen Photography!!
We have nothing but great things to say about Emma and her assistant Taylor. We had an engagement session with her and then had her fly out for our wedding in San Francisco. Emma is professional, organized, and extremely talented. She makes sure every detail is covered and communicated well throughout the whole process - there was never a moment where we were even questioning what was next. She is just such a joy to work with and we really look forward to another excuse to work with her! Emma makes sure to capture the shots your parents and family will want, but also prioritizes capturing moments that really show who you are as a couple. When we look at the pictures, we're immediately taken back to the moment she captured because she does a great job of capturing the feeling as well. She is supportive and will be there to help with anything you need, but also fades into the background as necessary so you're never feeling "on display". We really loved working with Emma and would absolutely recommend her for any occasion.
Booking Emma for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made throughout the whole planning process! Not only is she fantastically kind and brings wonderful energy to every situation, but she made it clear that she was there to support us in any and every way possible. We loved having Emma in our corner during this whole experience, and have loved being able to look back at all these beautiful moments that she captured so skillfully!
My fiancée and I booked our engagement shoot with Emma in December 2023. We are over the moon, not only with our photos, but with how our entire experience went. When we sent her our inspo pre-shoot, she asked questions to zero in on the vibe we were going for. At our shoot, she kept in mind specific poses or looks we especially loved. Emma did a great job making us feel comfortable to be ourselves in front of the camera with an even balance of posing and candid moments. Not only did we get beautiful photos, but we also feel they really capture our love. If you're looking for excellent photos with a timeless aesthetic, definitely consider booking with Emma!
Emma was professional, detailed, and captured not only the important moments but also the feeling of our day. Could not recommend her enough!!
Emma did an amazing job capturing the most perfect day! Everyone will tell you how fast the day goes, you won’t even remember it. That statement is so true! But through Emma’s photos you can look back on your perfect day and remember even the finest of details! She is so professional but so fun at the same time and takes all the stress of the day away! Thank you Emma for doing such an amazing job! It was so much fun to work with you!
Emma was very professional to begin with. Her work ethic and energy was amazing. But besides all of that, the quality of her work is outstanding. We’ve both decided that in every memorable events that comes, Emma should be there to capture them all.
My fiancé used Emma to photograph his surprise proposal! She then followed us to photograph ice skating after the proposal - we love the way the photos encapsulate that moment for us and it’s a day we will always remember because of the effort Emma put in! She is amazing!!!
Emma was wonderful! My fiancé and I were both so nervous about the shoot, but she has such a positive and calm demeanor that we both felt at ease. The pictures are gorgeous and we can’t wait to show them to friends and family.
We loved Emma! She made us feel so good and natural during our engagement session, and she even catered to our interests and our love story. She is so sweet and fun to work with, and on top of that is an incredible photographer.
My fiancé and I booked our engagement shoot with Emma in December 2023. We are over the moon, not only with our photos, but with how our entire experience went. When we sent her our inspo pre-shoot, she asked questions to zero in on the vibe we were going for. At our shoot, she kept in mind specific poses or looks we especially loved. Emma did a great job making us feel comfortable to be ourselves in front of the camera with an even balance of posing and candid moments. Not only did we get beautiful photos, but we also feel they really capture our love. If you're looking for excellent photos with a timeless aesthetic, definitely consider booking with Emma!
Emma’s talent is undeniable and her work speaks for itself. If you’ve made it here, you’ve likely already marveled at the magic she has captured and candidly, my words won’t do her justice there but I’ve shared a few of my faves to speak for themselves.
Emma was both our engagement and wedding photographer and while this wound up being the hardest vendor search, once we found Emma, we knew.
Yes, her work is undeniable but when you hire Emma you get more than beautiful photos to last a lifetime. You’re hiring your hype woman. Your therapist. Your pre-reception DJ. Your confidante. Your friend. Emma is a chameleon. Whatever you need her to be, she seamlessly morphs into, even without you asking or even realizing it yourself.
After our first meeting with Emma I told my husband that she’s “golden retriever energy” and I 1000% stand by that statement. She was the last photographer we spoke with before we selected. We simply knew it had to be Emma once Emma became an option. Just like I couldn’t imagine my wedding without my now husband, I almost equally couldn’t imagine it without Emma. By the time it came for her to leave, I was genuinely sad. Not because I felt like we missed any shots but because her energy was that palpable, I couldn’t picture the celebration without her.
If you are looking for a photographer who can give you the cinematic, rich, romantic photos of your dreams, book with Emma now! Our engagement session is straight out of a movie. We are truly so thrilled and in love with our photos! The entire experience was great! Emma was easy to work with and answered all our questions, helped us plan, and worked with us to capture our vision. The session itself was so much fun, and Emma’s expertise made the whole process comfortable, simple, and efficient. She will guide you through the whole thing and think of all the little details. Our gallery is stunning start to finish and delivered early!! The images are polished and perfectly timeless. We cannot recommend Emma enough!
Emma was amazing at our wedding this summer! Her process is so collaborative & her communication is great. She made us feel so supported & grounded on our wedding day - and delivered about 20 amazing previews less that 24 hours after our event. She's also quick on her feet & helped us get some amazing shots in the rain post ceremony! Highly recommend.
Emma was so fun to work with and had a great upbeat personality. Made the whole process easy and we were so happy with the end product. Highly recommend, Emma!
Emma was fantastic! Could not recommend her enough. She was fun, energetic, and put us at ease the entire time. From the initial consultation to the final product of receiving our prints and photos, Emma Peterson photography exceeded our expectations. We were lucky enough for Emma to capture both our proposal and our wedding. Thank you for the memories we will cherish our entire lives
Emma was a wonderful photographer! Her communication, photos, and time management throughout our big day was amazing.
We’re so happy to have had Emma as our photographer. The photos came out amazing! We had family members texting us immediately after receiving the text photo book about how great everything came out.
We love you Emma!
Emma took branding photos of me for my wedding planning business, and I loved every second of working with her. Not only is she the sweetest, but she is so detailed and takes the time to ask you about all the different types of photos you want. I would recommend her over and over again to all my future couples.
"EMMA WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND LITERALLY EVERY ASPECT OF OUR WEDDING DAY!!"
From being our hype woman, to helping us relax in our element as a married couple during the photo sessions, and to truly enjoy our special day! She worked so well with our family, friends, bridal party, and vendors. Her talent, creativity, storytelling, and expertise shows in not only her incredible photography, but also kind-hearted professionalism, and speedy delivery! Her photos captured all of the love and joy of our wedding day. Emma is truly a rockstar!"
Emma is the best! She is so thoughtful and outgoing, and she made us feel so at ease throughout the day. She was very professional, detail oriented, and prepared for literally everything (we had crazy weather-rain, cold, wind). We LOVE our wedding photos!!!
Emma is truly the best at what she does! I have worked with her twice now (once for a fall couples shoot and another for a surprise engagement shoot) and our galleries were everything we dreamed of and more!! She genuinely gets to know her couples so she can bring out their own unique love story. I love love love her work!! 🤍
Emma took our engagement photos before our wedding over the summer and we absolutely loved working with her! She made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera and we were so happy with all the photos we received from our session. Emma also encouraged us to bring our dog to our session and did a great job interacting with her! We definitely recommend Emma and are looking forward to using her again in the future!
Emma did a great job from start to finish. She helped with the planning process, timeline, and kept us on track during the wedding day. Our pictures are stunning! She worked with our vision for our engagement shoot and wedding pics — they turned out exactly how we wanted! A skilled photographer was important to us and Emma delivered. I will definitely be recommending her to any of my friends looking for wedding photographers.
Emma was truly amazing!! From the first phone call she was an energetic breath of fresh air. She was so organized and helped with planning and timeline which I was clueless about. We met her for our engagement photos and felt comfortable with her immediately.It was a bitter cold windy day and my hair was absolutely wild, our eyes were tearing up, and my toes were turning purple I did not think it was possible that she could have gotten a single shot. But every single photo was amazing!! I was blown away and knew I’d have absolutely nothing to worry about on the big day! The wedding day she captured the most amazing photos, helped everything run smoothly and even had a few sneak peaks to us by the next morning!! I would more then recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their big day you will not regret it!!
Emma was truly amazing to work with! I cannot thank her enough for how smooth she made our wedding day go. Emma had control of every situation - she made sure we stuck to our timeline, had a back up plan in case of rain, reassured me ahead of time we would get good photos rain or shine and just made sure we didn't have to worry about any of those details on our day. My husband and I just had to focus on having fun and being happy. Emma was really fun to work with - throughout the day she was cool, calm, patient and kind with everyone and in every situation. We can't thank her enough for all the prep work that went into making our day perfect and also the positivity she brought to our day of. Last but not least, the photos she took were beautiful! She captured all the joy & love we had that day and all the special moments. We already have them printed off and ready to hang in our home. She didn't miss a single special moment or special shot. I cannot recommend her enough!
Emma was such a delight to work with! She went above and beyond for our wedding weekend, and we could not be more grateful. Every little detail was captured so perfectly, and she truly listened to what was important to us on our special day. On top of that, our friends and family could not stop talking about how wonderful she was! We absolutely love our gallery, and would book with Emma again in a heartbeat!
Emma is amazing!!! She made my fiancé and I fell awesome at our engagement shoot and the pictures turned out incredible. I highly recommend Emma!
Emma is AMAZING! She is incredibly talented and takes stunning photos- we received over 500 photos from our engagement shoot and could hardly choose favorites because they were all just beautiful! Moreover, she is a true joy to work with. She is a ray of sunshine and has a way of making you feel so special during your shoot and beyond! Communication with her is a breeze, and it's clear that she genuinely cares to get to know her clients so she can capture them in a unique, personal way. We absolutely cannot wait for her to shoot our wedding in May!
Emma is one of those people who brings pure love and joy into her work. Her infectious smile and fantastic personality encourage couples to be themselves, while her photo skills add that incredible magic that make people go "OMG THAT'S US!" Hiring Emma as your photographer will be the best decision you ever make.
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Emma Petersen Photography
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