About this vendor
We do traditional- we know it's what grandma wants. We do modern and edgy- we know it's what you want. With full day coverage and digital images included in every package- it's what everyone wants.
Details
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Film Photography
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Documentary
- Modern
- Vintage
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
6-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2021.2020.2019.+3 more.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.097 reviews
Amazing experience. They were both so personable, flexible, and professional. I didn't have to worry about anything on the day, Kara took care of it all and kept everyone on schedu...
le. I had so much fun working with Kara and would recommend her to anyone!
Thank you Kara!
Big thanks to Kara and Laura for capturing our day!
Kara did such a great job! I LOVE how our wedding pictures turned out. Our wedding day was cold but you would never know that from the photos (minus the snow on the ground). So gla...
d that I chose Kara as our wedding photographer!
Kara is the best! She made us look gorgeous on our wedding day. She didn't mind getting drenched on our rainy day, and out photos turned out gorgeous. Kara can turn an alley or ...
a truck bed into a work of art. I cannot praise her enough. She is worth every penny!
Kara was simply amazing to work with! We were a COVID wedding, and Kara made all of the changes and “pivot-ing” surrounding our big day seem like no big deal at all. She rolled wit...
h the punches and even hung in there with us when we changed our venue just 5 weeks before our big day. From the first time we met Kara we just knew we were going to connect with her! She is bubbly, fun, full of life and incredible at her job. After postponing our wedding that was originally planned for May of 2020, we decided to get engagement pictures done (we had originally skipped that tradition) and could not have been more thrilled with how they turned out. We knew the second we saw them that our wedding pictures were going to be sensational. Kara is a true joy to work with – she is excited to work with you from the second she meets you and she will go above and beyond to make sure you’re happy on your big day, even if it means crawling under your ball gown to take off your shoes for you (true story)! If you’re looking for a photographer for your big day then search no more, Kara is the best of the best!
Kara and her team were absolutely amazing! She was the perfect level of bossy, making sure we got excellent pictures without taking over our day. She has a real eye for gorgeous pi...
ctures and she is an awesome person to have around. I was very nervous and my husband dislikes having his picture taken but she took great care of us and we love our wedding photos!
Kara is the absolute best! Her turn around time is amazing as well as her work! She made it so fun even my husband enjoyed pictures! I would hire her again for future photos!
We first had Kara do our engagement photos, which might not be such a natural thing for some couples like ourselves. But Kara put us at ease right away and made us laugh the entir...
e session. We could tell she was the right photographer for our wedding that day but the pictures we got back sealed the deal.
When you hire Kara for your wedding you get so much more than you ever expected! She helps your organize and coordinate your day, keeps the bridal party laughing and happy, and she takes all the stress off the bride. Not only is she extremely talented, but she is also very efficient. She is meticulous and focused so that all you have to worry about is having a good time and spending as much time as you can with your guests and with each other. We had to change our whole wedding plan multiple times due to COVID and Kara never missed a beat and was there for us in whatever capacity we needed her on that day. She brought a great energy to the day and the final product was so amazing and perfect. You really can’t go wrong with Kara and you will be so happy with how she captures your special day!
Kara was amazing!! She was so accommodating and made our Covid wedding scenario easy. She was quick to communicate back when we had a change of plans, quick to get us our photos b...
ack, and the pictures were amazing. She is the quickest and the most efficient in her picture taking too which is huge when you have a large wedding party. I've worked with other photographers at weddings I've been in and no one has been as good as her. HIGHLY recommend!
Kara is hands down amazing!! First off, she’s like the coolest person ever! Second, her photographs are beautiful! Our wedding pictures turned out better than I could have ever gue...
ssed, and she got them back to us so quick!! Highly recommend using Kara😊
I don't even know where to begin about how amazing Kara is. From day one when I contacted her about photographing our big day, she was enthusiastic and so genuine. Our engagement p...
ictures came around and my husband, not very comfortable in front of the camera, was very nervous and had no idea what to expect. When we left, he couldn't stop talking about how amazing Kara was and how comfortable she made him feel. This then carried over to our wedding day. She is hands down the best photographer we could have asked for. So organized, so personable, SO funny. She helped keep our day right on track and kept everyone laughing the entire day. Our entire wedding party went on and on about how great she was and how she got amazing shots in such a short amount of time. We never felt rushed, but we also never felt like we were taking endless photos. Kara also got our entire photo gallery back to us in record time! On a day we thought she was sending sneak peeks, she sent our entire gallery of around 1500 photos. We could not believe the turn around time and have loved reliving our day through the pictures. She captured us perfectly and made our so stress free and nothing short of perfect. I could go on and on about how amazing of a photographer and person she is and am so thankful she was able to capture our big day! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Kara!!
Kara is simply the best!!! I first met her for “engagement photos.” She was very receptive and willing to squeeze us in due to an acute medical condition. Absolutely stunning ph...
otos. There was never a question of who to hire for the wedding, a surprise wedding at that. Kara is so creative and really wants the best for her customers. I was truly shocked at her turnaround time as well. Absolutely LOVE her and will continue to use her as long as she’ll have us!!
Kara is the absolute best. She has the perfect personality for wedding photography - she had fun and in turn the bride, groom, bridesmaids and groomsmen did too. She made them fee...
l comfortable and it showed in the pictures. Genuine smiles and laughter! Thanks Kara!
Kara is incredible and exactly what we were hoping for in a wedding photographer. She somehow took beautiful photographs without ever feeling in the way. In fact, we often didn’t...
know she was there. When our wedding was over and we finally saw the photos, we didn’t even realize she was around for some of the things she shot.
Kara also made sure it never felt like we were holding things up for photos. We didn’t take any family or group photos before the ceremony, and Kara was able to get all of those done at the church in about 20 minutes. That let us join right in on the fun with our friends at the reception. And the photos she took were exactly what we wanted!
Kara also gave us a complimentary engagement shoot, and she traveled over 300 miles (from Peoria to Grand Rapids, MI) to take the photos at some of our local favorite spots. This meant the world to us because we had been a little torn between having our wedding where more family and friends were (Peoria) and where we lived (Grand Rapids). Kara made the engagement session fun and personal, and the photos turned out amazing!
Kara is awesome to work with! I had followed Kara on social media for a long time before I was engaged/married and knew that she was the one I wanted for my wedding pictures. Sh...
e is super sweet and so easy to work with. She made me and my husband feel comfortable in front of the camera. She works fast and gets great pictures. My wedding party loved her and we received so many compliments on the beautiful pictures. She had such quick turnaround time too -- only 3 weeks during peak wedding season! Amazing! I would recommend Kara's work to anyone looking for a fun, creative, and super talented wedding photographer! I will cherish the photos forever!
Kara perfectly captured our September 2019 wedding at Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Knowing it was a setting full of gorgeous picture spots (with only one day to get to them ...
all!), I was overwhelmed by logistics: how to make it all happen, where to be and when....but then Kara swooped in, took charge, and took every bit of pressure off of me. She was authoritative, in control, and confident... there was never a lull in the shooting and never a moment I worried that we missed a shot. Kara never seemed to get tired, but was instead relentless in documenting every moment. She listened to what we wanted and kept us laughing the whole time... and when we didn't know what we wanted?... her creativity would come out and she would know just what to shoot.
Kara is the perfect wedding photographer: genuinely interested in her couples, an amazing eye for moments, and a true talent for putting people at ease. . and then after it's all said and done, she edits the photos and makes you feel like you are magazine worthy because of how beautiful a job she has done at making you--and everyone--look beautiful.
Photography can be a daunting part of a wedding---but with Kara, a bride and groom can have complete confidence that she will not only make the day fun while capturing every possible moment, but that she will give a gorgeous finished product that will last forever. We couldn't be happier.
-Caity and Michael, married September 21st, 2019 at Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina.
Hands down, Kara is the absolute BEST in the business! While searching for a wedding photographer for our destination wedding, I kept comparing everyone to her. Luckily, when I con...
tacted her she had our date open and was willing to travel to Florida. Her sweet disposition and communication skills are an added bonus. One of my favorite things about Kara (there’s honestly a list) is her knack for finding the perfect picture spots and how she’s able to position people so they look phenomenal in photos. If you’ve seen her work, you know how talented she is. I would HIGHLY recommend Kara to anyone and everyone. If you book her, I can guarantee your pictures will be the best out there.
If there is anything I can say about Kara is she is easily one of the best photographer-mom boss-awesome ladies period. I may be bias being a previous member of #teamkkp but becomi...
ng a #kkpbride is a next level experience. Not only did Kara come prepared for all Iceland had to offer, but she scouted locations, IN ICELAND THE DAY BEFORE! She helped curl my hair day of, drove me to the first look, all the while Sophie, her daughter, watched her Mom create her magic.
All I can say is we are truly the lucky ones for Kara coming in to our life years before our wedding day and the friendship we have created. Once we were engaged, Kara was one of the first people we told. She was also the ONLY photographer we had in mind and we specifically picked our day based on her availability!
Kara was amazing!! She helped us schedule our whole day and made the day go so smoothly! We have so many wonderful pictures to remember our day! Her delivery of our album was unbel...
ievable!! We were moving out of state and she gave us the opportunity to see our pictures with our family/ friends before we moved! I am forever grateful for these sweet memories!
Kara and her crew are not only the most talented wedding photographers I have ever met, but they are also the absolute best with people. They all clearly enjoy their job and it sho...
ws in all aspects of the day. Kara, herself, can direct and joke with family, friends, and bridal party in a way that not only puts them at ease about having a camera pointed their direction but also gives them the feeling of enjoying the experience with a new friend. Kara was a huge part of making Matt and I's wedding day as epic as it was. I feel truly honored to have had her capture our wedding.
Kara was amazing!! We loved how outgoing and fun she was! Her timeliness was outstanding and she was always a text or call away when we were planning. Would definitely recommend he...
r to anyone looking for a fun wedding photographer!
Our engagement photos are absolutely beautiful and we could not be happier with how quickly they were edited! We are working with Laura and she has been so friendly and helpful in ...
this process. She helped me with an initial timeline and provided PHENOMENAL advice to guide us on our engagement shoots. The photos turned out absolutely incredible and every photo delivered was just gorgeous! Strongly recommend Kara Kamienski Photography! I cannot wait to see how our wedding photos turn out!
Kara was awesome!!
She shot both our engagement pictures and our wedding day pictures as well and we love them all!
She was so good with my husband and my family and helping al...
l of us take the best shots.
It even rained ALL DAY the day of our wedding (and we were supposed to get married outside!) everything had to be changed- venue and all- the day of and she never missed a beat and cake up with some awesome options for photos despite the rain!
She is an expert! All of our photos turned out awesome and I’m so happy with them! Thank you, Kara!
Kara is the best! The photos she took of my son and daughter-in-law’s wedding are beautiful! She does whatever it takes to get the best shots. She even climbed up on the hood of an...
old truck in the rain! You can’t go wrong hiring Kara Kamienski!
Look no farther for an AMAZING wedding photographer! Choosing Kara for our special day was an easy decision in my opinion! Her pictures are simply amazing, and being a bridesmaid i...
n a previous wedding she shot, I knew her fun/outgoing/go-with-the-flow personality would be the perfect fit for our bridal party and our day! I love that Kara is open to travel, she gladly came to my husband's hometown to capture our engagement pictures on family property. This was so important to us, as the wedding was held three hours away in my hometown. She was great at pulling out personality in my husband, who would rather be doing anything than taking pictures. She makes the entire session so, so fun! Kara's personality is what makes her the best at what she does! There are many people who can deliver gorgeous photos, but Kara's personality and ability to make people feel comfortable and relaxed during pictures is unmatched, plus her photos are better than gorgeous ;) There are many things to worry and stress about on a wedding day, for us it was rain... and lots of it! The rain was NO challenge for Kara! She completely ROCKED our wedding photos on a dreary, sloppy rainy day! She was not going to let the rain get her, or her team down and was determined to make the sun shine on a day when the sky was covered in clouds. She did just that! The rain pushed us outside of the box, and I could not have asked for more gorgeous wedding photos! She completely took the stress out of my wedding day :) I cannot thank Kara and her team enough for the AMAZING work they did on our wedding day! I will forever have stunning photos (and LOTS of them!!!) to remember our beautifully rainy day! Thank you Kara for being more than just a wedding photographer but a friend during my wedding planning time! From the sweet gift in the mail to the multiple emails/phone calls bouncing even non-photo related questions off of you, you are truly an amazing person! Needless to say, I highly recommend Kara Kamienski and her team for any and all of your photography needs!!
Kara was the wedding photographer for my daughters wedding. She was by far the most efficient and fun photographer I have ever experienced. She knows how to position and move eve...
ryone quickly but the photos don't look rushed. It's so hard to see everything that is happening that day, so glad Kara was able to capture all the smiles and happy tears . She has preserved beautiful memories for us to treasure. Thank you Kara!
Got some great pics at the Presley wedding of not only the bride and groom but my kids and grandkids! Smiles all around with her using fun to get those smiles!
I can’t even began to explain the gratitude we have toward Kara and Laura of Kara Kamenski Photography. They did an incredible job on capturing our day, there isn’t a thing I coul...
d imagine changing!
We put a great deal of consideration into choosing our wedding photographer, being that once it’s all said and done, the pictures are really what you have left. We wanted someone to truly capture the day and who we all were on that day. Kara and her team capture reality, not a perceived reality. The pictures have genuine smiles, real personality and true beauty!
The experience that Kara gives is also unmatched. She keeps everyone happy, laughing and enjoying themselves. She is also the fastest photographer I have ever seen! All of our families couldn’t believe how fast pictures went during cocktail hour, but yet they all turned out amazing! She is organized, efficient and knows exactly what to do to get the perfect shot. She knows exactly where to direct your eyes or put your hands, and she is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot! She is also great with using funny phrases or names for everyone- she had our flower girl and ring bearers cracking up at chicken nuggets, so we got the most perfect picture with them!
Again, can’t begin to explain how wonderful Kara Kamenski Photography is in just a short few paragraphs. I don’t believe there is another adequate choice for a wedding photographer out there! So many thanks to Kara and Laura for our wonderful photographs that we will cherish for the rest of our lives! Thank you!
Kara came as a “I love working with her referral”. We did everything via email (which worked perfectly for us) and once the wedding day arrived, we were not disappointed. Kara was ...
fun, energetic and took the pictures with no delay. It was just a few short weeks and we had our pictures to look at.....BEAUTIFUL!!
Stop looking for photographers!! Kara is the one you want! My family is STILL raving about her 6 weeks after our wedding. And the pictures are STUNNING. Candid pictures , posed p...
ictures, in the moment” pictures...they are all there. She is funny, efficient, professional and pure talent. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to her and let her answer your questions...you won’t want to look any further. 💖
Kara has been the photographer for two of our daughter’s weddings. Kara was easy to talk to during the planning stage, answered all our questions, and has good attention to detai...
l. Her bubbly a and friendly personality quickly extinguishes all the wedding day jitters and makes the day just a little more fun. I love that she brings a second photographer the day of the event to capture all the ‘other details’. Our first daughter has a lovely wedding album and I cannot wait to see daughter #2 wedding album. A work of art!
Kara is great to work with. I new going into my big day that she would capture every moment. We are in love with our pictures an can't wait to see our album!
Choosing Kara and her team to photograph our wedding was one of our easiest and best decisions! She was so wonderful to work with... not only does she take amazing photos (even get...
s the ones you had no idea you wanted!) but she is so FUN to work with. She makes you feel relaxed and comfortable, sometimes like she's not even there! We had a few mishaps on the morning of our wedding, and she rolled with it like it was no problem! :) I have nothing but the best to say about Kara and her team, and would highly recommend her to any couple who is wanting the best photographer on their wedding day! Thank you, Kara... it was a pleasure having you capture the best day of our lives! :)
We had an amazing experience with Kara! She is so personable and great to work with. The pictures turned out amazing!!
Kara was more than amazing! Between our engagement pictures and our wedding day, she & her team captured everything so perfectly. She was so organized and made sure everything ran ...
smoothly and on time on the wedding day. We got our pictures back in just 4 weeks, and we love them so much!! We definitely recommend Kara and are so thankful we have such amazing pictures to remind us how perfect our day was!
Kara .. what can I say about Kara.. She is seriously incredible! Her photos. They turn out like magic. The second we met her, we knew she was going to be so fun and easy to work wi...
th - and she was! She took our engagement photos in Boston and literally walked around the entire city so we could get every picture we wanted in all of our favorite places. She photographed our wedding and we received TONS of compliments on how they should be in magazines. Her work is seriously amazing. HIRE HER!!!! You will not regret it.
Kara did a fabulous job on my husband and I's wedding in January 2018. This was an out of town wedding for her, in Phoenix, AZ. I liked having her because
1. my wedding pictures a...
re so great!
2. She was very sweet and positive the whole time
3. She was very prepared and detailed
4. We had a lot of fun! Didn't feel tiresome at all
Would definitely recommend!
Kara was absolutely wonderful throughout the whole experience! Not only does she have beautiful photos, but she is a beautiful person inside and out! She was easy to talk to and co...
nnect with leading up to the wedding, as well as the day of.
Both my husband and I feel unsure of what to do in photos, but Kara gave clear directions with every detail. We never questioned whether or not our bodies, faces, or surroundings were ok, because she was clear and encouraging with each picture.
Kara took care in directing our families and bridal parties as well, and she was efficient with each picture. She made everyone feel comfortable and happy the day of, and she was extremely organized.
I cannot wait to see the prints for our wedding, but I am confident they will be beautiful. I highly recommend using Kara as your photographer!
Kara did an amazing job for our engagement photos a few weeks ago. She was very quick at responding, flexible with our schedule, answered all of my millions of questions, and we we...
re super happy with everything! Would highly recommend!
Kara and her team are THE BEST. She is so personable and really goes above and beyond to capture the perfect shot. I can't stop looking at my wedding pictures, they are so beautifu...
l. I will definitely be using Kara again for future events!! :)
Kara! Nothing bad!!! Her energy was beyond contagious! Her communication and experience in the wedding field was just what I needed! My husband and I will Be forever grateful for ...
the beautiful images she captured on our wedding day!!!
The moment we got engaged I knew I had to get Kara for our wedding photos! She had done a wedding for one of our friends and I was blown away at how beautiful the photos were. Now...
that we’ve had her for our very own wedding, I will recommend her to every single newly engaged couple I come across! She was such a joy to work with and she makes the day go by so smoothly. She captured the best moments and I’m so blessed we will have such wonderful pictures to keep for the rest of our lives! She is truly the best out there!
Kara goes the distance! Literally! When I started planning my wedding (in Boston), I knew I wanted Kara to be our photographer, but I wasn't sure if she would travel all the way to...
Boston for a wedding. Lucky for us- she did! Kara made everything so easy from billing to making her own travel arrangements to what I remember being the best "the day of" run through phone call about a month before the big day. On the big day, this woman was an upbeat, encouraging professional. Kara had done her homework and scoped out options for photo in this new to her city. She is also funny and just generally great to be around. While she was a stickler for keeping us on time, she was also stealth! I don't remember seeing her for most of the ceremony or reception but she captured so many amazing shots. What I appreciated most about Kara is how quickly we got our shots back and how patient and responsive she was to my requests for a few edits here and there of the 1,234 shots she took! Wish I lived in Illinois- we'd use her all the time! If you're reading this review, don't think another second, you will not be disappointed with Kara! Reliable, fun, professional, and fabulous photographer!
Look no further!! Kara is the best, she will make your wedding pictures everything you ever dreamed about!! She was so fun to work with, had the best ideas & captured moments we ne...
ver would have thought about. We picked our wedding date around her availability!! WE LOVED her!!!
I am the youngest of 3 and was the last to get married. My siblings all tried to get Kara for their weddings, but she was booked! By the luck of a Friday wedding, we was available ...
for mine! She did everything in her power (including getting up at 3am) to drive anywhere we wanted pictures taken and made sure they were absolutely flawless and we were happy! She's so easy to work with and even made my husband laugh throughout all of our engagement pictures. I can't say enough about how wonderful she was organizationally on our wedding day! She got every shot and QUICKLY! She are over the moon with how everything turned out. You would be crazy not to use her! 🙂
Kara was wonderful to work with! Our wedding day went so great with her help and we are absolutely in love with our photos!
KKP provided my husband and I with the best experience! They kept everything moving, organized, upbeat. We all had tons of fun in the process! Kara and her team were very adept at ...
keeping things moving from family photos, to bridal party pictures, and all the way down to the dancing at the end of the night. I'm very impressed with her constant smile and upbeat attitude! My husband and I are going to be booking with them again for all of our photography needs hands down! We love them!! :D
There are too many good things to say about Kara and her team at KKP!!! Kara is from my hometown, and I'm also an event coordinator. When I got engaged, there was no doubt who I ...
wanted to be my photographer! I've seen hundreds of weddings, and it's very true that photographers kind of set the mood for the day, as they are with you through the entire thing. Kara's personality is one that you would want around on your wedding day! She's fun, outgoing, kind, helpful, quick with large group pictures, and you'll get AMAZING images! Bottom line - you won't regret booking KKP! Happy planning:)
Working with Kara and her team was amazing from day 1! I knew after our first meeting I HAD to have her! She did our engagement photos as well as our wedding day and we couldn't be...
happier with the photos. The perfect mix of some classic styles that we will cherish forever along with all of the fun creative shots we LOVE as well! She even hosted a "Brides Night" where she gave tips and tricks to a small group of her upcoming brides. It was super helpful to hear all of her insider tips! She made the pictures go by fast and was organized which helped us stay on our timeline for the day. Our bridal party all commented on how fun and easy she made it! Our photos are something we will always cherish and she captured every single moment perfectly. We received over 1,000 photos of our special day! We loved working with Kara and Laura!
I honestly can't say enough good things about Kara and her team. They made everyone involved feel comfortable and have fun! The end product is absolutely stunning, and I'm so pleas...
ed with our photographs. Great job, Kara Kamienski Photography!
Contact
117 Peoria St, Washington, IL
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