5 out of 5 stars and 145 reviews
5
(145)Chicagoland, Wisconsin, New Orleans and beyond!
About this vendor
Hold the phone – YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED?! Gaaaaahohmygoodness congratulations!
That is crazy exciting!
I’m Maura – Chicago based wedding photographer to the stars (that’s you!) and I am so pumped you’ve found my little corner of the interweb.
Your wedding day is going to be beyond-your-wildest-dreams amazing and beyond that, totally unique. Sure, you’ll put on “The Dress”, exchange your “I do’s” and probably cry at some point (or at all points!) but your wedding day is 100% completely and utterly yours. I am here to help make this the best day of your life while creating heirloom art that tells your personal love story.
I offer planning support and insider advice at every step of the way to ensure nothin'-but-net on your Big Day (oh, jeez. That rhymes. Sorry about that!). You are going to feel so comfortable and - dare I say - have so much fun working with me that you'll completely forget I have a camera in my hands. This, my friend, is when the magic happens!
Drop me a line and let's get this party started - I cannot wait to get to know you :-)!
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Boudoir
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
8-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2026.2025.2024.+5 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.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.0145 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Where do I even begin?!
The minute I got engaged, I reached out to Maura and asked for her availability in 2026 — no date, no venue, but I knew I could not imagine my wedding day ...
without the absolute best photographer.
I have been so blessed to know Maura for about 4.5 years now. Not only did she absolutely crush it at both of my sisters’ weddings, but I’ve also had the joy of being at countless weddings in between and watching her do what she does best. So when it came time for my own wedding, there was truly no question about who I wanted behind the camera.
Maura goes above and beyond in every aspect and never misses a beat. She brings the ENERGY to the day, makes sure you’re having the time of your life, while also being incredibly mindful of the task at hand. A 2.5-hour bus ride around Chicago with three stops and a bridal party of 30? She’ll get every shot you could possibly want (and then some) and somehow still make sure you get to cocktail hour on time. She is quick on her feet, incredibly creative, and has a way of making you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. I genuinely never knew I could look that good LOL.
A huge shoutout to her second shooter, Abbie. Together, her and Maura really are the dream team. I can easily attest to this as Abbie also shot at my sisters' weddings. With a million moving parts throughout the day, these two together do not miss a BEAT. Their chemistry is so beautiful and effortless, and they work seamlessly together. These two captured every second of our day and having them both there gave me so much confidence that nothing was being missed, and looking through our photos, I can honestly say they captured it all.
Wedding planning can be overwhelming, but working with Maura was nothing but enjoyable. I always felt more confident going into the big day after our check-ins, and creating our timeline with her was completely seamless. She has so many connections throughout the city and always seemed to have a solution for everything. I remember feeling so anxious about the possibility of rain on our wedding day, and Maura had already thought through everything and had us completely covered. She made me feel like I could just relax and enjoy the day.
And while Maura is an absolute phenomenal photographer and you will find yourself looking through your wedding album constantly, completely in awe of the photos, what makes her truly special is the person she is. She isn’t just there to do a job. She is there for you. She genuinely wants you to have the best day possible, and that comes through in every single photo — the genuine smiles, the love, the laughter, and all of the moments in between.
Maura has become so much more than our photographer — she has become a part of our family. I am beyond blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to know, work with, and love her for the past 4.5 years. I could not imagine our wedding day without her, and I truly cannot recommend her enough. If you are lucky enough to have Maura photograph your wedding, you are in the absolute best hands. 🤍
Maura was our photographer for our wedding in May and I can not say enough positive things about her. Not only is her work incredible, but is incredible. She makes you feel so comf...
ortable and is having such a blast with her couples. We are so lucky to have meet more - she truly is the best. Her photos are also beyond stunning. I could not recommend her more!
For lack of a better word, Maura is perfect. She is such a talented photographer, but she was so much more than that. Firstly, she is generally an amazing person. Between being so ...
supportive during all of our time together, very accessible, and just overall very nice. She provided vendor recommendations and was a fantastic help along the way. Second, she is so much fun! Between our engagement shoot and the wedding day, we feel that pictures can be difficult because there are so many and they can sometimes feel very stuffy. We did not feel this with her. She made us laugh and smile while having a great time taking amazing pictures. Finally, from a business perspective, she was so easy to work with. Between changes to our time, contract, pricing, it was so easy to work with her to make these changes. She was our favorite vendor to work with! I don’t think we can speak more highly about the person that she is and the quality of the pictures that we received. We hope to work with her again in the future!
Maura Black Photography is the best in the business! We had Maura Black Photography for both our engagement and wedding photos and could not have asked for a better experience. Ma...
ura and her company truly care about each of their clients, curating the experience to fit your vision. Maura's team is detail oriented and takes care of everything, leaving you at ease to just enjoy the moment. Maura is a pro behind the camera, making the shoot fun, relaxed, and memorable. The photo results are INCREDIBLE. I cannot recommend them enough!
We had the absolute best experience working with Maura as our wedding photographer!! From the very beginning, she was organized, kind, and truly invested in capturing our weekend e...
xactly how we imagined it. On the wedding day, she went above and beyond—not just in taking beautiful photos, but in making everyone feel comfortable, keeping us calm and on schedule, and blending right in with our friends and family. We even had guests tell us afterward how much they loved her, which says so much about the warmth and energy she brought to the day!
The photos themselves are beyond what we ever could have hoped for—timeless, natural, and full of emotion. Maura has such an eye for detail and was able to capture both the big moments and the little in-between ones that mean so much. We’ll treasure these pictures forever, and we’re so grateful to have had her as part of our wedding.
We can’t recommend Maura enough—she is truly a dream to work with!
Working with Maura Black on our wedding day was truly one of the best decisions we made. From the very first moment we met her, Maura felt like family. She has this rare and beauti...
ful gift of making you feel instantly at ease…like you’ve known her forever. That comfort translated into such natural, joy-filled moments that she captured so effortlessly.
Her ability to document our day went far beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Every emotion, every little detail, every special moment. She captured it all with such grace and artistry. Looking through our photos brings us right back to the magic of the day, and we are forever grateful for that.
Not only is Maura incredibly talented behind the camera, but her communication throughout the entire process was outstanding. She was always organized, thoughtful, and made sure to understand exactly what was most important to us. Her attention to detail to ensure we got every shot we hoped for (and so many we didn’t even know we needed!) was truly above and beyond.
We cannot recommend Maura enough. If you’re lucky enough to book her, know that you’re not just getting a photographer but you’re gaining someone who will make your day even more special just by being a part of it.
From the first call we had with Maura, I knew she was the perfect fit for us. She is so passionate about what she does and it shows through her work. She really does care about her...
couples. I typically do not like taking photos but Maura made the experience so fun at our engagement shoot. She offered so much guidance throughout the wedding planning process and her wedding guide was so helpful. On the wedding day, Maura kept us on schedule and captured all the photos I wanted and more. I told Maura my vision and she made it happen. I was able to completely trust Maura to capture the day. I’m absolutely obsessed with my wedding photos. I would highly recommend Maura. Her work speaks for itself and she is just an absolute pleasure to work with.
I had been following Maura for a few years on Instagram, and knew I wanted to at minimum put her on our vendor call list. After that phone call I cancelled the rest of our photogra...
pher meet and greets because it was clear she was the one. We had her for both rehearsal and wedding coverage and I cannot stress enough how happy I am with the results! The photos are everything we had ever dreamed of. My husband actually had to take breaks when looking at our full gallery because they made him feel so many emotions at once.
Maura truly felt like she was a guest at our wedding instead of a photographer - in fact, at one point she had such a rapport with one of my husband's cousins I thought they had known each other for years, not <24 hours! It has now been almost two months since our wedding and whenever we see a guest we're met with "And your photographer??? What a gem!" "WHERE did you find her?" "How did you find the perfect photographer?" I've never felt so comfortable being in front of a camera, and I cannot recommend Maura enough for your rehearsal, wedding engagement, etc.
Maura was an absolute dream, and we truly couldn’t be happier that we chose her to capture our wedding day. Not only is she incredibly organized, passionate, and a joy to work with...
, but she brought such a calm, positive energy that made the entire day feel effortless and fun.
Our entire bridal party, groomsmen and family couldn’t stop talking about how amazing she was, everyone had such kind things to say about her presence, her direction, and how she made every moment feel natural and enjoyable.
I genuinely don’t know how she did it, but she managed to capture the most beautiful, candid, and authentic moments, the kind of photos that instantly transport you back to exactly how you felt in that moment. I’ve looked through our gallery countless times, and every single image makes me smile.
If you’re thinking about booking Maura for your wedding or engagement session, stop thinking and run, don’t walk to secure her. She is simply the best!!
Words truly cannot express how amazing of a photographer Maura is! Hiring her as our wedding photographer was hands down the best decision we could have made. Her talent is truly u...
nmatched and we are in absolute aw of our pictures!! We received so so many comments from our friends and family that our wedding pictures look like they belong in a bridal magazine. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet and truly made taking photos all day so much fun! 1000000/10 recommend!!!
Maura was an integral part of our entire wedding process. From the initial meeting on she was communicative, knowledgeable, kind, and supportive. On our wedding day she directed ev...
eryone seamlessly and had such an eye to capture the day exactly how we wanted. We have not stopped looking at our photos since she sent them! We have also received endless praise from our bridal party and families with how incredible Maura was to work with and how stunning her photos are. We could not agree more!! Booking Maura for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made! Here are some of our favorites :) The Pochrons 2/22/25
There aren’t enough words to express the amount of gratitude we feel for Maura. Our wedding photos are truly perfect, and we are so thankful she was there to capture every single m...
oment of our wedding. She made us feel so at ease and directed the photos in a way that was fun and stress-free for everyone. She also helped us put together a photography timeline that fit our needs and ensure we captured everything that made sense for us. We also had Maura come to our rehearsal dinner and we are SO thankful we did! Everyone we’ve talked to since the wedding continues to compliment how on top of everything she was the entire weekend, and how they also love every single photo! We really could not have had our wedding weekend without her!
Maura was our photographer for our engagement shoot, rehearsal dinner, and September 2024 wedding (that's how much we loved working with her) and let me tell you, working with Maur...
a was an absolute dream. From the very beginning she put our minds at ease by answering all of our questions and making the process fun. She made us feel so relaxed and comfortable and went above and beyond every step of the way. For our wedding she helped us create the perfect timeline and showcased everything we wanted to. Our photos came out absolutely gorgeous and I can not recommend working with Maura enough.
Maura is truly the best wedding photographer in Chicago. Her pictures are AMAZING and exactly what we were looking for. But besides that, she helped the whole wedding day to go smo...
othly (as well as her amazing second photographer). I think every guest at the wedding has given me a compliment on how on top of everything she was and how much she was able to capture. We are forever grateful to Maura!
Maura was the absolute best decision we made for our wedding day. Her stellar personality had us relaxed in front of the camera, she helped us develop and stick to a timeline day-o...
f, she rolled with the punches and was willing to help with anything and everything day of, and she captured the most STUNNING pictures. We are so glad we booked her to capture the memories from our wedding day- she's truly an artist and we'll treasure her pictures for years to come. Would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer.
If you have the opportunity for Maura to be your wedding photographer, stop scrolling and say “Yes” right now! You won't regret it. We did an engagement session with her over a yea...
r before our wedding and she made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera, and we genuinely had the best time with her. She was along with us every step of the way and you can truly feel her passion for her work and wanting to make your day as special and seamless as possible. On the day of our wedding, she was a true Superwoman! She was everywhere all at once, capturing beautiful photos of our special day while also bringing her bubbly personality and joking along with all of our loved ones. She was more than just a photographer for us; a people wrangler, calming presence, ultimate hype woman, and her and Abbie even helped to miraculously get a spilled Espresso Martini out of my wedding dress during cocktail hour. We are so grateful to have had Maura as our photographer and couldn’t recommend her and her team enough. We will cherish her beautiful photos forever!
We cannot express enough how grateful we are to have had Maura as our wedding photographer. From the moment we first spoke, her warm and friendly demeanor put us at ease, making us...
feel confident that she understood our vision for the day.
On the wedding day itself, Maura was an absolute joy to work with. She has an incredible ability to blend into the background while still capturing every precious moment. Her attention to detail and keen eye for candid shots made our album truly special. Every smile, tear, and laughter was beautifully documented, and we loved how she managed to capture the essence of our day.
The photos are stunning—rich in color and full of emotion. We particularly appreciated her creativity; the unique angles and thoughtful compositions made for breathtaking shots that we will cherish forever. Maura also provided us with a perfect mix of posed portraits and candid moments, showcasing the joy and love that surrounded us.
Additionally, her professionalism throughout the entire process was commendable. She was punctual, organized, and communicated clearly, ensuring that everything went smoothly. The turnaround time for the photos was impressive, and we were thrilled to receive our gallery sooner than expected.
If you’re looking for a photographer who is not only talented but also genuinely passionate about capturing love stories, Maura is the one to choose. We couldn’t be happier with our experience and the stunning memories she has given us. Thank you, Maura, for making our special day unforgettable!
I honestly couldn't have chosen a better photographer to capture my engagement and wedding day photos! Deciding to have Maura photograph our special day was the easiest decision my...
husband and I had to make. Our first conversation with her she made us feel so special and comfortable, it felt like we have been friends with her for years! If you are able to book Maura to capture your special day you are SO lucky. She is one of the kindest, hardworking, and talented people I've ever met! The photos she captured we will cherish for the rest of our lives. We are truly so lucky that we got to work with and got to form an amazing friendship with Maura, she is AMAZING!
Gosh, we feel so incredibly luck to have come across Maura and her amazing work. We got to work with Maura for our engagement session and also our wedding day photos.
A little b...
ackground: The groom and I are not the most natural in front of a camera. We weren't sure how the picture part of this whole wedding ordeal was going to go, but boy oh boy did Maura hit it out of the park for us. From the jump , she made us feel so incredibly comfortable (and also made the experience fun!). Her guidance on how we should pose was so chill and helpful and she's overall just an absolute joy to be around.
Our friends and family were FLABBERGASTED from our engagement photos from Maura and our wedding pictures were no different! I can't express my gratitude enough for the amazing job and person Maura is. If you have the chance to work with her please do! She will be one of the highlights you remember from your day!
There aren’t enough words to describe Maura as a person and her talent! First time I met Maura, I knew I needed her in my life 5ever. When we got engaged, I knew I NEEDED Maura to ...
photograph our day. Thankfully I got that need! She’s truly incredible, inspiring, calming, genuine, and just absolutely overall amazing. She is the ultimate hype girl and just radiates positivity! (And she will jump into the bushes for you to get that perfect shot or get strangers involved to cheer you on to kiss) I wouldn’t trust anyone else to capture our mini session, engagement pictures, and our wedding day. She makes you feel so comfortable when you feel so awkward, and the way she gets so excited when she gets that perfect shot makes you EVEN MORE excited to see the picture.
Our family and friends are in absolute awe of Maura and the photos she captures. They keep saying how beautiful our wedding pictures are and how they look like REAL pictures and real moments in time. The way she gets those little moments that truly warms your heart. The simple hug between family members, holding hands with your NEW husband, the natural laughs between friends. She will capture those moments you don’t expect ANYONE to get, she gets it. We cannot stop showing our wedding pictures off or looking at them!
You will not regret the moment Maura came into your life. So book her right now, and she will make your wedding photo dreams come true. I’m so incredibly thankful and grateful she is in our life. We love her so much and can’t wait to see what other life moments she captures in our lives! To know her is to absolutely freaking love her.
Where do I even begin? From my first conversation with Maura I knew she was going to be a joy to work with. Her enthusiasm and pure appreciation of her craft shines through in ever...
y interaction. She made engagement photos fun even though smiling and pretending to be a model for hours on end can be exhausting (and leave you surprisingly hungry). And don't even get me started on our wedding day. She utilized the architecture in my apartment where the women got ready which felt incredibly special and my favorite photos of the morning happened spontaneously when we decided to walk to my local dive bar in our gowns. She was so on board and I felt like a complete movie star. I am so thankful for the beautiful photos I have from our wedding day and would whole heartedly recommend Maura to anyone looking for an effervescent genius to photograph their special day.
We were having trouble finding a wedding photographer because every photographer we talked to seemed to annoy my future husband. They would chat with us on the phone for 45 minutes...
before even telling us their pricing. But then we found Maura, whose vibrant photos immediately caught my eye. When we got on the phone with her, she was warm, funny, and knew the business inside and out. She also only needed to talk to us for 10 minutes and had sent her pricing ahead of time. We couldn’t sign our contract fast enough.
We opted to do an engagement session with Maura a year before our wedding. She knew the best spots in Lincoln Park that resulted in photos that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. She even incorporated parts of our personal story, having us take photos at the Collectivo Coffee shop where we had our first date.
Fast-forward to the wedding, where Mara showed up full of energy and put me immediately at ease. I was almost as excited to work with Maura again as I was to get married! She took us to Riverpoint Plaza and captured some gorgeous photos. She even stood in the middle of Lake Street to get stunning photos of us on the bridge. We had Carlos as our second shooter and he also was super charismatic and fun to be around. He spent time with my husband and his groomsmen, and made them comfortable and took some pretty cool shots of them palling around.
We’re already talking about using Maura again in the future for some anniversary shots. Truly, we can’t praise Maura enough for her gorgeous photos, her brilliant eye, and her engaging personality that made her such a joy to work with.
Maura was an absolute gem to work with for our wedding! She made everything so smooth and didn’t miss a single moment! She was a rock star dealing with all the chaos throughout the...
day!
Maura was amazing to work with! She made our engagement shoot and wedding so much fun. Maura’s kindness and sense of humor makes everyone feel at ease in front of the camera. She i...
s very communicative, organized, and was so helpful during the wedding planning process. We are so grateful for her!!
Our wedding photos are absolutely incredible! Maura captured so many small and important moments from our wedding day as well as taking so many beautiful portraits. She photographed so many beautiful and special moments from our wedding: the fun on the dance floor, interactions between every generation of our family, and the joy of our wedding ceremony. We will treasure our wedding photos forever!
Maura is fantastic!!! Immediately after our first initial phone call with her my husband and I knew she was the one! We knew going into the wedding planning process how important i...
t was to book a photographer we loved knowing that the photos we'd get would be something to cherish for the rest of our lives. Plus the photographer is the one vendor who you spend the majority of the day with on wedding day. Maura exceeded our expectations, put us at ease, made us comfortable and brought all the joy and fun throughout our entire time working with her. On wedding day our bridal party and family couldn't get over how funny yet professional she was. In addition to being easy to work with, she also delivered flawlessly on our vision and we are obsessed with our wedding photos! We are so grateful that we found her and are so happy with how everything turned out. 10 out of 10 highly recommend!!
Maura is absolutely incredible. From the minute we had our initial call, we knew there was no other choice. She listens to you every step of the way and provides honest feedback! S...
he makes the whole day incredibly fun and makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. She gets
to know your and your partner and she truly becomes your friend. Your photos will be absolutely beautiful. There’s no better choice!!
Maura is truly the ONLY option when it comes to picking your wedding photographer. Not only is she incredible at what she does, but she’s an all-around amazing person and a serious...
hype-woman. From our first introduction call, I knew that she was the one for us. She’s kind, energetic, so knowledgeable, and SO good at what she does. We had a little hiccup with one of our photo locations while we were driving there and she sprung into action, giving us three other nearby locations we could go to and then gave instructions to our trolley driver to get us there, she truly does it all. We are obsessed with every photo she delivered and are having the most difficult time picking our favorites out for our album. I’m so looking forward to sharing more of life’s big moments with her!
There are literally not enough wonderful words to be said about Maura. Not only is her work incredible, but she's just the absolute best hang. You spend more time with your photogr...
apher on your wedding day than any other vendor. Hiring someone you actually want to be a part of your inner circle is so important. She photographed my proposal, engagement session, and wedding day. Her pictures are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Maura was the first vendor I hired and I literally would have rescheduled my wedding if she wasn't available. She's just that good.
From our first call, I knew I wanted to work with Maura. Photography was the most important element of our wedding for me. While quality of work is important, I wanted to really co...
nnect with our photographer and feel I could trust them to capture our day and create once in a lifetime memories. We were so incredibly lucky that we found Maura as she ticked every single box!
We realized a few days out from our wedding that we’d have unavoidable rain the entire day and needed to pivot on most of our plans for vows, portraits, etc. Maura was truly a lifesaver helping us navigate plan B (and additional contingency plans). The location she recommended for our vows and portraits ended up being even more perfect for us than our original outdoor plans, and the photos turned out incredible.
The quality of Maura’s work, her professionalism, stamina(!), and organization were all notably impressive to not just myself and the groom, but we received multiple comments how amazing Maura was from family, friends, and guests after the wedding.
If I could leave one piece of advice for anyone currently planning their wedding, it would be to BOOK MAURA ASAP. You won’t regret it!
I cannot recommend Maura more highly. Hiring her for our 11/4/23 wedding was one of the best decisions I've, honestly, ever made in my life. She books up fast, so if you're reading...
this, you should contact her, like right now.
When we initially reached out to her, she provided us with two full galleries of her work - one was even from our venue! Our engagement photo shoot was so much fun and a great way to get to know her. We absolutely loved everything about our experience - from our initial outreach all the way through to receiving our full gallery. She was so much fun, was genuine in her interest in getting to know us, and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. Her passion, personality, and overall approach to photography are next level.
She's incredibly organized, attentive, communicative, and timely. We received 26 photos the morning after our wedding and got our full gallery in less than 5 weeks. The full gallery has sooooooo many photos - way more than we could have imagined! She captured everything we asked for and more & the quality is impeccable. Her ability to connect with others and truly capture authentic moments is everything you could ask for in a wedding photographer. Also - her second shooter for the wedding day, Abbie, was amazing and captured some incredible shots (their chemistry/friendship is also adorable and made the day even better).
Photography was the most important wedding vendor for me, as your magical and beautiful day only happens once. I spent a lot of time researching photographers, paying attention to...
their editing and shot style, other galleries, and reviews. From the very first call with Maura we knew she was the perfect fit - she was honest and upfront about her ways of working, was prepared for every question we had, and was perhaps more excited for our big day than we even were! Our engagement session was one of the most fun experiences I've had with my now husband - truly felt like a date night along the lake that just happened to be photographed! Maura's energy and direction made it easy to feel relaxed and I find myself still obsessing over how those photos turned out. They made for the perfect Save the Dates, Wedding Website, and Guest Book images. For our wedding day, her energy was truly unmatched - honestly, she's the best hype woman! I also really loved her easy demeanor and go with the flow approach to locations, shots and general timing as it made every moment of photos feels so special and unique to us - a sacred part of the wedding day vs. something we had to get out of the way. Don't get me wrong, it was all rooted in a rigorous shot list, preference sheet, and timeline - which she had thoroughly memorized! My friends and family couldn't get over how seamlessly Maura flowed through the dance floor, capturing photos at every turn but feeling like one of the guests. I was sad to see her leave for the night - she truly felt like family! Her second shooter, Abbey, was also an incredible part of our vendor team - when my husband started to get a bloody nose during our first look, she didn't hesitate to jump into mom mode and help get it cleared up! And finally, Maura's turnaround time is insanely quick - on top of giving us tons of previews the week after! I think it was about 1.5 months after the wedding that the full gallery dropped - INSANE! I truly cannot thank nor recommend Maura Black Photography enough - her professionalism will elevate any vendor team!
Oh my goodness, where do we even begin? Maura Stephens is a true professional with a HEART OF GOLD!!! Maura was one of our first vendors we hired and actually we happened to come a...
cross her on Instagram. The second we noticed her we dove deeper and deeper into her gallery and it was everything and more! We knew she would be an excellent fit to our special day. Thank goodness she was available and honestly we could not have done this without her.
The first time we met her over video chat, she made us feel so comfortable and truly welcomed. She was not just looking to get the job done but also get to know you as an individual and couple. We got off the call and knew she was exactly the one. When we met her in person for our engagement photos she was absolutely incredible. Her talent shined and she made us feel so much more comfortable in front of the camera. Let me tell you, the engagement photos were top-notch, they made us really excited about the wedding photos!
Leading up to our wedding day, Maura was always a call, email, or text away. She made the entire process easy, fun and exciting! She was so energic and the best hype woman ever. Our families and bridal party were WOWED by her.! She was literally EVERYWHERE at every hour, minute and second. She captured everything so beautifully and seamlessly. She was super organized and diligent about capturing every moment and she did it with such class, excitement, and professionalism.
She understood Patrick and I very well which made us so comfortable with her and not only was she our wedding photographer but she became a part of family and we grew to have a strong personal friendship with her and we are forever grateful to cherish memories with her. We love you sis!!!
I wish we could leave a 100⭐️ review. Maura was one of our first vendor selections when planning our wedding and she was certainly the best!
When you first meet Maura, you are in...
stantly comfortable. As someone who is introverted and doesn’t love being in front of a camera, her personality makes it feel like you’re just hanging with a best friend. She is also the ultimate hype woman, making you feel beautiful during your session and laughing along the way. Our engagement photos are amazing and something we will forever cherish.
Leading up to our wedding day, Maura was always available to answer my questions (and I had a lot) and also helped us to craft the perfect timeline / shot list. She really went above and beyond with a long phone call to iron out all the details - even offering to stay past her contracted number of hours to ensure we got all of our moments captured.
On our wedding day, Maura was a literal super woman. Somehow, she is EVERYWHERE capturing EVERYTHING! When we received our sneak peek (which she sent the day after!) we were blown away with not only the incredible photos, but also how she captured every single moment. Our wedding party and guests had a blast with her and we received so many comments about how great she was.
If you want an insanely talented photographer with a genuine heart of gold, Maura is your girl! We are so grateful she was with us to capture our day.
My husband and I met Maura at a friend's wedding just after we got engaged and immediately knew that we wanted her to capture our wedding day as well. She is so talented, kind, and...
energetic!
We had so much fun working with her for both our engagement shoot and wedding day. She is so knowledgeable and put us at ease through the wedding planning process. On our wedding day, she made sure that we stuck to our timeline and captured all the photos that we requested. She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and had our whole bridal party laughing all day.
We absolutely LOVE our album!! It has been so fun to relive our wedding day through her photos. Choosing Maura as our wedding photographer was definitely one of the best decisions we made. I would absolutely recommend her over and over again!
We were so lucky to have worked with Maura for our wedding in June 2023 at the Chicago History Museum. Maura did both our wedding and our engagement shoots, and I will treasure al...
l of our photos! She put two people, one of which is not comfortable at all in front of a camera, very much at ease with her calming, but also incredibly energetic, energy. She somehow managed to capture very posed pictures without making us looked posed or too staged. She brought a wonderful energy to our entire day. We are based in Boston, and Maura went out of her way to give us a coveted weekend date for our engagement shoot to work with our schedules and was always open to a Zoom and many, many emails.
Separately, my father passed away shortly after our wedding and Maura responded to a panicked email within minutes and helped me with an edited photo of my father for the services. While obviously not related to a wedding, I share this as an example of Maura's customer service and just going above and beyond to support one of her couples.
We were so lucky to have found Maura!
I can confidently say after our wedding day that Maura was our best vendor hire out of an already incredible vendor team! She is the absolute best- her work speaks for itself in th...
e photos and moments she captures, we received our sneak peek the next day after the wedding and they were stunning, I can't wait until we receive the full gallery. The photos she captures are an absolute work of art from her ability to pinpoint great lighting, filters, and angles. She is also incredible at making you feel comfortable during the day, and almost as if she's a friend you've known for years! Her energy was just amazing for both our engagement shoot and wedding day, you can tell she truly cares about each couple, and was really funny to help keep the energy high and calm any nerves. We really loved working with Maura and will be recommending her to all family and friends getting married. Don’t miss out on an incredible photographer and experience!
Maura is the absolute best!!! She is so knowledgeable in her field of work and truly cares about you as a couple. She makes the entire process easy, fun, and comfortable. We worked...
with Maura both for our engagement photos and for our wedding and we are so happy we got the chance to. She has a passion for what she does and it absolutely shows when she is working with you, your family and friends, and bridal party. Maura works with you to make sure you are getting exactly what you want out of your photos including any special requests. She goes above and beyond to make sure every single aspect of your special day is captured. Not only is she fantastic behind the camera, but she also makes you feel and look beautiful while taking photos by giving feedback such as "you look absolutely stunning," which to me made a huge impact because it made me feel more comfortable and at ease in front of the camera. She also gives you sneak peeks of your photos the day after you take them, which is great because it makes you even more excited to see the other amazing photos she took throughout the day. We cannot wait to see all the amazing photos she took on our wedding day!! Maura was an absolute blast to work with and such a fun, loving, caring, and energetic person. We loved working with her and cannot wait to hopefully work with her again in the future. If you are looking for a photographer, Maura is your girl, and you will not be disappointed!!
We love Maura!!! There are too many good things to say about our incredibly talented photographer. She made our wedding day go absolutely perfectly. The first thing our guests ment...
ion when congratulating us is how spectacular our photographer was (and how flawless our photos are!). All our family and bridal party thought she was fun and hilarious, and she made the whole process go totally smoothly. On the day of the wedding, one of the locations where we had planned to take photos happened to be closed. Without hesitation, Maura was able to come up with a new plan and new location, and now we can’t imagine our wedding photos anywhere else! It was perfect. If there’s one thing we could recommend for your wedding day it would be to hire Maura.
Maura was amazing from engagement photos to wedding day photos! We can be a bit awkward when taking photos but she made us feel so at ease and comfortable. Throughout the whole pro...
cess she was very organized and her energy made taking photos so much more enjoyable. She really was able to capture our personalities and the intimacy of our wedding day. We are so glad we found her on the knot and would definitely book her again!
There are not enough good things to say about Maura. Not only are her photographs gorgeous, but Maura herself is a delight to be around. She brings all the positive energy, humor, ...
and joy with her into the room and makes you feel like you’re the best looking that you’ve ever been. We did an engagement session with Maura over a year before our wedding and it was 100% a great idea—we loved the chance to get a feel for being in front of the camera, bantering away with Maura. Leading up to the wedding, Maura made herself available for any help we needed and was incredibly easy to get a hold of whenever we reached out. The day of the wedding, having her with us and our wedding party was the most comfortable and natural thing—it genuinely feels like we’ve known her for years! On the day of the wedding, everyone was telling us how great or photographer was, and those sentiments have only been echoed as we’ve shown photos from the day. If you’re looking for someone with an incredible eye for a beautiful shot who will give you not only stunning photographs but an unforgettably wonderful experience from start to finish, look no further—Maura is it!
Working with Maura was a joy! She was recommended to me by a close friend before I was even officially engaged. She was the only photographer we interviewed and after chatting with...
her during our consultation, we knew that she was the right photographer for us! In working with her, we found her to be incredibly kind, knowledgeable, patient, and hilarious! Her infectious energy helped us so much in making us feel more comfortable in front of the camera. The photos she took are incredible and we love them so much! It’s been hard to decide what prints to buy for our home as we have so many favorites! She also provided us with our photos quickly, with sneak peeks within 24 hours after both our engagement shoot and our wedding and our full gallery for our wedding less than a month after our wedding date. We are so happy with our decision to hire Maura as our photographer! Thank you again Maura for capturing our wedding day so beautifully!
We were referred to Maura from close friends and are so thankful we were connected!!!
Maura was absolutely amazing!!! Hands down THE BEST wedding photographer in the Chicago area....
She made us feel so comfortable, always keeping everyone laughing. She so gracefully herded family members for portraits (not an easy task) and made sure everyone was included! All of the photos are stunning, she really captured the essence of our wedding.
Also, she was quick, she did not make us wait months and months and months for photos! She also kept us updated on where she was at with the photos while we were waiting.
Boy do we love Maura! We started planning our wedding over 2 years ago - Maura was the first vendor we locked down. Since then, she has captured our engagement photos, our first ph...
otos with our puppy, and most recently our wedding photos a few weeks ago. Maura is artistic, kind, and so knowledgeable. She has the ability to make you feel comfortable in any setting. She is so talented at what she does. Her turn around time in getting photos back to you is incredible as well.
One of my favorite things about Maura is that she helps you throughout the entire process and is always there if you need anything. Our friends and family absolutely loved her. Photography is without a doubt her calling & we feel so lucky to have stumbled upon her. We cannot wait to use her again in the future.
Maura was fantastic - hiring her was hands down one of the best decisions we made when planning the wedding. In addition to taking beautiful, artistic photos, she is a warm and fun...
person who is great at making her subjects feel relaxed and at ease - this was really helpful amidst the stress and chaos of the wedding. I personally hate posing and smiling for photos but every photoshoot with Maura was a breeze. Highly, highly recommended.
Maura is hands down the best engagement photographer in Chicago. From the first call I knew she was going to be a long term fit for us. She has done four sessions for us. The first...
was engagement and did three more couples shoots for us over the years. Because of Covid we never actually had a wedding and chose to elope, but we still have the best engagement and couples photos I could have asked for… so I don’t even feel like I missed out on our special day. She took her time to get to know us and make us feel comfortable. This was so important because we can see how relaxed we are in our photos and it feels like date night in comparison to a chore. Also, every photo is gorgeous!
We cannot recommend MBP enough! Maura and Abbie were phenomenal! Maura brought such a wonderful attitude, was so easy to work with, and such a pleasure to spend the day with! She t...
ruly helped us feel so comfortable during every part of the day. Maura captured every moment of the day in a way that is so real and that is so fun to look back on and re-live! Our photos are memories we will treasure for a lifetime. THANK YOU MAURA!!
Maura knows how to make the wedding process fun. From our engagement pictures to our wedding day, every minute that Maura was there was a fun and memorable experience. She's so dow...
n to earth, goofy, care-free, everything that we wanted in our wedding pictures and on our wedding day. She became part of our wedding party and friend group on our wedding day! We truly couldn't ask for a better photographer - she not only slays at her craft, but she also makes the entire experience stress free. She respected the fact that we wanted playful pictures and not posed ones, and they turned out beautifully. I cannot express how great Maura is, we would recommend her to anyone! Ryan and I cannot thank you enough, Maura!
From the moment we met Maura at our engagement session she was beyond kind, friendly, patient, and made us feel so comfortable!! She was just a joy to be around the entire day wedd...
ing day! And not only is she the absolute sweetest but our photos turned out AMAZING!!! I had a sneak peak by 11AM the day after my wedding. Then my entire album was such a quick turnaround as well! I could not have asked for a better photographer! Thank you so much Maura!!
There is not enough space to describe how AMAZING and TALENTED Maura is. Thanks to her, we now have an entire gallery to cherish for the rest of our lives - she captures everything...
and does NOT miss a moment. Maura truly has a heart of gold who makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Not to mention, she felt so much more than a photographer, I truly felt like she was one of my bridesmaids as she was always checking in on us, fluffing my dress, and making she we all felt our best. One of the best decisions I made was hiring Maura for my wedding. She truly creates magic.
There are no words to describe how incredibly wonderful Maura is to work with. She's a kind, patient, TALENTED, and incredibly fun photographer. We're so happy we found her to shoo...
t both our engagement photos and wedding. She was very thoughtful and helped us feel at ease in front of the camera, which was very much needed! Maura also answered all my questions (as an anxious bride, there were plenty!) throughout the planning period and was a very helpful source of information. Finally, her work is amazing. From having sneak peeks to us a day later to delivering a gallery full of amazing, high-quality photos in a timely manner, we couldn't have asked for more.
Please don't hesitate to hire this amazing person for your wedding!
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Chicagoland, Wisconsin, New Orleans and beyond!
Maura Black Photography