Michelle Zapanta Photography

eived our photos in less than a week, and they are absolutely stunning! We’re so excited to have Michelle as our wedding photographer! If you're looking for someone who delivers beautiful, memorable photos, look no further!

se happy moments. But best of all, she has a warm personality which made working with her feel easy. She was able to photograph our Indian wedding with such class, that these memories will remain with us forever.

of the wedding. Michelle will make you feel comfortable even if you are not great at posing or taking pictures. She is very professional and responsive throughout the entire process and will help tailor to whatever requests you have. The pictures turned out amazing and she lets you save down all her photos without an extra charge. I highly recommend her as your photographer!

quickly we received the album - she sent us our full gallery 15 days after the wedding. Not only are we impressed with the photos, but Michelle and her assistants were great to work with on the wedding day. They were all kind and were a calming presence in the midst of a big day for us. Also, Michelle was always responsive and helpful before and after our wedding. I realized after that I forgot to include a clutch made from my grandma and mom’s wedding dress in our detail shots, and she made the effort to come by after the wedding to photograph the clutch so it would make it into our gallery. Hire Michelle, you won’t regret it!

l. Her pictures captured every moment we were looking for. I know there are a tremendous amount of talented photographers but we were so glad we went with Michelle. We couldn’t be happier

our good side ( and worked with people who had the same good side) lol she made all my pictures from my engagement pictures to my actual wedding look like fairytale come true. Her attention to details is phenomenal and will ensure you will have the greatest pictures out there. You won’t regret it, I sure didn’t! Bonus, she might feel like family at the end :)

chelle is a dream, she communicates well as a vendor, arrives with enough to time for set up before shooting, and is prepared with her own accents to seamlessly incorporate into your detail shots. Michelle can visualize and execute stunning portraits by utilizing surroundings and lighting. She is also able to coach virtually anyone and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. Michelle is extremely efficient when working! I am so impressed with the number of quality and unique images she supplied in such a short time. My only regret working with Michelle is that our schedule for the day could allow more time with her behind the camera.

ime to get to know her clients and have fun with the photography. You can tell this is not solely a business for her but a passion. I am really looking forward to working with her and Erick for our big day!!!

ts that are most meaningful between people. She is humble, genuine, and family orientated. These qualities come thru in her photos and makes her an amazing photographer to work with.

ns. If you are into a bright & airy, elegant vibe…she’s the photographer for you!

Michelle is naturally one of the most kind, generous, and funny people I have worked with in the wedding industry. Her passion for photography shines in her hard work and dedication to everything she does. One of my biggest fears going into a photoshoot was feeling awkward about how to pose, smile, and where to put my hands. I don’t know what it is about Michelle, but she makes this so fun, easy, and natural. I felt so comfortable the entire time and the pictures we received were above and beyond. I have left every session feeling like Michelle is part of our family and an amazing friend. If you have the opportunity for Michelle to bring her husband along, then you’re really in the right spot for a photographer. Michelle and her husband are an amazing team and do everything to get the perfect shot. Lastly, Michelle puts her heart into every session she does. She gets to know the space, and focal points and lighting of where she will be shooting. She shows up to the event with a plan and a vision on how she’s going to capture the day. All I can say is, you will not be disappointed when that email comes through with your completed album. 10/10 would recommend.

great fit for us. We did our engagement shoot with her, and had such a great experience. We both are not so outgoing in front of the camera- but Michelle made us feel so relaxed and made us feel confident! She delivered some beautiful photos to us shortly after. We were so grateful she was willing to travel a bit further to go to a place that was super special to us. We can't wait for her to capture the wedding day!

e it feel like it was a normal day for us as she captured beautiful photos.

ional and candid shots. She was super easy to work with from beginning to end. Highly recommend the Engagement Photo session. Her suggestions and guidance helped get us comfortable in front of the camera. She even let our little dog Zoey take part in some pictures. When you get the engagement proofs, it will help you figure out what works/does not work for wedding day. On wedding day she paid attention to detail (noticed wrong button on groom’s suit jacket and repositioned bride’s train when it was not quite right). She took tons of pictures (she admits being trigger happy) which is great because you do not want the photographer to miss a thing on the big day if possible. We received digital files of the pictures in about 4 weeks. We could tell that she put a lot of effort into reviewing and editing the pictures before we got them. She even sent us black and whites of some pics she thought we might like. Overall, we were extremely happy with the results.

ays ask for input on what we wanted as a couple. She was also great at guiding us during the actual photo shoot of all the small things we should be doing to get tons of different looks. You can tell that she comes from a place of caring and genuinely wants you to have the best shots that you can and is willing to work with you to make sure that happens! Highly recommended!

had quick responses from the beginning to end, and she brings full energy to every conversation, photoshoot, and everything in between. She also captured my bridal shower and she was even so sweet to my friends and family members. Best of all, Michelle knew how to pose my husband and I to get the perfect shot and still made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. She was also so helpful when we were trying to find other wedding vendors and gave us great recommendations! I’m so glad we chose Michelle for our big day!! Everything came out so beautifully!

last September, took her less than a day to reply to our message and we met up the next day. We like that she is organize and thorough on what we can expect and gave us very reasonable options. Our first shoot with her was last June. She was patient, very good directing us and she didnt stop until we got great shots. We had a lot of fun doing our engagement shoot. Nearing our wedding day, she made time to check on our wedding preps. We scheduled a meeting to finalize our plan and shared her expertise/inputs which really helped us a lot in making our wedding timeline work. She even went out of her way and took our detail shots, few days before the wedding just to get it out of the way and basically focus on just Us on our day. She was full of energy from start till end. It was a breeze working with her. Even though we didnt have a wedding coordinator, she stayed on top of everything and hit everything in the timeline we prepared. She made sure we were having a great time while she was taking photos behind scenes. Lastly, she finish our 1000+ wedding photos 1 month ahead before expected delivery. We will definitely work with her again on our next best day.

ndly, extremely knowledgable with posing and lighting, and made us feel so comfortable. Her photography style is timeless and elegant yet showcases a couple's personality - can't wait to have her photograph our wedding!

change our session to another day. She helped guide us on what to do/what poses to do. She was always prompt in responding and just the sweetest, nicest person to work with. On our wedding day, I ended up getting a little overheated and Michelle & her husband were so sweet and made sure I had a moment to sit down and literally fanned me with a magazine so I could cool off. On a day when so much was going on, it meant so much to me that they made sure I was okay and comfortable. I can’t say enough great things about our photos- they turned out even better than I could’ve imagined. I’m obsessed with our wedding photos and will cherish them forever. Thank you so so much Michelle!!

tting amazing shots. We waited for 3 years because of the pandemic to finally have our wedding. Throughout these challenges, Michelle was encouraging, communicative, and patient, working with us through multiple date and logistical changes. Up to the wedding, she was so supportive. Neither of us had much wedding experience and Michelle was so wonderful about helping us learn about photography logistics. She provided so much support and information and made sure we felt comfortable and confident about the upcoming day. Michelle is absolutely fantastic, making the process creative and fun yet directing us so that we could look and feel our best. She’s really in tune with people and you can tell how passionate she is as a creative through her work. The day of she was reassuring and flexible, rolling with us through all the little changes that are inevitable on a wedding day. She definitely made it so we had one less thing to stress about and allowed us to really enjoy the moment while capturing them so we can treasure them forever. We are so grateful for Michelle, you will not regret it!

was prepared and timely and guided myself and my man effortlessly. She was not only professional and skilled but also very caring and friendly. I was pretty nervous for my big day but Michelle made me feel comfortable and relaxed. The photographs downtown were so much fun and I couldn’t recommend her more highly. Thank you Michelle for going above and beyond in making me feel special and beautiful on my big day!!!

Neither my husband nor I knew how to pose for pictures, but Michelle made us comfortable on the other side of the lens. She was very thorough with her directions to capture the perfect picture. We knew immediately after seeing our engagement pictures that our wedding pictures would be everything we imagined. Michelle is so kind and truly takes the time to get to know her couples and their vision for their wedding photos. She took the time to make our vision a reality. Within a couple of days of our wedding, Michelle sent us a sneak peek of our gallery and to say we were over the moon with the pictures would be an understatement! We cannot wait to see the rest of the gallery! Hiring Michelle was easily the best decision we made for our wedding!

rned out! Michelle took the time to get to know us as a couple through conversations and surveys to best capture our personalities and relationship in her photos. She even was happy to make the trip out to Starved Rock State Park to photograph us in one of our favorite spots for our engagement photo session. Moreover, Michelle is incredibly organized and detail oriented, making her a true joy to work with. From scouting out the perfect places for photographs to helping us schedule our big day to coordinating with all of our other vendors, Michelle was an immense help in our wedding planning process. I highly recommend Michelle’s photography services!

results. We can't thank her enough for such gorgeous pictures and such an easy, carefree experience <3

tpone our wedding a full year due to Covid. Once we finally got closer to the date, we were on zoom calls with Michelle and my wedding planner going through the most detailed timeline. The timeline was so important to us. Michelle went the extra mile and came to my mom's house on the Saturday before our wedding to capture all of our "detail" shots, and of course snapped a few of us and our puppy Charlee! The pictures turned out amazing and I am so happy she gave us the extra time to take her time and capture these beautiful images. We had so much more time in the morning for getting ready pictures and I NEVER felt rushed during the day. I gave Michelle a huge task of capturing many family pictures and she executed this so perfect! Despite the rain rain rainnyyyy day we had, Michelle still captured some beautiful pictures of my husband and I outside which we are so grateful for. Michelle and Erik are amazing! AMAZING! Our wedding would not have been what it was without them. They took our timeline and helped to keep everything moving so smoothly! I remember asking at one point "how are we doing on time?" and I was told "we are actually 6 min ahead of schedule". It was the most perfect day. Everyone say's how the day fly's bye. I didn't have that feeling once. I felt like it was the longest day in the best way possible! I remember every moment and felt present the whole time, along with got that time for my husband and I to take in and enjoy the day for us! I don't think I would have had the same experience if it weren't for Michelle. She is amazing at what she does and goes above and beyond. We are FOREVER grateful for her and she has not seen the last of us. Thank you again Michelle and Erik! You guys have a very special place in our hearts. Love, Tony & Kelly

ve us as many of the pictures that we wanted as possible. Her response time is impressive, we always knew we could count on her. She made everyone feel so comfortable during the photos and had a great energy the whole day. The pictures turned out better than we could have hoped. She captured such amazing posed and candid moments throughout our day that we are so grateful for! We highly recommend Michelle to anyone looking for a photographer for any occasion.

shoot at. Talk about commitment and dedication to her art! We had an amazingly comfortable and fun session with her, and it makes me wish she was our wedding photographer! Michelle is so professional yet knows how to still trace the fine line of forming that friendship with you, so you won’t feel awkward during your session. She truly helps bring out your fun side and is so supportive along the way! She threw out so many compliments to encourage us the whole time, and we appreciate her and her work so much! Her full gallery came back quickly, even though she’s so busy, and we love every single image she delivered. I highly recommend Michelle to anyone looking for a photographer who will deliver bright and timeless quality images!

hotographer profiles, compared galleries in detail, emailed with several dozen photographers and interviewed about 10 before picking Michelle as our #1. Working with her leading up to the wedding was easy, and the day of the wedding we knew we were in good hands. Not only is she technically excellent, she has a friendly and happy approach to things, making sure she gets all the shots right while not getting too much in the way. It was very important for us to have someone with the right personality, a mix of cheery and professional. Following our ceremony at the church, we had our photographs taken at various locations around town, and then we had a small reception. Michelle captured all the right moments, and didn't take long to deliver beautifully edited photos.

is extremely professional, always made it her point to communicate with us at all times. We had a great time having her as our photographer and her work is exceptional. Thank you so much for being a part of our special day and making it that much more special.

earlier than us for engagement pictures, and she was there early for the wedding day. She was on time for each scene and captured all the moments we wanted during the wedding. There was flexibility when scheduling appointments and was very reliable. Michelle was very fun to work with! My wife and I felt very comfortable during the picture taking sessions considering we don't usually do photo shoots. Michelle gave great instructions on how to pose and has a great eye for where to take the pictures. During the wedding she got along with all of the guests and there were plenty of pictures of them as well. Overall, Michelle was great to work with and really helped us during one of the biggest moments of our lives. We enjoyed the pictures and are excited to bring them up any moment we can!

table to work with. She responded to our emails in a timely manner and answered all of our questions. She even provided tips and tricks to make our pictures so beautiful. She just did our engagement shoot in the Riverwalk and Wrigley building in Chicago. We practiced social distancing and she wore a mask. You may think communication was a bit challenging but it was not. She created hand signals that referred to how my fiance will position our body in the pictures made it easy for us to get through the photoshoot. The pictures turned out phenomenal and everyone in our family raved about them. We enjoyed our experience with her. She really captures beautiful and loving moments, and we're glad we're able to share that with everyone we love.

any awesome ideas for my brother’s wedding. The wedding photos came out absolutely stunning! I highly recommend her.

of it all. Her photos were beautiful and even the smallest detail wasn’t forgotten. She captured everything we’d been too busy to see…perfect! Michelle made us all feel like her own family, she was very professional and friendly. Thank you Michelle! You’re the best!

ora of choices we were presented with, Michelle was our first and only choice. I've known her as a friend, but never as a client. From initial contact to our Wedding's conclusion, Michelle was there. From diligently researching locations for our pre-nuptial shoot to breaking down our wedding itinerary, she was always on point and strict, yet, accommodating and understanding for the unavoidable hiccups that always happen to arise when we least expect it. During our pre-nup sessions, she always knew when and where to position us for the "perfect shot." Her keen eye and "keep-shooting" approach really helped to bring out the best during our sessions, regardless of how bright or dark it was, outside. Michelle always knew how to bring out the right pose, or the right expression, and made every shoot enjoyable and most importantly, natural. During our big day, Michelle's ability to integrate herself into the party and seamlessly coordinate with her second and third shooters according to the itinerary was impeccable. No angle was left uncovered, and no priceless emotion or reaction was left to be forgotten. She was kind, polite and very professional in her interactions with our guests, again, illiciting that same "natural" feel we felt during our 1-on-1 pre-nup photoshoot. As a friend, Michelle is second-to-none. As a photographer, I can confidently say, as a totally satisfied client, she is second-to-none. Thank you, Michelle, for your professionalism, poise, and natural ability to acclimate to any unexpected situation we threw at you. Thank you for your creative mind and outstanding work! Until our next shoot!

. They all came out incredible and we are still getting compliments by how beautiful our pictures came out. Michelle makes you feel comfortable and suggested great ideas that will bring out the best in you. She is also punctual and easy to reach whenever you have questions. I remember Michelle was very pregnant during our wedding day but she kept everything professional and did not stop her from creating beautiful memories. I am soon to be a mother and even if I live in Las Vegas, I will only trust getting photographed by Michelle and won't hesitate to fly her from Chicago for my maternity shoot.

ing the wedding. They've done this many times and it shows. Michelle and Erick are professional, yet had us feeling totally comfortable and at ease. Our wedding was absolutely bonkers, with late hours (going until 3am), and we had so many great moments captured. I can't recommend Michelle enough, you are getting more passion than you could possibly pay for.

e went above and beyond, staying late with us and delivering more photos than we expected - and got them back to us quickly so we could use them for our wedding website and save-the-dates. We highly recommend her!

th photographers prior to Michelle, but meeting with Michelle was different. She took the time to get to know us and understand what our needs were. She brought additional examples of her work and gave us a sense of her style. We could clearly see she cared about us and wasn't trying to "sell us" on something, as we often encountered with other wedding vendors. Michelle is clearly passionate about what she does, is very organized and often checked in with us to ensure things were going smoothly. She made us feel at ease and was incredibly easy to work with during our engagement session and on our wedding day. Having Michelle there on the day of our wedding took so much stress away. She was incredibly professional and navigated corralling our bridal party, as well as family members, effortlessly. Most importantly, she truly captured the magic and love on our wedding day and we are forever thankful to her for that! To summarize: Look no further, Michelle is wonderful, working with her is a breath of fresh air, and you would be lucky to have her as your wedding photographer!

nervous with having to pose, but Michelle and Erick made it so much fun and were great with guiding us through the whole process that it wasn't nerve-wracking at all. My fiance, who isn't big on having his picture taken, just hinted at another session after seeing our photos. We love Michelle!

be able to book her as our photographer, especially at such a decently short notice. My husband and I didn’t even think of having a professional photographer for our wedding, especially since it was just going to be a small, intimate ceremony in Hawaii. Looking through our photo album, I am definitely SUPER happy that we changed our minds, and that she and her husband were able to join. Working with Michelle was fun and easy. I am not a big fan of being in front of the camera, and my husband and I are generally the candid type. We barely pose for any pictures. I was definitely worried that we would give her a bit of a hard time, especially since he and I laugh all the time, even when we’re trying to take things seriously. Michelle made it super simple, however. She gave clear verbal and visual instructions, was super patient, and was completely easy going about everything. If she was frustrated, she definitely didn’t show it! (Haha, thanks, Michelle!) I didn’t feel any type of pressure from her what-so-ever. I honestly felt like we laughed and joked around the entire time, and yet she still manages to capture amazing shots. Also, big shout out to her husband as well, who helped her with whatever she needed to take these photos. They are both so much fun to work with! Now with the photos themselves. I am so completely IN LOVE with every single one of them. They all turned out incredible. Love how they were edited. I feel like they have a light and airy feel to them. Honestly, if you look through her photo albums or social media pages for samples of her photos, you’d see how great they all turn out. Her work speaks for itself. I’m going to say it again... Every time I look at our albums, I am EXTREMELY glad my husband and I changed our minds about not having a professional photographer at our wedding! Completely worth it. For anyone looking for a photographer, I HIGHLY recommend Michelle! As much as this is said, you will definitely not regret it. For my husband and I, we will definitely go to her for any future photo sessions.

ut beautiful. We had so much fun working with them and we were so pleased with the results. They should’ve charged me double what they did. I would highly recommend booking them and look forward to using them in the future for baby/family photo opportunities as well.

ye for capturing moments in time that you will be able to cherish for forever. Book her! You won't regret it!

t while getting a perfect shot by the creekside. Her attention to detail, from making sure my bride Lisa was exquisite in every shot, to being sure I was comfortable and not awkward, for I am not use to posing in front of the camera. We had multiple locations, including 2 different sites in which we were dressing. Michelle followed my wife and her daughter. While, Erick, took pictures of my sons and I while we got prepared for our big day. At our outdoor wedding, Michelle was sure to get all of the ceremony, including our guest, while they showed a touching tribute for the love Lisa and I shared. Afterwards, Michelle and Erick hiked with us back into the woods with bugs and all, taking gorgeous shots on a beautiful October day. She made sure all the wonderful fall colors were included as a gorgeous back drop. Her speed, attention to detail and professionallism allowed us to get many difficult shots in a short window of time before our reception. All this continued at our reception. Our guest complimented us on how professional and courteous they were during the shoot late into the evening. We could not have been more impressed with the final result. Our pictures turned out beautifully and all who seen our album were very impressed. Thank you, Michelle and Erick, for capturing our momentous occasion.

her images, and we could not have been more pleased. Michelle and her husband Erick are so fun and easy to work with, also so very accommodating, which means the world to a stressed-out bride. Every idea she had, and taking into account my ideas were so much appreciated. We had multiple locations and she didn't miss a Beat! She knew exactly how to deal with all situations, even little gnats ... and still the photo is awesome! She even got into the pond for a shot! Hands down great effort out to Michelle and her love for this art. Many people commented on her professionalism, and high energy she displayed throughout the entire day and evening. We certainly felt at ease knowing all of our memories of our wedding were being captured so beautifully. I just love all of the special details she included. We will cherish these photos forever!!!

s going into my engagement photo shoot, since that’s totally out of my comfort zone, but Michelle and her husband made us feel so comfortable the entire time. We had so much fun! On my wedding day, she captured every little perfect moment. We took “first look” and group photos before the ceremony started, and she was able to put together a slideshow of all of the pictures taken of the morning and of the ceremony for everyone to watch during the reception (which took place immediately after the ceremony). How amazing is that?! She was just so great to work with and I would recommend her to anyone!