About this vendor
Kenny Nakai is a Chicago wedding photographer since 2007 creating refined, modern imagery for couples who value authenticity, elegance, and timeless design. His work blends candid emotion with thoughtful direction, ensuring you look confident, relaxed, and effortlessly yourselves.
Inspired by Chicago’s iconic architecture, skyline, and landscapes, he creates elevated imagery that feels cinematic yet personal. With a calm presence and a tailored approach, he documents weddings with intention—crafting beautiful, enduring photographs for those with a discerning eye.
Featured in local and national wedding magazines (Inside Weddings, Modern Luxury Brides, Chicago Social Brides, The Knot Chicago). On the preferred vendor lists at various Chicago luxury hotels and venues.
Details
Business Attributes
- Asian-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Reviews
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5
out of 5.013 reviews
We recently used Nakai Photography for our wedding in Chicago. Kenny and his assistant, Tom, were so much fun to work with. Kenny was all about all our ideas, but also had suggesti...
ons of his own from his years of experience. We absolutely loved working with him. Kenny made the seemingly endless hours of photos fly by, and of course got some amazing shots in the process. We were so excited when we saw all the amazing photos from the entire day. He’s also putting together an album for us (part of the package), which we’re excited to get the final product of, and the turnaround time for everything was impressively quick.
Kenny's photography truly encapsulated the essence of our rehearsal dinner. With a keen eye for detail, he effortlessly captured the warmth and love in every frame, making our mom...
ents feel beautifully elevated. His work surpassed expectations, leaving us with stunning memories that radiate genuine happiness.
I can't say enough good things about Nakai Photography. For me, photos were one of the most important aspects of our wedding, and Kenny and his team are unbelievably talented. From...
our first meeting, we knew that Kenny's style and vibe were the right fit for us. He took time to get to know us, answer all of our questions, show us examples of his work, and let us know what to expect from him at our wedding. We knew we'd made the right choice when he kept us at ease and comfortable during our Engagement photo shoot, which came out beautifully.
We just recently got married, and are so, so pleased with Kenny's work at our wedding. Early in the planning process, someone told us that it's really important to make sure you pick a photographer who has good energy, because you'll spend the whole day with them. Kenny kept us calm, organized, and on-time during the wedding, and made sure we got every photo we wanted. He helped us come with with multiple backup plans when needed. Based on the initial photos we've seen, we're already confident that we will be blown away by his final work. We recommend Kenny without hesitation! Thank you so much for helping us capture our day!
We had the absolute pleasure of working with Kenny for our wedding and engagement photos, and it was the best decision we ever made!
The quality of Kenny's photos is unmatched. He...
is incredibly creative and goes above and beyond to get the most perfect shots. The care and detail he puts into his craft shows in each photo. He so perfectly captured the love, joy and magic of our entire wedding.
Kenny is exactly who you want to have with you on your wedding day! He makes everything feel so easy and comfortable, and he is incredibly efficient with sticking to the timeline. We had so much fun with him throughout the day and evening, and our families and wedding party loved him!
Kenny was just wonderful to work with, start to finish. We just received our wedding album (ahead of schedule!) and we are speechless. Kenny spent hours crafting our album to tell the entire story of our wedding and the final product is something we will treasure forever.
Thank you for everything, Kenny! We cannot recommend him enough - he really is the best!
Kenny was one of the best decisions we made for our June 2022 wedding at the LondonHouse. Our wedding photos turned out to be pure magic. He knows all the best spots downtown, and ...
offered great advice on locations and timelines. Tom, our second shooter, was also amazing. Kenny made us feel so comfortable on both our wedding day and for our engagement photos. He posted a sneak peek the night of the wedding, which was incredible to see after getting back to our hotel room. We got our photos in a timely manner (faster than he had originally promised), which was amazing. Every shot is a work of art, it’s been nearly impossible to choose which ones to frame. Kenny perfectly captured the day - every detail and moment. Months later, I am still getting frequent compliments on our photos, and countless people have told us they are the most beautiful wedding photos they’ve ever seen. The wedding album he made for us was also above and beyond anything I would have expected. I cannot recommend Kenny enough for your wedding! It will be one of the best decisions you make.
After countless friends told me, if they could have 1 wedding do-over it would be the photography budget, I was not about to make that mistake! We met with 2 photographers and whe...
n my then fiance’ and I met Kenny in his studio and immediately, we felt comfortable and at ease with him, and upon perusing the photo albums from prior weddings, we were impressed and our decision was quickly made! He is absolutely an amazing photographer, and works well with all ages, and group sizes! Additionally, he is a WPPI award winning photographer, which carries industry distinction! Kenny has a fantastic eye for placing and posing individuals, framing up the photograph, and capturing candid moments.
He is an artist, perfectionist, and above all else, a kind and humble professional! Your engagement and wedding photos will look like they belong in a magazine, and he delivers on his promise, “My job is to make you look good.” We had pouring rain on our wedding day, and not only do our photos look absolutely amazing, but there’s also dreamy quality he captured from the rain. He scouts the city and makes wonderful recommendations! On our rainy wedding day, we were looking for outdoor covered locations, and as we drove past the Lyric Opera house my heart sunk when I saw 3 bridal parties already set up for photos. But, Kenny said “I know of an even better place, let’s go to Union Station,” and he captured the most amazing and scenic backgrounds, and we had hardly any foot traffic, and no other bridal party was there for photos! We saved so much time from his location expertise!
If you have the opportunity to make the investment in your wedding photos, I highly recommend Nakai Photography. In the end, your guests celebrated and returned home, the bridal gown gets preserved, flowers become wilted, and rentals are returned. From your wedding day, you are left with the memories from your photos, so why not select the best photographer to capture the most memorable day of your lives through photos that will last forever? Kenny also created the most stunning wedding album I've ever seen, it's leather-bound, gorgeous spreads that it will last a lifetime.
Kenny is INCREDIBLE! Highly recommend him to capture your special occasions! He did such an amazing job for our wedding, I’m obsessed with the pictures! They are ALL over our house...
! He’s the best, you will not be disappointed.
Kenny is the best! He is a true artist with a wonderful eye for the most stunning photographs. He is also easy to work with- makes you comfortable, responds quickly and is well pre...
pared. Invest in his photographs... you'll treasure them forever!
I can't say enough about Nakai Photography. Kenny was phenomenal. Personable, professional and most importantly our pictures turned out beautiful! Our conversations leading up to ...
the big day were executed perfectly. Thank you for helping us capture these wonderful memories.
Kenny is the most talented wedding photographer in Chicago! He was the first and only photographer we met with based on his portfolio and his experience with Chicago weddings espec...
ially at the Langham Hotel. His attention to detail is unmatched. He took pictures of every element of our wedding which we truly appreciate because we spend so much time planning those small details. Kenny and his associate were very enthusiastic and personable making our photoshoots fun and comfortable. Kenny's expertise brilliantly captured the essence of our wedding that still transcends emotions to this day! We were blown away by the details, the feelings and the magic that his pictures told! We can't wait to hire Kenny again for future life events!
Best wedding photographer in Chicago! Kenny's visual perspective is the x-factor that separates him from all the other photographers. His photos are romantic, impactful and timele...
ss. I was blow away with his portfolio and ability to articulate emotions/intimate moments in a shot. I trusted him completely and his attention to detail left nothing missed from our Greek/American wedding!
Not having a videographer it was critical we chose a photographer could capture the authentic moments and feelings of the day. So thankful for the amazing experience working with him and look forwarding to using him for any other future life events and family portraits!
Kenny is the best! I have been following Kenny's work for years! I finally get married and he was thankfully available.
I did an engagement shoot and wedding with Kenny. He...
is very good at giving instruction to us non professional models which is a big plus! He takes charge of the shoot, but with kindness. I have had multiple friends who question his price, but later regret not using him. He is truly worth it.
There are lots of photographers out there that can pose people, but Kenny is able to capture the moment. My personal experience at my engagement shoot and wedding day was complete professionalism and he was always prepared. I had no worries about the quality of work he was providing.
I would most certainly recommend Kenny not only for engagement and wedding, but also family portraits.
Kenny was the first wedding photographer I went to meet with and after seeing several others, he was my top choice. He has photographed several South Asian weddings, and adds a cr...
eative touch to everything he does. He's great at "going with the flow" amidst the craziness of a South Asian wedding. The pictures I have seen so far are beyond amazing. I'm so glad we chose Kenny to be our wedding photographer!
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