How We Create Editorial Portraits That Feel Like Art for Your Chicago Wedding Day

Do you know what’s amazing about crafting editorial portraits on your wedding day? As a Chicago wedding photographer, my favorite part is after gallery delivery. The times my couples see the photos and say “Wait… that’s us?”

Because yes, it’s definitely you!! 

It’s just you on one of the happiest days of your life, as seen through my artistic eye.

People sometimes assume these kinds of portraits take forever to create, but honestly, that’s one of my favorite challenges. Whether we have five minutes between events or twenty uninterrupted minutes after the ceremony, my goal is always the same.

To create images that feel elevated without ever pulling you out of your wedding day.

I Notice Everything

One thing you’ll probably spot pretty quickly about me is that I’m always looking around.

I’m paying attention to the architecture behind you. The lines leading into the frame. The textures on the walls. The way a hallway, a staircase, or even a simple doorway can completely frame an image. Wherever your venue is, we’ll definitely play & create with the environment to create something special!

But I’m also watching the two of you!

I’m paying attention to the energy between you. The little smiles you don’t even realize you’re giving each other. The way your hands naturally find one another. The deep breath right before you walk down the aisle.

Those moments are already happening. My job isn’t to manufacture them.

It’s to notice them and capture them in an elevated way so you have editorial portraits to remember your day.

One of The Biggest Players in Creating Editorial Portraits?

Light!

Light is probably the tool I think about most throughout a wedding day.

Every room has something different to offer. Maybe it’s beautiful window light. Or, maybe it’s dramatic shadows stretching across the floor. Sometimes it’s harsh overhead light that I can shape into something unexpected.

As I’m photographing, I’m constantly asking myself things like:

• Where is the light falling?
• Can I use these shadows to add more depth?
• Would a different angle tell the story better?
• Is this a moment where off-camera lighting could create something really special?

These are the little decisions happening quietly behind the scenes that make such a big difference in your final gallery.

But, It’s More Than Just Pretty Pictures

When it’s time for your formal portraits, we get to play a little more.

I’ll guide you into natural movement, help you feel comfortable, and use everything around us to create something that feels really editorial and interesting. 

I want these photographs to feel like art, but I also want them to feel like you at the end of the day.

Because years from now, I don’t just want you to remember what your wedding looked like. I want you to remember what it felt like to be standing there together. 

At the end of the day, that’s what I’m always chasing. Beautiful photographs that are full of feeling.

The kind of editorial portraits you’ll hang on your walls because they remind you just how incredible that day really was.