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Hi, I'm Kenny Nakai.

 

As a Chicago wedding photographer, I’m lucky enough to document some of the city's most beautiful love stories.

 

I hope you find inspiration here and connect with the feelings I had when I created each photo.

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CHICAGO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

You'll remember

how it felt.

Your photos

should prove it.

For couples who know the difference between a

photograph that's taken and one that's made.

Kenny Nakai is a Chicago wedding photographer specializing in clean, modern, and timeless wedding photography since 2007. Based in Chicago and available worldwide, he photographs weddings at the city’s most iconic venues. From The Langham and Ritz Carlton to the Chicago Cultural Center...creating images that feel as real as the moment itself.

BEGIN YOUR STORY
VIEW THE WORK →

★★★★★ 5.0 · 61 GOOGLE REVIEWS

AS FEATURED IN

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SOMETHING COUPLES RARELY SAY OUT LOUD

It's not "what if the photos are bad."

It's more personal than that.

What if I don't look like myself?

What if we look stiff, or forced, or like we're just going through the motions?

What if the photos are beautiful, but they're not really us?

I've seen weddings where the photos feel a little stale. Everyone posed, everyone pleasant. But there are no emotions or vibe. That's not what you want. You want photos that make you feel something every single time you walk past them on the wall. That's a different kind of photograph.

chicago wedding photographer kenny nakai in tuxedo on white background

Photo by Wes Craft

MEET YOUR GUIDE

An award-winning photographer who learned the hard way that awards aren't the point.

Early in my career, one of my photos received an award at an international print competition. Then my client emailed me. She was happy for me, but casually mentioned that actually didn't love that particular image. Her arm looked unflattering in it. She preferred the one taken right after.

That was the moment everything changed. I realized that my artistic vision means nothing if my bride in the photo doesn't love the way she looks and feels. So I stopped making photos for competitions. I started making them for you.

 

A recent compliment I'm most proud of? A mother of the bride exclaiming to her family and friends: "I love his vibe! He's so chill" That's when I know the whole family trusts me, and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Being a positive part of their wedding day.

ABOUT ME
READ THE REVIEWS →
rooftop four seasons chicago hotel weddingWeddingsPORTFOLIO
fall colors chicago engagement photo with setting sunEngagementsPORTFOLIO
university of chicago proposal pictures quadProposalsPORTFOLIO

HOW IT WORKS

Three things that happen

at every single wedding I shoot.

01

I call you the week before your wedding. Not because it's on a checklist.

Because your wedding day is something I'm looking forward to too.

 

By the time your wedding day arrives, we've already talked through the timeline, the locations, your preferences. I know whether you want me visible and directing or invisible and watching.

That preparation means that on the day itself, the most important day, you're not figuring me out. You already trust me. And that trust shows up in every single photograph.

02

I handle every visual detail so you never have to think about it.

Before I ask you to stand somewhere, I've already walked the space. I've moved the trash, repositioned furniture, found the light, and noted the exit signs I'll remove later.

 

The images on my website look effortless. What you don't see is how much went into making them that way. You'd never know. That's exactly the point.

I'm not doing this for my portfolio. I'm doing it so that when you look at your photos twenty years from now, nothing pulls you out of the moment.

03

I feel the moment before it happens.

After so many weddings, I've developed a sixth sense. I'll be moving through a wedding and suddenly stop: something is about to happen.

 

It can the look in dad's eyes, or the energy building in with the wedding party.

 

I'll pause to capture that as it unfolds in a way I couldn't have foreseen.

You can't plan for those moments. But after shooting long enough, you can feel them coming.

THE APPROACH

You Don't Want to Be Posed.

You also want to look amazing.

Both things are true. I've built my entire process around that tension. Ninety percent of my clients have never been professionally photographed before. Most people feel awkward in front of a camera. Not because there's something wrong with them, but because no one has helped them figure out how to position themselves for a photograph.

 

That's my job as a Chicago wedding photographer. And about 10 to 15 minutes in, something shifts. Someone often says "oh, this is actually fun." I'm already thinking...just wait.

START THE CONVERSATION →

LIGHT WINS. ALWAYS

I see light before I see anything else.

I know how the sun moves through various Chicago neighborhoods throughout the day. I know exactly where it breaks between the buildings on LaSalle Street in September. I know how a sunset looks after the rain and how the dawn light illuminates the lakefront at 5:30am.

 

Good light is the foundation. Everything else, background, composition, pose, is built on top of it. Beautiful photography starts with light.

"I love taking engagement and wedding photos at night. The city feels different. Romantic. Cinematic. Urban in a way that daylight can't touch. Most photographers avoid it because it's technically demanding. I love it for exactly that reason."

THE INVISIBLE WORK

What you'll never know by looking at my website.

Every image has been personally selected, edited, and retouched by me. Not outsourced. Not batch-processed. I remove what doesn't belong: hydrants, exit signs, flyaway hairs. Sometimes you have a groomsman with their eyes closed during the best moment of a wedding party photo. I find a corresponding images from a previous frame, one with his eyes open and composite them in. You'd never know.

 

Sad to say that I have to say this...but I will never use AI to place you somewhere you weren't. Every photo on my site is real. We were actually there, when that light was actually happening. I'm a Chicago wedding photographer, not a digital artist.

"It almost isn't fair. I make some venues look better than they actually are. But that's the job. That's what good photography can do."
chicago botanic garden wedding couple walking on bridge holding hands

FEELINGS OVER EVERYTHING

I've won awards for my composition. But that's not what I'm chasing.

I want you to feel something when you look at your photos 20 years from now. Not cringe at a color filter that was trendy in 2026. Moments are timeless. Expressions are timeless.

 

There's an anatomy of a laugh. I might deliver five photos of a couple laughing because I genuinely don't know which one captures the most real version of that moment. Neither will you until you see all of them. I deliver everything I feel, because you know each other better than I do.

"If a moment is imperfect but emotional, I deliver it. This might be a rare time you ever see your parent get emotional. It might be the last time you hugged a loved one. We don't know these things as they're happening."
SEE THE WORK →

Why This Matters TO ME

The wedding the world

almost didn't get to have.

When people ask me why I still love this work after 19 years, this is a story I come back to.

 

In March 2020, the world shut down. A couple who had been planning a church wedding suddenly found themselves facing something far more urgent. The bride's mother was undergoing chemotherapy. The prognosis wasn't good and there was a real chance she wouldn't be there when the world reopened.

 

I got an email from a friend. Her cousin wanted a small ceremony at her parents' home before it was too late. I was faced with a question I didn't take lightly: risk my own health and the health of my family during a global pandemic, for a wedding that wasn't mine.

After a short deliberation, I agreed. Mask on my face, I showed up to capture something beautiful. The home was decorated as best as you can during a pandemic. It wasn't the wedding they had planned. But it was so deeply moving and powerful. Because we celebrated love together on a day when the world stood still.

I have the photograph of the her mother smiling at her beautiful daughter... holding her hand before walking down the aisle, forever etched in my mind.

 

That photograph is an emotional reminder of what I actually do. I don't just take pictures. I hold onto memories. I preserve moments that would otherwise only exist in fading recollections.

 

It was an honor to be there for her wedding. And it would be an honor to be there for yours.

FEATURED WORK

Real Chicago Weddings

 

Real couples. Real moments. Real venues. Nothing recreated, nothing staged.

 

chicago langham wedding photography sign marqueeTHE LANGHAM CHICAGOFALL COLORS - INCREDIBLE LIGHT
chicago ritz Carlton wedding photography rooftop sunset John HancockTHE RITZ CARLTON CHICAGOLUXURY DECOR - ROOFTOP PORTRAITS
four seasons chicago hotel wedding jewish ceremony in ballroomTHE FOUR SEASONSSTOP & SMELL THE ROSES
intercontinental chicago wedding photos rooftop bride groomTHE INTERCONTINENTALIN THE CLOUDS OVER MAGNIFICENT MILE

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

"Every shot is a work of art. 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."

CHICAGO PHOTOGRAPHER FAQs

Answered honestly,
not carefully.

19 years of experience means I've thought through every scenario. Here are the ones I hear most often.

ASK ME ANYTHING →

Yes, and I love them. I know this city: how the light falls at sunset, which rooftops have the best skyline views, where to find the little quiet corners. I've helped plan alibis, coordinated surprise family arrivals, and always have a quick turn around on files. Learn more about my Chicago proposal photographer services.

Both, actually...and that's the balance. I am always directing. Everything is intentional about my compositions and location choice. But I create a space for you to be comfortable and natural. And that's where the magic happens.

So you won't have is empty expressions, unflattering angles, or stiff poses. We work together to make the session relaxing and memorable.

Probably. With 19 years across Chicago's best venues, there's a good chance I've been there. From the iconic Drake Hotel to the 5-Star luxury Langham Chicago. But if I haven't, I'll be there early to scout it beforehand. Working at a "new to me" venue is always exciting as I get to explore and find the best spots. I come ready create the photos that I have pre-visualized in my mind.

Faster than you expect. Three images go live on Instagram the night of your wedding. So when you get back to your room at 2am, there's already something waiting. Your best 60 to 90 images post to the NAKAI Photography blog within 2–3 weeks, right as you're coming off your honeymoon. Your full gallery is online within a month. Your custom USB within three months. Most couples appreciate the speed and the effort I put into their images.

Because the feeling of your wedding day fades. I want you to relive it while it's still electric. Not wait months wondering. You deserve to be excited about your photos, not anxious. There's so much energy from your wedding day and being able to see the pictures quickly helps keep the excitement and memories alive.

Chicago weather is part of the city. I have contingency plans for every scenario. Beautiful indoor locations, covered spaces, and 19 years of experience making unexpected conditions work in your favor. Wind, rain, or cold temperatures. I've shot beautiful weddings in all of it. We talk about it in our pre-wedding call so you feel prepared.

I shoot simultaneously to two memory cards in every camera. The night of your wedding your files are backed up to two separate hard drives, with a third copy stored offsite before anything goes to the cloud. Losing a wedding has never happened and I've done my best to prevent that from ever happening.

LET'S BEGIN

Your wedding photos will outlast everything else from that day.

The flowers get tossed. The cake gets eaten. The dress goes into a box. The photos are what remain.

They are what you'll show your children. What you'll look at on hard anniversaries. What you'll reach for when you need to remember who you were to each other at the very beginning.
I take that seriously. Every wedding I shoot, I show up early, move with intention, and create beautiful images showcasing your love.

If that sounds like the Chicago wedding photographer you've been looking for...I'd love to hear about your day.

3334 N Avers Ave #2 - Chicago, IL 60618

312-298-9721

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I'm Kenny Nakai, a Chicago wedding photographer creating beautiful, timeless imagery since 2007. For couples who value artistry, authenticity, and the moments that last forever.

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