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.
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.
I always wanted
to be an artist.
I just didn't know how yet.
A Chicago wedding photographer since 2007.
The story behind the work, the creative eye behind the compositions,
and the life that shapes how I see.
BASED IN CHICAGO, IL
AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE
500+ WEDDINGS · 19 YEARS
WHY I DO THIS
I get to witness people on
one of the happiest days of their lives.
Parents who changed diapers, went to school shows, held their crying children through every disappointment and now get to be there as their child starts a new chapter. Two people making a commitment and creating something new together. No two weddings are ever identical. And at every single one, I'm looking for the moments that make your wedding yours. Not someone else's.
Charlie Brown,
Ritz Camera,
and a friend who discovered me.
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist. As a kid, I read every Charlie Brown and Calvin & Hobbes comic book I could get my hands on. Then I'd try to tell a story, something funny, in three to five squares on a sheet of paper. In middle school I was drawing comic books. But in high school, I compared myself to other artists in my class. I decided I wasn't good enough.
I ended up majoring in biology. During summer breaks, I got a job at Ritz Camera in downtown Skokie. It was great. I played with all the cameras, read the instruction manuals, and absorbed everything. I bought an old Canon AE-1 film, took Photography 101 and spent time in a darkroom. It was hands-on, time-consuming, and so much fun.
In college, I assisted an accomplished landscape photographer on the North Shore. We photographed multi-million-dollar homes and gardens. I was well compensated, but I realized quickly that still life photography wasn't for me. I let the dream pass again, thinking photography just wasn't going to be my career.
Then the digital revolution happened. I was working at Wolf Camera, selling digital cameras to holiday shoppers. I always said to myself: if they ever made a digital SLR for under a thousand dollars, I'd be all over it. And then they did!
My first nephew was born around that same time, and I was captivated. I'd photograph him rolling around on the floor, crawling, drooling. I couldn't get enough.
I printed some photos and hung them on my wall. A friend came over, looked at them, and asked me to shoot her engagement photos. I told her she should probably hire a professional. She laughed and said she thought I'd be pretty good at it...and I'd be free.
So we spent four hours taking photos around Chicago. And I loved every single minute of it.
In a world where I only knew art as sketching and drawing, where I could never create the intricate drawings that existed in my mind, I could capture and create a photograph exactly how I envisioned it. The thing I'd always wanted to do as a kid, I just hadn't found the right medium yet.
I'm still creating the pictures I see in my mind. And still making couples happy doing it.
THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
An award I won,
and the lesson it taught me.
Early in my career, one of my photos won an award at an international print competition. I was proud of it. The light, the composition, the moment. Then my client emailed me.
"She was happy the photo was recognized, but she didn't love that particular image. Her arm looked unflattering in it. She preferred the one taken right after."
That was the moment I realized my artistic vision means nothing if my brides don't like the photo! So I stopped making photos for competitions. I started making them for the people in them.
Every decision I've made since. How I direct, how I pose, how I retouch, how I choose which images to deliver...comes back to one thing: you should love the way you look in your wedding photos.
*this is not the photo referenced
A Moment I'll Never Forget
Nine years of waiting.
One day that changed everything.
They had been together for nine years. Yet they couldn't legally marry. They had to watch the country debate whether their relationship deserved the same recognition as anyone else's. And they waited.
Then the Supreme Court ruled. And for the first time in American history, every couple had the legal right to marry the person they loved.
I was there the day they finally did.
I can only imagine what those nine years were like. Loving someone fully, completely, and knowing that the law didn't acknowledge it the same way. And so when their day arrived, it was a release of everything they had held onto for nearly a decade. So much that had been waiting to be celebrated.
I felt it in the tears they shed during their first look.
Being in that room was one of the greatest privileges of my career. It reminded me that a wedding isn't just a party. It's a declaration. It's two people saying: this is real, and it matters, and we want the world to witness it.
That's what I'm there to capture. Every time.
More in love each passing year.
Growing up in Skokie, Chicago was just a place I visited a few times a year — for funerals, baseball games, and church.
One of the benefits of this job: I get to spend time in so many of our neighborhoods and see the beauty within.
The physical beauty is the easy part. The industrial vibe of the West Loop. Parks on the South and West side with unexpected views of the skyline. The lakefront and rivers threading through everything.
But what I love most is the heartbeat underneath. A city of diverse people living and working alongside each other, sharing their food, fusing two cultures into something new on a single plate.
The people of Chicago come together the same way. We rally for each other. We show up for each other.
We celebrate each other's wedding traditions.
The life that shapes how
I see.
When photography was my hobby, it was something I did purely for fun. Once your hobby becomes your job, you need other places to grow and explore. Here's where I find mine.
⌂
Chicago
I live in Avondale and raise two kids in this city — which means two things: I know Chicago's neighborhoods deeply, and I'm always looking for the best family-friendly food spots. Korean fusion tacos at Del Seoul in Lincoln Park. New Haven style pizza at Piece in Wicker Park. The best deal for sushi is in Albany Park at Lawrence Fish Market. And my wife loves all the boba shops.
♟
Two kids, full life
Life with two kids is quite full. Baseball, basketball, soccer, musical performances, etc. Family trips to the Smoky Mountains and Disney World. Sometimes it feels like we're part-time Uber drivers. But I take more photos and videos of my own family than most — taking full advantage of the professional gear at my disposal, and knowing that this season of life is so precious.
◎
Rock climbing
A few years back, I started climbing at my local gym. It was overwhelming at first, but I fell in love with the problem-solving — each route on the wall is a puzzle. Not to mention the physical challenge of it all. With a house full of kids and a business to run, the climbing gym became the place where I could step away from everything and just focus. It's still that place for me.
∞
Always dreaming
I started backpacking just after the pandemic — first into Olympic National Park, then four days Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim through the Grand Canyon, then the Grand Tetons, Zion, and the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. Training for those trips introduced me to something I thought I hated: running. Now I'm dreaming about running the Grand Canyon. Note: I've never run more than 20 miles. Dream big.
500+
WEDDINGS + ENGAGEMENTS
Across the city + globe
19+
YEARS IN CHICAGO
Since 2007
5.0
GOOGLE RATING
From 60+ reviews
1
PHOTOGRAPHER
Always me as the lead
WHAT COUPLES SAY
"From the minute we had our consultation with Kenny, we knew instantly we wanted him capturing our special day. His professionalism and knowledge of all things wedding and photography made us feel so comfortable. Kenny is one of one."
EMILY & DANIEL
AS FEATURED IN
I'd love to hear
about your day.
let's talk
If you've read this far, you're probably the kind of couple I love working with. Someone who cares deeply about their photos, values authenticity over trends, and wants to actually feel something when they look at the images years from now.
That's exactly the couple I'm here for. I'd love to hear about your wedding, your vision, and how I can help tell your story.
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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.
