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.
They're only this little,
for a little while.
From maternity through first year milestones, from kids to grandparents.
I photograph the moments that feel ordinary right now and extraordinary ten years from now.
Studio + Outdoor Sessions · Chicago, IL
All ages · All stages of family life
What every parent says before calling
You've been meaning to do this
for years.
"We just need to find a weekend that works. And everyone needs a haircut. And the weather has to cooperate. And the kids need new outfits. And..."
Life is full. Weekends disappear into birthday parties, sports games, school activities, and family trips. I know, I have two kids myself. But here's what every parent says after a session: "I'm so glad we finally did this." The effort is real. The payoff is always there. And the window you have with them at exactly this age, at exactly this stage, is smaller than you think.
I photograph families
through every chapter.
Including yours.
As a wedding photographer in Chicago, it was a natural progression for my clients. Capturing them in their engagement photos and through their wedding day and into the beautiful, messy, joyful chaos of raising kids. There is no stage of family life that doesn't deserve to be remembered.
01
Maternity
Pregnancy is a beautiful season. Something entirely new is being created. These portraits celebrate that season of anticipation, the curve of a belly, the way expectant parents look at each other. Images that matter deeply once the baby arrives and the world turns upside down in the best possible way.
02
Newborn + Baby
Every milestone in the first year: the way they fit in your arms, the expressions they make before they learn to control them, and the size of their hands against yours. These are the images you'll look at when they're leaving for college and wonder how it all went so fast.
03
Young Children
This is the age I love most. The mischievous look. The silly face. Their unique way of laughing. Kids this age show everything on their faces and when you stop trying to control them and start entering their world, something real and adorable happens in front of the camera.
04
Growing Families
Life happens fast. It's been a few years since the last family photo and suddenly the kids are different people. These sessions capture exactly who your family is right now. Not a picture perfect version of it, but the real version that exists in your home on a Tuesday afternoon.
05
Multigenerational
Some of the most meaningful sessions I've ever photographed. Grandparents gathering the whole family together. Every individual family unit photographed separately, all the grandkids with their grandparents, the whole group together. The joy in a grandparent's eyes during these sessions is something I never get tired of witnessing.
06
Milestone + Special Sessions
Sometimes the most memorable session is an intentional moment. A mother and her son gardening in their backyard, the way they actually spend a Saturday morning. A father and daughter at the playground, his underneath her on the monkey bars while she trusts his steadying hands. The seemingly ordinary moments that turn out to be the ones you relive in your memories.
THE REAL MOMENTS
The best family photos aren't the posed ones.
Most parents come into a session thinking about the one photo they need: everyone sitting properly, looking at the camera, smiling. And while those are important, I've found that the photos parents love most are the ones they didn't plan for.
When a child picks up her umbrella and hides under it. When they get dirt on their fingers and don't care. When they run away with that completely ridiculous grin on their face and you can't help but to smile.
Afterward, parents look at those photos and say: "Wow! That's really them. You captured the real version of them." That look. The half smile. The quiet giggle. The side eye. The silly face only their family has ever seen. That's what a photograph can hold.
My job isn't to make your kids behave like a catalog shoot. My job is to enter their world, follow their lead, and be ready when want to show me who they are. When they forget the camera is there. Because that's when the magic happens.
What actually happens
during a family session
With me.
I was a teacher before I was a photographer. I know there are all kinds of children and all kinds of family dynamics. Here's how I approach a session to make sure everyone feels comfortable and the photos feel real.
01
Primary caretaker comes first
Often, there is a primary caretaker...the one that's always behind the camera. Photographing everyone else, making sure to capture all the special moments, and forgetting themselves in the process. On a family session, I make sure the primary caretaker loves the way they looks. I want them to feel centered and valued, not like they're there just there to hold everyone together for the shot. When they feel good, the whole session feels good.
02
We follow the kid's lead
I work in their rhythm, not mine. I get on my knees, I chase them, I let them show me what they're interested in. We take breaks. We have snacks. We build in small rewards. I don't try to force anything. I try to find moments of genuine connection in whatever they're actually doing. That's where the real photos live.
03
Sessions are fluid — 40 to 60 minutes.
Family sessions are typically 40 to 60 minutes, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, depending on the kids and the energy. I'd rather have a sharp, energetic 40-minute session than a 90-minute session where everyone is worn out by the end. We move through different poses and locations to keep things interesting and find what works for each child and each family.
04
Chicago in every season. I know where to go.
In the spring we have tulips, daffodils, and flowering fruit trees. During fall, the most popular time for family portraits in Chicago, we work week by week to find the most vibrant colors. Lincoln Park, Montrose Beach, and your neighborhood park all have leaves that turn colors. From red leaves on Maples to yellow leaves on Ginkos. That knowledge changes what's possible for your session.
05
What to wear, a practical guide.
Wear what makes you feel like yourselves. Avoid logos, text, and strong patterns or stripes on the outer layers. Choose colors in the same hue family. They don't need to match exactly, but they should complement each other. A good exercise: look at the website or catalogue of a clothing brand you love. The way they style groups of people for campaigns is exactly the energy you're going for.
06
Timeless over trendy, always.
I don't use color filters, color shifts, or heavy Photoshop effects that will date your photos in five years. Natural light outdoors when possible. Poses that look natural, not posed. Editing that's true to the moment. I want your photos to look just as beautiful in 20 years as they do the day you receive them. You know you sometimes cringe when you see old family photos. I don't want that.
A photo we
almost
didn't take.
That became
everything.
A mother came to me wanting to photograph her one-year-old daughter. I suggested she include her own parents in the session. Rather than just photographing the baby, why not give them a gift that they would love?
She thought about it, and when they arrived at the studio, she came with her parents, her brother, and her in-laws. We had a wonderful time photographing all of them together with their first granddaughter. A seemingly routine family session.
A couple of years later, she emailed me to let me know her brother had tragically passed away. And suddenly that routine family photo, all of them together with her daughter, meant so much more than any of us could have known when we took it.
We don't know what's going to happen in life. So we celebrate the moments we have. We capture the connections and the love we share. We make photos that hold people together long after circumstances try to pull them apart.
That's what I'm doing when I photograph your family. Even when it doesn't feel like anything special. Especially then.
"Nakai Photography was highly professional, communicative, and fantastic with our young kids during the shoot. We ordered a large canvas family photo and a custom photo box with multiple prints we can rotate and display.
Can't say enough good things."
JOHN & ERIN
Every family is different.
The location should be too.
I try to pick locations that are close to the family so no one has to sit in a car for a long time with restless kids. Chicago has wonderful neighborhood parks with built-in natural play areas. Spaces where kids can be themselves while we work. And sometimes the most meaningful location is the one you already own.
Chicago Parks
Horner Park, Promotory Point, Lincoln Park, and dozens more throughout the city. Natural foliage, open space, and during fall, beautiful Midwest colors. I know which parks have the best trees and when they peak.
Studio
For a timeless, classic look, or for newborns and young babies who need a controlled environment, I offer studio sessions with a simple white or neutral background. Clean, elegant, and completely focused on the people rather than the setting.
Your home
Sometimes the most meaningful location is the place where your family actually lives. Front steps. The living room couch. The backyard garden. These sessions capture your family in their natural environment in a way that no park or studio ever could. They're also my personal favorite.
From real Chicago families.
★★★★★
"My wife and I went to Kenny's studio for a family photo session with our newborn little girl. He was able to take some truly amazing shots of our little Hope that we'll be able to treasure for a lifetime. His experience with kids clearly shows as he was able to adapt to whatever our needs were."
MICHAEL
★★★★★
"I hired Kenny to do our newborn photos and he will be our family photographer going forward! He posed us, worked on getting true natural light, came up with different angles and ideas, and really captured beautiful memories. He was very patient and it was so clear that he wanted us to be happy with the photos."
ANNIE & DAVID
★★★★★
"Since our wedding, we've gone back to Kenny to have family photos taken with our 1-year-old daughter, and couldn't have been happier with the memories we have captured because of him. The photos, the design, and the quality were more beautiful and incredible than we could've ever imagined."
ANNA & PHIL
Photos that live on your walls
not on a hard drive.
Most photographers hand you a USB drive or a digital download link and consider the job done. I think about this differently. A digital file on a laptop that hasn't been opened in four years isn't preserving your family. It's just storage.
What I care about is getting these images into your home. On your walls. In a print box on your coffee table. Somewhere your kids can walk past them every day and know who they are and who loves them.
After your session, we'll do a reveal consultation — a zoom call or in-person viewing — where we look at the photos together and discuss which ones tell the story you want to share on your walls.
I walk alongside you through the entire process, from the session to the finished product. You'll never be left wondering what to do with a folder of files.
Session Only
from $900
The session, editing, and a selection of digital files. A strong starting point for families who already know how they want to use their images.
Session + Wall Art
typically $900-$4000
The session plus a curated selection of fine art prints, canvases, or a custom print box — designed together during your reveal consultation. This is where most families end up, and where the photos find their real home.
Investment varies based on the finished prints and enlargements your family selects. The session fee is the starting point. During your reveal consultation, we'll look at the photos together and decide which images belong in your home — and in what format. There's no pressure and no minimum. My job is to make sure you end up with something you love.
Let's make sure this season of life is documented.
As a parent of an 11 and 9-year-old, I know how fast this goes. I know you don't realize how small a window you have with them at exactly this age.
Tell me about your family: where you are in life, what you're hoping to capture, and we'll figure out the rest together.
"It was so clear that he wanted us to be happy with the photos. I can't wait to work with him again."
— Annie & David
Family Sessions · from $900
40–60 minutes · Outdoor, studio, or at-home
Reveal consultation included · Chicago, IL
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Wedding photography is where it all started, and I'm still going strong.
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Reviews & Testimonials
61 5 Star reviews from couples who trusted me with their special day
I'm Kenny Nakai, a Chicago family photographer making natural, unhurried family portraits since 2007. For parents who want photos of their kids actually being their kids.
