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.
Every image starts with
intention.
Clean lines. Real moments. The Chicago skyline as your backdrop. This is what it looks like when nothing is left to chance.
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT
The balance every couple is looking for
—and most photographers never find.
In 19 years of Chicago wedding photography, I've heard the same thing from nearly every couple. Not "take beautiful photos." Something more specific than that. Something harder to describe — but you know it when you see it.
That last one is what I'm always working toward. I want you both to look amazing. I want the photos to feel like you, not like a version of someone else's wedding you saw on Pinterest.
IN THEIR WORDS
"He made sure we got all the shots we wanted and then some, including some incredibly stunning photographs - all of which we will treasure forever."
HOW I WORK
I've shot this city from every angle. Looking east over the lake at sunrise. The Riverwalk at midnight. The golden light that breaks between the buildings on LaSalle Street in September. I know which trees in Lincoln Park peak first in fall and which ones hold their color into November.
But none of that matters without one thing: a couple who looks like themselves. That's what I'm always building towards. The framing, the lighting, and the composition are all in service of the moment. Not the other way around.
And when it all comes together...it's magical.
01
I see light before I see anything else
Good light is the foundation everything else is built on. I arrive early to every wedding. 30 to 60 minutes before I'm needed. I can walk the venue, find the light, and know exactly where I want to be before the moment arrives. When you see me, I'm already ready.
02
I step back to see the bigger picture.
I bring a landscape and architectural eye to wedding photography. I'm not just photographing you. I'm creating something that feels like a piece of art because I've treated the composition, the lines, the space around you with the same intentionality as the pose itself.
03
I clean up what doesn't belong
What you won't see on my website is how much work went into each image. I physically remove clutter before I ask you to stand somewhere. I retouch exit signs, flyaway hairs, and distracting backgrounds by hand.
04
I direct when you need it, I disappear when you don't
Most of my clients have never been professionally photographed before. It's my job to make it feel like the camera isn't there. I give you something to do, build trust through conversation, and then step back.
05
I'm ready for the unexpected.
Experience doesn't make every moment predictable. It makes you ready when the unpredictable ones arrive. I've shot the same Chicago rooftops hundreds of times and still get excited when the light does something unexpected. A rainbow after a ceremony. You can't plan for those. You can only be ready.
06
Feelings come first. Always.
I've won awards for my composition. But everything changed when a client told me she didn't love the photo because her arm looked unflattering. I stopped making images for competitions that day. Every decision I've made since comes back to one thing: you should love the way you look and feel in every single image.
Every culture. Every faith.
Every kind of love.
The venue tiles below are just venues. The real story is the people inside them.
One of the things I love most about being a Chicago wedding photographer is the diversity. I mean that in the deepest sense. I grew up in just north of the city in Skokie. There were so many different cultures, different traditions, and different languages. Diversity was my norm, and I realize that in wedding photography...it's genuinely my comfort zone.
The past 19 years my life has been enriched by photographing all types of ceremonies: from Asian Protestant to Greek Orthodox, Hindu to Sikh, Orthodox to Reformed Jewish, Chinese Tea to Korean Paebaek, straight to queer, African American broom-jumping, Thai water pouring, South East Asian Christian, Persian sugar rubbing, and more. Every single one unique. Every single one extraordinary.
Despite all differences among ethnic and religious backgrounds in our city, we have one thing in common: we all celebrate weddings. I get to be in the room to experience the uniqueness of each culture and sometimes a hybrid/fusion of the food, the rituals, the smells, and the specific way a family expresses love. It is one of the greatest honors of this work.
IN THEIR WORDS
"The photos he took were magical. He is quite the artist with the camera. I cannot recommend Nakai Photography enough."
URSULA & TIM
I have one job on your wedding day.
to capture every moment I can.
I know how a wedding day flows. I can anticipate the general rhythm and still look for the moments that make your wedding yours. Not someone else's. The subtle glances. The overwhelmed parents. The last quiet second before everything changes.
I'm on site early. I move fast during portraits without making it feel like a production. I stay present through the reception, watching for the things you'll want to remember long after the night is over.
With years of shooting weddings in Chicago, I've photographed in rain and snow, humid heat and cold wind, in ballrooms and on rooftops. I bring that experience and calm to your day. You just have to show up and be present. I'll handle everything else.
WHERE TO NEXT
SOCIAL PROOF
Reviews & Testimonials
60+ 5 Star Google Reviews - hear in their own words what it is like to work with me.
INVESTMENT
Information & Pricing
Information and description of services for proposals, engagements, and weddings
SERVICES
Photographing this special season of life. When your love first began - celebrate with unforgettable photographs
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.
