Emma Petersen Photography Reviews
Reviews
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![Dana]()
Dana Sent on 05/11/2026She’s the BEST
Emma was incredible. From the day we signed her for our engagement photos up to our wedding day she was professional, thorough, communicative, detail oriented, and made us feel comfortable and confident. She was a massive help on our wedding day, and our pictures were better than I could’ve even imagined. I cannot say enough good things about her! -
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![Elena]()
Elena Sent on 05/04/2026I wish we could hire her all over again!
I cannot imagine our wedding day without Emma Petersen! She was an absolute godsend—as a photographer, as a chaos manager, as a person! My husband’s family has had plenty of weddings on their side and each and every one of them came up commending us on having “the best photographer.” Emma is so passionate about her work and that shines through how she approaches each photo. Emma truly cares about her clients, from helping us make a timeline for the day that prioritized our needs to running down the road and picking up our lunch for us when we had downtime. She was lightning fast to send us a generous amount of previews and we can’t stop looking at them. I want to get married all over again just so we can have Emma as our photographer again. I will treasure the photos she’s taken as well as the impact she had on our day for the rest of our lives! -
![Victoria]()
Victoria Sent on 02/15/2026Dreamy Photographer
Emma was truly one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. From the very beginning, she brought such a calm, grounding presence that instantly made us feel cared for and at ease. Her documentary-style approach was exactly what we wanted, and somehow she managed to capture the day so beautifully while making it never feel posed, forced, or performative.
One of the most special moments of the entire day was something Emma recommended: an interactive gathering with our closest people before the ceremony. It allowed us to slow down, hang out, laugh, and actually be together before everything began. That moment not only set the tone for the entire day, it resulted in some of our absolute favorite photos. We’ll treasure them forever.
Emma has an incredible ability to keep things moving and keep you on track without ever pulling you out of the moment. She was present, intuitive, and so naturally in sync with our energy that it felt effortless. We were able to stay grounded, feel the love around us, and truly enjoy every part of the day because of her.
Our guests could not stop raving about Emma and her second photographer, Hank. Multiple people commented on how warm, professional, and seamless they both were. Emma truly felt like part of our family and our group. She matched our vibe at every stage of the day and blended in so naturally that we often forgot she was even there, in the best possible way.
We felt deeply loved, supported, and taken care of by Emma. She didn’t just document our wedding, she understood it. If you’re looking for someone who will capture your day honestly, beautifully, and with so much heart, Emma is it. -
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Libby Sent on 10/30/2025
We made the perfect choice
Emma was absolutely the perfect choice for our big day. She took our engagement photos in October of 2024, and we knew we made the correct decision in making sure she was behind the camera for our wedding one year later. Emma truly got to know and understand our vision through multiple talks. On the day, she was not only our photographer but our coordinator/logistics extraordinaire, and even a friend checking in, the handful of times we needed it most. We would hire Emma a thousand times over if given the chance. A wonderful photographer, and a terrific human being. -
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![Maxine]()
Maxine Sent on 10/19/2025Emma is the absolute BEST!
One of the first and best decisions we made for our wedding was hiring her as our photographer not only because we fell in love with her photography style but because we got a real sense that she would be a great teammate (really, asset) to have, the day of the wedding.
She not only met but completely EXCEEDED these expectations. All of her structure, communication, and preparation ahead of time made us feel very aligned and prepared for the wedding day so during the actual day we were able to be present and enjoy every moment. In addition to capturing all of the photos we asked for, Emma was also great support to have the day of the wedding, helping with all the little things like last minute hair adjustments, shoe slips, and whatnot which were definitely outside of the scope of her job. We knew we could rely on her to keep everything and everyone in order all the while keeping a calm, cool, and joyful demeanor. Our wedding party, family, and friends all spoke about how wonderful she was based on their interactions with her. We feel so grateful not only that we’ll get to cherish her photos forever but that she was part of our special day. -
![Ryan]()
Ryan Sent on 06/28/2025Incredible Photographer, Even Better Human
We truly can't say enough amazing things about Emma. From our very first meeting, we knew she was the photographer for us. She immediately made us feel at ease, and we trusted her vision completely. She took the time to really listen to what was important to us and was incredibly mindful of the parts of the day we anticipated might be stressful—her care and thoughtfulness meant the world to us.
On our wedding day, Emma went above and beyond in every way. She was incredibly organized and kept everything running smoothly and on time, all while making the experience feel relaxed and joyful. Her calm, confident presence helped set the tone for the day, and her ability to gently direct and encourage made everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Her creative eye and attention to detail resulted in photos that are not only stunning, but also deeply personal and full of emotion. She captured both the big, unforgettable moments and the quiet, candid ones we’ll cherish forever.
Emma didn’t just photograph our wedding—she elevated the entire experience. We’re endlessly grateful to her and couldn’t recommend her more highly. -
![Madeline]()
Madeline Sent on 06/23/2025Incredible wedding photographer
Emma was sincerely the best part of our wedding, apart from actually getting married! Throughout the entire planning and preparation period Emma was very organized, guiding us along the way on what our vision is ensuring we were on the same page. Even more so, she was intentional and truly wanted to get to know us as a couple. All of this led to the perfect day and even more perfect pictures capturing our memories. Emma helped make us and our family so comfortable the entire day, with somehow the perfect balance of a calming presence and also your biggest hype woman. Every single one of my family members and bridal party raved about how amazing she was. Going into the wedding planning process we were nervous to find a photographer that made us feel comfortable and also capture our love and relationship like how we feel it, Emma made all of those happen and we could not thank her enough. -
Roger Sent on 05/26/2025
Perfect blend of authentic and posed pics
Emma was so much fun to work with! I really felt like Emma captured all of the important moments of our wedding day and going through our preview gallery we were able to reminisce on some of the tender and hilarious moments of the day. Her style seamlessly blends the posed-glam shots we are all looking for and the candids that we will look back on nostalgically. Emma has an ability to help keep moments playful and authentic which allows her to capture the essence of her couples. If you're looking for a wedding photographer who will make you feel truly seen in the moment and through her photographs, book Emma! -
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![Mia]()
Mia Sent on 05/19/2025Thank you, emma!
If I hadn't just married my husband, I would marry Emma! She did an unbelievable job for both our engagement shoot & wedding. I don't know how she did it, but all the lightning is perfect, everyone (including tiny children) are captured lovingly, the focus of each picture is stunning - how she was able to capture ever glimmer of my engagement ring, I will never understand. Her documentary style allowed the real love and joy from the day to shine through so spectacularly and we truly cant thank her enough. Not only is the output of the photography everything we could dream of, but Emma is amazing to work with - making everyone feel so comfortable and truly understanding what her couples are looking for. We got so many compliments on how organized and kind Emma was from all our guests. If you need a photographer for literally anything, you cant find anyone better than Emma. WE LOVE YOU, EMMA!!!! -
![George]()
George Sent on 12/05/2024The ultimate hype woman, gifted photographer, kindest human
We worked with Emma for our engagement photoshoot and wedding day and cannot recommend her enough!
She did an incredible job directing us into the best poses for all of our shots while also making things feel natural. Her bubbly personality and enthusiasm throughout the entire day was infectious. She stayed cool, calm and collected throughout the entire day even as certain things threw off plans a bit (e.g. horrendous traffic). We were especially impressed getting all the candid shots back in our first look gallery - I remember these moments through my eyes, and was totally unaware of her capturing many of them at the same time through her lens. Our family members all raved about their experience with her as well, before they even saw any of the beautiful photos.
We had full trust in Emma heading into our session, but she still surpassed all expectations. She is the ultimate hype woman that you need in your corner on your wedding day! -
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![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 11/23/202410/10 We Recommend Emma
Emma was wonderful to work with for both our wedding and engagement session. We HIGHLY recommend Emma because she is professional and fun, organized and flexible and made us feel confident and relaxed on what could have been a stressful day. Our wedding album is the perfect mix of candid and posed pictures. Emma beautifully captured the love we felt on the day and focused on the relationships that made the day so special. One of our favorite parts of the day was the 20 minutes of couple's portraits we did between our ceremony and reception. After saying "We do", it was nice to get 20 minutes to focus on us as a new married couple. Emma and her second photographer Hanako made us feel comfortable and relaxed and it was fun to have that special time together. 10/10 we would recommend Emma to ANYONE looking for a wedding or engagement photographer. -
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![Danielle]()
Danielle Sent on 10/21/2024If you hire one vendor it should be Emma!
Emma was an amazing resource and joy to work with from minute one. She is organized, resourceful, experienced -we knew immediately we had made the right decision hiring her! She is also incredibly kind and fun to work with not to mention extremely talented. Our engagement and wedding photos are gorgeous and perfectly captured our personalities as well as the vibe of the day. We are still getting compliments! She was a crucial part of our wedding day going as smoothly as it did, we are so appreciative of her and her second photographer Jim! If you want amazing photos and a smooth, fun experience Emma is for you! -
![Molly]()
Molly Sent on 09/04/2024Best decision we made!
We are SO happy we chose Emma as our photographer. Starting from the engagement session we knew we had made the right decision for such an important vendor. She always made us feel comfortable and at ease. Her bubbly and kind energy helped to relax us on our big day. She went above beyond, she kept us on time and helped with little things she didn't even need to. She is a true artist and SO talented. We've only seen our sneak peek so far (we got over 50 photos just 24 hrs after our wedding, amazing to have after the post-wedding blues!), but we couldn't be happier. Our photos are absolutely beautiful. We still smile and tear up again when we look at them. She took into consideration our vibe/style as a couple and tailored poses and shots to that. Our family raved about their interactions with her, as did our bridal party. Booking Emma will be one of the best choices you can make for your day! -
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![Tory]()
Tory Sent on 07/17/2024Perfect Portraits and Candid Photos
Absolutely a joy to work with — Emma is kind, warm, easy going, and professional. Her services were a simple and stress free addition to our most important day. Emma made us so glad that we decided to actually get photos of our small city hall wedding. She made everyone feel at ease and did a great job blending in with our friends and family, capturing great posed portraits as well as the simple and sweet candid photos of everyone in the group. -
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![Kelly]()
Kelly Sent on 06/01/2024Best Photographer Around!!
We would HIGHLY recommend Emma for your photography needs! From our engagement photos to our wedding day, Emma took the time to get to know us and capture every moment in such a meaningful way.
Everything felt so natural and we didn't feel like we were ever being pulled to the side or having to do rigid, common posed photos. It felt like we were able to enjoy our celebration and had someone there to capture the moments. She made us feel very comfortable and relaxed from the very start. From playing music that perfectly fit the mood throughout the day to having tissues ready to go at any given moment, she was prepared and so helpful. We really appreciated the variety of ways that she checked in with us the day of to make sure that everything was running smoothly and everything that we wanted captured was captured.
We were also very impressed with her organization and creating a realistic timeline. She had such great suggestions throughout wedding planning as well! We had a gap of time that we wanted to enjoy with our bridal party and weren't sure what exactly to do, but she was happy to brainstorm with us and ultimately helped create a plan so we could go mini-golfing with our bridal party! It was such a fun and memorable part of the day and we were so grateful to enjoy a fun experience like that on our wedding day!
We have been so pleased with our entire experience with Emma as our photographer and have been so impressed with her creative touch, positive energy, organization, and professionalism! You will be very happy with not only your photos, but your entire experience with Emma Petersen Photography!! -
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Katie Sent on 03/18/2024
Emma is amazing!
Wow! We have had just such a lovely time working with Emma. We booked her because we’d heard she was great with making couples feel at ease in front of the camera and that was absolutely true. Our engagement photo shoot was fun and easy, and even better the photos turned out amazing. She makes sure to get the pictures parents will want and then makes sure there’s time for photos that really show our character. Prior to our wedding, she was helping to keep us on track with any tasks and she helped answer any questions we had along the way. Day of, she kept us calm and having fun with the photos. Emma is this great balance of buttoned up and professional and easy going so you never feel stressed. We got our first look gallery back just two days after our wedding and WOW. She has such a great eye and knows just what to do to get great shots. We will absolutely work with her again and would recommend her to anyone in a heart beat. -
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![Darci]()
Darci Sent on 12/30/2023Couldn’t be happier!
We knew the moment we met Emma for our intro call that she was going to be the best photographer for our wedding. The energy she brings to every interaction will leave you feeling both heard & seen, and instantly put you in a good mood. Wedding day can be hectic, but Emma & her team will be there for you through every moment and every emotion - capturing them all so perfectly!
If you're wondering if you could ever find a photographer that calms your wedding nerves and feels like a close friend, look no further; Emma Petersen will take care of you.
We couldn't be happier with how our photos came out and can’t wait to share them with all our loved ones! -
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J R Sent on 12/30/2023
Well done Emma!
Emma was very professional to begin with. Her work ethic and energy was amazing. But besides all of that, the quality of her work is outstanding. We’ve both decided that in every memorable events that comes, Emma should be there to capture them all. -
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![Tracy]()
Tracy Sent on 12/30/2023Engagement shoot
I would highly recommend Emma! My fiancé and I did an engagement shoot at a historic building in the Loop and the pictures turned out absolutely beautifully. He and I were both very nervous in front of the camera, but she has such a positive and calm demeanor that we were really put at ease. We can’t wait to send out the pictures with our invitations, and it will be so special for us to have them in the years to come. -
![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 12/30/2023We love Emma!
Emma is an amazing photographer. She made us feel so comfortable and during the engagement session, and really captured our love story. -
![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 11/01/2023Hiring Emma is the best decision we made!
There are so many amazing words I can say about Emma! She is a true talent as well as being an amazing human being. One of the best choices we made for our wedding was working with Emma. She went above and beyond in every way - from our engagement photos and making sure we got to go back to the spot where we got engaged, to pre-picking spots in the forest preserve for the perfect fall photos on our wedding day, to even steaming my wedding dress on the trolley to the Church. On top of all of that, she also takes AMAZING photographs. We are in love with every image & she is incredibly gifted. Please do yourself a favor and book Emma to capture your special event! These are images we will cherish forever. -
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![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 10/25/2023Unmatched Photographer.
Emma is truly a gifted photographer, but she will prove to be so much more than that. She will be your friend, support system, and time-keeper. She'll make you comfortable, she'll keep the excitement going, and she will follow you ANYWHERE to ensure you get your spotlight done right. She creates the magic within the memories. She will not disappoint!!! -
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![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 10/14/2023Emma Petersen is 10/10
a week agoNEW
Emma’s talent is undeniable and her work speaks for itself. If you’ve made it here, you’ve likely already marveled at the magic she has captured and candidly, my words won’t do her justice there but I’ve shared a few of my faves to speak for themselves.
Emma was both our engagement and wedding photographer and while this wound up being the hardest vendor search, once we found Emma, we knew.
Yes, her work is undeniable but when you hire Emma you get more than beautiful photos to last a lifetime. You’re hiring your hype woman. Your therapist. Your pre-reception DJ. Your confidante. Your friend. Emma is a chameleon. Whatever you need her to be, she seamlessly morphs into, even without you asking or even realizing it yourself.
After our first meeting with Emma I told my husband that she’s “golden retriever energy” and I 1000% stand by that statement. She was the last photographer we spoke with before we selected. We simply knew it had to be Emma once Emma became an option. Just like I couldn’t imagine my wedding without my now husband, I almost equally couldn’t imagine it without Emma. By the time it came for her to leave, I was genuinely sad. Not because I felt like we missed any shots but because her energy was that palpable, I couldn’t picture the celebration without her. -
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![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 08/02/2023Highly recommend for your wedding!
Emma was amazing at our wedding this summer! We felt like we were in good hands throughout the whole planning process, and her communication & collaboration is great. She made us feel so grounded & supported on our wedding day - including during an hour worth of downpouring rain during our couples photos post-ceremony! She was quick on her feet & had clear umbrellas, which made for some beautiful shots. She also delivered about 20 great previews less than 24 hours post event. Highly recommend! -
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![Justyna]()
Justyna Sent on 12/31/2022"emma went above and beyond literally every aspect of our wedding day!"
From being our hype woman, to helping us relax in our element as a married couple during the photo sessions, and to truly enjoy our special day! She worked so well with our family, friends, bridal party, and vendors. Her talent, creativity, storytelling, and expertise shows in not only her incredible photography, but also kind-hearted professionalism, and speedy delivery! Her photos captured all of the love and joy of our wedding day. Emma is truly a rockstar!" -
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Rache Sent on 12/29/2022
Emma is a must for your wedding day!
Emma was truly amazing!! From the first phone call she was an energetic breath of fresh air. She was so organized and helped with planning and timeline which I was clueless about. We met her for our engagement photos and felt comfortable with her immediately.It was a bitter cold windy day and my hair was absolutely wild, our eyes were tearing up, and my toes were turning purple I did not think it was possible that she could have gotten a single shot. But every single photo was amazing!! I was blown away and knew I’d have absolutely nothing to worry about on the big day! The wedding day she captured the most amazing photos, helped everything run smoothly and even had a few sneak peaks to us by the next morning!! I would more then recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their big day you will not regret it!! -
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![Phoebe]()
Phoebe Sent on 12/29/2022The BEST Wedding Photographer!
Emma was such a delight to work with! She went above and beyond for our wedding weekend, and we could not be more grateful. Every little detail was captured so perfectly, and she truly listened to what was important to us on our special day. On top of that, our friends and family could not stop talking about how wonderful she was! We absolutely love our gallery, and would book with Emma again in a heartbeat! -
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![Adrienne]()
Adrienne Sent on 12/29/2022Emma is amazing!
Emma is incredibly talented and takes stunning photos- we received over 500 photos from our engagement shoot and could hardly choose favorites because they were all just beautiful! Moreover, she is a true joy to work with. She is a ray of sunshine and has a way of making you feel so special during your shoot and beyond! Communication with her is a breeze, and it's clear that she genuinely cares to get to know her clients so she can capture them in a unique, personal way. We absolutely cannot wait for her to shoot our wedding in May! -
![Meredith]()
Meredith Sent on 12/29/2023Cinematic Engagement Photos and A Joy to Work With
If you are looking for a photographer who can give you the cinematic, rich, romantic photos of your dreams, book with Emma now! Our engagement session is straight out of a movie. We are truly so thrilled and in love with our photos! The entire experience was great! Emma was easy to work with and answered all our questions, helped us plan, and worked with us to capture our vision. The session itself was so much fun, and Emma’s expertise made the whole process comfortable, simple, and efficient. She will guide you through the whole thing and think of all the little details. Our gallery is stunning start to finish and delivered early!! The images are polished and perfectly timeless. We cannot recommend Emma enough! -
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