Laurie Peacock Photography

We were so impressed with Laurie’s blog – the way she captures not just couples in pretty clothes but each individual personality and the extraordinarily subtle moments between them and among them and their guests – that we didn’t even book a videographer. She’s really that good. We got married in the morning on Loyola Beach in 2009, and even now I can remember every moment how I felt, how the sand felt under my feet, the unusual shyness I felt when my husband spoke his vows, the slight choking up of my father-in-law’s voice during his toast, the afternoon sense of serenity at the reception, the tenderness of the first hug my sister gave me as a married woman – all of that and more just by looking through Laurie’s photos. She was truly happy for us though virtual strangers, and it showed in her work. My husband never relaxes in front of a camera, but she was so unobtrusive that we were both gloriously ourselves; even the photo shoot was romantic, just along a garden-​lined street Laurie expertly scouted. The only caution I would ever give a potential customer: she’s so good that you’ll want to buy every single photo! I almost did.

i am mildly obsessed with lauries blog, and now so are some of my family and friends :) its been a blast to follow as weve counted down to the wedding, and now that its past, its even more fun to check in. (maybe because we can relax now and just enjoy other peoples event pics :))
the actual business of hiring laurie is super-​easy — she was über-​communicative and responsive to my questions throughout the entire process. her web site really streamlines everything — she generates an account for you, and you can log in to check your contract status, your payment status, your pre-​wedding questionnaire, etc. i found it to be a very helpful resource.
she is SO professional. we passed on the churchs list of no-​nos for photogs, and she followed the rules to the letter. no worries there.
the actual photographs are amazing. what she and her assistant did with light and motion and framing, etc., was incredible.
the best part, though, was that they caught and highlighted all sorts of little details (both moments between people, as well as taking a moment to set up some shots of, e.g., the favors we gave out). those are the kinds of things that we will really appreciate being able to look back on as time passes and our memories fade :)
we were feeling random pangs of regret that we did not hire a videographer (we were such a mix of emotions during the ceremony that we dont remember anything at all from it …), but honestly, once lauries gallery of the event was available for us (early, i might add), it no longer mattered — she caught everything (including the subtle little things that it wouldnt have occurred to us to record).
we will not hesitate to ask laurie to shoot my familys next special event or portraits!
*this is probably not an issue for most folks, but we did not have a wedding coordinator, and realized that we were at a loss as to how to handle the cake-​cutting, etc., and laurie discreetly and smoothly guided us through it. lifesaver!*

Laurie is very easy to talk to. When you shoot with her she makes her subjects very comfortable in front of the camera and really finds their natural «self». She’s got a great talent.

Laurie took photos for a spring engagement photo shoot in NYC, my July, 2010 wedding, and a «day-​after» Korean wedding ceremony at my home. I can’t say enough great things about her! From start to finish, she was professional, enthusiastic, fun to work with, and of course, best of all, the photos were WONDERFUL!
She was incredibly understanding and flexible as I was trying to arrange my Naperville wedding from out-​of-​town — I know it’s not easy doing everything by phone! She was willing to meet with my mother for a viewing of her sample albums, and was communicative with me at each step. At the wedding itself, she was discreet and TIMELY with family photos. There was a small brief struggle for photography/​video real estate in the church with another rather enthusiastic picture-​taking guest and our videographers… yet this was the extent of any difficulty I had noticed, and know this is because of Laurie’s professional approach to working with other vendors — a point I had not otherwise considered when choosing a photographer. Otherwise, honestly, I hardly knew she was there, and I really was just able to enjoy my day! Thank you Laurie!

I have to have head shots for work which I’ve always thought is super cheesy! Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to standing awkwardly with a forced smile from ear to ear while having high school picture day flashbacks!
I was referred to Laurie by a friend of mine and couldn’t have been more pleased. It was so pleasant in fact I had her come back to take pictures of my pooch for this years holiday card. Her energy is awesome and makes you feel comfortable from the start. Her wedding photography is breathtaking and she really captures the emotion of the day. Check out her site and you will see what I mean.

Update: Laurie was the photographer at my wedding in June and she documented it with a soft, magical flair. My ceremony and reception were held at a restored barn in a prairie conservation area. We used birds and branches as our theme. What you will really notice is unique about Laurie is that she doesn’t just take the same shots at each wedding… she feels the tone, mood and setting and uses it to create a unique story of the day. My pictures were romantic, natural & emotional. Other people’s photos on her website are modern, humorous & metropolitan. I love Laurie for her personality, enthusiasm, unique perspective and talent as an artist. So many people tell me that they wish they had her as their photographer when they see my wedding pictures. They are so gorgeous and I couldn’t have wanted more from them.

I love Laurie Peacock!
We hired Laurie to photograph our June 20, 2010 wedding in downtown Chicago. I was planning our Chicago wedding from Los Angeles and after days of looking at photographers websites, Unilocal directed me to Laurie Peacock. I immediately loved the professional look of her website and the photojournalistic style of her photos in her online portfolio. I set up an appointment to meet with her through email and she must always be on her computer because responses are immediate! She was great about coordinating a meeting to meet my schedule of when I would be in town.
The Interview:
Laurie has such an easy going and bubbly personality. From the moment we met, my husband and I were completely at ease with her as she showed us her portfolio and printed images. She was also nice enough to tolerate my husband’s technical questions on photography and she even showed and explained to us the software she uses to edit her work. She clearly explained her pricing options, policies and processes so there were no surprises. I will say Laurie’s prices were a little expensive for us and we really had to consider if her style is what we wanted. However, after meeting Laurie and seeing her work in person, we decided, yes, we loved her work and wanted her to capture our special day. So we just cut back in other areas to free up some budget, and we are so happy we did.
The Wedding:
Laurie was super easy to work with even from 2000 miles away. On the big day, she and her second photographer, Maggie, (who is also AWESOME) showed up right on time to the hotel room before the ceremony. Our photos took place at the hotel before the ceremony, church (Assumption Catholic Church), Millennium Park, then back to the hotel (Hotel 71, where the reception was also held) and surroundings. Most of the time I did not even realize the photographers were there, which is great because I am not one for posed, formal photos. When Laurie was taking more formal pictures though, she had great ideas for locations, lighting and angles. She even snuck outside with my husband and I towards the end of the evening for some downtown nighttime romance photos. We had such a blast! It was so much fun! Oh, I should also mention she is great working with kids! I have a 2 year old and there were other kids at the reception all going crazy. Laurie got some hilarious shots of them and some really beautiful shots of my daughter (who was my flower girl).
The Photos:
Oh my gosh the photos! We had a sneak peak at them when within two weeks she put a sampling on her blog. Then in a month or so we had the DVD and online gallery of all the photos. I cannot say enough about the photos! They are beautiful and perfectly tell the story of our day. I was blown away. I emailed out the link of our pictures on Laurie’s blog to family and friends. The feedback I got was amazing. People said they were tearing up looking at them and that some of them should be in magazines. They were modern, chic and elegant.
I think that kind of feedback affirms what a talented photographer Laurie is and I would recommend her to anyone.

Laurie photographed our wedding in June 2010, with a reception on the Anita Dee II on Navy Pier … Her and her assistant were exactly what everyone needs in a photographer, she was fun to work with, suggested fun shots, was well prepared for the various groupings, and at times, we were almost unaware they were there — we looked at many of the great photos wondering «when did she shoot that, we didn’t see her during part» … it was amazing the way Laurie worked … she also took many great photos of our flowers and other decorations that are just as amazing of the photos she took of us … and, in about two weeks time, we had the disk with all of our pictures to show everyone, right as we got back from our honeymoon. Laurie is the best, and I would refer her in a heartbeat to anyone needing her photographic talents !! You can’t do any better than Laurie Peacock. :)

Laurie did the photos that I used for my head shot at work. I wanted something that didn’t look like it was done at Sears portrait studio and she definitely delivered and then some. She was able to capture my personality in the photos which really helps when being introduced to new clients. Plus I get compliments on them all of the time — which who doesn’t like compliments on their photos???
I would highly recommend Laurie to anyone!

Laurie photographed my wedding in March 2010 at the Chicago Cultural and I could not be happier with the experience. Her outgoing & friendly personality helped us all to stay relaxed. I was very impressed with the way she was able to work the scenery (at times lying on the floor to get the stained glass ceiling in the shot). She has an eye for capturing extraordinary beauty in ordinary places. She finds stunning lighting in the dimmest hallways and makes magic appear! She captures candid intense emotions in non-​traditional portraits. She snapped photos of our people, the architecture, some laughing, some crying, some body parts, some hairdos, some flowers; some bits of everything were alchemized into the phenomenal group of photos we now own.
She took informal, natural-​looking photographs of my guests without me even realizing that she was around. I’m not a fan of formal photos, you think it’s easy to stand there and pose for a photographer and try and look natural? Ummmm, nope, it ain’t. Yet Laurie captured the day in all its excitement, beauty, and emotions. The shots are elegantly staged and dramatically playful. The pictures of the Chicago Cultural Center are beyond stunning… they could be used to sell people to visit Chicago and have weddings the cultural center.
We were looking for someone as excited as we were about our special day, and we couldn’t have picked anyone better than Laurie! She is an amazing professional with a keen eye and great unconventional ideas. She was very proactive about finding the right locations for our photos. Our pictures turned out even better than we had hoped… and that’s not just because my wife is gorgeous, but because everyone who sees them can’t stop raving about the artistic quality and genuine delight they capture.
I also loved that within weeks of my wedding, I could see all my photos online, and my friends and family could view them and easily order any print they wanted. I strongly recommend Laurie Peacock Photography as a wonderful combination of quality photography and professional, considerate, charismatic charm.

I do not have adequate words to describe Laurie’s work. All I can say is that because of her, my wedding day will forever be beautifully documented in still moments of time. Her personality and her work are perfect.
You will have no regrets from the moment you meet her :).

I have to add that I have given some photos as Christmas gifts and well it made people cry. And now we have a bridemaid getting married and will be looking to Laurie to capture her day.
She is a jewel of a person and her works shows all her enthusiasm for weddings and photography.

My fiancée and I had our engagement photos taken with Laurie and we love them. With our Bay Area wedding quickly approaching, we wanted our engagement photos to be taken in Chicago since this was the city where we met. Laurie is very fun to work with and we would recommend her to anybody for engagement photos.

Laurie photographed my recent wedding. Laurie is an absolute sweet heart. My husband and I clicked with her right away and after a fabulous engagement session (which she includes with all of her wedding packages) we knew we had made a great decision. Laurie was amazing during the wedding. My husband HATES taking pictures and she was so efficient and unobtrusive that he didn’t get annoyed in the least. We were able to spend the majority of our time with our guests while still getting fabulous pics. I am already blown away with our pictures. Laurie was able to capture our happiness and excitement. I love photojournalism, but I sometimes feel that photographers get carried away with the artistry of the shot and forget about the emotion. Laurie captures the emotion while still creating gorgeous shots. She is always quick to respond to emails and phone calls and had all our pics ready for proofing only 3 weeks after the wedding. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, you can not go wrong with Laurie!

I need to give a shout out to Laurie who did a phenomenal job of taking really awesome pictures for our wedding! To top that, she also happened to be an absolute doll to work with. If you check out her website, you will see her natural eye for colors and details in all types of settings, not just weddings. She impressed all of our guests with the pictures she took — even our architect friends. Her enthusiasm for photography shines through in all of her pictures. Without hesitation, I would recommend her to anyone looking for a professional photographer. We loved everything about her!

I found Laurie on Craigslist I would have been skeptical about hiring someone that did not do this full time, but when I went to her website I saw in her portfolio and someone I knew. I contacted them and they had rave reviews! Her work was amazing and to be honest on the wedding day itself I barely knew she was there, I guess I was focused on other things:) I’ve received so many compliments and many of my friends have purchased the photos she has online. Hiring Laurie was definitely the way to go, I look forward to sharing these pictures with grandkids someday!

I had a wonderful time with Laurie on our wedding day. I’m honored to be the first review on Unilocal :)
I first saw Laurie’s posting on Craigslist and then I visited her website. I really liked her portfolios and I also learned a little bit about her photographic approach through her blog entries. I decided that Laurie’s natural photo journalistic approach is what I was looking for.
Laurie was very attentive and accommodating before and on the big day. She wanted to know the things we considered important so she could make sure she capture them. She was also very friendly and very good at making my husband and I feel comfortable for the photos. We are incredible happy with the resulting photos. And this is because Laurie takes beautiful photos and also because I feel that they really reflect who we are.