Chicago Wedding Photographer
about me – my story
Real Moments. Wild Hearts. Photos that feel like you.
I’m Jay, husband, dad, and the photographer behind Chicago & Seattle wedding photography studio Wilderlust Studio.
I’ve spent years photographing weddings in around the world, but what I’m really chasing has never just been “wedding photos.” I’m interested in people. The way they move through a room. The way they hold each other when they think no one is watching. The jokes, nerves, weird little rituals, messy dance floors, quiet pauses, and beautiful chaos that make a day feel human.
That’s where I feel most at home with a camera.
Wilderlust Studio grew out of a desire to build something that felt more personal than a name on a business card. Something wilder. More honest. Less polished for the sake of polish. I wanted the work to reflect the tension I’m always drawn to: city and wilderness, elegance and chaos, romance and grit, light and dark, beauty and imperfection.
I’m based in Chicago & Seattle, and I love photographing in the city — the architecture, the movement, the strange light bouncing off glass and concrete. But if I’m honest, I’ve always felt pulled toward the wild. Fog, trees, water, open air, places that feel a little untamed. That mix is a big part of Wilderlust: photographs that feel rooted in real life, but still carry a little mystery.
I’m also a camera nerd, a watcher of small moments, and someone who would rather photograph the thing that actually happened than manufacture a perfect version of it. I care about the emotional truth of a day — not just how it looked, but how it felt to be there.
I want your photos to feel like memory.
Not stiff. Not overly perfect. Not forced.
Just honest, beautiful proof that you were there, that it mattered, and that it was wildly yours.
my (values)
core
I.
REAL OVER PERFECT
I believe the best photos aren’t manufactured. They happen in the laugh you didn’t plan, the tear you tried to hide, the crooked boutonniere, the messy dance floor, the quiet breath before everything begins.
Perfect is forgettable. Real stays with you.
II.
FEELING FIRST
A wedding is more than how it looked. It’s how the room felt. The nerves, the noise, the tenderness, the weather, the people, the music, the chaos.
I photograph with feeling at the center, so your images bring you back to the actual experience — not just the arrangement of it.
III.
BEAUTY IN THE WILD
I’m drawn to the untamed parts of a day: movement, emotion, imperfection, spontaneity, and surprise. Whether we are in the middle of Chicago or Olympic National Park, we look for the wildness inside the moment.
The beautiful stuff is often the least controlled.
IV.
PRESENCE OVER PERFORMANCE
You don’t need to spend your wedding day acting for the camera. You should be with your people, inside the moment, fully present.
We guide when it helps, step back when it matters, and make space for honest photos to happen naturally.
all about you
why WILDERLUST?
I believe your wedding photos should feel like memory — honest, emotional, and alive.
Not overly posed. Not overly polished. Not a version of your day that belongs to someone else. The real thing: the nerves, the laughter, the quiet glances, the messy dance floor, the people you love gathered in one place.
Your photos should not just show what the day looked like.
They should bring you back to how it felt.
timeless
real – WILD
(entirely yours)
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“Every single one of our wedding photos were beautiful and unique. It’s incredible how they understand a couple’s style and tailor the wedding photos to fit the couple’s vision.”
Elaina + Evan