What the folks are saying:

High Level: Gorgeous photos, brought incredible energy, was a true value-add to our whole wedding experience start to finish!!

Sam is the hype-man we all need. Not only is he great at taking photos but he gives helpful direction, communicates thoughtfully making sure you're comfortable the whole time, and really listens to ensure he provides everything you want. When we were torn on where we wanted to take our wedding photos, Sam sent samples from previous sessions he'd done at those locations and provided his useful insight on logistics/the experience the different locals provided -- all the while making it clear that he would support anywhere we decided and that it would be a success no matter what!

Sam captures a couple's genuine excitement & personality in his photos. Plus, when we did have traditional family group photos at the wedding, he had a plan prepped with us beforehand and kept things moving quickly so we could get back to the party!

Speaking with the wedding party after our event, every single person commented on how great Sam was to have around and how his energy was infectious -- and that was before I showed them the GORGEOUS sneak peak photos he provided so quickly after the wedding. Hiring Sam for our wedding made US look good to our friends and family, that's how wonderful he is!

~ Mallory & Ben

5 stars, but honestly a million wouldn't be enough. We found Sam by chance on Instagram while doing a blind search for a wedding photographer in Chicago. After a quick scroll through his profile, we were immediately sold between his photography style, fun-loving nature and our shared morals - all things that were important to us in hiring anyone for our wedding. Neither my wife or I had really ever been behind a camera before, so we were nervous for how this was going to go. Needless to say, Sam made us feel immediately comfortable when we did our engagement shoot, which put us at such ease going into our wedding day. We couldn't believe how all of the photos turned out. He is insanely talented in how he captures the essence of the moment. We feel like our emotions and our love for one another were so perfectly captured in every single shot - as well as the moments in between with our friends and family. Beyond his actual photography skills, Sam is just so easy and fun to be around - exactly the type of person you want to be there taking pictures of you for these special moments. We told him we would've wanted him to come as a guest if he wasn't our photographer. Other things we appreciated about Sam that are fresh on my mind: communication, turn around time (QUICK!), his preparation (he made arrangements on his own to check out the venues that we would be at beforehand), general organization, and the online portal that he uses (super easy and user friendly). We could continue on forever, but we'll leave you with the simple advice to book him immediately. I promise you won't regret it, even if you're like me - sitting behind your computer trying to weasel your way out of an engagement shoot. It's all worth it.

~ Kelly & Gabba

We’ve only gotten our previews so far but couldn’t wait to say all the great things about Sam! Truly every minute of working with Sam felt like hanging out with a friend. We hoped we would be able to find someone who would be able to capture the fun, love, and joy that we’ve felt throughout the process and Sam exceeded expectations beyond what we could ever say. All the good vibes came flooding back looking at the pictures of the best day of our lives, we owe Sam the biggest debt of gratitude for capturing so perfectly something that goes by in the blink of an eye. He is an incredibly talented photographer and we feel so very luck to have found him! Thank you forever, Sam!

~ Andrea & Jeremy

When my husband and I were planning our wedding, we only knew one thing we really wanted and that was for Sam to be our photographer. I'd followed him on Instagram for some time and we were incredibly lucky that he was available for our date! Working with him was a dream from start to finish; he was very open and communicative, receptive to our wants and concerns, and made us both feel very at ease in front of the camera.

On the actual day of our wedding, Sam arrived perfectly on time with a detailed schedule that kept us on track! He wrangled our friends and family for as many photos as we wanted. When I got a little overwhelmed with all of the hair/make up/dress stuff, he immediately gave me some much-needed time by myself. He even spent a fair amount of time helping my nervous dog get comfortable around him! The gallery we received after the wedding totally blew us away. The photos are gorgeous and really captured the fun, laid-back nature of our wedding. Our families cannot get over how perfect they are.

Sam has a generous and deeply loving spirit. His energy is infectious. He wasn't just our photographer, he was an all-around hype man for the entire process. We were so lucky to have him with us on our day. Thank you, Sam!

~ Marc & Meghan

Sam is wonderful! Sam was the photographer for our rooftop wedding in Chicago. We had an amazing experience, start to finish. Sam took the time to sit down with us beforehand to discuss the vibe we were going for and any special details for our event. That extra time for us to get to know him was so huge in helping us feel comfortable and relaxed when the time came to get in front of the camera. On the day of our wedding, Sam was awesome with our friends and family—he got every shot that we hoped for and so many more. No joke, TONS of our guests commented to us how fun and friendly he is and we were like, WE KNOW, he's the best! Our photos turned out so, so well. Sam nailed the portraits, he nailed the candids, he nailed the night-time dance floor shots (and it was DARK). He can do it all and he's just a pleasure to work with. I've recommended him to several friends for engagement and wedding photos because I know he'll kill it and give every client 100%. What a guy!

~Ariel & Ziggy

Sam was hands down the best photographer we could’ve picked for our city hall wedding! For two people who aren’t necessarily the most comfortable in front of the camera, he captured our moments seamlessly. He made sure to coordinate with our family so they could see us coming out of city hall, which all went smoothly. He’s hilarious and we felt super relaxed and comfortable during the whole shoot! I could go on and on about how great Sam is, so take this as your sign to book him!

~Rose & Ryan

Sam was everything we hoped for and more! He was truly my favorite part of my wedding and what I get the most compliments on. If I could give him a higher rating I would! I could not recommend him enough, my friends are even using him for their wedding and so many more people are asking about him after seeing his photos. Sam from the start was supportive and helpful beyond his expertise in photography. He assisted me with my timeline and answered all my questions. He is extremely knowable in everything wedding and gives honest/helpful opinions. He helped us stay on our timeline day of and kept track of small details for us. I appreciate the simplicity and rawness of his pictures, you can see all the emotions that are happening. He has an eye for all the details, getting the typical wedding shots and then throwing in some fun creative ones. Getting quality flash photos was important to me and he completely nailed them. Sam was kind, supportive, energic and the best hype guy we could ask form. I truly only have positive things to say about him!

~ Maggie & Petar

We booked Sam for our elopement at City Hall in October and cannot say enough wonderful things about working with him! From the very beginning, he was organized and communicative and put us totally at ease. The day of our marriage ceremony, he was the absolute best third wheel, making the day feel special by hyping us up and also disappearing into the background so that we could have some special moments that felt more private. Neither my husband or I had ever done a formal photoshoot before but we both felt so comfortable with Sam that it wasn't awkward. And most importantly, the end product was phenomenal. Sam had edited (and shared with us!) more than half the gallery by the end of the day. The photos are gorgeous (the colors, the lighting, the framing of the shots) and perfectly capture our special day. We feel so seen. 10/10 would book again!

~ Emily & Tomas

Sam was so great to work with for our maternity shoot! It really felt like we were just hanging out around some of our favorite parts of the city, and yet he captured some amazing and beautiful shots to document that chapter of our lives. We usually do not feel natural being in front of a camera but Sam made us feel so comfortable that the camera seemingly melted away!

~ Larry & Sarah

Originally, we contacted Sam to be the photographer for our full sized wedding. Plans changed and my husband and I decided to elope at city hall. Sam was great and I could not recommend him more. He was on time to the ceremony and reminded us to book ahead with the court. Throughout the short ceremony, he took pictures, and as we walked through the building. One of my favorite pictures is the one he captured walking out of city hall as a married couple. We walked around the city afterwards for over an hour and he took us to these amazing spots! We did not have to plan one location because he carefully thought out all of the special places around city hall.

~ Emily & Chris

When you are naturally awkward in front of people, posing in front of a camera can feel daunting and scary, but Sam was so comfortable to be around. He made us feel like it was ok to be silly, ok to feel awkward, and ok to embrace being just us around him. He came prepared with poses that would help us feel less posed and more candid. We brought 2 props with us and Sam appreciated both the beer and the pup! He was so great with getting our girl to smile for the camera and got some amazing shots of her. Our time with him was so fun, we're so grateful to have found him!

~ Bianca & Jason

Look no further than Sam Schultz for a photo shoot of ANY kind. We've done a shoot with Sam twice now (a porch-trait of my wife and I with our dog, and an anniversary photo shoot), both times were memorable, efficient, and also just down right fun! There's no one else I'd rather have for capturing a moment in time.

~ Olin & Melissa

Sam is so incredibly talented (and kind and easy to work with!). We are 4x repeat customers, and he’s produced the best family pictures with our two sweet pups that we’ve ever taken. He did our engagement photos a few weeks ago, and they are absolutely stunning, and he made us feel so comfortable the whole time. Couldn’t recommend Sam highly enough!

~ Lindsay & Chris

Sam was incredible from the moment we contacted him to the day of our wedding celebration. Not only for his amazing photography work but also for his happy and kind presence. He made my husband and I feel comfortable and our families and friends loved his presence. He is professional, a kind human and with a sweet and fresh photography style. You can feel our happiness through his lenses. Thank you Sam!!

~ Giulia & Bryan

From start to finish, my wife and I were truly overwhelmed by Sam’s talent, calm demeanor, and overall organization even on a hectic wedding day. We knew during the engagement shoot that we were in the best hands in the city. We, along with our family’s, thrived off of his consistent humor and lightheartedness throughout the day. Sam always made us feel incredibly comfortable and it came across in our photos. We could not picture our wedding day without him there (and even wanted him to stay as a guest). He truly went above and beyond in every aspect, helping out and organizing wherever he was needed! We are so happy with all of our photos, and will be sure to continue using Sam in future life events! A true Chicago gem!

We did all the work for you - the search is over!! His work and character speak for themselves.

~ Iris & Angelique

Sam is an amazing photographer to work with! He got to know me and my partner as a couple and ensured our comfort during our session. We were able to bring our dogs with us for some shots as well as some time for just the two of us. Sam made us laugh and smile until our cheeks hurt and that made our pictures turn out 100x better than we expected! We highly recommend Sam as your photographer if you want genuine and candid memories.

~ Caleb & Maryclaire

We had the absolute best time during our engagement photo shoot – and the photos were everything we wanted and more. Sam made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and took us to the perfect spot in front of the Chicago skyline. We are so lucky to have captured these memories forever.

~ Courtney & Erica

I cried when I first saw my maternity photos from Sam. They are so beautiful and everything I hoped they’d be and more. He really captured our joy, love, relationship, and family in a way I never thought would be possible. He made us feel really comfortable while taking photos, but also got us out of our comfort zone, as we can be reserved people. Also, as a plus size woman, I was nervous to have my photos taken, but after seeing my photos from Sam, I have no regrets. I feel so beautiful and these photos make me so happy. I emphatically recommend booking Sam as your photographer. I’m already excited for the idea of family photos with Sam once our baby is born!

~ Leslie & Gregg

Our photo session with Sam was an incredible experience. Our friends gifted us the shoot as a going away present when we moved from Chicago in 2021. Sam not only gave us an incredible set of photos that we will cherish for years, but an incredible memory - dancing to our wedding songs as the sun set behind the Chicago skyline. His kind guidance opened up a space for us to remember all that we love about each other and his photographic eye captured all that joy "on film." Could not recommend him more!

~ Allisa & Kellan

Sam was the BEST photographer we could have asked for. He brings an infectious energy to your day, which made photos really fun. He was great with the toddler we had in our wedding and also at managing large groups for family photos. He was so prepared for all of our meetings, super flexible the day of and we love the photos we've seen so far (12 hour turnaround for the first preview!). My family and wedding party loved him - hire him to be your photographer and you will NOT regret it!