Portrait Station for Chicago Weddings & Events
You Will Never Forget It brings a photographer-directed portrait studio to weddings, galas and private events across Chicago and Chicagoland. Guests are guided through a studio-lit sitting and receive a printed portrait at the event. We also serve Tampa Bay and Sarasota.
Someone moves their shoulder half an inch.
The photographer moves a shoulder half an inch, waits for the eyes to land, and adjusts the light for that specific face before the shutter goes. It is the difference between being photographed and being looked at.
Every sitting gets that same beat of stillness in a room that is otherwise all motion. Studio lighting gives the photographer control over how each guest is lit.
One room. Two ways of being seen.
The reception moves fast, mixed light, half a second of blur. The Station holds still. Both are true on the same night — this is the whole argument for having one.
COLOR · TUNGSTEN + UPLIGHT · IN MOTION 
It arrives, it works, it disappears.
It travels in, sets up against your venue's wall or drape, and disappears when the night ends. What it needs is plain:
- FOOTPRINT Roughly 10 by 10 feet, placed with your venue and planner ahead of time.
- BACKDROP Seamless, dark — deliberately neutral so it never fights your wedding design.
- STROBES Studio lighting, key and rim, run off a standard power outlet.
- OPERATOR A photographer directing guest sittings throughout your booked coverage.
STATION · LIT · INSIDE THE ROOM Arrive. Sit. Walk away with it.
Arrive
Guests step off the dance floor and into the light. The photographer welcomes each sitting, with placement and guest flow planned around your reception.
Directed sitting
A pose, a beat of stillness, a strobe fires. The photographer reads the face in front of the camera and adjusts before the shutter clicks.
Leave with it
A printed portrait in hand before they walk back to the floor. The full black-and-white gallery follows within two weeks.
$2,950
A floor, not a package. The total moves with format, hours, guest count, and travel. Every booking includes a 4x6 print handed to each guest on the night, and the full edited gallery within two weeks.
See what sets the totalQuestions about the Portrait Station
How is the Portrait Station different from a photo booth?
The Portrait Station is led by a photographer who guides your pose and adjusts the light for your portrait. A photo booth is designed for guests to use more independently. We also offer studio-lit photo booths; the distinction is the directed sitting and the finished portrait.
How much space does the setup need?
A footprint of roughly 10 by 10 feet with access to a standard power outlet covers the full station: backdrop, strobes, and the direction area. We coordinate placement with your venue and planner ahead of the event.
Do guests get their photos on the night?
Yes. Every guest leaves with a 4x6 print the same night, and the full edited gallery follows within two weeks.
What areas do you serve?
We serve Chicago, the North Shore and Chicagoland, plus Tampa Bay, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, and Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Availability and travel are confirmed for your venue and date.
How far in advance should we book?
Peak wedding dates go first, and we take a limited number of events per weekend so every event gets a full crew. If your date is set, checking availability early costs nothing.
Plan the station around your venue.
For Chicago and Chicagoland, send the venue, guest count and reception schedule so we can plan load-in, placement and power with your coordinator. For a Florida celebration, explore our Tampa Bay, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Sarasota planning pages.
Your date only happens once.
We take a limited number of events per weekend so every room gets a full crew. If your date is set, find out now.