Illinois
Senior portraits · Chicago
In short
Senior portraits in Chicago starts at $395: 90 min on location with a photographer who works in Chicago, and 40 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 5 business days. The price is agreed before you book and does not move.
Why choose Senior portraits in Chicago?
A skyline you can photograph from a beach, and a winter that decides half the calendar. That is what decides how a Senior portraits session is planned here: the photographer you work with lives in Chicago and shoots across Illinois all year, so they are not seeing the place for the first time alongside you. That prior knowledge is the difference between a session that keeps to its schedule and one spent looking for a frame.
The hour matters more than the location. For North Avenue Beach, the window to aim for is sunrise. The session runs 90 min and is built around that window rather than around your diary — it is the one variable that genuinely changes the photographs, and it costs nothing.
What does the session in Chicago look like?
The typical route runs 90 min and stays on foot. We start at North Avenue Beach and move on to Millennium Park and Cloud Gate. Two locations rather than one give you two distinct backdrops without getting into a car, and the walk between them produces the frames made in motion — frequently the truest of the set.
What does senior portraits in Chicago include?
- 40 retouched photographs
- Two to three locations in one session
- Unlimited outfit changes within the session
- Yearbook-format crop supplied to the school’s specification
- Private online gallery within 5 business days
- Print release for personal use
Permits at these locations: North Avenue Beach: Professional photography on Chicago Park District property requires a permit. Millennium Park and Cloud Gate: Park District permit required for professional work. Commercial use of the Cloud Gate image needs the artist’s permission separately. Garfield Park Conservatory: Photography permit required from the Chicago Park District; free public admission. Promontory Point, Hyde Park: Chicago Park District permit required for professional photography.
FAQ — Senior portraits in Chicago
Senior portraits in Chicago: what time should we book?
For North Avenue Beach, aim for sunrise. At a busy location, two hours either way changes what can be framed at all.
Do we need a permit to photograph in Chicago?
At some locations, yes: North Avenue Beach (Professional photography on Chicago Park District property requires a permit.); Millennium Park and Cloud Gate (Park District permit required for professional work. Commercial use of the Cloud Gate image needs the artist’s permission separately.); Garfield Park Conservatory (Photography permit required from the Chicago Park District; free public admission.); Promontory Point, Hyde Park (Chicago Park District permit required for professional photography.). The photographer handles it and tells you at booking, not on the day.
What happens if it rains in Chicago?
We move the session to another slot or another day at no cost. If you are only in town briefly, we switch to sheltered locations scouted in advance rather than cancelling.
When do we get the photos from Chicago?
Within 5 business days, in a private online gallery: 40 edited images, downloadable at full resolution from any country.