I fully believe that whatever your background, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical abilities, your story and your loves are worth celebrating and honoring!
Hello there. I’m Charissa. And I adore celebrating you and your loves.
When I was little my mom banned how often I would take photos. Film was expensive and I’d shoot an entire roll on one sunset. I’ve been in love with photography ever since.
I really began to get into photography in high school when I took several film classes and developed my own film. I would often lose track of time in the quiet retreat of the dark room, only to realize it was 2 or 3 a.m. I ended up getting my master’s in counseling, became a licensed counselor, and did art therapy and school counseling for ten years. I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of others how two things especially—laughter and creativity—bring healing and wholeness, and I love how photography combines these. I love to have FUN with you in your photoshoot. I’ve been photographing professionally for fifteen years now, but moving to Chicago eight years ago made me realize I wanted to retire counseling and do photography full-time. I can’t believe I get to do what I love!
Each person has a story to tell and I love storytelling. I fully believe that whatever your background, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical abilities, your story and your loves are worth celebrating and honoring! Whether it’s your wedding day, your kids playing in the park, an event your charity puts on . . . it’s a story worth celebrating and capturing. Oh, and did I mention I like to have FUN with you?
I also offer photography to those who have been through trauma or are going through trauma: someone who is coming out of domestic abuse, finding their feet again, and wanting to celebrate where they’re at; a family who just found out their loved one has cancer and they don’t have much time left; a couple who wants maternity and newborn photos for their stillborn baby; someone struggling with body image and anxiety, wanting to take that next step in learning to love themselves. Documenting your story not only through the celebrations, but also the heartaches and hardships, can allow for healing, an honoring of the resilience inside of you, and a way to stop and be thankful.
We often don’t take enough time to celebrate, to remember, or to just stop. Photography allows for that. It allows us to celebrate life and the people who live it. And I freaking love that.
—Charissa
What Others Are Saying About Charissa
“My fiancé and I contacted Charissa fairly last minute about an engagement photo session. She was very accommodating about working us into her already packed schedule. The day of the shoot Charissa went above and beyond to make us feel as comfortable as possible in front of the camera and ensure we had great shots.
We were blown away with the finished product.
We will definitely work with her for any future photography needs and we cannot recommend her enough!”
— ريتشل
“Charissa took absolutely gorgeous pictures of our newborn son and family.
The photos came out even better than we had hoped!
Charissa was kind, empathetic, fun, professional, and easy to work with. We will definitely go back to Charissa for our future family photos.”
— Meredith
“Charissa is an amazing photographer, and an absolute pleasure to work with.
She was able to capture the most amazing photos of our family.
The variety of shots were incredible, and Charissa's creativity around composition, backdrop, lighting, etc., really made for some memories that will last a lifetime.”
— Eric
“If you want someone who is not only going to take a beautiful photograph, but capture a piece of your spirit itself to come alive in the photo, Charissa is who you want!”
— Amber
“We hired Charissa for a large event at the University of Chicago and she did a fantastic job. Not only was she professional and easy to work with but she also delivered a wonderful variety of photos, everything from candids, small groups, and whole-event shots.
Would highly recommend her for any photography projects you may have.”
— Jay
“Charissa is an incredibly talented artist with an excellent eye for detail.
She is able to capture personality and relationship so well on camera.
My girlfriends surprised me with a photo shoot for my 40th birthday. Charissa spent so much time with us and was able to capture the candid moments that make our friendship so uniquely special. We did not want our pictures to be "staged"—we wanted to see the natural way we relate and that came through completely. She also came equipped with some suggested poses that ended up being some of our favorite shots. They were not forced or "cheesy" (well maybe a little, but in the best way). As a group the 3 of us had an incredibly trying year, Charissa was adept at honoring our struggles and capturing our strengths. She is very empathetic and intuitive. Thank you for an amazing day and for photos that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!”
— Amanda
“Charissa has a perfect personality for a photographer! She's fun, enthusiastic, calm and reassuring. She also has an amazing eye! I HIGHLY recommend her services!!”
— Genevieve
“Charissa was a pleasure to work with! She formed a quick bond with our 1 year old son and made our photo shoot fun and enjoyable. We were only supposed to get 30 photos but we received over 150 beautiful photos.
She was able to capture our family dynamic and also our individual personalities.
We will definitely use Charissa again and highly recommend her to others.”
— Laura
“I couldn't recommend Charissa enough.
I contacted her very short notice for a Halloween themed shoot, and she was able to fit us into her schedule. She accommodated an outfit change, brought props, and we did the whole shoot socially distanced. And the photos turned out so beautifully!”
— Ivy
“I know Charissa because we’ve worked as co-photographers on several jobs. Yep! That makes her a photographer’s photographer!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Our sons spirit captured perfectly by Charissa. We couldn’t be happier with our family pictures. So many to choose from.
The family session made for a great birthday gift!!”
— Marta
“Charissa is THE best photographer I ever met. She knew exactly how to capture my journey and to transpose it within beautiful, bright and shining photos!! She helped me to select the outfits and gave me some tips to feel more comfortable in front of the camera!! She is such a beautiful person. THANK YOU, Charissa!!!”
— Béatrice
“The graduation photos are so incredible—
we are so glad that you came and helped us save these wonderful memories.
I love the black and whites and they are all so much fun to look at. Thank you so much.”
— Jonathan
“We hired Charissa for a large event at the University of Chicago and she did a fantastic job. Not only was she professional and easy to work with but she also delivered a wonderful variety of photos, everything from candids, small groups, and whole-event shots.
Would highly recommend her for any photography projects you may have.”
— UChicago Divinity School
“Charissa took beautiful pictures of our new baby last week and we are so happy with how they came out.
Charissa was wonderful to work with especially because she really knows babies.
When our little girl was fussy during the shoot she was patient and knew exactly how to handle the situation and because of her efforts we ended up with beautiful photos. Can't wait to work with her again.”
— Naadia
“When I was planning to do a surprise proposal in Chicago I needed a photographer on short notice who could execute exactly what I needed. Charissa was perfect! She not only beautifully captured every detail of the proposal (incognito!), she was also great to work with as we did an engagement shoot the next day.
Fun, flexible, and fantastic photos!”
— Jonathan
“Charissa is an amazingly talented and kind-hearted photographer!
Her vision for portraits, work ethic, customer service, and experience is wonderful! I highly recommend working with Charissa!”
— Ashley
“Charissa made us feel natural and beautiful. Our photos look amazing!”
— Erin & Joel
“Oh My Glob !!!!!!! THOSE ARE AMAZING !!!!!! Thank you so much !!!!!! You can’t hear it but I’m screaming with excitement ... omg you are the best !!! I can’t wait to think of another reason to get some pictures done. Ahhhhh I’m literally screaming !!!!!!!!!!”
— Jamarria
“Charissa was so responsive and professional. She really took the time to get to know our daughter and work with her to design her graduation photo session.
We are so happy with the photos and highly recommend her to commemorate your special occasion!
— Stephanie
“We are forever grateful to Charissa for taking the most beautiful proposal pictures! She went above and beyond helping my fiancé choose the perfect location, getting in all the shots we could possibly want, and coming up with great poses and backgrounds. We felt so comfortable and at ease under her guidance. All we had to do was have fun and be ourselves, and she expertly took care of everything else. Charissa has a talent for capturing authentic moments, full of life and movement, while still maintaining exquisite composition and lighting in each photograph.
Our finished gallery brings us so much joy.
Charissa is simply an amazing photographer and a lovely person. We cannot recommend her highly enough.”
— Kimberly
“Charissa is amazing! She has a natural gift for capturing your personality on camera!
We absolutely loved all the pictures she took of our family! I highly recommend her!”
— Elif
“Charissa photographed my women's event to raise money for Charity.
She was a super sweet person, and was super great to work with!”
— Melissa
“Charissa is AMAZING!! She captured everything that I could’ve ever dreamed of on our wedding day!”
— Hannah
“Charissa’s work continues to astound and delight me.
Over the few sessions she's done with me, I've noticed a few things. The first is her ability to catch the light and character of the people she photographs; she sees their beauty and shows it to the rest of the world. She is also incredibly insightful about what will make a striking photo—she has an uncanny knack for picking the right place for her subjects and snapping at the right time. She makes space for creative adaptation, too, even when things take a different course than expected. She uses what's around her and what's important to the people she photographs to fit the pictures perfectly to the vibe. And she's just fun! She's fun to be around, and she's fun to take pictures with. My last session with her included smoke bombs (colored smoke out at Promontory Point), and it's one of the most enjoyable things I've done in Chicago. I would highly recommend Charissa's work, and Charissa herself, to anyone who would ask me.”
— Shelly
“Professional and patient are the two words to describe Charissa!!
She took her time and was so patient with us and the children!! We love our pictures! We will definitely use her again! What a pleasant experience!!”
— Sue
“Charissa is a phenomenal photographer. She's super sweet, extremely professional, and so easy to work with.
I am a freelance fashion stylist and was in need of some professional photos. She definitely helped my vision come to life. Thanks Charissa!”
— Amber
“Charissa helped me plan a proposal and did a phenomenal job.
She was very easy to work with and super down to earth!
I appreciate the amount of time and detail that she puts into her work. I highly recommend working with Charissa!”
— Adam
“Outstanding in every category.
Easy to set up, great with kids, lovely location, fantastic photography! I'll definitely be coming back!”
— Joanie
“Charissa did an amazing job on my son & new daughter-in-law's wedding.
She not only took beautiful photos that are real works of art, she also helped them find great settings around Hyde Park.
And she was a pleasure to work with—super professional and cheerful, even in the middle of covid craziness. I can’t say enough about wonderful she was.”
— Joe
“Charissa was a pleasure to work with and our family photos came out great.
We look forward to having her take more photos in the near future. I highly recommend her!”
— Robert