Michelle Kanaar Photography

Michelle was our photographer for our wedding ceremony and reception this past June, and we couldn't be luckier and happier to get to work with her! Michelle is super talented, and was a pleasure to work with, from the planning process all the way up to the big day (or days in our case--we did our ceremony and reception separately). Michelle has a knack for capturing amazing moments and bringing the best out of whoever she is photographing. Having to pose for hundreds of pictures can be stressful, but Michelle put us at ease and kept our energy up in order to capture the pictures we wanted of just us, family, and friends.Hire this awesome photographer! From wedding photography to the inspiring photojournalism work she does, Michelle is just a great human being who cares about the work she does and has committed herself to the craft. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I had the opportunity to contract Michelle to cover two days of a medical conference and was impressed by both the quality of her work and her adaptation to the environment. In addition, we had her shoot a number of staff headshots and her demeanor and professionalism immediately put nearly a dozen otherwise-uneasy photo subjects at ease. Within an hour of being on-site, Michelle was exploring our maze of a venue and documenting the entire event spanning four floors of the hotel. Following a lightning-fast turnaround time, the results proved to be the best collection of photos and overall documentation our group has had in more than 20 years of operation. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Michelle is an absolute professional and even more, an incredibly warm and genuine person. I've worked with Michelle on multiple photography projects as well as a teaching artist. Michelle is a wonderful photographer partly because she is able to genuinely connect with any person/client quickly in order to capture not only what they need but also with an integrity of a visual journalist. She produces great work in a timely fashion and I always look forward to working with her. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I am so impressed by Michelle and thankful that she was able to take our family photos. She was so great with our little ones (both under 3 years old). She was super efficient with our time during the session and was able to capture so many wonders candid and non candid photos. I was also surprised by how quickly she provided us with the photos and took the time to create a file that was for web sharing and a separate one that is for printing photos. We will absolutely be hiring her for future photography needs. You won't be disappointed! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Michelle is a versatile and talented photographer. My organization, a small tech company, initially hired her to take some photos for our blog. We liked her work so much that we asked her to come back to take staff headshots for our website. In addition to being very professional, she has a warm and genuine personality and she's all around a pleasure to work with! Our first shoot together involved photographing a 9 and 11-year old and she was fantastic with them as well. I highly recommend Michelle Kanaar for professional headshots or any other photography needs. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Michelle Kanaar recently photographed me for a new business venture. I was nervous about hiring a photographer because I needed an extensive amount of images, plus a wide variety of backgrounds, light, movement, poses, angles, and props. Michelle's level of professionalism and expertise in photography is top-notch. Her passion for her craft is palpable. She has a fantastic eye for detail and thinks quickly, continuously searching for the best possible shot. Michelle does what it takes to get the job done and I was impressed with her work ethic.  Most importantly, she is a kind, authentic person with a warm sense of humor. I had so much during our shoot. I wish others the pleasure of a session with her. Few people have the ability to make one feel so comfortable. The photos came out beyond beautiful, and surpassed all my expectations. Thank you for a wonderful shoot, Michelle! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Michelle Kanaar was our photographer for our wedding back in September. Her experience in photography and passion for her projects is readily apparent in her photos and her ability to connect with the people she photographs. She empathized with me during the stress of wedding planning and walked through all the details for photographs on the day-of, which helped put the anxiety I was feeling at ease because she was so reassuring that everything would fall into place. Michelle worked incredibly hard on photographing us on our wedding day from getting the details of the poses perfect to expertly capturing candid moments, and from connecting with people to make them smile or laugh for the photo to getting the lighting to be perfect (even if the sun wouldn't move for us)--all the while enjoying every bit of the day with us! Not to mention, this was all in blistering, humid summer heat! While I couldn't imagine how hard she was working in that kind of heat, she made it all look easy.  We could not be happier with the photos that captured precious moments from those that jerk tears of happiness to tears of laughter; and we could not be happier with the ease of process and execution leading up to our wedding and on the day-of. It was truly a pleasure working with Michelle and seeing how she carries out her work with such passion. We are incredibly grateful to her for capturing in photos a day we want to remember every moment of for a very, very long time.Thank you so much Michelle! -Wendy & Matt More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My favorite photographer! I've worked with Michelle Kanaar on multiple journalistic and commercial projects both in Chicago and abroad and have found her always enthusiastic, helpful and professional. I appreciate her ingenuity and unique approach to portraits and weddings as well. I highly recommend Michelle Kanaar Photography. More...

Reviewed on Yelp