The Still Life Photography
Chicago, IL, Cook
(23)
Chicago, IL, Cook
(23)
Jay & Nicole Vega decided to pursue a career together in the art of Photography. Met & married in Chicago in 2012, two people set out on a business venture of a lifetime. Seeing the world in "still life" is seeing the world as we do everyday.
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23 customer reviews
M W.
I love Nicole and her amazing work! We booked her for our engagement photos and our wedding. My husband normally hates taking photos, but Nicole worked her magic and made him feel so comfortable. He actually ended up enjoying the engagement shoot! The photos were all to die for! All of our friends and family have complimented us on how beautiful they turned out. Nicole was an absolute pleasure to work with, and really helped me figure out the logistics for our first look at a local conservatory. It was so special, and it only went so smoothly because of her and her expertise! If you're thinking about booking them, do it. You won't regret it. More...
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N S.
Nicole at The Still Life was so wonderful to work with. We were apprehensive about working with photographers at our wedding because so many of our friends said they felt bullied but theirs. Nicole was super nice and energetic. She responded to us and gave us gentle pushes to get some beautiful pictures of our special day. All our guests commented on how nice our photographer was and we had a ton of fun with her. Thank you for the memories you captured from our special day. More...
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Erin R.
I would work with TSL 100x again if I had the chance. From first initial email exchanges, to following up after our wedding, Nicole is responsive, punctual, professional, fun, creative & personable! We used TSL to shoot our Chicago wedding in August & also for a covert-op boudoir session ;) If I were to do it all over again, the only thing I would do differently is add an extra hour or so to the initial contract to get some shots of our friends and family dancing & letting loose at the end of the night. Nicole is such a pleasure to work with & extremely helpful. I was getting stressed and confused about day of timeline and she went out of her way to have a call with me so we could talk it through which ultimately gave me a better understanding of when I needed to tell other vendors when to be where, etc. We received multiple compliments from our rowdy bridal party of what a good job she was doing at directing us through our group shots/basically herding cats. The blog is a nice treat to get to see some of your pictures quickly & share with friends and family!I asked Nicole if she would do a boudoir shoot with me on short notice & she was very flexible & again extremely responsive. Â I had never done one before so was a little nervous but it seriously was so fun to feel like a model for the afternoon! Nicole did a great job of cueing & directing me on poses which also helped put me at ease. The pictures came back promptly & I couldn't be happier with how they look. TSL was my favorite of all the vendors we worked with throughout our wedding. I highly recommend TSL & If you have any questions about working with them I am more than happy to chat with you. More...
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Nan S.
I found TSL/Nicole through Thumbtack when I put in a request for wedding ceremony photography. I liked the style of her photos on her website and the price was reasonable compared to other similar companies. Through the entire process she was easy to work with and on the ceremony day, she remained professional and tried to keep us on time (the package included a couple of hours for photos after the ceremony although we didn't hire her for the reception due to our budget - which btw we had a Photo Booth for the reception and do not regret this choice - something to keep in mind if professional reception photos are not important for you and you need to keep prices down). She put up a blog post of a few select photos about a week after and several weeks after that we got the whole gallery. She has a good eye and we totally agreed with the choice of photos on the blog. She really caught all the vibrant colors and small details from various parts of the ceremony (i added a few photos here), and was very respectful in the temple, making sure that she knew the customs beforehand. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to my friends or to hire her again. More...
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Kristi M.
We found The Still Life/Nicole on Thumbtack and we liked the price, her other work and that she had done some LGBT weddings previously so we hired them to do our wedding in September. Â We are very happy that we ended up hiring them. Â Nicole was very responsive to all of our email communications and was very accommodating when we asked if we could add more hours so we could take getting ready shots after we had already signed a contract that didn't include them and again when we added another hour a couple weeks before the wedding when we realized we hadn't booked enough time. Â On the day of the wedding she showed up early and immediately started taking pictures. Â She then went to the venue early so she could get pictures of the set up before people arrived. Â Our original plan was to walk to the nearby park and take some outdoor pictures after the ceremony but it ended up being the hottest day of the year so Nicole offered to drive us in her car so we didn't have to walk in our dresses in the 94 degree weather which was awesome and appreciated. Â Before she left she checked to see if there were any pictures that we hadn't had her take yet and she hung around a for a bit since one of the people we wanted a photo with was outside smoking which she didn't have to do.The week after the wedding she posted a blog post with some of the pictures and we were very happy with the photos. Â It was also nice to have the blog to show people when they asked to see pictures. Â We received our full album about 6 weeks after our wedding and again we were very happy with the photos. Â The pictures of us at the park turned out beautiful and there are some great candid shots. Â We have had a ton of compliments on the pictures. Â They also sent us a thumb drive with all the pictures on it. Â And one of the best things is that we ordered an album from them and Nicole offered to pick the pictures for it if we wanted so we didn't have to stress about which ones to pick. Â We are looking forward to receiving thatWe were very happy with our decision to hire The Still Life and would recommend them to others and hope we can use them again in the future. More...
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Andrea J.
We stumbled onto Still Life a couple years ago through the Thumbtack app and we seriously lucked out. This was our third year having Nicole shoot our family photos and she never disappoints. She has a great eye for poses and locations, she travels locally, her turnaround time is super fast, and she's affordable. Â And she's a magician with capturing the elusive posed smile of a toddler. Her candid shots are just as great and worth mentioning as well. We will absolutely continue to use her for our annual family pictures and recommend her for any events. More...
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Sarah M.
Yay! Nicole did a wonderful job with our family photos!! We did a mini session in the park  for my daughters first birthday. We LOVE the pictures she took, I am ordering lots of prints for family. More...
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lola h.
My wife and I hired The Still Life to take photos for our wedding in July 2016. Â Nicole was very easy and friendly during the initially meeting. Â She was very accommodating to our needs and wants for the wedding. Â Her responses were so quick. Â We liked meeting with her so much, we decided last minute to also do an engagement photo shoot with her which we were originally not planning on doing. Â We are so happy we chose The Still Life and got to work with Nicole for both our engagement shoot and wedding. Â We will have these awesome memories captured forever and really enjoyed our pictures. More...
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Pamela R.
Nicole is a great photographer, very pleasant, and professional. Â She came to our house and did a maternity session for us, pictures came our lovely! Highly recommend The Still Life Photography. More...
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Alma M.
From the moment we met Nicole and discussed our vision for our wedding pictures, we knew the Still Life was the right fit for us. Nicole kept the right amount of communication and always responded quickly. She was amenable to changes in her hours at the last minute. On the day of the wedding, she was very professional, helpful, direct, and friendly at all times. Â On the wedding day, Nicole would show us awesome pictures she took and had already posted on instagram!! Those pics were so great, we couldn't wait to see the rest of them! The pictures and the gallery were delivered in the time they were promised. We have beautiful pictures from our wedding day that we will treasure forever. Even after the wedding, and as she is probably busy with other weddings, she always finds the time to respond to us quickly when we have questions. We will definitely reach out to Still Life for future photograph needs. More...
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Shaina K.
We hired The Still Life to take photos for both our wedding ceremony and reception. Nicole was incredible. She arrived early, and the minute that she arrived she was non-stop taking advantage of every single photo opportunity, getting shots that I would have never thought of. Her attention to detail was awesome- She knew what photos to take, she was attentive, and kept the whole process as stress-free as possible (even when taking the family photos!), she definitely put me (the bride) at ease! She even let us know when her booked time was almost up so that we could get any last photos that we wanted. She really went above and beyond, we couldn't have asked for a better photographer! Â A few days later she put up a sneak peak of our photos, and we absolutely love every single one. Nicole really has an eye for for capturing things beautifully in both candid and posed shots. I cannot wait to see the rest! I highly recommend The Still Life and I will be hiring them again for any photography needs! More...
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Erin H.
The experience from start to finish was simple and easy. Nicole came to my home for an hour and took a lot of different pictures of my family (including a baby and a dog). She was open to whatever I was looking to do, as well as change my son into a few different outfits. I knew I only had her for an hour, but I never felt rushed. All of my pictures came very fast and were edited nicely. The price was a great value for what I was looking for. More...
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Tracey R.
I have nothing but great things to say about Nicole! Â From the minute I contacted her about my wedding, she was so nice and helpful. Â I wasn't too excited about doing engagement photos at first, but Nicole made the process so easy - it wasn't at all what I'd imagined, thankfully! Â She is so laid back and has a great personality. Â The location she chose was beautiful and only a short drive for us. Â She also sent me two pictures from the back of the camera before we were even home! Â All of the photos came on a DVD and they are all amazing. Â I'm so happy we chose Nicole as our wedding photographer - is it July yet?! Â I highly recommend The Still Life Photography! More...
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Tori M.
Absolute pleasure to work with. Nicole was fun and definitely helped put a bride at ease. My wedding was 9/12/15 both me and my husband enjoyed Nicole as well as all of my family. Very comfortable to work with. I booked Nicole because of her price and the photos I had seen seemed to be more the style I was looking for. Haven't received all my photos on my cd yet but I am so excited just seeing the random edits she has sent me and seeing EVERYTHING she posts on Instagram (I recommend following) I am very confident with her work. Amazing shots for the best price you could find. Thanks again More...
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Fareeha B.
I chose The Still Life Photography to photograph my wedding ceremony and reception and was so glad I did! It was a pleasure working with Nicole because she was very accommodating and took the time to learn about the various traditions surrounding my Islamic Wedding Ceremony. I sent Nicole a whole folder of photo ideas that I wanted and she made it a priority to make sure I was content with all the shots taken on the day of! She also took it upon herself to incorporate her own artistic style into the photos. I was initially drawn to her and Jay's candid, "captured in the moment" photos on the website and I can't wait to see the final edited photos. I was very impressed with her professionalism and enthusiasm and would definitely recommend The Still Life Photography. More...
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Diane H.
Nicole and Jay are absolutely wonderful!!! Â Our wedding photos are perfect!!! Â They were so easy to work with and truly captured the moment. Â I don't like having my picture taken and they were able to make me feel very comfortable for the entire time. Â They arrived early to get photos of the area around where we were getting married, got great photos of everyone arriving, the ceremony, dancing and finally the fireworks as the end of the night. Â Most of the photos were candid photos that turned out great... there were also some posed shots as well that turned out awesome as well. Â Throughout the entire event they were very open to any requests that anyone had of them. Â We could not have asked for better photographers to capture our special day!! More...
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Emily A.
This was a wonderful experience for my husband and I. Â We had our son's new born photo shoot done by them and they did a wonderful job! Â They took their time and made sure to get the shots and had great props to use. Â As a first time mom I was a little anxious about having a photo shoot while my son was so young, but once I was there I was completely comfortable! Â They are a great price and we got the pictures very quickly. Â We love all the pictures that we got and we get many compliments on them from everyone who sees them. Â We will definitely be scheduling future family photo sessions through them. More...
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Ashley P.
Our wedding photos from The Still Life were absolutely perfect. Â Working with Nicole was a great experience-- she was patient and kind and let us have fun-- all while somehow capturing the essence of our wedding. Â There were some great candid shots but her pre-arranged photos were phenomenal. Â Her eye for architectural detail was incredible. Â Some of the photos were better than the moments in "real life". Â Our wedding day was grey and bleak but somehow Nicole brightened everything so that we have photographs of a beautiful time-- in spite of the weather.Nicole arrived early and was able to blend into the background to allow us to truly enjoy the day. Â She created photographs that we will cherish. Â She was affordable and delivered the photographs within 72 hours-- which is simply amazing. Â If you are looking for a great photographer, Nicole and The Still Life would be a wonderful choice. More...
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Jenn C.
I found Nicole and Jay through "Thumbtack" to book for a photo session for my 2 kids. Our experience from the estimate, communication, follow-up, and the day the our  session took place was extremely professional.  I would highly recommend them and plan to use them again!  The photos turned out great and they even met up at our preferred location.  Thanks! More...
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Cathy H.
Nicole and Jay were excellent to work with. We took fall family photos downtown Chicago during a recent visit. They were very accommodating, meeting us at our chosen location and had pre-scoped out the area for various possible locations, both indoor and out.  Be prepared to pay in full  before the session -- it was new for me but apparently is the norm for photographers. Great price for an hour session with a DVD with all photos. And works great with kids! We had a a great experience, and have recommended to our friends! More...
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Ashley S.
Really nice photographers, they make you feel very comfortable with them. Nicole is very professional and gives you good feedback and ideas to be creative with the photo shoot. I would definitely book them in the future. More...
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Nicole S.
I have been friends with Nicole for over 25 years. Her and Jay are a great team when it comes to photography. I wanted a few candid shots of my 3 year old son, and they turned out awesome. Being parents themselves, they completely understand what to expect from children, in addition to knowing how create an environment where a child feels comfortable and can act themselves, in order to get those more personable candid shots. I love the way the photos turned out, and can't wait for our next chance for a family photo shoot. More...
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Rachel A.
Nicole and Jay are fantastic! We wanted photos taken of our small family - baby and 2 dogs - but we wanted to make sure that "who we are" was captured. We didn't want anything too traditional or "posey". When I booked the appointment with Nicole, she asked me what I was looking for, what colors we wanted to wear, props we wanted to bring, and what type of photography we liked. Over the next few weeks, I sent her example photos of what I thought best fit our style. Her and Jay were so flexible on the location - she even went there weeks before to scope it out and get some ideas! At the shoot, they were both professional, flexible and easy to work with. My dogs and my baby felt so at ease with them. They took a ton of pictures and captured some truly amazing moments. Their abilities well exceeded my expectations. I love the photos and am so happy that they captured this period in our lives so beautifully! More...
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What do you love most about your job?
Sharing someone's most special moments...weddings, birth of a child, engagement, anniversary....it's all pieces of someones life that I get to be a part of in such a great way.
What inspired you to start your own business?
Our kids. We knew we wanted to have flexibility to be able to be with our kids as much as we possibly could, and starting our own business alloed us that. It's been tough, don't get me wrong! But we don't regret it one bit. :)
Why should our clients choose you?
Not only are we personable and very open with all types of communication....I tend to think people like our work! ;) We stand out with a more candid, organic feel to our work.
Family Sessions
Engagement Sessions
Newborn Sessions
Event Photography
