AJ Abelman Photography

About AJ Abelman Photography

AJ Abelman Photography

Owner, Lead Photographer

I didn’t get into the wedding industry because I was the little girl dreaming of my wedding day. I love story-telling, I love love, and I love people who want to laugh and have a great time because they realize that life is short and beautiful. Wedding photography is all of those things at once; every time I go to work it’s the best day of someone’s life. How cool is that?

My clients love me because I genuinely care about their wedding day. I always say I'm the only photographer who's as stoked about your wedding day as you are! I’m a full service wedding professional; this means that beyond just delivering awesome photos, I’m here for you every step of the way. I’m the emergency bobby pin-carrying, going above-and-beyond, navigating #allthefeels with you wedding photographer and I can’t wait to dance my butt off to Whitney Houston with you on your wedding day.

Services

Services

  • Engagement session
  • Extra hours
  • Image editing
  • Printing rights
  • Second photographer

Photo formats

  • Digital

Deliverables

  • Digital files
  • Digital rights
  • Online gallery
  • Printed enlargements
  • Same/next-day sneak-peek images
  • Wedding album

Reviews

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5.0 out of 5

5 reviews

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  • Best decision we've ever made

    •Verified review
    •Scott G.•Feb 17

    Would love to leave more than five stars for AJ and her team. Forget for a second that she takes the best photos we've ever seen, and instead focus on the way you want to feel during an event/shoot. The reason everyone is smiling in such a sincere manner is that AJ is an absolute joy, and she has your back at all times. She saved our wedding at least a dozen times through quick problem-solving, attention to detail, and thoughtfulness to make sure the wedding felt authentic to us. Could not recommend her more highly. Don't think twice, just book her!

  • Such a great photographer!!

    •Verified review
    •Viral M.•Jan 5, 2026

    Wedding photography is something deeply intimate and important. Because unlike the vast majority of the services you spend money on for your wedding, your photos are generally *the* main memento you have from your "big day". I was a little overwhelmed at first looking for photographers for our engagement and wedding photos, so I decided to work backwards from the venue we had selected and looked at various photographers who had recently shot at our venue. AJ immediately stood out as someone incredibly personable, interesting, and talented - the core values I wanted in a photographer! We scheduled a meeting with her and immediately knew she was the right person for the job. She was incredibly thoughtful and gave us great advice on everything from where to do our engagement photos, what vibes and feelings we wanted represented in our photos, and was such an excellent person day of. She and her colleague Hadassah did *such* an amazing job with our wedding day photos, seamlessly capturing the energy of the best night of our lives and even working well with the venue, DJ, and caterer to help make some last second adjustments. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned, but you are in safe hands with AJ. If anyone asks me for wedding photo recommendations, I'm suggesting AJ. If we ever have needs for professional family photos in the future, we're coming back to AJ. Worth every penny!

  • BOOK AJ IMMEDIATELY!!!

    •Verified review
    •Luiza•Nov 14, 2025

    Listen, there's a reason why AJ has 5 stars everywhere. She is THE BEST. AJ is incredibly talented and has such an eye for all the little details that make a perfect composition. She is also the most hilarious and fun presence to have around you on your big day. And the PHOTOS! I knew they'd be great, but I was unprepared for just how amazing our wedding album turned out. Every photo was beautiful and exactly what we envisioned (and more!). My only regret is not living near Chicago, otherwise I would book AJ for every moment of my life.

  • HIRE AJ NOW

    •Verified review
    •Nina F.•Apr 15, 2025

    Oh my GAWWWD! AJ is the BEST. Like seriously - hire her right this second! I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for the way that she shows up as a person and as a photographer. I am the more extroverted of my partnership and AJ did an incredible job making my partner feel at ease during our engagement shoot and our first look. She knows exactly what to say to get a nice photo that doesn’t read like “I’m being forced to take pictures”. From Day 1 (honestly, even before we hired AJ), we knew what to expect. She is communicative and easy to get a hold of. After a brief “get to know you” session, she builds three personalized packages based on what you’re looking for (and the names of each package are the best part…just you wait). Engagement Shoot: Our engagement shoot was so fun! AJ gave us a few suggestions and we ended up taking photos in and near the Montrose Bird Sanctuary. Talk about a GORGEOUS spot for photos. AJ is a great conversation maker and makes those who are less comfortable taking photos feel at ease. Her direction during our session made for spectacular photos (which we used for our save the dates and got lots of compliments on). We got sneak peeks within a day or two and the full gallery was high quality. Wedding Day: The package we selected was for 10 hours of service. AJ showed up early to where I was getting ready. Her second shooter was with my partner. Both of them were lovely during the day and brought positive, calm vibes for the duration of the day. The combination of posed and candid “getting ready” shots were well balanced. Our first look was at Garfield Park Conservatory and she and her second shooter did a great job communicating with each other so that my partner and I didn’t accidentally cross paths until it was “go time”. AJ is a great people wrangler - she made sure that our shots at Garfield Park were just us and communicated with other guests to make these shots happen. When we got to our venue, AJ and her second shooter got through our family portraits with haste so that my partner and I could relax before our ceremony. I was blown away by our sneak peeks, which we got several days after our wedding. Hiring AJ will be one of the best decisions you make for your big day.

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