Brian Kinyon Photography

Look no further!!! Right from the beginning, we were impressed with Brian. We met with many photography companies and he was the only one, believe it or not, that started the conversation by getting to know us. He asked how my husband proposed and got to know our personalities and what we wanted out of our day. This caught me off guard in a refreshing way because the other vendors we met were focused on the money and how quickly we were looking to book. He welcomed us into his home and has a great personality, which is very important when you spend 9 – 12 hours with someone!
Not only is he a great person, but he is extremely talented. The work on his website shows his unique sense of creativity. Every couple wants their photos to stand out among the rest. He does a great job of creating unique moments, while other photographers bring the same ideas to every wedding, which is why you see all the same type of photos.
Another perk with Brian is he is very familiar with the Chicago area and was able to help us plan out a great route to cover a variety of areas.
Brian is truly an undiscovered gem and you should book him early because he books up fast. Also, book him before he raises his prices because his value far exceeds his cost. My conservative spender of a husband even said «Now HE is worth the money!»

Brian was great to work with for our wedding in this summer. Coming in from out of town was stressful to say the least, but Brian went above and beyond to help us plan photo locations. He delivered our pictures when he said he would and we couldn’t have been more pleased. We plan on coming back on our first anniversary and having Brian spend the day with us taking more pictures.

We highly recommend Brian Kinyon Photography. We utilized their services for our April 2014 wedding. Brian was not available for our date but his associate Todd Judge was and he did a fantastic job! We did work with Brian for an engagement photo session and we were so pleased with how the photos turned out we created our guest book for the wedding with them. Brian handled all of the contract information for the wedding and was very responsive whenever we had questions. He allowed us to add an additional shooter very close to our wedding date and also allowed us to decide after seeing the photos if we wanted to do an album. Many of the photographers we met with while choosing vendors required you to make all of your decisions up front which was more stress and more money. Brian is flexible and very affordable! We had sticker shock at so many places and Brian’s photos were higher quality and the services were at a lower price than anyone else we met with. As I said Todd Judge photographed our actual wedding and we could not be happier with the way the photos turned out and the service Todd provided. He was very easy to work with. He was available when you needed him for a shot but blended into the background so you didn’t feel like he was in your face. He and Brian’s suggestions for locations and how to map out the day worked beautifully. Our entire wedding party loved the stop we made in between photo locations at a local bar for some food and drinks and it was 100% Brian and Todd’s idea. They are both very collaborative. Even after the wedding Brian is still providing fantastic service. A particularly important group of friends to me took a photo together at the wedding and I was so disappointed when I saw it to see that two people’s eyes were closed. Brian went back and looked at the other shots and was able to retouch the photo so everyone’s eyes were opened by combining the two shots! Going the extra mile with something like that made the experience even better.

Brian was awesome. We did engagement photos with him just to get to know him (didn’t actually need them for save-​the-​dates) and we’re glad we did. I’m not very comfortable in front of a camera, but Brian is really good at making the process as painless as possible. He took the time to understand our style, and you see that in the photos. At the wedding, he seemed to melt into the walls; I hardly even noticed he was there. And yet he managed to get outstanding photos of every guest. He got lots of candids that captured the details, as well as the overall look and feel of the event. Two people in our wedding party who are getting married next year plan to hire him as well, because they’re smart.

Brian Kinyon is the BEST! Why does Unilocal cut you off at just 5 stars???
We worked with Brian for our wedding and I can only say I wish I had another event to work with him on again! I actually regret not asking him to also shoot our church rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I’m even bummed that my hubby didn’t think to find Brian Kinyon and have him meet us at the top of the Eiffel Towel in Las Vegas to photograph our engagement as it happened in real time! Oh well… can’t win them all! To say that we HIGHLY RECOMMEND Brian is an understatement!
First off– I shopped around. Photography is SO expensive yet SO important for the big day! I really wanted to work with a company that could offer me:
1. A comprehensive package
2. Flexibility
3. Affordability (I’m not a Kennedy, I’m a normal gal)
4. Experience and ideas
We got that and much more with Brian!
I shopped around and called MANY photographers and always had sticker shock. Plus lots of photographers are a’la carte. Not with Brian! Our package was much more affordable than what we found elsewhere plus it included a 1 hour engagement photo session, wedding day coverage for 9 hours (plus the FLEXIBILITY to add hours as the night went on– which we did!). We also get a DVD of all of our pictures (copyright free so we can share on Facebook or email to family, etc), an online gallery, and a coffee table photo album! That’s a LOT! :)
And Brian is cool! I know this sounds silly, but he is. I didn’t want a wedding photographer who has been at it for 40 years and has old ideas. I wanted someone closer in age to my husband and I. I wanted someone more on our page, who would «get us.» Brian definitely «got us.» He was so fun to work with, laid back, accommodating, full of ideas, very artistic, and always honest and upfront. He had lots of great ideas for both our engagement pictures (which were SO FUN! Seriously, it was the BEST part of wedding planning!!), and on our wedding day. Prior to our wedding day itself, he actually got in his car and scouted out specific photo locations that we had inquired about which I thought was awesome.
He also kept the day on schedule for us, making sure we were squeezing in every photo stop that was important to my hubby and I. When the bridesmaids and I showed him a photo of the «Bridesmaids» dvd cover, and requested we reenact that, he was so cool and excited about it! When my hubby wanted a photo against the backdrop of «a big green mirrored window building along the river» Brian sought out that building and we got photos there! He is very detail oriented without you noticing it, if that makes sense. He took such fabulous «getting ready» photos of us girls and of the guys (the photos of the guys getting ready are so precious!!!), and he got such great detail and special moments but I never felt like he was right there in anyones face or intrusive at all. Again– detail oriented without you even noticing it. He is a true professional, polite and really fantastic to work with.
Brian’s style is very photojournalistic and we LOVE LOVE LOVE all of our photos– both engagement & wedding. We LOVED working with Brian and can’t say enough good things about him!!! I honestly would recommend anyone and everyone to him. He doesn’t JUST do weddings either. So if you mistakenly went with another photographer for your wedding, but need someone for pregnancy photos or a child’s first birthday party or family photos– call him. It’s not too late! After this experience with Brian, I actually consider Brian more of a friend than a wedding vendor! Do yourself a favor and book with Brian Kinyon! You will not be sorry!
THANK YOU BRIAN! :)

I’ve never felt compelled to write a review on Unilocal before but using Brian as our wedding photography changed that. We couldn’t have been happier and felt Brian was as close to a perfect wedding photographer as it was possible to be. He has an amazing eye for artistic details, lighting, and settings. He spent time with us discussing where we wanted pictures taken and what sort of style we wanted, and completely followed through with this while also adding surprises that he seemed intuitive to him and stemmed from his many years of shooting weddings. He patiently explained the approximate timeline to us weeks before the wedding so we could begin to pencil in what the day would look like and answered any questions we had. The day of, he was such a calm and reassuring presence; we nearly forgot he was there. For the staged family shots, he did some really nice work setting up where everyone stood so the shots look far more fluid and fun than stoic and, well, staged. We were blown away when we got our pictures back. They were simply fantastic and captured the action, emotion and fun we had that day. I can’t recommend Brian enough!

Brian was the photographer for our wedding back in July at Independence Grove. My biggest worry about wedding planning was finding the right photographer. I am so picky about photos! When we sat down with Brian we immediately knew he was the guy for us. I can’t say enough wonderful things about him. The pictures are INCREDIBLE. So many people have said they are the best wedding photos they have ever seen. Brian was so wonderful to work with. He is really the nicest photographer I have ever met. He was so great at communicating with us beforehand. He made sure that he got every shot on our list without my having to worry about it! He was great about posting previews while we were waiting for the finished photos. I couldn’t be happier! I would strongly recommend him for any event– especially weddings :)

I’m writing this review based on the service we experienced when we hired Brian Kinyon for our wedding. Once I get the pictures, I will update.
Brian met with us back in February of this year. He invited us to his home where we met one of his photographers — Tony. Brian was already booked for our 9÷28÷13 wedding. Tony was available that day. We got to see Tony’s work along with the work that Brian does. Both are very similar, which is why our decision to hire Brian was easy.
As others have posted, Brian was very welcoming and didn’t make us feel pressured to hire him. He doesn’t throw extras to try and upsell his craft, like some other photogs we interviewed. My husband and I hired Brian the next day after our meeting.
The day of our wedding, we met Tony and another photographer that we addded on to our package through Brian. Both were so nice! They seemed just as excited to be there as I was to be getting married. It made our photo taking process that much more fun.
Tony did an awesome job following the long list of photo stops, and different pics that my husband and I wanted. He was also so very patient with us durring our reception we went a bit off schedule when family members requested ANOTHER family photo!
I see Brian’s work on Facebook all the time (if you are FB and haven’t liked his page — do so! You get a peak at what the finished product will look like) and I just love his style of photography. I can’t wait until I to see ours!

We used Brian Kinyon for our engagement shoot, a rehearsal dinner shoot and, of course, as our wedding photographer for our March 30, 2013 wedding at the Adler Planetarium. The fact that I am writting this review so close to the wedding should tell you how much we appreciate all his hard work and the quality of his work.
On first meeting Brian, both my then-​fiancé and I felt immediately at ease. Brian is personable, kind, wonderful and just the right amount of laid-​back you need to get comfortable being photographed. Brian was always prompt, always helpful in providing guidance/​direction without any shot every feeling rehearsed or stilted and always responsive. His photojournalistic style gave him the capacity to catch the most lovely moments (and we’ve only seen our engagement photos and a few preview photos from the rehearsal/​wedding). Every single guest we talked to mentioned his professionalism and that they never felt like they were being photographed and I think that is a tribute to his style to capture real moments in your wedding/​special event.
We are extremely grateful we went with Brian for our photography. I researched a ton of photographers when seeking a wedding photographer but not only were Brian’s prices competitive in Chicago, his work is hands-​down outstanding and, in my opinion, he is one of the best in Chicago. Brian’s personality and genuine nature will lend itself to a very comfortable photography process and I would recommend him in the future to anyone considering hiring a photographer for an event big or small.
We love the pictures we have already and can’t wait to see the rest. All of our guests who saw our engagement pictures and the preview of our wedding pictures have commented on how stunning they are and how great they are at capturing «us».
Thank you, Brian.

Brian was our wedding photographer for our wedding in October 2012.
His prices were reasonable, he was prompt with his email responses and on the day of the wedding he was a complete professional– very laid back and had great ideas for the photos.
Most importantly, the photos turned out beautifully! We have received numerous unsolicited compliments on the photos :)
Brian is a sweet guy, wonderful photographer and I can’t recommend him highly enough!

We used Brian Kinyon Photography for our wedding in September. Brian wasn’t actually available on our wedding date, but his associate Tony was available and has a very similar style to Brian (photojournalistic, but still capturing the necessary posed pictures with family and friends). Brian was a pleasure to work with leading up to the wedding in terms of answering questions and providing suggestions for where to take pictures between the ceremony and reception.
Tony did an amazing job the day of the wedding with capturing great pictures of all the key moments that I want to remember, without getting in anyone’s way. Brian posted about 200 photos to an online gallery for us to share with friends — beautiful! And we just received the DVD in the mail, which includes more photos than are in the gallery — I love them! I can’t wait to make our photo album! I definitely recommend both Brian and Tony — great pictures, captured all the moments I was hoping were captured, and not intrusive at all.
Overall, I recommend Brian and his associates if you want your wedding captured in a way that really helps you remember the emotions as well as the events of the day!

Brian has done it again!!! I knew after he shot our wedding that I’d hire him again one day when we had a baby. We had him come over to shoot our son’s 6 months photos and he did such an amazing job… I couldn’t be happier. I knew I didn’t want cheesy JC Penny pictures and he gave me more than I could have asked for. They are perfect… I have no idea how I’ll pick just a few to put up in the house. Brian is not only a great photographer, he’s super nice and great with babies. I highly rec him if you’re thinking about doing some family/​baby portraits. Thank you for wowing us again Brian!!!

Brian is one of the nicest guys and so easy to work with. When we met with photographers, we definitely just felt the most comfortable with him. he is very laid back. We did our engagement photos in October and they turned out awesome. We had a lot of fun too. I would highly recommend doing these no matter who your photog, because you get used to getting photographed, it is a little weird at first. He is really accessible, I mainly worked through email and he helped me figure out day of locations and had great ideas since he has done a lot of weddings in Chicago. The day of, he was really great to work with, especially because he was with us the whole day and kinda helped us figure out what to do, like «where am I supposed to be right now, or what comes next?» haha, it sounds silly, but I thought it was nice. We went to Wrigley after a Cubs game, which was really crazy, I cannot wait to see those pictures! We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and then to a bar right by the reception. The rest of the night I didn’t even notice he was there! I can’t wait to see our pro pics!
Update — I couldn’t be happier with the final product! We got over 900 wedding pictures and about 200 RD pictures. I highly recommend spending the extra money to have your photog at your RD. We wouldn’t have gotten any good shots there due to the lighting and we have some great photos from that night. I love love love our wedding photos! He caught all the important moments and everyone just looks so good in all the pictures. My uncle, who is a professional sports photographer even mentioned that our pictures are some of the best wedding pictures he has seen, so that is good! He caught some really cool moments and I would HIGHLY recommend him!

I wish I could give 6 stars (or 10, for that matter), because he’s just that good! I randomly found Brian on The Knot, along with a jillion other photogs in Chicagoland, but after emailing all of them, Brian seemed to best fit our needs. My fiancé and I live in Chicago but are getting married in Southern IL. So we have a different photog for our wedding, but wanted to do our engagement pics where we actually live.
First off, his prices are very reasonable. In comparison to the other photographers that we were considering, we just felt like we got more for our money with Brian. Plus, after perusing his web site, we found that his style seemed to match ours.
We spent about three hours with Brian and covered a few different locations – including Millennium Park, our apartment (!) and the Loop near State & Lake. Shooting with him was so easy because he made everything feel very natural – and thus, our pics came out looking very real and natural (and awesome).
I can’t recommend him highly enough. In addition to doing awesome work (I like to think it’s because we were such easy subjects…), he is super nice and very personable. Case in point — today he sent me an unrelated email about some cool craft fairs in the area.
Definitely more than 5 stars here! I can only hope our wedding photog is as great as he was.

I don’t even know where to begin with Brian. He shot our wedding in July 2009 and I fall more in love with the pictures everyday.
My husband and I live in Austin and planned a very small wedding with 35 of our closest friends and family. We decided early on that the photographer would be our most important find because the pictures are what last forever. Being that we planned our wedding online and only visited Chicago once to hammer out details, a lot of our wedding felt like it was up in the air for a long time. Brian would randomly send us emails saying «This is a cool spot. What do you think of taking pictures here?» Also, when I had questions about locations and our wedding day time line, Brian was always willing to help. Enough about Brian as a person…
Brian as a photographer is professional, personable, talks when he needs to, fades into the background when he needs to, but above all, he is the most brilliant and talented wedding photographer we could have ever hoped for. We have our photos posted on Facebook and 9 months after our wedding, we still have people sending us messages telling us that we have the coolest wedding photos they have ever seen. They tell the story of our wedding day exactly as it happened.
In short, should you hire Brian Kinyon? Yes. Without a doubt. He will capture the moment, offer advice, the parents will love him, and once you get those photographs, you will not believe that your wedding day was that beautiful.
Need more proof? Check out my photos on Facebook. They’re worth a thousand words.

Wow, the first male to respond about wedding pictures, I’ m touched. I normally don’t take the time to write reviews like this, but I felt that Brian Kinyon Photography (Todd Judge was our actual photographer) did such a fantastic job that it warranted a review. They asked the right questions and presented us with the right information up front to ensure we would get the pictures we were hoping for. Everything turned out excellent. The pictures were awesome. We chose Todd for the candid photos he took. Again… they were awesome. Numerous guests at the wedding commented on how hard he was working and at what great shots he was getting. If you chose Brian Kinyon Photography, you will not be disappointed!

Brian did my wedding photography last September. The work speaks for itself. He is a wonderful person and photographer.
I had specific shots that I wanted and he remembered each one. He had a lot of great ideas and I trusted him completely on my wedding day to get all of the shots. It was nice to not have to worry about that so I could relax (at least about this one thing!!! :)
The only problem was after the wedding when he was going to send me the CD of pictures. He mailed it 2 – 3 times and I never received it. I am sure it was the mail delivery. But he saved the day and hand delivered it after these failed attempts to mail! How great is that?!
Brian’s photography is second to none. Just make sure to book him early!

This guy rocks my socks. We used him for our wedding in June & it was hands down the best wedding decision we made.
Honestly, he is super knowledgeable about photography & it is apparent he is truly passionate about what he does. For bridal party pics, I basically gave him a general idea of where I wanted to go & then I told him to take over from there, trusting his judgment completely. He directed the trolley driver & had awesome ideas of what to do & where to go at the places we planned to stop at– and he even got spontaneous ideas for some shots along the way. I love how I could tell his mind was actively working & absorbing it all, relishing the moment to get a new cool shot or suggesting the non-​obvious.
Not to mention, he is the nicest guy ever, which is important when you have someone following you (& friends & family) around for 10 hours. :-) (And having just been in a wedding this past weekend with a totally bitchy snooty fake full of herself photographer, I can’t stress enough how important this is!) My bridal party loved him; seriously we are a crass & crazy bunch of mid 20-​somethings and he made us feel totally comfortable with being ourselves. Guests loved him b/​c he never got annoyed when they tried to get in on the action with their own cameras. He was everywhere, but still incognito, but somehow right at the source of action when I was would’ve asked him to catch a pic of the goings on.
And DAMN, once I got my pictures I turned into a total narcissist… they were so awesome I couldn’t stop looking at them. And when I posted them on Facebook (you have the rights to your pics) various «friends» (aka people I literally never talk to) couldn’t help but comment on how the awesomeness of his work. And these were just raw images. He doesn’t need to hide behind fancy Photoshop techniques and editing skills to offer/​produce stunning photographs– that was so refreshing to me, and really speaks to his talent.
Also, he is so easy to get in touch with via e-​mail, and made it a point to touch base with me as the date drew nearer. And he always answered my e-​mails no matter how lengthy and convoluted and trivial they were – I always felt like he cared about me & my day & incorporating his passion of photography into that.

Brian is an incredibly talented photographer who is also an extremely wonderful person. We are beyond thrilled with both our wedding photographs and our engagment photos taken by Brian. He truly captures a moment and seeing the photographs can take you straight back.
Brian was truly a delight to work with and I would without hesitation work with him again. He has such a wonderful character and it leads to outstanding service. We had numerous guests and family comment on how impressed they were with Brian both at the wedding and then again when they saw our photographs.
I highly recommend Brian Kinyon Photography. After my first meeting with him I completely trusted that he would do a fantastic job and even with those high expectations he was able to exceed them.

Not only is Brian a brilliant photographer but he is one of the most personable and easy-​to-​work with photographers I have encountered. I have had the opportunity to witness Brian in action at two weddings. The first was two years ago, the second just this last weekend. I found it incredibly amazing that after all the weddings he has shot between these two weddings that he still remembered a few of us from the first wedding. I love when a vendor has that kind of connection and relation to an event. I feel that it shows well in the final product.
I am also a very big fan of his work in general. I feel that he looks beyond two wedding photo cliches — stuffy posed photos only and candid-​only photography. I love that he hand creates many «candid» looking shots using his abilities as an artist. His photographs are compositions that tell stories and evoke emotion. This is not something you frequently get with your chain-​store-​front photographer.