AJ Abelman Photography

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
AJ Abelman Photography

Love, laughter, joy, and taco enthusiast capturing portraits, wedding and events in Chicago and beyond Follow along on instagram:

AJ Abelman is an Ohio-bred, Chicago-based photographer specializing in wedding and portrait photography, with a focus on capturing the perfect moment and delivering images to last a lifetime.

05/08/2026

Only a few more weeks until the tiramisu Save The Date session brings us to an equally chic dinner party wedding! B & B are the perfect example of the way I like to collaborate. They brought the inspo, the style, and the vibes, and we worked together to make magic. Can’t wait to photograph these two in this space again 🤎

04/23/2026

Q***r joy, hallelujah
Disco daydreams, hallelujah
You & me, hallelujah
💖🪩🌸

04/22/2026

If you’re planning a wedding in Chicago right now (or a wedding photographer anywhere), you may have seen a lot of talk about AI images popping up in portfolios here in Chicago. It’s unimaginable that a wedding photographer would fake anything, especially images in their public portfolio, using AI and stealing photos from their competitors….but that’s unfortunately the world we live in. I wanted to pull some amazing detail images from this gorgeous wedding day to talk about vendors who ARE the real deal, but I only got halfway through pulling those images before I had to pause and reconsider. The details are stunning (obviously), the vendors did their big one (check out that lineup- are you surprised?), but the reason you can’t fake real weddings? You can’t fake heart. You can’t fake the way gorgeous decor comes to life when the sun streams through the windows. You can’t fake the way a stunning floral chuppah serves as a backdrop for the start of a life together, and for the love of those who came before us. You can’t create an image with AI that captures the laughter and chatter of a room full of all your favorite people, enjoying a delicious meal at the tables you dreamed of for months. You can’t ask AI to fill a reception with the highest energy and the best vibes. You can’t get AI to create the kind of snapshot that tells the story of the joy that kept the dance floor filled all night long.

AI steals from artists and poisons the planet and it has no place in weddings. I look forward to a future where we can all use tech tools responsibly and where fakers don’t have access to marriers who want the real deal. In the meantime, catch me on the dance floor, catch me collaborating with the best in the biz, catch me giving my whole heart and soul and honesty to my couples, and see your way out if you don’t agree ✌️

Venue:
Venue Management & Bar:
Photographer:
Planning:
Design:
Catering:
Linens:
Cake:
Hair:
Band:
on sydney:
on justin:

04/17/2026

Carrie & Joe have the kind of warmth that makes you instantly feel like a friend. Funny, kind, and just straight up good humans- these two are the kind of couple I feel most privileged to get to make wedding photos for. So it didn’t surprise me at all when, during our final phone call before their wedding, they spent most of our time together telling me all about their favorite people. I knew right away that they would spend their wedding day surrounded by the people they love- friends, family, and chosen family - who would be thrilled at the chance to celebrate the couple that is always in their corner. Sometimes on wedding days, a beloved friend of the couple will pull me aside to gush about them. On Carrie & Joe’s wedding day? No less than 5 people came up to me to thank me for being there for them, to tell me through happy tears, how important these two are in their lives. They are “CC and Uncle Joe” to a hilarious tribe of tiny humans, beloved siblings to sisters who cried happy tears all day, best friends to countless people from all chapters of their lives, and cherished family to so many; even the rabbi was a lifelong staple! He performed Joe’s bar mitzvah 20+ years ago.

Thank you, Carrie & Joe, for being such a dream to work with, and for bringing me into your world! It’s a beautiful thing when two wonderful people find each other, and I’m so glad to know you and yours 💖

Venue, coordinating, music:
Floral:
HMUA:
Catering:
Video: Momento Videos & Design
Dessert:

04/08/2026

Spring wedding season is officially here! It was so great to be back at one of my all time favorite venues, Salvage One, for this intimate celebration for Amy & Jordan. After private vows (with rock, paper, scissors to decide who went first, obviously), we took advantage of the break in the rain and stopped at the Wrigley Building for some classic portraits. From there we headed to the venue, decked out perfectly for this spring celebration. The beautiful spring color palette, the greenery atop the market lights, the gorgeous florals, the colorful tapers and glassware- everything was perfection. Congratulations, Amy & Jordan! XO

venue:
hotel:
planning: .events
photography:
content:
catering:
floral:
rentals:
cake:
greenery:
hmua:
music:
lighting:
On Amy:
On Jordan:
Stationary:

04/04/2026

Your new favorite photos of your favorite people. //

The chosen family, the lifelong best friends, the grandparents, the sorority sisters, the teammates. It’s not often that all your favorite people in one room for one beautiful reason. Do we make beautiful images of you and your newly minted spouse? Of course! Every time. But once the guests arrive, my team is also focused on taking an extra moment, looking a little closer, lining up that perfect shot, so that you’ll have beautiful portraits of your VIPs, too. Weddings aren’t just about the flowers you chose or the venue serving as the backdrop- they’re about the people who couldn’t wait to join you on the dance floor, the folks shedding happy tears during your vows, the friends who showed up and showed out in outfits carefully chosen to match your dress code and pop in your photos. We always spend a little extra time on those images, because we know they’re just as cherished in the years to come. Your favorite people? You’ve assembled them. Your new favorite photos of them? We’ve got that covered.

03/19/2026

Spring is officially here! Or is it False Spring? I don’t care! All I know is flowers are on the way and the windows are wide open and I’m dreaming of this beautiful spring day 💕

XO
Planning:
Venue:
Floral:
Music:

03/08/2026

I don’t often do branding photos and headshots because weddings keep me so busy, but when my amazing hairstylist needed new photos for her own marketing and education spots as well as images for the team at her salon , I couldn’t possibly say no. Chrissy is an absolute legend (and a curly hair genius) and her team is impossibly cool and kind. I also loved the opportunity to create two distinct headshot styles in the space so that I could give all of them a variety of fresh images.

Collaborating and trading services with other artists and small businesses is one of my favorite things about living in this vibrant city, and I am so honored to call Chrissy a friend (and the queen of my curls). If you’re in Chicago (or have curly hair anywhere tbh), REM and this team will take amazing care of you. 🖤✂️🎀💈

03/04/2026

I’ve photographed so many beautiful places, but there’s no place like home. Happy birthday, Chicago, you weird and wonderful midwestern queen. You don’t look a day over 188. 😘✨🌃

02/18/2026

S & C // What a gift it was to join these two and their loved ones in White Plains, NY for their wedding day! Scott and I met many years ago (when he was just 14 years old!) while volunteering, and over the years I’d joke “Call me when you need a wedding photographer!” Now a fully grown (and incredibly kind and hilarious) adult, he reached out to me as he and his radiant now-wife Charlotte began to wedding plan, and the rest is history.

It’s so special to see the people I’ve known in different chapters of life find their person, and I have loved every single moment of working with these two! Mazel, Scott & Charlotte, and thank you 🩷

(Swipe to the end for receipts)

02/14/2026

So many love stories live in my archives, and every single one of yours is beyond precious to me. I am forever grateful that I get to do this with all of you l- I cherish it all 🩷 Happy Valentine’s to you and yours, and thank you.
XO, AJ

Address

Www. Ajabelman. Com
Chicago, IL

Website

http://www.ajabelman.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when AJ Abelman Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to AJ Abelman Photography:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Chicago?