We just received our photos from our son's third birthday year, and they are super cute. We did them at Humboldt Park, and Laurie had scouted every little micro-location, including a picnic under an impressive tree, skipping stones in the little lagoon, complete with lily pads in the water, and the exact location on the bridge where the Willis Tower peeks through the tree canopy. We were wrangling a three-year-old, a Rhodesian Ridgeback-boxer-beagle and a pitbull, and she made everything look relaxing and joyful. All three babies had fun and looked good. So did my shy husband and I. Laurie also did some light retouching at my request, and the results looked natural and beautiful. She is exceptionally good at retouching. She is personally a sweetheart as well. I am so glad I met her 11 years ago, and I hope to come back to her at least every year. She always blows us away! read more

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Laurie took photos for a spring engagement photo shoot in NYC, my July, 2010 wedding, and a "day-after" Korean wedding ceremony at my home. I can't say enough great things about her! From start to finish, she was professional, enthusiastic, fun to work with, and of course, best of all, the photos were WONDERFUL! She was incredibly understanding and flexible as I was trying to arrange my Naperville wedding from out-of-town - I know it's not easy doing everything by phone! She was willing to meet with my mother for a viewing of her sample albums, and was communicative with me at each step. At the wedding itself, she was discreet and TIMELY with family photos. There was a small brief struggle for photography/video real estate in the church with another rather enthusiastic picture-taking guest and our videographers....yet this was the extent of any difficulty I had noticed, and know this is because of Laurie's professional approach to working with other vendors - a point I had not otherwise considered when choosing a photographer. Otherwise, honestly, I hardly knew she was there, and I really was just able to enjoy my day! Thank you Laurie! read more

I love Laurie Peacock! We hired Laurie to photograph our June 20, 2010 wedding in downtown Chicago. I was planning our Chicago wedding from Los Angeles and after days of looking at photographers websites, Yelp directed me to Laurie Peacock. I immediately loved the professional look of her website and the photojournalistic style of her photos in her online portfolio. I set up an appointment to meet with her through email and she must always be on her computer because responses are immediate! She was great about coordinating a meeting to meet my schedule of when I would be in town. The Interview: Laurie has such an easy going and bubbly personality. From the moment we met, my husband and I were completely at ease with her as she showed us her portfolio and printed images. She was also nice enough to tolerate my husband's technical questions on photography and she even showed and explained to us the software she uses to edit her work. She clearly explained her pricing options, policies and processes so there were no surprises. I will say Laurie's prices were a little expensive for us and we really had to consider if her style is what we wanted. However, after meeting Laurie and seeing her work in person, we decided, yes, we loved her work and wanted her to capture our special day. So we just cut back in other areas to free up some budget, and we are so happy we did. The Wedding: Laurie was super easy to work with even from 2000 miles away. On the big day, she and her second photographer, Maggie, (who is also AWESOME) showed up right on time to the hotel room before the ceremony. Our photos took place at the hotel before the ceremony, church (Assumption Catholic Church), Millennium Park, then back to the hotel (Hotel 71, where the reception was also held) and surroundings. Most of the time I did not even realize the photographers were there, which is great because I am not one for posed, formal photos. When Laurie was taking more formal pictures though, she had great ideas for locations, lighting and angles. She even snuck outside with my husband and I towards the end of the evening for some downtown nighttime romance photos. We had such a blast! It was so much fun! Oh, I should also mention she is great working with kids! I have a 2 year old and there were other kids at the reception all going crazy. Laurie got some hilarious shots of them and some really beautiful shots of my daughter (who was my flower girl). The Photos: Oh my gosh the photos! We had a sneak peak at them when within two weeks she put a sampling on her blog. Then in a month or so we had the DVD and online gallery of all the photos. I cannot say enough about the photos! They are beautiful and perfectly tell the story of our day. I was blown away. I emailed out the link of our pictures on Laurie's blog to family and friends. The feedback I got was amazing. People said they were tearing up looking at them and that some of them should be in magazines. They were modern, chic and elegant. I think that kind of feedback affirms what a talented photographer Laurie is and I would recommend her to anyone. read more

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I have to have head shots for work which I've always thought is super cheesy! Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to standing awkwardly with a forced smile from ear to ear while having high school picture day flashbacks! I was referred to Laurie by a friend of mine and couldn't have been more pleased. It was so pleasant in fact I had her come back to take pictures of my pooch for this years holiday card. Her energy is awesome and makes you feel comfortable from the start. Her wedding photography is breathtaking and she really captures the emotion of the day. Check out her site and you will see what I mean. read more

I had a wonderful time with Laurie on our wedding day. I'm honored to be the first review on Yelp :) I first saw Laurie's posting on Craigslist and then I visited her website. I really liked her portfolios and I also learned a little bit about her photographic approach through her blog entries. I decided that Laurie's natural photo journalistic approach is what I was looking for. Laurie was very attentive and accommodating before and on the big day. She wanted to know the things we considered important so she could make sure she capture them. She was also very friendly and very good at making my husband and I feel comfortable for the photos. We are incredible happy with the resulting photos. And this is because Laurie takes beautiful photos and also because I feel that they really reflect who we are. read more

We feel so lucky that we found Laurie for photography of our son's Baptism. She was very accommodating, friendly, and wonderful with kids. Her work is amazing, we couldn't believe that each picture was better than the last when we opened the final file. We live in Milwaukee, but wouldn't hesitate to come to Chicago just for another Photoshoot with her! read more

We had a very small Justice of the Peace style wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center in March with Laurie as our photographer. From start to finish she was professional and wonderful. She is very personable and went out of her way to make us feel at ease. She also went above and beyond the call of duty as a wedding photographer that day, helping us out with little things which made that day much more perfect and less stressful. It was a very quick wedding, but the pictures she took captured the myriad of emotions jammed packed in those few hours. You can tell she takes great pride in her work with how she interacts with her clients and in beautiful/respectful way she captures the event she is photographing. Can't recommend her enough! read more

i am mildly obsessed with lauries blog, and now so are some of my family and friends :) its been a blast to follow as weve counted down to the wedding, and now that its past, its even more fun to check in. (maybe because we can relax now and just enjoy other peoples event pics :)) the actual business of hiring laurie is super-easy -- she was uber-communicative and responsive to my questions throughout the entire process. her web site really streamlines everything -- she generates an account for you, and you can log in to check your contract status, your payment status, your pre-wedding questionnaire, etc. i found it to be a very helpful resource. she is SO professional. we passed on the churchs list of no-nos for photogs, and she followed the rules to the letter. no worries there. the actual photographs are amazing. what she and her assistant did with light and motion and framing, etc., was incredible. the best part, though, was that they caught and highlighted all sorts of little details (both moments between people, as well as taking a moment to set up some shots of, e.g., the favors we gave out). those are the kinds of things that we will really appreciate being able to look back on as time passes and our memories fade :) we were feeling random pangs of regret that we did not hire a videographer (we were such a mix of emotions during the ceremony that we dont remember anything at all from it ... ), but honestly, once lauries gallery of the event was available for us (early, i might add), it no longer mattered -- she caught everything (including the subtle little things that it wouldnt have occurred to us to record). we will not hesitate to ask laurie to shoot my familys next special event or portraits! *this is probably not an issue for most folks, but we did not have a wedding coordinator, and realized that we were at a loss as to how to handle the cake-cutting, etc., and laurie discreetly and smoothly guided us through it. lifesaver!* read more

I found Laurie on Craigslist I would have been skeptical about hiring someone that did not do this full time, but when I went to her website I saw in her portfolio and someone I knew. I contacted them and they had rave reviews! Her work was amazing and to be honest on the wedding day itself I barely knew she was there, I guess I was focused on other things:) I've received so many compliments and many of my friends have purchased the photos she has online. Hiring Laurie was definitely the way to go, I look forward to sharing these pictures with grandkids someday! read more

Since our first encounter 8 years ago we have enjoyed getting all of our portraits done by Laurie. The first session with our new puppy on a beach to our first home and Christmas card after purchasing that home. We love that Laurie can bring out the best in us and the photos show it. read more

I need to give a shout out to Laurie who did a phenomenal job of taking really awesome pictures for our wedding! To top that, she also happened to be an absolute doll to work with. If you check out her website, you will see her natural eye for colors and details in all types of settings, not just weddings. She impressed all of our guests with the pictures she took - even our architect friends. Her enthusiasm for photography shines through in all of her pictures. Without hesitation, I would recommend her to anyone looking for a professional photographer. We loved everything about her! read more

Laurie photographed our wedding in June 2010, with a reception on the Anita Dee II on Navy Pier ... Her and her assistant were exactly what everyone needs in a photographer, she was fun to work with, suggested fun shots, was well prepared for the various groupings, and at times, we were almost unaware they were there - we looked at many of the great photos wondering "when did she shoot that, we didn't see her during part" ... it was amazing the way Laurie worked ... she also took many great photos of our flowers and other decorations that are just as amazing of the photos she took of us ... and, in about two weeks time, we had the disk with all of our pictures to show everyone, right as we got back from our honeymoon .. Laurie is the best, and I would refer her in a heartbeat to anyone needing her photographic talents !! You can't do any better than Laurie Peacock .. :) read more

Laurie is very easy to talk to. When you shoot with her she makes her subjects very comfortable in front of the camera and really finds their natural "self". She's got a great talent. read more

I do not have adequate words to describe Laurie's work. All I can say is that because of her, my wedding day will forever be beautifully documented in still moments of time. Her personality and her work are perfect. You will have no regrets from the moment you meet her :). read more

Laurie is a talented professional with a warm and bubbly personality. From the moment I met her last winter, I felt at ease in her company and was immediately impressed with her work. Laurie and her assistant photographed our wedding in June 2010 and truly captured the emotion of the day. It was important to us that our photographer be someone with whom we would enjoy spending our wedding day. Laurie felt like an old friend by the end of the evening! In fact, we're looking forward to seeing her again soon when she shoots my cousin's wedding in October. Laurie's photojournalistic style is exactly what we were hoping for in a wedding photographer. She has a knack for catching the most subtle details in an extraordinary way. Because of Laurie, my husband and I have a beautiful collection of memories that we will always treasure. I would highly recommend Laurie Peacock! read more

You know you have a great photographer when she starts the session on the floor with your two year old, playing blocks to get him to warm up to her and the camera. Laurie was so patient with our family. A crying baby, a barking dog and a wild toddler and she still managed to get great shots! Everyone who sees the photos just love them. She is such a pleasure to work with and we look forward to working with her again and again! read more

Laurie was an absolute pleasure to work with and her photos are FANTASTIC. Laurie photographed my wedding last year and I have received SOOO many compliments on the photos she took. Laurie and her associate Maggie managed to captured what felt like every moment and every detail of our wedding day AND they did it without our noticing they were there! Laurie was also great with my little niece, Aileen, who is 2 years old and was our flower girl. When Aileen grew tired of taking photos or was shy at first, Laurie sang Aileen's favorite song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to catch her attention and a few more photos. Additionally, Laurie posted a "sneak peek" of our wedding photos on her blog a week after our wedding which was so nice because we were so eager to see the photos. Lastly, the album turned out BEAUTIFUL! Laurie's eye for the perfect layout and story telling through pictures made our album just perfect and unique from any other album I've seen! Laurie, thank you so very much for capturing our wedding so beautifully! read more

My fiancée and I had our engagement photos taken with Laurie and we love them. With our Bay Area wedding quickly approaching, we wanted our engagement photos to be taken in Chicago since this was the city where we met. Laurie is very fun to work with and we would recommend her to anybody for engagement photos. read more

We were so impressed with Laurie's blog--the way she captures not just couples in pretty clothes but each individual personality and the extraordinarily subtle moments between them and among them and their guests--that we didn't even book a videographer. She's really that good. We got married in the morning on Loyola Beach in 2009, and even now I can remember every moment how I felt, how the sand felt under my feet, the unusual shyness I felt when my husband spoke his vows, the slight choking up of my father-in-law's voice during his toast, the afternoon sense of serenity at the reception, the tenderness of the first hug my sister gave me as a married woman--all of that and more just by looking through Laurie's photos. She was truly happy for us though virtual strangers, and it showed in her work. My husband never relaxes in front of a camera, but she was so unobtrusive that we were both gloriously ourselves; even the photo shoot was romantic, just along a garden-lined street Laurie expertly scouted. The only caution I would ever give a potential customer: she's so good that you'll want to buy every single photo! I almost did. read more

Laurie is a fantastic photographer! She has taken photos of our family for several years now and I have seen such a great product from her. My husband takes photos as well and he thinks her's are top notch! Our kids love her and she makes them laugh and smile and she always fixes my hair when it goes astray. She's the best and I highly recommend her! read more

Laurie was amazing in capturing our family, including 2 dogs and 2 recalcitrant teens, who opened up and relaxed under Laurie's spell. I highly recommend her-a great value and so easy to work with. Wish I had found her sooner! read more

We asked Laurie to do our newborn's photos this year (see the review for the wedding as well). She not only agreed to, but scheduled the appointment very quickly. My husband and I both love to work with her, she is sweet, fun and friendly. She did the photos in our not so photogenic town home, but made it work wonderfully. We have the best photos to remember our baby's first days. Laurie is very rare find of extreme talent and great personality! read more

Laurie was one of the first photographers we met when interviewing photographers for our wedding and we quickly used her as a standard to compare to other photographers. Laurie is fun-loving, enthusiastic, patient, and most importantly a great photographer that has a talent to capture the emotions of the wedding. Laurie's enthusiasm on our wedding day was real and her love of photography could be shown through her work. We can't stop looking at our photos and have gotten so many wonderful compliments from our friends and family. We are so happy Laurie was our photographer and even happier that her photo-journalistic style transcended our wedding photos into a work of art. read more

Laurie photographed my recent wedding. Laurie is an absolute sweet heart. My husband and I clicked with her right away and after a fabulous engagement session (which she includes with all of her wedding packages) we knew we had made a great decision. Laurie was amazing during the wedding. My husband HATES taking pictures and she was so efficient and unobtrusive that he didn't get annoyed in the least. We were able to spend the majority of our time with our guests while still getting fabulous pics. I am already blown away with our pictures. Laurie was able to capture our happiness and excitement. I love photojournalism, but I sometimes feel that photographers get carried away with the artistry of the shot and forget about the emotion. Laurie captures the emotion while still creating gorgeous shots. She is always quick to respond to emails and phone calls and had all our pics ready for proofing only 3 weeks after the wedding. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, you can not go wrong with Laurie! read more