Kristen hazelton
FAMILIES
fresh, bright, everyday joy
Let's get your family some frame-worthy portraits!
Hi! I'm Kristen, a Chicago Family Portrait Photographer serving Chicagoland and the San Francisco East Bay Area from Oak Park, IL and Livermore, CA. Whether you're looking for wall art, holiday cards, and a pretty new lock screen photo for your phone, you're in the right place.
I already can't wait to meet you!
Chicago Family photographer
"They are simply the best family photos we've ever had done."
- Amy
As a Chicago family photographer, my style is fresh, vibrant, and fun - a mix of candid and posed shots highlighting the special relationships between family members. I capture today's joyful moments that are tomorrow's sweet memories - in a comfortable and fun way!
Glowy Session in the Early Fall with a dog
Summer Sunrise in the Meadow with a dog
Family Photos with Bright Fall Foliage
First Birthday Photos with the Blossoms
Glowy Sunrise Meadow Session
Studio Extended Family Session
Motherhood Session in the CA foothills
Maternity Session with Redbuds
Peak Fall Foliage Session
FamilY Portraits
Gallery Features
Designed in Real-Time
Stunning Heirloom Photo Products
I partner with the highest quality print labs to bring my clients stunningly crafted heirloom photo products. Each client has an Image Reveal and Ordering Session following their photoshoot where you can watch me design your wall art, albums, and other print products in real time, so that your photos will be ready for near-immediate display, rather than languishing on your hard drive and to do list.
Worried about clothing coordination? I'm here to help!
Styling & Wardrobe Consultations
Each family client receives my comprehensive style guide so that you don't have to worry about how to coordinate family members, and you don't need to stress about where to find the perfect wardrobe.
Each client also receives a wardrobe consultation with me 1 week before their session, so that you that can feel confident knowing your family's outfits are going to look great on camera!
Concierge Hair & Makeup
No need to stress about camera-ready looks!
For an additional fee, I'd be happy to coordinate hair and makeup with my trusted artists so that you can feel and look your best during your photoshoot!
Worried about not looking like yourself? My artists work with you to be sure your makeup looks just the way you want it!
My Approach
I always take a mix of candid and posed shots so you can be sure to get that "everyone smiling for the camera" shot for Grandma, and also relaxed shots that reflect more of your family's personality.
I work efficiently during and after your session. I'll help you feel comfortable and confident, and work quickly to photograph and deliver a full gallery with lots of variety.
I always start by introducing myself, especially to any little ones! I want to make a connection with your family before we begin to help you feel more comfortable with me!
Kind Words
"She's wonderful at working with children to get the best shot."
Kristen's photos are absolutely beautiful and she's wonderful at working with children to get the best shot. She's a great communicator before, after, and during the shoot and immediately makes you feel comfortable. Her expertise on location and attire are also really helpful. Highly recommend!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"...(She) goes above and beyond to make sure your photos turn out amazing."
Highly recommend Kristen for family pictures. We just saw the first sneak peeks of our session, and loved all of them. She is super nice, responsive, and helpful. Kristen goes above and beyond to make sure your photos turn out amazing.
Oak Park, IL Maternity Photographer
As seen on:
"10/10 would recommend Kristen!"
Kristen is an absolute delight to work with! She scouted the perfect location to take our family photos, and was so easy and amenable leading up to and during our session - all in the name of capturing fantastic photos, which she did! We will cherish them for years to come, and are thankful we found her for our future photo needs as well. 10/10 would recommend Kristen!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"Kristen was prepared...and she made the session fun and super easy."
Kristen Hazelton is AMAZING. I am a very busy working mom of 5 teenagers who are rarely seen in one spot together. Kristen accommodated my request of a specific date, and she made everything so easy and quick! From our initial email to payment to our photo session, nothing could have been easier. Kristen was prepared - she knew everyone's name (there were 7 of us plus a dog!) and she made the session fun and super easy. I highly recommend Kristen Hazelton Photography. This is actually our second year in a row using Kristen - that should speak volumes alone!!!
Elmwood Park, IL Family Photographer
"(Kristen) truly listened to our "story" and preferences, and I can't recommend her highly enough."
Kristen's professionalism, friendliness, use of light, and final product were all stellar! But most importantly, she was able to make our family feel so comfortable in such a short time that the smiles in our photos are truly relaxed and genuine. She truly listened to our "story" and preferences, and I can't recommend her highly enough.
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"(Kristen) was patient, kind, and very personable. Oh, and the photos? Incredible."
Kristen was an absolute pleasure to work with for our family photos this year! She knew just what to say and do to get our 20 month-old to smile and run around and take absolutely darling photos. She was patient, kind, and very personable. Oh, and the photos? Incredible! We love each and every one and are so excited to continue using Kristen for photos in the future! Can't wait to get the photos on our wall! :)
River Forest, IL Family Photographer
"(Kristen) was extremely flexible...and accommodated our busy family schedule in every way."
Our family loved working with Kristen! She was extremely flexible with the scheduling, timing, and location for our photo shoot, and accommodated our busy family schedule in every way. Kristen took a number of photos, giving us so many options to choose from. We were so pleased with the quality of the photos and the easy system for reviewing and ordering. We look forward to working with her again and highly recommend her services!
Oak Park, IL Family Photographer
"She dealt with a crying baby, two crazy toddlers, and over a foot of snow to capture some amazing images with grace and professionalism."
Kristen is a rockstar. She somehow created beautiful images of my family in the worst snow storm Chicago had seen in 5 years! She also dealt with a crying baby, two crazy toddlers and over a foot of snow to capture some amazing images with grace and professionalism! I will cherish these pictures forever and will definitely use her again! Thank you Kristen!
River Forest, IL Family Photographer
As seen In:
"Kristen is so professional and a real delight to work with...there were no awkward poses - just very natural, organic shots."
We hired Kristen to take our family photos in a natural setting. We couldn't be happier with our choice of photographer! Kristen is so professional and real delight to work with. We received our digital proofs in a very timely manner and are so impressed with the results. Kristen has such a gift for getting just the right angle in each photo. There were no awkward poses- just very natural, organic shots. The hard part now is narrowing down which photos to display!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"They are simply the best family photos we've ever had done."
"Kristen has an easy going personality that made me, my husband, and my shy 2-year-old-daughter-that-had-never-met-her-before all comfortable. All this shows in the photos. They are simply the best family photos we've ever had done, and I'm grateful she was there to capture them. She found little moments of interaction that are just so special, and now I get to have them forever. Looking at our gallery makes this mama's heart so happy!"
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"She got the most beautiful shots of my family that I will treasure forever."
We cannot thank Kristen enough for our amazing family photos. She did a terrific job and made the whole experience wonderful. With two kids two and under, I was worried we wouldn’t have enough time or someone would not cooperate and we wouldn’t get any good pictures, but Kristen made it all happen. She made us feel so comfortable - we never felt rushed or ordered about. She was so well prepared and knew exactly where she wanted us to go to get the best shots. She is so kind and thoughtful, she made it easy for all of us to have a great time (as you can tell by the smiles on all our faces!) She got the most beautiful shots of my family that I will treasure forever. Having small kids is such a precious and fleeting moment, and Kristen helped us capture it for our family. Kristen is our go-to family photographer and I can’t wait for our next family photo shoot.
Riverside, IL Family Photographer
"We look forward to working with (Kristen) again!"
We loved working with Kristen! She was very responsive and informative from the start. She picked an amazing spot for our photos and was really great when my toddler wasn't quite cooperating and somehow still got photos with him smiling. She was also very prompt with sending a sneak peek and the final photos. We look forward to working with her again!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"Every time I am in front of her lens she makes me feel comfortable and I love the results!"
We love the photos Kristen took of us! Not only did I love the family photos but I also loved that she took time to get me with each of the girls and both too! It's rare that I love photos of myself and it's not often I get good ones of me with the girls so I am extremely happy! Every time I am in front of her lens she makes me feel comfortable and I love the results!
Oak Park, IL Family Photographer
"(Kristen) sure has a talent to make others feel comfortable with her and excited about getting their pictures taken."
Thank you for taking such beautiful pictures of my family. Kristen was a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. She is very responsive, goes out of her way to learn more about your family and how to help you get the type of pictures you need. I really appreciated how phenomenal she was with working with my children. She sure has a talent to make others feel comfortable with her and excited about getting their pictures taken. The end results were exactly what we were looking for in family photos and she was extremely flexible when working through the editing process. I highly recommend Kristen Hazelton to anyone looking for a great photographer who is easy and enjoyable to work with.
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"Easy to communicate with...she was flexible and accommodating and made the experience fun."
Kristen was very easy to communicate with to book a date and location for my family photos. She was flexible and accommodating and made the experience fun. Most importantly, Kristen took beautiful pictures of my family which we will treasure for years to come!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"My family had fun and we will treasure the pictures!"
Kristen did a wonderful job taking my family's pictures! We love the pictures, and she was very professional and responsive. She was also personable and connected well with my toddler son who was a little tired when we first arrived. My family had fun and we will treasure the pictures!
Chicago, IL Family Photographer
"If I could give Kristen *more* than 5 stars, I would. I am blown away at the quality of photos we received from our session with her. They are gorgeous images that perfectly capture the personality of our family. "
- Jennifer
Am I the right fit for you?
You want a Photographer who understands your story
You want Heirloom-quality wall art, albums, and other print products.
You Want a little hand-holding with styling for your photoshoot!
You want to know what to do with your hands during photos
You want relaxed images but you still want to look your best
is that a yes?
Book Your Date
Let's get the ball rolling! Send me allllll the details - type of photoshoot, your thoughts on when and where - everything you've been dreaming! Let's make it happen, friend! I can't wait to hear what you're thinking!
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