Chicago & Milwaukee

Wedding Photography and Super 8 Film Based in Chicago & Milwaukee

Focusing on the beautiful in-between moments. Working with a mix of film photography, digital photography, and super 8 film, we create stories that last a lifetime. Capturing the candid moments with a documentary eye, we are here to encapsulate your forever memories on film.

Documenting Your Love Story

Real Life on Reel Film

Weddings & Elopements

Emma and Sophia created Studio Z to capture the genuine, unscripted moments of your wedding day. We don’t believe you should have to spend hours on portraits or rush between multiple locations. Instead, we typically look for just 15–20 minutes at different points throughout the day to capture beautiful photos, while spending the rest of the time documenting candid moments with your friends and family.

Our approach favors prompts over stiff poses. Have our couples interact naturally with one another rather than staring at the camera. Whether you are laughing with your wedding party or celebrating with guests, those authentic moments make the best photos. We are skilled at guiding everyone into position and focusing on the details, so you will never feel lost when the camera is pointed at you.

Ultimately, we don’t want your wedding to feel like one big photoshoot. We want you to enjoy every second with your loved ones. The memories you create are what make your day beautiful, and those are the moments we are here to capture.

Hello…

We are Studio Z!

Welcome to our world! Filled with vintage cameras, laughter, family and beautifully captured moments. We are sisters who love working with amazing couples in locations near and far.

Our team genuinely loves working together and values having the opportunity to capture life’s most precious moments from each of our different perspectives. We have had cameras in our hands for over fifteen years. Working in the commercial world and switching to the warmth of wedding photography.

We were inspired by newly-discovered family Super 8 footage that dated back to the late 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s — and it was with this inspiration that we founded Studio Z.

With our team’s combined experience and deep passion for capturing life from behind the lens, we hope to spend our time with couples and their families on some of life’s most important days, memorializing every precious moment.

Our team would be honored to document your day.

Emma & Sophia

  • Who Photographs Our Wedding?

    Emma and Sophia are the owners of Studio Z (and sisters!). One of us, or both, will be photographing your wedding day. We work with amazing second photographers/videographers to assist on wedding days when we both can’t be there. We do not double book dates - we like to give our full attention to your wedding day.

  • Do you offer Film?

    All of our wedding packages include film photography! Our Super 8 film is offered as an additional service or a stand alone service.

  • How long until we receive our gallery? Is there a sneak peek?

    Wedding galleries are delivered in full 8-10 weeks after your event. If you have a Super 8 film, we wait until we have that final video complete to send you the gallery. We do send a preview gallery (sneak peek) within 1 week of your wedding! This preview gallery isn’t just a sneak peek, it is a curated and retouched mix of images from every aspect of the day (Getting ready, first look, ceremony, portraits, reception and all of your family group photos).

  • How many photos do we recieve in our gallery?

    Photography is roughly 50-80 retouched images per hour. We curate your final gallery, taking time and care to select the best images.

  • Can we view full wedding galleries?

    Absolutely! We have links to full galleries in our rates and details that we send after your initial inquiry! After you submit the form on our site, we will send you an email with information, our full wedding prices as well as links to full galleries and add on options

  • LGBTQ Friendly?

    Absolutely. We do not discriminate any type of love. We welcome all couples to work with us.

  • What is your photography style?

    Documentary and candid photography with a mix of soft editorial (we love to help you set up, pose and feel natural in front of the camera). We prefer prompts over poses - having you move and interact vs standing still and looking at the camera.

  • Our venue has no natural light. Can you work in that environment?

    Absolutely! We are trained to be able to photograph in any type of space. We work with different types of on camera and off camera flash as well as spotlights we set up for dances and speeches. A room with no natural light can be a very romantic setting for photos! We always suggest to add candlelight to your tables or cafe lights to add a warm glow to your wedding day.

  • We do not have a planner, is that a problem?

    Not a problem at all. We love working with planners but also understand that is an expense not everyone can take on. That is why we offer Timeline assistance! We can help with a layout for the day to make sure it runs smoothly and we have enough time to capture everything properly. We also have planners we love working with and are happy to share that list.

  • We don't want our photos on social media, is that ok?

    These are your photos, we understand wanting privacy. Our contract has a photo release that we are happy to take out and keep your memories private. We do not charge a fee for this! We also will refrain from sharing your gallery to other vendors.

“Look for the moment between moments.”