A young couple smiling and embracing each other outdoors under a blooming pink cherry blossom tree on a sunny day.
A young couple smiling and embracing each other outdoors under a blooming pink cherry blossom tree on a sunny day.
Two young people, a woman and a man, smiling and holding cameras, standing close together against a plain background.
A young woman with long brown hair and a nose piercing, smiling and holding a silver Fujifilm camera, leaning on a young man with red hair and a beard, who is holding a digital camera with a large lens.
A young woman with long brown hair and a nose piercing, smiling and holding a silver Fujifilm camera, leaning on a young man with red hair and a beard, who is holding a digital camera with a large lens.
Black and white photo of a woman and a man smiling, holding a cat between them, with the woman on the left and the man on the right.
Black and white photo of a woman and a man smiling, holding a cat between them, with the woman on the left and the man on the right.
A smiling couple embracing outdoors under pink flowering tree, holding cameras.

About Us

At Lumen Photography Studios, we believe photography is ultimately about light, connection, and the stories people carry with them.

We are Emma Vitallo and Drew Dzurko – photographers, artists, and educators based in the suburbs of Chicago. With backgrounds in fine art photography and years of experience behind the camera, we bring a thoughtful and creative approach to documenting people, celebrations, and creative work.

Whether we’re documenting a wedding day, creating a portrait for a graduating senior, or photographing an artist’s exhibition, our goal is the same: to create images the feel honest, beautifully composed, and timeless.

Explore the Gallery of Us
A young woman with long brown hair and a nose piercing is holding a gray and white cat. Next to her is a young man with curly red hair and a beard, both smiling and posing against a plain white background.

Meet the Photographers

A young woman with brown hair sitting cross-legged on the floor, smiling, holding a camera in one hand, a bouquet of white flowers in the other, wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans with tattoos visible on her left arm, against a plain white background.

Emma Vitallo

Photographer & Co-Founder
The Heart

Emma is a photographic artist and educator with an MFA in Photography from Northern Illinois University.

Emma brings a thoughtful, story-driven approach to every session, focusing on natural moments, genuine connection, and the quiet details that make an image memorable.

See More from EJV
A young man with curly red hair, a beard, and mustache sitting on the floor against a plain white wall, wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black socks with gray accents, holding a camera.

Drew Dzurko

Drew is a photographic artist and educator with an MFA in Photography from Northern Illinois University.

Drew leads the Art Documentation work and supports wedding & portrait sessions while bringing a careful eye for light, composition, and atmosphere.

Photographer & Co-Founder
The Brain

See More from DMD

  • At Lumen Photography Studios, we approach photography as both artists and collaborators. With backgrounds in fine art photography and experience teaching at the university level, we bring a thoughtful eye for light, composition, and storytelling to every project we take on.

    While weddings and engagements are a large part of our work, we also photograph portraits, events, proposals, and artwork. Each project is different, but our goal remains the same: to create images that feel genuine and timeless.

    Some moments benefit from gentle direction, while others unfold best when simply observed. Our approach blends documentary storytelling with guided portraiture, helping people feel comfortable in front of the camera while allowing genuine moments to happen naturally.

    Above all, we want the experience of being photographed to feel relaxed, collaborative, and enjoyable.

  • Photography is ultimately about people, and we believe the process should feel welcoming and supportive for everyone involved.

    At Lumen Photography Studios, we value:

    Connection
    The best photographs come from genuine moments. We take the time to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable being themselves.

    Collaboration
    Whether we’re documenting a wedding, photographing a portrait session, or working with an artist to document an exhibition, we see photography as a collaborative process.

    Thoughtful craftsmanship
    As photographers with MFA degrees who teach photography, we bring a careful attention to light, composition, and storytelling to every image we create.

    Inclusivity
    We believe photography should be a welcoming experience for everyone. Lumen Photography Studios is an LGBTQ+ friendly and inclusive team, and we are honored to photograph people and families of all identities and backgrounds.

  • It started in a photography class.

    We met at Northern Illinois University as two bright-eyed students who both believed, independently, that photographs should feel like something. That the best light was always worth chasing. That an image should leave a mark long after the moment passes. We ended up in the same photo lab, fueled by late nights and Taco Bell, and figured out pretty quickly that we saw the world the same way.

    We never really stopped collaborating after that.

    Emma had grown up with a camera in her hand; second-shooting alongside her mom, photographing classmates before she had any real training, always chasing the shot. Drew fell in love with photography at seven years old and followed that feeling all the way to NIU. By the time we found each other, we'd both spent years studying documentary image-making, fine art photography, and the craft of the decisive moment. We just hadn't found the right partner to do it with yet.

    Emma swore she'd never shoot weddings professionally. Then she found Drew… and suddenly, it made complete sense.

    We named the studio after our cat, Lumen, who came before the business cards, before the website, before any of it. He was our first yes together. Everything we've built has been with him underfoot.

    Lumen Photography Studios is the thing that grew out of all of it: the shared belief that documentation is an art form, the years of training, the late nights, and the two people who decided to keep showing up for each other, and for the moments that matter most.

Meet Lumen

The Mascot

Lumen, our grey and white cat, is the namesake behind Lumen Photography Studios. He prefers interrupting editing sessions by walking across keyboards and making himself known in whatever space we’re trying to work in.

A gray and white cat with a pink nose and white paws, sniffing a vintage film camera on a white background.
A gray and white cat with a pink nose and white paws, sniffing a vintage film camera on a white background.
Gray and white cat lying down next to a vintage film camera, with camera accessories on a white surface.
A cat lying on its side reaching for a vintage Fujifilm camera with a white background.
A cat lying on its side reaching for a vintage Fujifilm camera with a white background.

Contact Us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!

A vintage Polaroid photo of two people sitting on the grass in a park, smiling and leaning towards each other, with trees and buildings in the background.