Some moments deserve to be recognized, not rushed past.

WHEN FAMILIES CALL

Over twenty years of creating portraits, we’ve noticed a pattern.

Families contact us for practical reasons. They need a holiday card. Their teenager is graduating. A new baby arrived. But when we talk, something else emerges beneath the stated reason.

Someone in the family is feeling time move.

A mother calls because her youngest starts kindergarten next fall, and suddenly the house that was full of small children will be quiet during the day. A father reaches out because his daughter is leaving for college, and he’s realizing he won’t know her daily life anymore. Parents schedule a session after a loss — not to document grief, but because the family has changed and they need to see who they are now.

These moments used to be marked. A hundred years ago, communities had rituals, ceremonies, and shared ways of acknowledging life’s passages.

Most of those structures are gone now.

But the need hasn’t disappeared.

WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING TOGETHER

When you arrive for a portrait session, we’re not just taking your picture.

We’re creating space for you to pause. To stand together. To notice what’s changing.

This begins long before the camera comes out. We talk, not only about clothing and location, but about what prompted you to call now. What are you noticing? What feels different? What do you hope to remember about this particular moment?

During the session, we pay attention to how you move with each other. How close you naturally stand. Where ease shows up. We guide you toward genuine connection rather than perfect poses.

In a culture that rarely stops to acknowledge life’s passages, this becomes its own kind of ritual, a contemporary way of marking what’s shifting.

The portraits matter. But they’re not the only thing we’ve made.

Let's Talk

HOW THESE IMAGES LIVE OVER TIME

The true value of the portrait increased over time.

Clients rarely tell us they love the lighting or composition. They tell us how the image makes them feel. How it captures something about their child they’d forgotten. How it holds a stage of family life they can now see more clearly.

Sometimes the meaning isn’t immediate. It arrives later, when life has moved on and you realize what the photograph preserved.

Often, you don’t realize what you were living until you can no longer return to it.

A portrait that felt ordinary at the time becomes precious years later.

This is why portraits still matter in a world saturated with images.

IF THIS RESONATES

If you recognize yourself in what we've described—if you sense something shifting in your family even if you can't yet name it—we'd welcome a conversation. This work isn't for everyone. But if it's for you, let's talk about what's changing and whether we might be able to witness it together.

Let's Talk

WHO THIS SERVES

This work unfolds differently than typical portrait sessions.

It’s for families who sense something shifting, a season ending, a new one beginning, and want to mark it with intention.

You don’t need to be confident in front of the camera.
You don’t need to know exactly what you want yet.

What matters is a willingness to slow down, be present with each other, and let the experience unfold.

Some clients arrive already looking for something like this. Others come for practical reasons and discover something deeper in the process. Both paths are welcome.

If you prefer a session with a fixed plan, a pose list, and efficient execution, there are excellent photographers who specialize in that.

But if you’re open to something more collaborative, even if you can’t quite name what you’re looking for yet, we’d welcome a conversation.

Our Process...

A smiling grand mother and her grand daughter embrace, both looking happy in a studio setting with a soft background.

The Conversation

Before we schedule anything, we talk. Not about logistics—about what's changing in your life. Why now? What are you noticing? This conversation shapes everything that follows.

Four children smiling and hugging a brown dog in a black and white portrait.

The Experience

We create space for genuine connection. This takes time and cannot be rushed. We pay attention to how you move together, guide you toward closeness, and notice what emerges when you allow yourselves to be fully seen.

An outdoor portrait of a smiling child with curly hair hugs a woman, showcasing a warm and affectionate moment.

The Portraits That Stay

Together, we choose the images that hold the truth of this moment. These become companions in your home—reminders not just of how you looked, but of how you were together.

Read our thoughts

We've written about how we approach this work and why it matters. If you're curious about our perspective, we'd welcome you to read it.

READ: WHEN FAMILIES CALL

A color studio portrait of Mom and Dad with their two young children seated on dad's lap.

A black and white studio portrait of four young children lying on their tummies with their elbows propping up their faces. Three of the children are making faces to the camera while the youngest is laughing.

A studio family portrait with two adults and a child in black and white, smiling warmly.

A multi-generational group portrait of six smiling women and girls created in our photo studio against a soft, dark background.

A black and white three generation studio portraits of three women smiling, wearing formal dark clothing and pearl necklaces, posing closely against a dark, studio background.

Black-and-white retro portrait of a person with short curly hair wearing a pearl necklace and off-shoulder top, gazing upward which replicated a photograph of her grandmother taken at the same age.

Young girl in a white dress with a flower crown, looking downward with a thoughtful expression, lit dramaticly black and white.

A smiling family of four posed in a close and comfortable manner photographed in a black and white portrait, with the parents behind the two children.

A high school graduate woman smiling in a forest, photographed with an antique lens creating a swil pattern in the background

A Mother and young adult son smiling in a black-and-white studio portrait. She is embracing him from behind.

Three people smiling, laughing and relaxing together in a chair. Black-and-white studio portrait.

Mother gently holding and looking at her baby in a black and white studio portrait.

Kate - Alsip, IL

Rob and Elise provide amazing service long before we even took our first photo. They get to know YOU first so that they can capture what makes you and your family special.

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708-226-1593

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Wehmeier Portraits has created distinctive portraits for our clients in the southwest suburbs and the greater Chicago area for over 30 years. Including the communities of Orland Park, Homer Glen, Tinley Park, Lemont, LaGrange, Palos Park, and Burr Ridge.