What Others Say About Charissa

Charissa’s work continues to astound and delight me. Over the few sessions she’s done with me, I’ve noticed a few things. The first is her ability to catch the light and character of the people she photographs; she sees their beauty and shows it to the rest of the world. She is also incredibly insightful about what will make a striking photo–she has an uncanny knack for picking the right place for her subjects and snapping at the right time. She makes space for creative adaptation, too, even when things take a different course than expected. She uses what’s around her and what’s important to the people she photographs to fit the pictures perfectly to the vibe. And she’s just fun! She’s fun to be around, and she’s fun to take pictures with. My last session with her included smoke bombs (colored smoke out at Promontory Point), and it’s one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done in Chicago. I would highly recommend Charissa’s work, and Charissa herself, to anyone who would ask me.

Charissa is a delight to work with. The whole experience was a dream. She contacted me quickly after my initial inquiry. Her explanation of the contract and our arrangement was straightforward, and she answered all questions including make-up suggestions. Charissa was waiting for us at the shot location, and made me, my husband, and our two spirited children feel happy and at ease. She accommodated our requests for photos even our kids’ funny ones — I cannot overstate what a fun and easy time we had. And the photos? Simply GORGEOUS. Have no doubts at all about booking Charissa for your photography needs! You will have a fantastic experience from A to Z.

Charissa recently took some absolutely beautiful family photos for us. She was wonderful with our toddler, had the perfect poses ready for us, and picked a great spot out at Promontory Point. She had a very quick turn around on the pictures and they all came out absolutely wonderful! I couldn’t be happier!

My fiance and I contacted Charissa fairly last minute about an engagement photo session. She was very accommodating about working us into her already packed schedule. The day of the shoot Charissa went above an beyond to make us feel as comfortable as possible in front of the camera and ensure we had great shots. We were blown away with the finished product (that was returned to us in less than a week!). We will definitely work with her for any future photography needs and we cannot recommend her enough!

Charissa took our engagement photos AND our wedding photos. She has an incredible eye and made us both look good. I highly recommend her!

Charissa took beautiful pictures of our new baby last week and we are so happy with how they came out. Charissa was wonderful to work with especially because she really knows babies. When our little girl was fussy during the shoot she was patient and knew exactly how to handle the situation and because of her efforts we ended up with beautiful photos. Can’t wait to work with her again.

When I was planning my wedding the most important priority to me was having a fantastic photographer. I had been a bridesmaid 9 times and I saw the difference a photographer can make not only in their skill and creativity but how they treat everyone involved. Sadly, some of my friends ended up with their most important day being poorly captured and poorly edited. So I was on a mission for the best photographer and am happy to say Charissa Johnson totally delivered! It’s been 3 years and I still can’t get over how amazingly my wedding was photographed. Not only is Charissa brilliant with her posing but is also the most patient, kind and attentive person. She made the whole process way less stressful even when our pre wedding photo shoot was rained out. If your top priority is also excellent photos I highly recommend hiring Charissa as your photographer. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Charissa is an incredibly talented artist with an excellent eye for detail.  She is able to capture personality and relationship so well on camera. My girlfriends surprised me with a photo shoot for my 40th birthday.  Charissa spent so much time with us and was able to capture the candid moments that make our friendship so uniquely special. We did not want our pictures to be “staged” we wanted to see the natural way we relate and that came through completely.  She also came equipped with some suggested poses that ended up being some of our favorite shots.  They were not forced or “cheesy” (well maybe a little, but in the best way).  As a group the 3 of us had an incredibly trying year Charissa was adept at honoring our struggles and capturing our strengths.  She is very empathetic and intuitive.  Thank you for an amazing day and for photos that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!

When I was planning to do a surprise proposal in Chicago I needed a photographer on short notice who could execute exactly what I needed. Charissa was perfect! She not only beautifully captured every detail of the proposal (incognito!), she was also great to work with as we did an engagement shoot the next day. Fun, flexible, and fantastic photos!

Oh, my, what a talent! Charissa is AMAZING, and I don’t use that word too often. I felt empowered, energized, and simply invigorated during my portrait shoot, and the final pictures came out so lovely. Charissa has an eye for bringing out the beauty of the subject. And, she was extremely organized from beginning to end, had the right lighting equipment to truly bring the pictures to life, super easy to work with, and very collaborative in her approach. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with Charissa — she certainly far exceeded my expectations and anyone would be lucky to have her!

My husband absolutely hates getting his picture taken. After our daughter was born I really wanted some pictures taken of her, but also our new family. The only person he will agree to take our pictures, is Charissa. Her photos are beautiful and she is also a joy to work with. She keeps things light and easy. I hope to have her document my family for years to come.

Charissa is the sweetest! She was very flexible and patient with me, I had her running around from location to location. The end result was fantastic and I received my photos relatively quick. Thank you so much for being so amazing!

Charissa and her husband are such sweet wonderful people! She took our proposal pictures and we absolutely love them! Great work and such a great person!

Outstanding in every category. Easy to set up, great with kids, lovely location, fantastic photography! I’ll definitely be coming back!

We had Charissa take our son’s one-year photos. She was extremely patient and flexible with us and with him. Not only did she have wonderful ideas for locations, props, and poses, she was willing to listen to ideas we had as well. His pictures came out fantastic! I would recommend her photography for any occasion!

Charissa made us feel natural and beautiful. Our photos look amazing!

Working with Charissa was such a joy for our family. She was so patient and wonderful with our children. The pictures she took were beautiful and truly captured our family’s spirit.

Charissa Johnson is a wonderful photographer, beautiful dancer, and an absolutely incredible individual! She and I met through the University of Chicago’s Ballet Company and reconnected this fall during a Zumba class. Since we both share a passion for dance, I asked if she would be willing to do a ballet photoshoot with me. To my delight, she enthusiastically agreed and we began to plan. Charissa not only found the perfect place for the photoshoot but also came prepared with ideas for poses! We laughed the entire time and talked about college, life, and everything in between. It was an amazing experience and I loved every minute that I spent with her! I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Charissa and I feel even luckier to call her a friend. This was without a doubt the opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you so much for the beautiful photos!