hey hey hey!
My name is Karly Payne!
I got married in 2021 to my high school sweetheart, Alex, and I am an absolute sucker for a good love story. It’s what makes me fall more in love with my job every single day.
My photography journey began when my oldest sister bought me my first professional camera when I was 15.
What an awesome sister, right?? Those things aren’t cheap! I basically photographed everything at this point in my life.. literally every flower I laid my eyes on. After a few years I found a knack for photographing portraits so I continued forcing allllll of my friends to let me take photos of them. My passion was continuously growing. This led to me to getting my degree in photography at Columbia College Chicago.
At first, I had no intentions of becoming a wedding photographer. I graduated from Columbia in 2018 and worked as a studio manager for a photographer while I had my business on the side photographing portraits. During this time I had a couple old high school friends ask me to photograph their weddings and at first I was pretty hesitant because I had been a second photographer for a handful of weddings but I never had a passion for it. After photographing just my first few as a lead photographer, wow... I was HOOKED. There were such strong connections that I was able to build with my clients and it reeled me in right away.
I officially took my business full time in 2020! Yes, smack dab in the middle of a pandemic and I wouldn’t change a thing. I absolutely fell in love with photographing weddings and now here I am, photographing 25-30 weddings and 100+ portraits sessions per year! Hoping that YOU will become the next one! Now, it’s time for me to learn about YOU!! So I will be patiently waiting all the fun information you are about to fill out in your inquiry form (:
A few of my favorite things!!!
A few of my favorite things!!!
A few of my favorite things!!!
A few of my favorite things!!!
A few of my favorite things!!! A few of my favorite things!!! A few of my favorite things!!! A few of my favorite things!!!
my husband alex and our pup sushi
Weightlifting & Crossfit
(this is what happens when your husband is a personal trainer)
Outside of the US I have been to Naples, Positano, Rome, Venice, Paris, Southern France, ABC Islands, Mexico, Punta Cana, Ireland + U.S Virgin Islands!
Spending
time with
my best friends
traveling
Walking + biking around my perfect city
Meet Lexi!
The ultimate wedding day sidekick & other part of the Karly Ellis Photography team!
Lexi has been part of the Karly Ellis Photography crew since 2021, and she’s been by my side for 99% of the weddings I’ve shot since—so yeah, we’re basically inseparable.
Now, just to clear things up—Lexi is my assistant, not a second photographer. While I handle all the shooting, she’s behind the scenes making sure everything runs seamlessly, fixing details, adjusting lighting, and keeping the day moving so I can focus on capturing every perfect moment. Basically, she’s the reason your dress looks flawless, your veil is floating like magic, and your family formals happen without chaos. She’s the extra set of hands you didn’t know you needed but won’t be able to live without. She’s also the one snapping all that fun behind-the-scenes phone content throughout the day—so you get those candid, in-the-moment memories to look back on before your gallery is even delivered. And the best part? She’s included in all my wedding collections because we’re a package deal!
But here’s the kicker, we’ve actually been best friends since middle school, and then we went and married brothers. Yep, we’re sister-in-laws and built-in BFFs. Fate? We think so. So when you book with me, you’re not just getting a photographer—you’re getting us, a dynamic duo ready to capture every epic moment and make sure your day runs as smoothly (and as fun) as possible!
Meet Rachel!
the second photographer documenting the moments you didn’t even realize were happening
Rachel is an official part of the team, and I couldn’t be more excited to have her alongside me on wedding days. We met at Columbia College Chicago where we quickly became best friends, and our shared art school background means we see weddings through the same creative lens- emotion first, story always.
Rachel began second shooting for me in 2024, and from day one it felt seamless. She knows my style like the back of her hand—from how I look for light, to the in-between moments, to the way a wedding day should feel when you look back on it. Having Rachel as a second photographer means more than just extra coverage. It means: More angles during key moments, more candid, unscripted memories, the freedom to get artsy without missing a beat, and the ability for me to truly be in two places at once.
While I’m documenting one moment, Rachel is capturing another, quiet reactions, joyful chaos, and the moments you didn’t even realize were happening. Together, we tell a fuller, more intentional story of your day.
At the end of the day,
you’re not just hiring a photography team, you’re getting three best friends who genuinely love working together, bring the best energy into your wedding day, and know how to keep things running smoothly while you soak it all in.
And honestly? That kind of energy makes all the difference.
kind words from clients
