Majo Muñoz Photography - Fine Art Wedding Photographer in Chicago - Vendor Spotlight

Apr 12

Meet Maria Jose Muñoz:

Maria is a fine art wedding photographer born and raised in Mexico City. She is a passionate person that thrives on the energy from her couples. She went to Universidad Panamericana in Mexico for Communications, but she really fell in love with her photography classes. Maria actually met her love on a dating app and have known each other for 8 years and has been married for nearly 3 years. She loves hearing about couples’ and their love stories as she feels that it was destiny to have found her husband in a seemingly random way. Her own marriage was a great way for her to really understand how her couples feel on their own wedding day and to help know how to prioritize their day with a timeline even more.

Maria’s editorial, fine-art, documentary-style of photography really drew me in. When she and I had the opportunity to chat, we literally talked for hours! I enjoyed getting to know Maria so much and I really love her energy and fun, sweet personality.
When Maria isn’t working on weddings or editing, she can likely be found doing yoga. She enjoys the intense workout and how it keeps her present and reflective. She also can be found with her family out in Mexico City. Additionally, Maria enjoys going out and trying new foods. She is a vegan, so she really enjoys tasting new vegan creations. Some other things Maria enjoys are watching movies or TV, going to museums expos, and lots of self care.

How She got Started:

Her love for storytelling began from a very young age. She aims to tell those stories from her artistic perspective which is how she developed her style of photography. To tell a couple’s story and document it exactly as it was - the vibe, weather, or even the small details like the drink options, is exactly why Maria’s style sticks out to me.
While Maria was in college, she took many cinematography and photography classes to learn, but she really was able to find her start with the inspiration of other photographers she admired. Throughout her time there, she was really able to find her own style and voice through her work.

Maria began her actual career in Mexico City and moved to Chicago shortly after. She says that moving her business from Mexico City to Chicago was a great way to give her an alternative perspective and help her grow incredibly rapidly.
Maria is proudly running her own business on her own currently. She goal is to continue to have personal and intimate relationships with her couples. The relationship she develops with each couple is something to be deeply valued by Maria. She does bring on her husband as her assistant, but typically she is the one that creates those personal connections with her couples. She hopes to soon limit the amount of weddings she takes on so she can really cater to the couples and spend more time to really get to know each couple.

Maria made sure to express her gratitude to her couples for showing vulnerability throughout their day so she can be able to capture their magic. She aims to allow couples to be present on their wedding day by capturing their day as it was in a documentary-style fashion. Maria makes sure to capture the energy, laughs, tears, and romance of the day so that her couples can know exactly how they felt.

Her Favorites:

Like many vendors, Maria says that each wedding is so unique that it’s hard to choose one wedding. She says that even if multiple couples get married at the same venue, their energy can make the day so drastically different from each other. There is more likely a specific moment of a wedding day that Maria favors. After taking all of the family and wedding party portraits, usually the couples portraits are to follow. This time of the day is Maria’s favorite because it feels so magical to see their connection and love. Maria said, “it’s like time stops, nothing matters, it’s just a frozen moment and it’s just them in the entire world with me to capture their quirks, their romance, their laughs, their sexiness.” Maria says she loves this time because couples are able to be as pure as they are with each other as if no one is watching - and in that moment she and her couples’ hearts connect to the deepest level and they can make the most gorgeous art.

This is so sweet! To be able to connect with couples in that way I’m sure is a beautiful moment for sure. Couple’s portraits usually end up being some of the most beautiful photos from wedding days, so it only make sense that this is a beautiful moment in the actual moment too.

Her Advice to You:

For wedding planning:
Maria says that when you start wedding planning, it opens up a new universe to you. There is so much to learn about, so many vendors, and so many styles. All of these options are quick to overwhelm you. She says she will always suggest to hire a wedding planner. Maria says this takes a huge weight off of each couples’ shoulders.
Of course I agree with this - the goal for me as a planner and coordinator is to relieve your stress and manage your details so you can enjoy your wedding day and your wedding planning process.

For photos:
Maria says you should really consider the time you want your ceremony if you’re planning on having an outdoor ceremony. She says she’s seen many couples that have sunlight directly in their eyes the entire ceremony.
This is definitely a helpful tip! To add to it, if you’re planning on having your ceremony outdoors, you should see about which way the sun will be facing at the location. Make sure to talk to your photographer about this and they can give really good recommendations on when would be a good time for the ceremony based on this!

Where to Reach Her:

You can find her Instagram easiest at @majomunozph and shoot her a message, or you can find her on Facebook at Majo Muñoz Photography. She is currently renovating her website, but will be live later this month!

Maria is such a lovely, kind spirit and I was so happy to have met such a lovely photographer. She really cares deeply about bringing your story of your love and your wedding day to life, and I definitely recommend her if you’re looking for that fine art, documentary-style photography for your wedding day!