Lincoln Memorial Gardens Wedding | Champaign IL

Just Posted! "Hi Ernst, Thank you for sending us a sneak peek! These are GREAT, and we're so excited to see the rest! :)" Savannah

Destihl Brewery

“Hi Ernst! Thank you for the photos– and the quick turnaround! These are beautiful! Bart and I enjoyed reliving our special day. I love the photos!” And thank you for the beautiful box! Such a lovely surprise! It was truly a pleasure working with you and I hope that we can work together in the future for other events. In the meantime, if I meet anyone in the area looking for a photographer, I will be sure to send them your way!" Anna

DoubleTree Hotel

"We are so glad Ernst was part of our big day! He paid great attention to detail, communicated well, and of course took amazing pictures! After the wedding, he works to edit your pictures, sends you a sneak peek, and once finished you receive printed pictures a beautiful photo box, and a wooden USB drive with all of the photos from your day. We could not be happier with our pictures and the work he did. Thank you, Ernst!"

BLOGIDOLIO

PRICING

Oakbrook Bath and Tennis Club Wedding

“Ernst is the best of the best!! His professionalism and kindness are beyond compare. He is able to assemble everyone and is excellent at sticking to the timeline. You can certainly trust him to make the day fun and less stressful! He really went above and beyond – coming up the night before the wedding just to scope things out, to find us a greenhouse for pictures since it was raining, the list goes on! He captured so many wonderful pictures of everyone at our wedding – people just loved him! And oh my goodness were our photos AMAZING! Helped us really relive the whole day. We would recommend Ernst to all family and friends in search of a photographer.” Tijana and Steven

My name is Ernst Jacobsen and I'm a Bloomington, Illinois-based wedding photographer.  Whether the venue is a hotel ballroom, a historic manor, or a family farm, my intention is the same - to provide you with a relaxed, authentic re-telling of your unique wedding day story, and to do so in a creative way.  I invite you to learn about my approach, read client raves ... and then get in touch! Ernst, with his wife Barbara, after photographing a Chicago wedding.

UPTOWN NORMAL

"This will be a very long and detailed review because we could not have been more thrilled with our decision to hire Ernst. I hope that reading about our experience can help other couples come to a confident decision. Ernst's services are worth every penny and more, which is amazing when you consider how competitive his prices are. During the ceremony and reception, Ernst seemed like he was everywhere at once. We had about 125 guests at our wedding, and he made sure that everyone was represented in the photos. Every time I saw him, he was taking a photo. He worked hard the entire time. He was accommodating and receptive to suggestions and requests from guests. He was as professional as could be. He was right there for every special moment. Looking through our gallery I see quite a few photos where he captures the same moment from opposite sides, and I am baffled as to how he pulled some of these shots off. I give Ernst the highest of recommendations. I feel confident that anyone who hires him for their wedding day will be in the best of hands. I have heard that working with a photographer can be stressful sometimes, but in our experience, Ernst was a source of calming and organization. He helped our day run smoothly, helped ease a lot of wedding day stress, and provided us well over a thousand wonderful photos. Thank you so, so, much Ernst." Charlotte and Connor

ALLERTON MANSION WEDDING | MONTICELLO IL

Awww. Ernst these are beautiful! Can't wait to see the rest! Thank you so much for your time yesterday. It was great to have you there :). Tijana and Steven.

MILLER PARK PAVILION | BLOOMINGTON IL

OMG these are amazing! We cannot wait to see all of them. Thank you so much for the preview! Barbara and Alex.

PEEKS AND RAVES

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"Looking back, I cannot imagine our wedding day without Ernst being a part of it. He's so incredibly professional, all the while having a comforting calm about him. He's a very quiet force, always hiding in nooks, bushes, trees, hallways, and corners... capturing the moments you didn't even know happened until you see them on film. Words cannot describe all emotions felt when looking at the sneak peek blog post, the full gallery, and now receiving the USB drive. We laughed hysterically, cried, smiled, and reminisced from start to finish, thoroughly absorbing they day for what it was through his eyes and everyone around us. I am unbelievably grateful that we chose Ernst to tell our story. The man with the camera is pure magic." Kara & Jason

FUNKS GROVE & RADISSON HOTEL WEDDING

Oh my gosh Ernst, We couldn't be more happy with how the photos turned out!! We absolutely love them!! Max and I sat on the couch last night and looked through them all and it was so much fun to relive our wedding day with all of your excellent photos, capturing each moment! You truly outdid yourself, and we couldn't be more grateful for the service that you provided us. Thank you so much!!! AHHH!! We can't wait to show our friends and family the photos, and look forward to getting our usb drive as well. Ernst, thank you so much!! We'll surely be in touch, but definitely wanted to shoot you a quick email to say how excited we are to see all the photos and how beautiful they turned out. From some super excited newlyweds, Kaitlin & Max

OAK TERRANCE RESORT PANA, IL

Thank you again!! We just looked through all of them and we are obsessed!!! EMILY & KYLE

VROOMAN MANSION & EPIPHANY CHURCH

We just viewed the whole gallery. We LOVE all the photos. They are FANTASTIC. Thank you, thank you! ROSSANA AND TOM

ILLINOIS ARBORETUM/JAPAN HOUSE

Tijana and Steve met at the University of Illinois so we headed over to the university arboretum, Japan House and a visit to the chemistry building where they first met. CLICK the photo to view a few photos from our session together.

Marriott Hotel Weddings

The Marriott in Normal IL is a beautiful venue to hold your wedding reception.  It's the premier hotel in town and the only official Four Diamond AAA rated hotel between Chicago and St. Louis.

STARVED ROCK

"Hi Ernst, I love the pictures! Thanks so much for everything" Sandy

Holy Trinity Church & Radisson Hotel Ballroom Wedding Reception

“We wanted to thank you for the gallery link. We did just as you said and viewed all the pictures with a nice glass of wine. We really can not thank you enough for capturing our day. You really captured every moment and we love all the pictures. Everyone we have shown has had nothing but great comments to say about the pictures. It was so great to work with you. You made everything so easy for us.” Mary & Matthew

Eastview Church & Bloomington Center for Performing Arts

"We can’t thank Ernst enough for doing an amazing job on our photos! He kept in contact with us before the wedding making sure we got exactly what we wanted. He was very organized and kept us all on track throughout the day. He was very engaged and captured pictures of the guest at the wedding reception-Everyone LOVED these photos. We feel he went above and beyond to make our day perfect! We can’t thank you enough!"

St. Cyril Catholic Church & Cog Hill Country Club

"Hi Ernst. I just wanted to thank you again SO much for yesterday. Dylan and I are beyond thankful for you and I cannot wait to see all the pictures! Everyone said how great you were and they were thoroughly impressed. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts!" Melissa UPDATE: "Hi Ernst, THANK YOU!!! These pictures are beyond amazing! You did such a wonderful job capturing the night! I've shared them with my friends and family already and they are in awe. Thank you again for being such a big part of our special day!!! Love, Melissa and Dylan"

Allerton Mansion Wedding

"Ernst, the pictures look amazing! I also wanted to pass long the many compliments our guests/family gave. They thought you did a tremendous job and you were beyond helpful for us throughout the day. Thank you from both of us for making our day so memorable!" Chris & Danielle

Illinois Wesleyan University

"Ernst, I could not thank you enough for all you did for us on Saturday. You were excellent. You made us feel comfortable and half the time I didn't even know you were taking pictures! My parents, Collin's parents, and our bridal party haven't stopped commenting on how great you were, and I just wanted to let you know that. We can't wait to see the pictures!" UPDATE :) "I literally am crying! I absolutely love them. I can't stop looking at them! They are beautiful. Thank you so much!" Audrey"

Saint Mathews & Franks Center

Wow wow WOW! Our wedding photos are fantastic!!! We absolutely love them...thank you so much! Our favorites are the ones we didn't even specifically ask for! The candids and individual couple/family shots at the reception are so incredible!! Thank you, Ernst, for your attention to detail and above and beyond service - we couldn't have asked for a better photographer!!" Morgan & Ryan

Starved Rock Wedding

"I think the photos are just wonderful. There are so many good ones, I can't pick a favorite. Thank you so much for your attention to detail. We are so excited to get the USB, and are already sharing the link with family and friends." Amy and Josh

WALTON CENTER WEDDING

"Thank you for all your hard work in taking these photos and getting them to us so soon! It was a great day for both Catherine and me and we appreciate the care you put into creating such a quality set of photographs for us to remember it by. Thank you so much the the drive and the prints - they are wonderful!" Catherine & Isthier

LAKESIDE COUNTRY CLUB

LAKESIDE COUNTRY CLUB with Claire and Mark -"They’re beautiful!!!!!!!! Thanks, Ernst!" Cindy/Mother of Bride

WILDLIFE PRAIRIE PARK

"Ernst was everything I was looking for in a wedding photographer! He was so professional, helpful, and sweet! Everyone mentioned how great he was, and the photos turned out beautiful. I really wanted not only great pictures of my husband and me, but also candids of the day and our loved ones there. As promised, his photographs tell a beautiful story of the day." Kirstin and Andrew

ALLERTON MANSION ENGAGEMENT - " Thank you Ernst! The photos look fantastic and everyone says they look awesome! :D" Catherine & Isthier

OTTAWA IL BARN WEDDING

"Ernst has definitely exceeded our expectations. He is so easy to work with, very organized, gave us so many helpful suggestions and recommendations, such a gentleman, and he is so relaxed and calm (which is what you want on your big day!). Our pictures are absolutely beautiful. They are very natural looking, the lighting is perfect, and candid! I told him I didn't want anything to look posed or fake, and he assured me that's not the look he goes for. He was certainly right. They are perfect. Ernst worked so hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly, to make everyone feel comfortable, he knew all of the family members names I gave him for our photo timeline, and he just has an eye for detail. I would totally recommend him to anyone, and already have people asking who took my pictures! His hard work did not go unnocticed and we are forever grateful to have had him be our photographer. Thank you, Ernst!" Lexi and Ben.

EVELYN CHAPEL & EASTLAND SUITES

"We discovered Ernst when we attended our friends' wedding a whole year before we even got engaged. He took such lovely photos of the whole event, including several posed and candid photos of us enjoying the festivities. We had Ernst's photos on our fridge before we'd even starting talking about getting married! He was professional, kind, and extremely organized. Our photos turned out just beautiful, and we were so excited to see the intimate, funny, and touching moments he captured (somehow without us even noticing him!). He had our 1,000+ photos edited and to us within 4 weeks of our big day. We sprung for a hard bound, color album as part of our package as well. Ernst chooses his favorite photos to tell the story of the day (and you get a chance to add or change things). Our friends have one, and it is gorgeous. Excited to see ours. Go check out his online galleries!" Bevin & Alexander

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY HANCOCK STADIUM CLUB- Thank you, Ernst! The pictures look great! Thank you again for being an AMAZING photographer. You were incredibly helpful and so easy to work with. You helped make our day so lovely and wonderful and we are very grateful you were with us on such an important day. We enjoyed having you as part of the Berg Wedding team! :) Ashley and Dan

FIVE POINTS WASHINGTON IL

"We seriously love all of them. You captured Dustin and I perfectly! Thank you so much for providing us with such quality photos that will bring us joy for the rest of our marriage and lives together." Vanessa & Dustin

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY BALLROOM

Thanks Ernst! You did an amazing job! All the pictures look great! Maureen and Vince

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN / Engagement Session

STARVED ROCK / Engagement

NORMAL IL / Engagement Session

MOMENCE IL / Engagement Session

STARVED ROCK LODGE / Engagement

VROOMAN MANSION - "Ernst photographed my wedding in 2014 and did a truly incredible job. He was seemingly everywhere at once, capturing memorable photos of all of the guests at their best. Many people commented that he seemed to really be focused on them during the reception, but it seems that he's just so good at his job that every person felt like they were in the spotlight when he spent equal time with all of them. I loved that the guests felt flattered and comfortable with him photographing them."

EWING MANOR - “We absolutely love our pictures and couldn’t be happier! The style is exactly what we were hoping for, and we have so many good pictures we don’t know where to begin. Thanks for being so kind, gracious, and easy to work with, and for giving us such fantastic memories of our day!” Kim and Greg

MEDINAH COUNTRY CLUB - MEDINAH, IL

MEDINAH COUNTRY CLUB - "Looking back, I cannot imagine our wedding day without Ernst being a part of it. He's so incredibly professional, all the while having a comforting calm about him. He's a very quiet force, always hiding in nooks, bushes, trees, hallways, and corners... capturing the moments you didn't even know happened until you see them on film. Words cannot describe all emotions felt when looking at the sneak peek blog post, the full gallery, and now receiving the USB drive. We laughed hysterically, cried, smiled, and reminisced from start to finish, thoroughly absorbing they day for what it was through his eyes and everyone around us. I am unbelievably grateful that we chose Ernst to tell our story. The man with the camera is pure magic." Kara & Jason

LANEVIEW FAMILY FARM

“I cannot thank Ernst enough for the beautiful photos of our wedding! We were overwhelmed with the quality of the photos. His professionalism is top-notch and he responded quickly to all of our emails. As for the wedding day, Ernst was extremely laid back and made us both feel comfortable and relaxed. For two people that hate taking “staged” photos, I was delighted that Ernst captured dozens of photos that looked so natural and really captured the couple that we are. We have so many amazing pictures of all of the people in attendance and it’s such a treasure to have. He really captured all of the best parts of the day!” Chelsea and Gediminas

INTIMATE RESTAURANT + BAR WEDDING

“Having worked with a wide array of photographers when planning events, I am used to seeing the standard catalog of lovely images post-fête. Weddings are, at first glance, not the most challenging of subjects- everyone is happy, all are dressed to the nines and, thanks to the cocktails, entertaining poses abound. What makes a photographer great, in my opinion, is his or her ability to capture the moments of authenticity- the fleeting glances, the subtle graceful gestures, the raw exchanges. A great photographer's images take you by the eye and lead you back into the scene. They make you feel. Such is the photographer I found Ernst Jacobsen to be as I scrolled through the images he took of a wedding I recently attended. The venue was intimate, a steakhouse bathed in moody hues with 120 people meandering about the bar and front room. An unassuming man in person, Ernst's presence was hard to detect. While a few sightings of a man with a camera let me know that there was, in fact, a photog present, I can't seem to recall ever seeing him front and center in the 'big ticket' moments of the day. Thus I was stunned to see the result of his work- the photographs are testament to the fact that he was everywhere all at once, shooting every detail. In one, he is behind me as I toast the newlyweds, their faces beaming from across the room. In the next, he is behind them, capturing my fellow toaster from across the stage. Should I run into Ernst again, I will check his shoes for pointy ends with little bells that signify some sort of magical transport ability. I simply don't know how he did it. Realize, as you glance at the series showing the ceremony, how many angles are captured- and that one man did all of that alone. It is extraordinary.

DAVIS LODGE - "Ernst is, simply stated, the very best photographer you can hire. He goes above and beyond to give you amazing memories of your big day. Our pictures aren't just your typical staged shots (which he also does REALLY well), but actual moments with joy and love. As far as photo quality, I'm sure I'm biased, but ours are the most crystal clear I've seen. There are no showy filters or flashy effect editing to hide an overall lack of quality like I see so often anymore, just crystal clear perfectly lit and captured shots. Ernst is the absolute best choice for capturing your big day." Maggie and Ben

BLOOMINGTON CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS - "Ernst's pictures are gorgeous ... he captured so many moments on film, and I didn’t even know he was there for some of them. Both Trent and I are so pleased with how our wedding pictures turned out. Ernst, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to relive our wedding day through your pictures!” Molly and Trent

ILLINI STUDENT UNION BALLROOM - "Selecting a high quality photographer was very important to us and we could not have been happier with our choice. Ernst's style of photography was exactly what we wanted and he was so easy to work with." Jennifer and Levi

DOUBLETREE HOTEL - “I LOVE THEM. Thank you soooooooooo much for doing our wedding. I am so glad we asked YOU to do Kristy and Nate’s wedding!!! If/when my other daughter gets married I plan to hire Ernst!!! Cindy (Mother of Bride)

DOUBLETREE HOTEL

“The pictures you took for our three day wedding were wonderful! I don’t know how you did it, but you were always there at the all the right moments! The photographer was one thing I didn’t have to worry about during the wedding planning process. Thanks again for your professionalism, enthusiasm, and great pictures!” Trina and Justin

FUNKS GROVE - “Ernst is a true artist and went above and beyond in his duties as a photographer! His photos are very beautiful and capture natural, candid moments. My husband and I couldn’t be more pleased with how our wedding photos turned out! Thanks Ernst!” Grace and Brad

JOSLIN ATRIUM

“Ernst did an outstanding job in capturing every aspect of our wedding and reception. Under very hot and humid weather, Ernst captured wonderful pics from different angles. The editing work is fantastic, and we can tell he really spent the time to edit each picture. He is a really nice guy and very professional! ” Alina and Julian

HOTEL MONACO / CHICAGO - “Thank you so much for being so great on our wedding day. You have been lovely to work with! We appreciate all the great work you did to help capture our day and our special memories." Christina & Rob

WILDLIFE PRAIRIE PARK / PEORIA - "I don't think there are enough words to say how amazing of a photographer Ernst is. Ernst had recently captured a wedding I was at, and the bride had nothing but rave reviews about him. His response time was amazing- he ALWAYS responded promptly, professionally, and politely. Ernst quickly realized how loud, silly, and obnoxious we all were- and he couldn't have captured that any better. He captured every moment I could have ever asked for. He captured the raw emotion of our guests, from laughing to crying to everything in between. We wanted our photographs to remind us of the events, the people, the feelings of that day- and that's EXACTLY what Ernst's talent delivered. Not to mention he turned the photographs around in two weeks....865 or so photos all edited and gorgeous, in two weeks. Amazing! I even had a little wardrobe malfunction and Ernst gladly went back and touched up the photos for me. Plus he sent us a customized USB drive in a cute little box, both of which had a photo from our wedding on them. Please, if you are considering Ernst as a photographer- DO IT! He was so fun and easy to work with! Thank you Ernst!!" Amanda and Troy

IHOTEL CHAMPAIGN URBANA IL

“My wedding photos turned out so beautiful and professional. Ernst provided us with many options in the creation of our wedding album, and worked very hard to meet our every request. We made a great decision in choosing Ernst. He is easy to work with, flexible and produced photos with a magical quality to them I can’t really describe.” Kannika and Hans

VICTORIA ROSEMONT BANQUET - CHICAGO

VICTORIA ROSEMONT BANQUET / CHICAGO - "We highly recommend Ernst Jacobsen's services. We were extremely impressed with his skills and professionalism. Not a moment was missed and each image can stand alone as a work of art. Since our wedding was in the winter, having a photographer who could manage location lighting and was a priority. We were very impressed with his vision and technical skills for scenarios with difficult lighting. The resulting images we will cherish for a lifetime, they are just stunning. Ernst and Barbara captured our wedding day with a unique visual storytelling style combined with beautifully composed posed images. We are very grateful they were able to capture our special day." Patricia & Luis

EPIPHANY CHURCH & BONE STUDENT CENTER - "For those engaged couples looking for a photographer for the big day, look no further than Ernst Jacobson. Through the entire wedding experience, Ernst was timely, organized and professional. It may seem simple, but something I noticed about Ernst from the start is he remembered everyone’s name the first time from parents and grandparents to the entire wedding party. It really made the group photos a seamless process. Some of our favorite photos were the action ones that really bring us back to the fun we had in the moment during our bar crawl and reception. Additionally, Ernst does a great job getting photos of all of the guests at the wedding. Even after the wedding, the exceptional service doesn’t stop. Within a month the photos were ready digitally and soon after that we received a personalized USB giving us the rights to all of the photographs. Speaking for our families, we could not recommend Ernst more!" Megan & Shannon

PEEKS AND RAVES

MY APPROACH