1974 — 1976
A Family Tradition Since 1974
The story of Cherry Hill Studio began in 1974, when Thomas and Joanna O’Connor opened the doors of a small photography business called T&J Photography. What started with weddings, family portraits, and a passion for creating photographs that families could treasure quickly began to grow.
In 1976, T&J Photography became Cherry Hill Studio, beginning a name and tradition that would continue for generations.
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Tom and Joanna built the studio one customer at a time. As the business grew, Cherry Hill Studio expanded beyond weddings and family portraits into school and youth sports photography—areas that would eventually become a major part of the studio’s future.
The Second Generation
Growing Up in the Family Business
Photography truly became a family affair. Tom and Joanna’s four children all spent time working in the business, learning firsthand what it meant to take care of customers and be part of a family-owned company.
Their son Daniel O’Connor, Cherry Hill Studio’s current owner, began taking photographs professionally at just 15 years old. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, Daniel returned to Cherry Hill Studio and joined his father full-time in 2002.
For more than a decade, Daniel worked side-by-side with his parents, learning not only the craft of photography, but also the relationships, service, and attention to detail that had built Cherry Hill Studio’s reputation.
When Tom and Joanna retired in 2015, Daniel took over the business and continued what his parents had started more than 40 years earlier.
2015 — Today
The Next Generation of Cherry Hill Studio
Under Daniel’s leadership, Cherry Hill Studio has continued to grow and evolve. The studio has expanded its photography services, added photographers and staff, invested in new technology, and developed an ever-growing selection of unique photo products for schools, athletes, families, and organizations.
Provide great photography, take care of our customers, and create products families will be proud to keep.
While the equipment and products have changed dramatically since 1974, the philosophy behind the business has remained the same.
And Cherry Hill Studio is still very much a family business. In 2023, Daniel’s wife, Erica O’Connor, joined the Cherry Hill Studio team, taking responsibility for the company’s accounting and shipping operations. In 2024, Jessica Nilsen joined the studio as Lead Photographer and became an important part of our product development team, helping Cherry Hill Studio continue to expand both creatively and professionally.
More Than 50 Years
And We’re Just Getting Started
Today, Cherry Hill Studio combines more than five decades of experience with modern photography, professional production, and new ideas. Our photographers and staff have changed over the years, our technology has changed, and the products we offer continue to evolve—but the family behind Cherry Hill Studio and our commitment to our customers remain.
From Tom and Joanna opening T&J Photography in 1974, to Daniel picking up a camera as a teenager, to the team we have today, every chapter has helped shape Cherry Hill Studio into what it is now.
We are proud to have photographed generations of families, students, athletes, and communities throughout the Joliet area, and we’re even more excited about what comes next.
More than 50 years of photography. Two generations of family. Thousands of memories captured—and many more still to come.