The real work — the work that makes the photos actually look like you — happens before we ever step on set. It's in the conversation about who you are, what you're building, and the version of yourself you've been quietly holding back from showing the world.
That's what I'm here for.
I'm a brand photographer. But honestly, the camera is almost beside the point.
"I'm not photogenic."
I'm going to stop you right there.
You're not unphotogenic. You've just never had someone in the room who made you feel safe enough to relax. Someone who asked the right questions before they picked up a camera. Someone who actually wanted to capture you — not a posed, perfected version of you.
That's a different experience. And it shows in every single photo.
I don't put you on the other side of my camera and leave you to figure it out. We talk, we plan, we laugh, and somewhere in the middle of all of that — the real you shows up. That's the one I photograph.
— Victoria Ramonis-Rafacz
"She made me feel very much at ease though I arrived pretty nervous. She made an effort to get to know me and let my personality shine through."
I'm based in Lemont, Illinois, and I work with women-owned, people-first small businesses across the Chicago area and beyond. My studio has multiple sets — a desk with bookcases, a loft space, lifestyle sets — and I love a good location or catalog shoot too.
When I'm not on set, I'm probably recommending You Are a Badass or Simply Be to someone who needs it.
Let's work together →
I didn't grow up knowing I'd be a photographer. I grew up knowing I wanted to make women feel powerful.
My path here wasn't straight. I was working in entertainment — virtual assistant, content creator, producer — in Las Vegas and LA. I was behind the scenes, making other people's visions come to life. And I was good at it. But something kept pulling me toward a different kind of creation.
Two months after starting a business plan and buying a camera, I was shooting. And somewhere in those early sessions — watching women see themselves in photos and actually exhale — I found the thing I didn't know I was looking for.
Because here's what I believe: being successful in business shouldn't mean disappearing as a person. Women business owners are out here giving everything to everyone — and the missing piece in their brand is usually the most obvious one. Them.
That's what I'm bringing back. The people behind the brand.
— Katie Colaianni
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What I know to be true
The women I work with aren't starting from zero. They already know who they are — they've just been so busy running their business that they forgot to bring that person into the brand. My job is to help them remember. And then photograph the hell out of her.