Zi Photography

What Zi Photography does

Zi Photography is a privately-held portrait photography studio headquartered in downtown Ellsworth, Maine, operating under owner and lead photographer Zelli. The studio specializes in milestone-based portraiture — most centrally newborn photography conducted within 14 days of birth — alongside maternity, birth, children, family, senior, couple, and boudoir/empowerment sessions. Sessions are delivered either at the in-studio location or as outdoor sunset ('golden hour') shoots, with newborn sessions differentiated by custom-styled props, fabrics, baskets, and headbands.

The business runs on a service-delivery model with no proprietary technology product; the technology stack is limited to a Weebly-built marketing website, the ShootProof gallery platform for client image delivery and product sales, and a referral partnership with Basic Invite for wedding stationery. The company has no app, no API, and no disclosed data assets or AI capabilities. Revenue is generated through one-time session fees that include downloadable high-resolution digital images, with ancillary revenue from canvases, prints, and wall art purchased through ShootProof galleries. Bundled Baby's First Year packages (Womb to One, Fresh to First, Grow With Me, Swaddle & Smash) structure repeat bookings across a multi-session timeline. A secondary non-profit initiative called 'Born To Fly' provides free memorial photography to families experiencing infant loss.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer: prospective clients submit inquiry forms on the website, receive auto-replies with pricing links, and book via email. Customer acquisition relies on organic word-of-mouth, local reputation in Maine, and the testimonial-rich 'Raves' page; press coverage of the Born To Fly initiative has generated earned media in the Ellsworth American newspaper. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The business operates as a solo proprietorship with one additional dedicated birth photographer (Kassie), and serves a fully domestic, single-state (Maine) market with no disclosed revenue, headcount, or financial metrics.

Name

Zi Photography

Website

https://ziphotographymaine.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Portrait Photography Services

NAICS

Photography Studios, Portrait (541921), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Portrait photography services
• Newborn photography studio
• Maternity photography sessions
• Family photography packages
• Birth photography services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellsworth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Photography Session Fees: One-time fees for photography sessions including maternity, newborn, baby milestones, children, families, seniors, couples, birth photography, and boudoir. Sessions include high-resolution digital images with additional revenue from printed products.
2. Print and Wall Art Products: Additional revenue from purchasing prints, canvases, and other photo products through the ShootProof client gallery. Products are sold separately from session fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zi Photography is a boutique portrait photography studio in Downtown Ellsworth, Maine, that sells photography sessions and related print products to individual consumers. Its service portfolio spans maternity, newborn (studio and lifestyle), birth, children (including cake smash), family, senior, couples, and boudoir/empowerment photography, bundled into Baby's First Year packages, and complemented by a free 'Born To Fly' memorial photography program. Clients receive high-resolution digital images and can purchase canvases and prints through password-protected ShootProof galleries.

Product overview

Zi Photography is a boutique portrait photography studio based in Downtown Ellsworth, Maine, offering a comprehensive portfolio of photography services centered around life milestones and special moments. The core offerings include maternity photography, newborn sessions (available as custom-styled Studio sessions or candid Lifestyle sessions), birth photography, children's photography, family photography, senior portraits, couple/love sessions, and boudoir/empowerment photography. The studio also operates a non-profit called 'Born To Fly' providing free memorial photography for families who experience infant loss. Photography sessions are available as in-studio or outdoor sunset options, with the studio providing controlled environments and golden hour outdoor shoots for distinctive lighting. Additionally, the studio offers structured Baby's First Year packages (Womb to One, Fresh to First, Grow With Me, and Swaddle & Smash) that bundle multiple milestone sessions at discounted rates. Clients receive high-resolution downloadable images plus access to purchase photo products including canvases and prints through the ShootProof gallery platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Born To Fly: A non-profit project by Zelli offering memorial photography services at no cost to families who experience the loss of a baby at birth.

Products and services

• Maternity Photography Professional maternity photography sessions capturing the beauty and anticipation of pregnancy, typically scheduled between 32-37 weeks of pregnancy.
• Studio Newborn Session Custom-styled newborn photography in-studio with handcrafted props, fabrics, baskets, hats and headbands, inspired by an 'Anne Geddes' aesthetic, conducted within 14 days of birth in a temperature- and climate-controlled boutique studio in Downtown Ellsworth.
• Lifestyle Newborn Session Candid, intimate newborn photography conducted in the client's home within 20 days of birth, focusing on journalistic storytelling of early family moments.
• Birth Photography Documentary-style birth photography capturing labor, delivery, and the emotional moment of meeting the baby, provided by photographer Kassie with a gentle, journalistic approach.
• Womb to One Package Comprehensive Baby's First Year photography package covering maternity, newborn, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year cake smash sessions, bundling all milestones into a single studio relationship.
• Fresh to First Package First-year milestone package including newborn, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year cake smash sessions, designed for families who may have missed the maternity stage.
• Grow With Me Package Baby's First Year milestone package covering 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year cake smash sessions for babies already past the newborn stage.
• Swaddle & Smash Package Two-session Baby's First Year package combining a newborn photography session with a 1st birthday cake smash session.
• Studio Child Session In-studio photography session for children with various props and set-ups, featuring a 'less is more' artistic approach that focuses on the child as the primary subject.
• Sunset Child Session Outdoor child photography session scheduled during golden hour approximately one hour before sunset, capturing natural moments in fields or beach settings.
• 1st Birthday Cake Smash Session Studio milestone session celebrating a baby's first birthday with cake provided by the studio, creating timeless images of the cake smash experience.
• Sunset Family Session Family photography session scheduled approximately one hour before sunset to capture 'golden hour' light, combining posed direction with natural moments of snuggling.
• Studio Family Session In-studio family photography session held in the Downtown Ellsworth studio, scheduled during morning or afternoon hours, ideal for families with young children.
• Senior Photography Session Outdoor senior portrait session conducted during golden hour, allowing personality to shine through a relaxed, fun photography experience with family welcome.
• Couple/Love Photography Couple photography focused on capturing genuine love and emotion through laughter, storytelling, and natural moments rather than stiff posing.
• Boudoir/Empowerment Photography Tasteful empowerment photography session focused on self-love and confidence, described as 'cozy with a splash of sass,' centered on the client's self-worth rather than being for someone else.
• Born To Fly Memorial Photography Non-profit memorial photography service providing free photography sessions for families who experience the loss of a baby at birth, offered as a community giving-back initiative.
• Photo Products (Canvases and Prints) High-quality photo products including canvases and prints available for purchase through the ShootProof client gallery platform, with shopping accessible via a hover menu on gallery photos.

Named customers15 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• SmugMug: Photo storage, gallery, and print-sales platform serving professional photographers. Comparable ecosystem player to ShootProof/Pixieset and supports the same boutique portrait-studio workflow that Zi relies on for client delivery and product sales.
• Pixieset: Direct competitor to ShootProof in the photography-client-gallery and studio-management software market. Adjacent to Zi's operations through its tooling; not a consumer-facing peer but a parallel infrastructure provider for boutique portrait studios.
• The Knot Worldwide: Wedding and family-photography marketplace connecting consumers with photographers. Not a direct competitor to Zi's newborn niche, but adjacent enabling platform for family-photography booking and serves an overlapping customer demographic.
• ShootProof: Zi's actual technology platform powering its client galleries, print sales, and password-protected photo delivery. Comparable as a photography-business SaaS in the same vertical; not a consumer-facing competitor but a key ecosystem enabler for portrait studios like Zi.
• Shutterfly: Online photo-products and prints retailer, and corporate parent of Lifetouch. Adjacent to Zi's print/canvas upsell business and competes for share of consumer photo-product wallet, though its core model is self-serve prints rather than boutique studio sessions.

Direct peers

• Mom365: Parent company of Bella Baby Photography, Mom365 captures newborn and maternity moments in hospitals and partners with families for ongoing milestone photography. Overlaps directly with Zi's maternity-and-newborn niche and Baby's-First-Year recurring model.
• Bella Baby Photography: Specializes in hospital-based newborn photography sessions conducted within the first days of birth. Closest comparable peer in newborn photography specialization, though operates through birthing-hospital partnerships rather than consumer-direct studio bookings like Zi.

Broad incumbents

• Lifetouch: Established national portrait photography company (now part of Shutterfly) focused on school, senior, and family portraits at scale. Comparable in the family/senior portrait category, but operates through institutional channels (schools, events) rather than consumer-direct studio bookings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100046272624753

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zi Photography