Studio C41 Photography

What Studio C41 Photography does

Studio C41 Photography is a sole-proprietor portrait and commercial photography studio based at 11224 Elm St in Omaha, Nebraska, owned and operated by founder Maggie Mellema. The studio serves individual consumers — families, children, high school seniors, and clients seeking premium "One In A Lifetime" experiences — alongside B2B clients needing headshots, company branding, architectural, and product photography. Geographic focus is the greater Omaha metro and surrounding Nebraska/Iowa region, with commercial travel for architectural assignments extending nationally.

The studio's technical capabilities are anchored in a professional portrait environment with multiple backdrops, professional lighting, and image-enhancement software. The signature technical offering is the Painted Portraits process: heat-bonded archival-pigmented inks finished with hand-applied brush strokes to emulate oil-painting aesthetics, rated for over 100 years of print life and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. The studio also provides a white-glove installation service in which Mellema personally visits client homes or offices to install finished artwork.

The business operates a transactional, one-time-fee revenue model. Portrait session fees are non-refundable and range from $179 (headshots) to $699+ (seniors), with custom senior packages starting at $2,449. Commercial photography is priced $500–$2,500 per engagement, with hourly flat-rate options for architecture work including copyright release. Artwork and print sales are separate, priced, and final at order, payable at time of ordering. Digital gift certificates are sold online with instant download and a three-month validity. The go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: direct studio engagement, phone consultations, online booking, plus community outreach through Chamber memberships and nonprofit fundraising partnerships (notably a stated goal of contributing $100,000 annually in goods and services). There are no subsidiaries, no outside investment, and the company is privately held by the founder.

Name

Studio C41 Photography

Legal name

C41 Photography

Website

https://c41photo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio C41 Photography is a sole-proprietor portrait and commercial photography studio in Omaha, Nebraska, owned by Maggie Mellema, serving families, high school seniors, and local businesses with portrait sessions, headshots, branded imagery, and architectural/product photography.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Portrait and Commercial Photography Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Portrait photography services
• Commercial photography
• Family photography
• Senior portraits
• Professional headshots

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Portrait Photography Sessions: Non-refundable session fees secure appointments for family, senior, children, and commercial photography. Sessions are priced separately from finished artwork and prints.
2. Artwork and Print Sales: High-quality portraits sold as finished artwork including painted portraits, canvas prints, and archival-quality prints. Pricing is separate from session fees and final once ordered. Payment due at time of ordering.
3. Gift Certificates and Vouchers: Digital gift certificates and vouchers for portrait sessions sold online with instant download delivery. Valid for 3 months from purchase date.
4. Commercial Photography Services: Professional commercial photography for businesses including headshots, company branding, architecture, and product photography. Rates vary from $500-$2500 depending on scope of work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Studio C41 Photography is an Omaha-based portrait and commercial photography studio offering in-studio and on-location portrait sessions (family, children, senior, artistic black and white, and signature painted portraits) alongside commercial photography services including professional headshots, company branding, architectural, and product photography. The studio operates a full-service customer journey from discovery session through final artwork selection to on-site installation of finished portrait art in clients' homes or offices.

Product overview

C41 Photography is a portrait studio offering photography services organized into two main categories: Portrait Services and Commercial Services. Portrait Services include Family Photography, Expressive Children Sessions, Artistic Black & White Portraits, Signature Painted Portraits, and Senior Pictures. Commercial Services encompass Professional Head Shots, Company Branding, Architecture Photography, Product Photography, and general Commercial Photography. Additionally, the studio offers premium One In A Lifetime Sessions as a high-end experience, and Gift Vouchers as an add-on product. The studio is owned and operated by Maggie Mellema and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Photography Family portrait sessions conducted in the professional portrait studio or outdoor locations, focused on capturing genuine expressions and connections that become family heirlooms.
• Expressive Children Sessions Portrait sessions designed to capture children's unique personalities through authentic expressions, waiting for genuine moments rather than forced smiles.
• Artistic Black & White Portraits Black and white artistic portrait sessions that eliminate color distractions and emphasize emotional depth and timeless expressions.
• Signature Painted Portraits Hand-crafted portrait art using heat-bonded archival-pigmented inks with brush strokes applied manually, creating oil painting-style finishes with over 100-year print life and a Certificate of Authenticity.
• Senior Pictures High school senior portrait sessions marking graduation milestones, available for indoor, outdoor, or both settings, including yearbook portraits. Sessions start at $699 with custom packages from $2,449.
• Professional Head Shots Professional headshot sessions for individuals and corporate teams, optimized for business cards, websites, LinkedIn profiles, and marketing materials. Sessions start at $179.
• Company Branding Corporate branding photography including employee headshots, executive profiles, team photos, workspace imagery, and product shots for websites and marketing materials.
• Architecture Photography Commercial architectural photography for properties, featuring drone photography, correct lighting timing, and professional staging for marketing properties. Flat rate per hour pricing with all full resolution digital files and copyright release included.
• Product Photography Professional studio product photography equipped with professional lighting to showcase products for e-commerce and marketing materials.
• Commercial Photography Commercial photography services for websites, magazine ads, social media, and blog articles focused on brand identity and company storytelling. Rates typically range $500-$2,500 depending on scope.
• Gift Vouchers Digital gift certificates and vouchers available for instant download, valid for 3 months from purchase date, redeemable for any portrait session type.

Quantifiable outcome

• Profiles with a professional photo are reviewed seven times more often than those without a photo
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Henry Doorly ZoominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017C41 Photography participated in the Zoofari 2017 fundraising event, providing a professional photo station where guests could be photographed and receive digital images. The Zoofari event is held every two years and is the largest fundraising event for the Henry Doorly Zoo Foundation, raising over $2.4 million.
• Omaha Community PlayhouseminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Actors from the Omaha Community Playhouse performed a pop-up scene from the Jungle Book at the Zoofari 2017 event, which was hosted and documented by C41 Photography.
• Omaha Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerC41 Photography is a trusted photography partner for the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. The partnership provides photography services for Chamber events and activities, helping to enhance the Chamber's visual communications and marketing materials.
• Sarpy County ChamberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerC41 Photography serves as a trusted photography partner for the Sarpy County Chamber, providing professional photography services to support Chamber marketing and event documentation.
• OEA (Omaha Educational Association)minorOthersMaggie Mellema served as past president and board member of OEA, demonstrating community leadership and professional involvement in the educational photography space.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• ShootProof: Photography business management and gallery-delivery platform. Comparable adjacent vendor used by small studios for client proofing, ordering, and payment workflows.
• Shutterfly: Consumer photo-printing and personalized product platform that competes for the same family and heirloom-print wallet share, but as a self-serve DIY alternative rather than a full-service studio.
• SmugMug: Portfolio, gallery, and print-sales platform serving professional photographers. Adjacent infrastructure used by many small portrait studios like C41 to deliver proofs, galleries, and finished prints.
• Pixieset: Photography studio management software covering galleries, contracts, invoicing, and website building. A relevant tooling peer for any small portrait/commercial photography studio of C41's size.
• Wonderful Machine: Commercial photography sourcing platform and agency serving brands needing commercial imagery. Overlaps with C41's commercial headshot, branding, and product photography services but at enterprise scale.

Broad incumbents

• Portrait Innovations: Multi-location portrait studio chain offering family, senior, and child portraits with digital delivery and print packages. Larger and more standardized than C41, but overlapping target customer and product category.
• Lifetouch: National-scale portrait photography company specializing in school pictures, family portraits, and yearbooks. Operates a much larger and more standardized version of C41's senior and family portrait business.

Direct peers

• Bella Baby Photography: Portrait photography company specializing in newborn, maternity, and family sessions delivered in-studio and in-hospital. Closely comparable boutique portrait service model to C41's family and children sessions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/StudioC41Omaha
• Facebookfacebook.com/C41PhotographyOmaha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c41-photography

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Studio C41 Photography