Claim your

Space

Personal Brand Portraits that

let your beautiful spark shine

wherever you choose to show up

Schedule a discovery call

The You Sessions

Celebrate your weird, wonderful & beautiful self

You are already a bad ass. You don’t need to smooth out your edges to be taken seriously. They are what make you a perfectly imperfect human.

The You Portrait Sessions celebrate who you already are by combining strategy, psychology, and art.

Making portraits should feel human first and not just show up and smile.
This is about creating space to be as you are.

Take up space in this world.
It’s yours to claim

Whether you’re updating a dating profile, refreshing your online presence, or stepping into a new chapter of your life, these portraits meet you where you are—
not where you “should” be.

schedule a discovery call
Woman in chair reads book on chinese medicine as she looks back at the camera and laughs
Woman sits on windowsill of art studio at her art therapy practice: Dandelion Therapeutic Art Center in Chicago
  • Lisa Jindu of Streets of London Salon kicks her foot up behind her in her salon in Chicago
  • Man poses with one hand in his pocket during a headshot photography session
  • Woman with teal hair plays violin during a personal branding photography session
  • Woman working in education stands in library at DePaul University in Chicago
  • Woman with blonde hair and red lipstick in a navy blue and white striped dress leans into the camera with a more serious, but friendly smile.
  • Man wearing a black t-shirt with a blue blazer leans against a white pole with a modern white and blue kitchen space behind him.
  • Vertical crop of woman stands in alley by a dark window textured background and laughs
  • Woman in teal with a tan jacket leans into the camera and laughs
  • Man buttons jacket as he leans against column.

The You Experience

woman with dark hair, red earrings, and tattoos leans against a white post with origami cranes to her right.

Be you.

That is when
your beauty
shines brightest

To get there, we focus first on comfort and trust. You don’t need to know how to pose or what to do with your face. You just need to feel safe enough to show up as yourself.

That trust starts with a discovery call. We’ll talk through your goals, the process, and anything you need clarity on. If we’re a good fit, I’ll get to know you more deeply through a guided questionnaire and a short consult before your session. This isn’t busywork. It’s how we create alignment so you walk into your session feeling grounded and confident once the camera comes out of my bag.

During the session, I guide you the entire time using what I call (un)posing. It’s less about holding a pose and more about giving you things to do and things to think about. We’ll talk. We’ll move. We’ll fake laugh, which almost always turns into real laughter. I’ll tell you what I’m seeing through my lens. More than a few people have told me they felt like a rockstar.

I pay close attention to subtle shifts in posture, energy, and expression. Those cues guide me. And I always invite you to speak up if there’s something you want. I’m intuitive, but I’m not a mind reader.

After your session, I work with my retoucher, Meghan, to carefully select and polish the images where your presence shines through. Not over-edited. Not smoothed into oblivion. Just refined. Like you got a really good night’s sleep.

You’ll receive a private gallery where you choose the images you love most. Those are the ones you get to share with the world as you CLAIM YOUR SPACE.

The awkward moments in between? They disappear into the digital abyss. Everyone has them. Even Beyoncé.

schedule a discovery call
Kelly Fumiko Weiss of Allize smiles up at the camera from her computer screen during a brand photography session in Chicago
I tend to be pretty harsh on myself

when it comes to how I look in photos, so I don’t take new headshots or professional photos very often. Maija was very respectful and sweet about my apprehensions and made sure to take a wide variety of shots from a lot of different angles to ensure we’d have something I would love. 
~Kelly Fumiko Weiss ~ Allize

Let’s Talk Pricing…

Pricing should make room for choice, not pressure.

I don’t ask you to choose your images before you’ve seen yourself.
That would be wild.

Instead, your investment happens in two parts. You book the session first. Then, after you’ve seen your images, you choose the collection that makes sense for you.

This approach removes pressure and protects the trust we’ve built.

You’re not guessing.
You’re not over-committing.
You’re choosing based on how the images actually land, not how optimistic you felt on a random Tuesday.

The power stays with you. Always.

  • Woman in teal with a tan jacket leans into the camera and laughs

PSST! If your personal brand session is for your expanding your professional presence, it is a tax-deductible business investment. Your hair and makeup appointments beforehand are too.

Man wearing a blue button down shirt sitting in a chair looks off camera and laughs

Part 1

The You Sessions

Creative Fee — $300

This includes everything up to your proof gallery delivery.

What’s included:

  • Personalized questionnaire
    Clarifies what you want your portraits to say and how you’ll use them. This guides my planning and strategy for you.
  • 1:1 connection call
    A short call before your session to align on the plan and walk in confident.
  • Up to 40 minutes of session time
    Plus space for arrival and flow. Focused, never rushed.
  • Curated online proof gallery
    15–25 polished portraits to choose from.

Final images are fully finished and ready to download once selected.

Simple. Intentional. No pressure.

Part 2

The You Collections

No expiration on image use.
No monitoring.
No weird gotchas.
Just clarity.

Images are licensed for the uses outlined below. If you ever want to expand how you use them, I’m always happy to talk it through with you.

01

just enough

Perfect if you need a few strong portraits that feel like you and work hard for you.

4 images with usage for:

  • Website bios
  • LinkedIn
  • Speaking profiles
  • Press headshots

$300

total investment: $600

02

more please

A flexible collection designed for ongoing visibility without overthinking it.

8 images with usage for:

  • Website
  • Social media
  • Email marketing
  • Blog posts

  • $100 credit toward a future portrait or brand session (valid for 12 months after your session date)

$400

total investment: $700

03

All in

For people who want full access and full freedom.

Entire gallery with usage for:

  • Full brand and marketing use
  • Internal materials
  • Launches and campaigns

  • $200 credit toward a future portrait or brand session (valid for 12 months after your session date)

$500

total investment: $800

Yeah, I felt awkward at first because I hate getting my picture taken.

It got easier with every shot. Maija has a fun and energetic personality! She is efficient and is great at making you feel comfortable.” 
~Jen M.

Maija is very professional and detail oriented. 

Her passion for understanding her clients needs and expectations is evident before, during and after the photo sessions. I highly recommend working with her.”
~Mark L.

Schedule a discovery call

FAQs

And always happy to answer any others. I’m here for you.

Not at all. You don’t need to know how to pose—that’s my job. I guide you the entire time, often by giving you things to do instead of freezing you in a pose. We’ll move, we’ll talk, we’ll probably laugh (a lot). It’s meant to feel human, not performative. Awkwardness is expected. We work with it—not against it.

Be you—just take it up a notch.
I’ll share my What to Wear guide to help you choose. In most cases, what you need is already in your closet. We’re not reinventing you—just elevating what’s already working.

Most sessions take place outdoors or other public spaces around Chicago. We’ll choose a spot that supports your goals and feels comfortable—nothing random, nothing awkward.


If you want an indoor session, that’s possible too. Just know that indoor locations sometimes require a permit or a studio rental, which would be added separately. I’ll walk you through the options so there are no surprises.

Your online gallery is typically delivered within 1–2 weeks. Final images are delivered for download immediately after you make your selections.

Retouching is meant to keep you looking like yourself—just a little more polished and well-rested.

A chef doesn’t serve raw ingredients and I don’t either. Raw files are just that: ingredients. The finished work is the part that’s meant to be shared.

Absolutely.
You can upgrade your collection after you’ve seen your images—or even weeks later if you decide you want more. Just reach out and we’ll take care of it.

The You Sessions are for people who want portraits that feel like themselves—not a heavily manufactured version of who they think they should be.


If you’re open to guidance, trust the process, and want images that feel natural and confident, you’ll feel right at home here. If you’re looking for heavy retouching, rigid posing, or someone to tell you exactly who to be, this probably isn’t the right fit—and that’s okay.

This works best when we’re aligned.

Woman with glasses leans in and smiles at the camera.

Ready When You Are

The You Sessions begin with a Discovery Call. We’ll talk through what you’re looking for, answer questions, and make sure this feels like the right fit.

If it does, we’ll look at the calendar and next steps together.

schedule a discovery call