The Refinery Photo Studio

Name: The Refinery Photo Studio
Address: 229 E Wisconsin Avenue Suite 904, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, US
Telephone: +14143508943
Price range: $$$
Rating: 5

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The Refinery Photo Studio

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The Refinery Photo Studio is a boutique photography studio serving Milwaukee, WI and beyond. The Refinery is a photography studio unlike any other.
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We specialize in headshots and portraits for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Based in the historic Railway Exchange Building in Downtown Milwaukee and run by award-winning photographer Jessica Kaminski, the core goal/mission of the studio is simple: Rethink Portraiture. The Refinery was created to be a unique creative environment curated to meet clients’ varying photographic needs. Whether it is headshots for career advancement, highlighting the power of your team, celebrating an important milestone or creating a fantasy persona to inhabit - The Refinery will work with you to create not only a portrait to love, but one that is a timeless representation of your best self. Working with Jessica, clients are encouraged to think outside the box with their sessions and with the help of The Refinery team, take ideas up a notch to create professional and original images. "A portrait is not made in the camera, but on either side of it" - Edward Steichen

10/21/2026

Thank you so much to Bay View Industries for having us on site for a series of Executive Portraits.

It’s always fun to visit other industries and see different types of businesses that we might not normally have access to.

We shot on 4 different “sets” within the building. I had done a location scout of the space prior to the shoot to identify the backgrounds that we would use. This meant that we could focus on being creative and making sure the that those being photographed felt taken care of.

Everyone left the shoot feeling happy and excited to start using their new image library.

Thanks again for a great shoot!

08/05/2026

Meet Ella!

This pat May, Ella graduated from DSHA High School! Before that we celebrated her with a session, splitting our time between our studio and the beautiful Riverwalk!

We would like to congratulate Ella and wish her the best of luck on the next chapter of her life.

Thanks for a great session Ella!

08/03/2026

Meet Jasmine!

Jasmine is a Senior Contract Specialist at Fiserv! She was about to be in the news and wanted an updated headshot for the occasion!

Thanks for a great session Jasmine!

07/31/2026

Meet Marcus!

Marcus is an aspiring actor and storyteller. He came to us to add some Actor headshots to his portfolio.

Here is what he had to say about his experience:

"Working with Jessica was a lot of fun, she absolutely knows her craft. She made the entire process seamless and enjoyable. Truly went above and beyond to not only deliver an exceptional end product, but an exceptional experience as a whole as well. Her insight, direction, and welcoming demeanor helped me feel completely comfortable from start to finish."

Thanks for a great session Marcus! Come back any time!

07/27/2026

The Headshot Social

📅 Date: Friday August 14, 2026
Time: 10am-2pm
Location: The Refinery Photo Studio
Limited Availability - Book Your Time Slot Now!

The Package $350 + tax

✨ What to Expect:
*Professional hair and makeup touchups by Yuliya
*Choice of Backdrop colors
*Immediate viewing of images
*Choice of 2 headshots from session
*Professional Retouching on 2 headshots
*Digital Delivery within 2 weeks
🥂 Complimentary Bubbly (Alcoholic and Non Alcoholic)

Sign Up Here: https://www.refinerymke.com/the-headshot-social

07/22/2026

Thank you to Intrua for having us at your Brookfield office for some Branding Images.

Since both gentleman were coming in from out of state, my team and I were able to location scout ahead of time and find places within the office that we knew would make great images.

I am so happy with how these turned out and can't wait to see them in use!

Thanks for a great session, Mitch and Tom!

06/30/2026

Meet Kliff!

Kliff is an actor, director and writer.He is known for The Survivor's Guide of a Newspaper Carrier (2019), Last Resort (2018) and Laundry Day (2017). He stopped at the studio for some updated headshots at the studio and we had a great time creating some different looks.

I especially love the energy and movement of the first photograph!

Thanks for a great session Kliff!

06/02/2026

Meet Gretchen Weber!

Gretchen is an audiobook narrator and voice actor, and I recently had the pleasure of photographing her for a Personal Branding Session.

What I loved most about Gretchen's story is that her career began during a self-imposed sabbatical from corporate life. While traveling across the U.S. and Europe, she spent countless hours listening to audiobooks and eventually had a realization: someone was getting paid to do this. Why couldn't that someone be her?

Four years later, Gretchen has recorded more than 85 audiobook titles, submitted over 1,500 auditions, and was inducted into the Audible Approved Producers Program in 2025.

When asked what advice she'd give aspiring voice actors, her answer was refreshingly honest: success comes from repeatedly putting yourself out there, handling rejection, and continuing to show up for the work.

A few other fun facts:
🎧 She dreams of becoming an expert songwriter.
📚 She's a regular at the East Side Library.
☕ Her favorite local coffee spots are Discourse and Colectivo.
🎶 She's a huge Goo Goo Dolls fan and will be seeing them again this summer.

Thank you for a wonderful session, Gretchen! It was so much fun creating these colorful, energetic portraits with you.

Interested in working with Gretchen? Connect with her here:

[email protected]
www.gretchenweber.com

05/27/2026

Meet Tim!

Tim just moved to Milwaukee from Chicago and stopped by the studio to get some new headshots.

We kept it classic, but added a little extra flavor by using a colored backdrop. We also shot on our textured wall. I love the variety we were able to capture during this business headshot session.

Good luck on your future endeavors Tim, and thanks for a great session!

P.S. Fun Fact, my fellow MIAD classmate, Colleen painted our textured wall when we first moved into this space. You can check out her work at Drew Art Inc.

05/20/2026

Meet Montana!

Montana is an actor who came to us for update actor headshots! He has a lot of horror films under his belt, and is looking forward to expanding his portfolio.

Thanks for a great session Montana!

Address

229 E Wisconsin Avenue Suite 904
Milwaukee, WI
53211

Telephone

+14143508943

Website

http://RefineryMKE.com/

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