RAW Portraits
Black & White Portrait Photography in Milwaukee
What happens when you give yourself permission to simply exist?
When you have a space where there’s nothing to prove, no particular way you’re expected to look or feel, and someone to guide you through the experience?
RAW is an invitation to find out.
Through a fully guided black-and-white portrait session, we’ll explore movement, expression, emotion, and stillness. There is room for laughter, contemplation, playfulness, vulnerability, and whatever else you might discover along the way.
You may recognize parts of yourself you’ve always known. You may encounter expressions or emotions you haven’t seen reflected back to you before.
There’s no particular outcome we’re trying to achieve. The experience is yours to explore, and the photographs become a record of what unfolded.
The Beauty of Being Human
There’s something extraordinary about having a photographic record of ourselves as we actually exist at a particular moment in our lives.
Our faces carry evidence of the years we’ve lived. Our expressions reveal something of our personalities, our experiences, and the ways we move through the world.
RAW celebrates those details.
Every portrait is created in black and white, with intentional lighting and artistic direction. The images are presented without beauty retouching, preserving the natural details of the person who stood in front of my camera.
The photographs are expressive, sometimes unexpected, and deeply individual.
As RAW client Jenn shared:
“Society places such expectations on people on how to look, act, be, exist. RAW is an opportunity to break all that down and see truly the bare human underneath it all.”
The RAW Experience
You don’t need to know how to pose, how to express yourself, or what you’re hoping to discover. I’ll guide you throughout the experience, giving you direction while leaving room for your own responses and discoveries.
Your RAW session includes three distinct looks, each designed to explore a different aspect of yourself.
LIGHT | Movement
We begin with movement. An opportunity to loosen up, get comfortable in front of the camera, and explore the ways your body naturally moves and responds.
This look is about finding freedom in motion, whether that means something playful and energetic or quiet and fluid.
DARK | Expression
Here, we turn our attention to the face and the extraordinary range of expression it holds.
We’ll explore subtle shifts in emotion, familiar expressions, and perhaps a few you’ve never seen photographed before. There is room for intensity, humor, contemplation, and everything in between.
IN YOUR SKIN | The Intimate Self
This final look invites a more personal exploration of your relationship with yourself and your body.
How much skin you choose to reveal is entirely up to you. You may remain clothed, choose something more revealing, or explore implied or artistic nudity.
We’ll approach this portion with sensitivity, curiosity, and respect for your boundaries, creating space for whatever feels meaningful to you.
Who Is RAW For?
Perhaps you’ve never felt comfortable in front of a camera. Or perhaps you’ve spent years in front of one and know exactly how to present yourself.
Maybe you’re naturally expressive and enjoy the opportunity to experiment. Maybe you’re curious about what might happen if you gave yourself the freedom to explore a little.
You might be celebrating a new chapter, documenting this moment in your life, or simply interested in experiencing yourself from a different perspective.
RAW welcomes all of those possibilities.
It’s an experience for adults of all genders, personalities, body types, and backgrounds, as well as younger participants ages 12 and up.
You can arrive with a clear intention, or with nothing more than curiosity.
In Their Own Words
“Participating in RAW portraits is an opportunity to express myself in a new way… to challenge myself, have fun, and showcase a different side of me that others might not have seen before.”
Lisa, RAW client
“I had so much fun during our shoot.”
Karen, RAW client
The Possibility of Discovery
One of the things I find most meaningful about RAW is that people often discover something in their photographs they weren’t expecting.
Sometimes it’s a familiar expression they’ve never seen captured quite that way. Sometimes it’s a feeling of recognition, affection, or connection.
Kimberlee described looking at her portraits and finding herself able to regard the woman in the photographs with a different kind of kindness.
“The results of this session found me speaking of myself in third person, observing myself with less critique and seeing myself as a lively, spirited individual I would want to get to know. A potential friend.”
And then:
“I know that woman. I like her.”
Kimberlee, RAW client
A Space to Simply Exist
Elizabeth came to RAW with a lifetime of experience as a performer, accustomed to being aware of how she appeared to others.
She was curious about who she might encounter when she had room to step outside those familiar roles.
After her session, she wrote:
“I knew this session would be vulnerable, but I’m just so fascinated by how much I discovered in myself. Jenn held space for me with warmth and authenticity. And that allowed me to freely to explore who I am- deeply and without the context of being one of the many versions I am, depending on what’s needed from me.”
“All that was required here was to simply exist, respond, and live in a raw moment.”
Later, one of her portraits brought an entirely unexpected discovery: a resemblance to her mother at the same age.
“It was a feeling of such deep connection to maternal love, being both a daughter and a mother.”
That’s one of the beautiful possibilities of portraiture. We bring our own histories, relationships, and experiences to the photographs, and sometimes they give us something new to consider.
RAW, Together
Some of the most meaningful things about our relationships are the little things we barely notice anymore.
The familiar expressions, the inside jokes, the way we make each other laugh. Every relationship has its own personality, built over years of shared experiences.
RAW offers an opportunity to explore that connection together.
Come with your parent, your partner, your sibling, your best friend, or your growing tween who’s developing a whole world of expressions and opinions of their own.
We’ll make room for the familiar dynamics, the spontaneous moments, and all the little things that make your relationship what it is today.
A Father and Daughter
One client came into the studio with her father. She had lost her mother years earlier, and having photographs with her dad meant a great deal to her.
He had always been uncomfortable in front of the camera, particularly because he was self-conscious about his teeth.
We spent the session making photographs of the two of them and giving him room to settle into the experience.
He left smiling.
Now they have a record of this time together, including the familiar expressions and details that make their relationship their own.
“Jennifer’s art truly captured Emma’s essence.”
Emma’s mom
In Your Skin
Our relationship with our bodies can be complicated, and it can change throughout our lives.
For some people, the In Your Skin portion of RAW becomes an opportunity to explore that relationship through photography.
There is room for confidence, curiosity, tenderness, humor, and whatever feels meaningful to you.
Cat shared this reflection after her experience:
“As someone with a lifelong complicated relationship with their body, I didn’t realize how very necessary this shoot was.”
For others, the experience is simply an opportunity to create beautiful, expressive portraits in their own skin.
There is no expectation that the session needs to be emotionally profound. Your experience can be whatever you would like it to be.
Your RAW Session
Your RAW portrait experience takes place in my private Milwaukee-area studio in West Allis, Wisconsin.
Your Session Includes
One-hour private studio portrait session
Three visual approaches: Light, Dark, and In Your Skin
Full artistic direction and posing guidance
Guidance for movement, expression, and body language
Professional studio lighting and photography
A private, comfortable environment
Time to explore a range of expressions and emotions
Black-and-white portraiture
Images presented without beauty retouching
A personal image reveal and selection experience
Complimentary studio beverages and refreshments
Access to professional portrait collections and artwork
Session Investment
RAW Session Fee: $449
Your session fee reserves your appointment and includes the guided portrait experience.
Portraits are purchased separately after viewing your images, so you can select the photographs that are most meaningful to you.
Digital Portrait Collections
5 images: $1,500*
10 images: $2,500
20 images: $3,000
Individual portraits are available to add to any collection for $350 each.
*The 5-image digital collection is the minimum purchase for your RAW session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to pose?
Absolutely not. I’ll guide you throughout the session, including what to do with your hands, how to move, and how to explore different expressions. You’re welcome to arrive with no photography experience whatsoever.
Is RAW similar to boudoir photography?
RAW is a black-and-white portrait experience centered on individuality and expression. Some clients choose artistic nudity as part of their session, while others remain fully clothed. The experience is shaped around your comfort and interests.
Will my portraits be retouched?
RAW portraits are presented without beauty retouching. Natural skin texture, lines, scars, and other personal details remain part of the photographs. Black-and-white processing and artistic lighting are used to create the finished images.
What should I wear?
We’ll discuss clothing choices before your session. RAW generally works beautifully with simple, comfortable pieces that allow for movement and expression. We’ll plan your Light, Dark, and In Your Skin looks together.
Can I book RAW with someone else?
Yes. RAW Together is an opportunity to photograph your relationship with a parent, partner, sibling, friend, or another important person in your life. Please mention your plans when inquiring so we can discuss the session.
Are RAW sessions available for men?
Absolutely. RAW is available to people of all genders.
Can my tween participate?
Yes. My studio welcomes clients ages 12 and older. RAW can be a wonderful experience for a tween individually or together with a parent.
When do I choose my photographs?
You’ll have the opportunity to view your portraits and select your favorites during your image reveal. Portrait collections and individual images are purchased separately from your session fee.
Meet Your Photographer
Hello, I’m Jennifer.
I’m Jennifer Brindley Ubl, a Master Portrait Photographer with more than 20 years of experience photographing people.
My studio is known for carefully crafted, fashion-inspired portraiture, and I’ve spent years helping people feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera.
RAW draws on that same experience with direction, lighting, and human connection, while giving us room to explore a different kind of portrait.
I want you to feel comfortable enough to be curious, to try things, to laugh, to pause, and to see where the experience takes you.
I’ll be there to guide you through it.
What Might You Discover?
You may arrive with a particular idea of how you want to be photographed. You may have no idea at all.
Either way, we’ll create space to explore.
I’d love to welcome you into the studio and see what unfolds.
Let’s Explore RAW
RAW Portraits by Jennifer Brindley Portrait | West Allis, Wisconsin | Serving Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin