Featured Studio: Ravetta Photography
Let’s talk about Ravetta Photography who operates in the city of St. Louis and has been the local photographer for three decades. Lou and Karen Ravetta know they have been in business a long time, when they find themselves doing weddings of the second generation. Speaking of second generation, their daughter Rachel shares in the success of the family business.
The success story starts back in 1974, when Lou’s grandmother died and
left him a share of her fortune. After split with the large Italian family he
received $200.00, “two hundred”, not two thousand or two million.
Lou decided to spend his small fortune on a 35mm Pentax camera that he would
have forever to remember his grandmother. He started by taking pictures of his
girlfriend Karen . She was the most underpaid model ever!
Lou showed off his images at work and was asked to do a wedding of a co-worker.
At first he refused, declaring that he was not a professional photographer.
The bride-to-be persuaded Lou to except the challenge because she could not
afford to pay a professional. Lou did the wedding, shooting about 30-40 images.
The bride bought
most of them and referred Lou to a friend of hers.
The next step was trading in the 35mm camera and the money he made on the first
wedding to buy his first Hasselblad. (used of course). He couldn’t possibly
do another wedding using a 35mm camera. In the photography world that was so
unprofessional.
So, the ball started rolling. Lou and Karen did weddings on the weekend, saving all of the profit for more equipment. In 1984 they were able to move the business from the house and start pulling their first paychecks. They have been able to keep ahead of the trends, styles and changes in photography over the past 30 years. Their daughter Rachel, as well as, many employees have made contributions to the overall success of the business.
The Ravetta’s are going strong with Rachel by their side. She decided to study business management in college because she felt that her dad would be able to teach her how to be a great photographer. Over the years, Rachel has taken what her dad taught and incorporated her own style. This has enhanced not only the studio, but the family relationship as well.
Lou served on the St. Louis Professional Photographers Association board and
is a past president. Rachel is currently serving on the board following in her
father’s footsteps and is excited to keep the family business running
strong.