Charleen’s love for photography began in her sophomore year at Killingly High School. Capturing images for class assignments sparked her creative skills as well as her enjoyment for processing and printing in the dark room. Her high school photography teacher encouraged Charleen to enroll in the Rhode Island School of Photography which she graduated from in 1989.

Charleen has worked at achieving many of her goals – Owning her own studio, working toward her Certification, Craftsman and Master Degree in photography, as well as becoming a platform speaker in the photographic industry. Charleen has had the experience of owning, building, and recreating her studio environment several times. When most photographers dream of just owning a studio, Charleen has consistently updated hers by location and design and just finished her 4th studio build out that is a perfect combination of functionality, luxury, and home-like feel. 

When not in the studio, Charleen can be found camping, hiking, biking, reading, and enjoying time with her family. Her favorite comfort food is grilled cheese with tomato soup, her favorite dish when dining out is filet mignon or pan seared sea scallops with risotto followed up with tiramisu.

Charleen’s future plans are to design customized creative sessions for her studio customers that want more than just a nice photo of someone smiling at a camera, but a story of who they are in this moment and time. Her story telling albums have been becoming increasingly popular among families and high school seniors, and her Magical Santa Session have been receiving National Recognition and Awards for their artistic quality. She loves to work with young children and has the keen ability to capture genuine smiles in a rather fast paced environment when it comes to school portraits. The days of telling children to smile in front of a camera are long gone. Charleen brings a creative, fun approach to her schools that have children recognizing her whenever she is out and about, pointing her out to their parents as the “The Picture Lady”.