When a 10-year-old Kristina Fainstein finally saved enough money to purchase a Sony camera, her favorite subjects were her grandparents, then in their nineties. “I loved them so much and taking their photos helped me remember their faces,” she recalls. “When they passed away, those images were my memories of them.”
Born in 1978 in Moldova, then part of the Soviet Union, Fainstein, now 46, studied law in Romania, and spent a decade as a forensic investigator. She and her family later lived in Israel and Europe before moving to the United States, where she decided to follow her passion and transition to photography as a career.
SQUISHY AND SLEEPY
In 2014, Fainstein opened SteinArtStudio in her family’s home outside Los Angeles. “I always loved babies and knew I needed to stop what I was doing and take my heart seriously,” she says. Having treasured those photos of her grandparents, Fainstein longed to give new parents a lasting reminder of the first fleeting days of their child’s life: the squishy, sleepy expressions; the adorable, whole-body yawns; the spiky hair.
While in high school, Fainstein’s daughter Katelyn, now 27, helped her mom with weekend photography sessions and showed a flair for social media marketing. Katelyn entered the University of California at San Diego with plans to become a surgeon, and continued to assist in the studio when she could.
As more and more parents raved about SteinArtStudio and positively reviewed Fainstein’s images and white-glove service, the photography business grew. Among their clientele were celebrities, professional athletes, and other entertainment industry executives, according to their website. Katelyn suspended her pre-med studies, graduated with a business degree, and joined her mother in the studio to run sales, social media, marketing, and other aspects of the business. To keep up with their growing client base, the Fainsteins moved the studio out of the house and into a commercial space.
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended life in early 2020, the family decided to relocate to central Florida. “We had always planned to leave California, but it was hard, as my father was a California-based long haul truck driver,” says Katelyn. But the family was not afraid, remembers Kristina. “I knew everything would be fine,” she says. “We were great at what we were doing, and we did it with a lot of passion and patience, so we didn’t have the fear. That helped us proceed forward.”
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The Fainsteins reestablished the business in Orlando in a small studio. Despite the lingering pandemic, Kristina and Katelyn kept up marketing efforts and, before long, had enough business to move into a larger space.
Today, SteinArtStudio in Orlando is calm yet bustling. The studio’s gorgeous images and cuddly customer experience are sought out by celebrities, locals, and far-flung admirers who travel, newborns and baby gear in tow, for sessions with Kristina and Katelyn. SteinArtStudio has expanded to maternity photography, boudoir, family portraits, and toddler cake smash sessions. Many couples jump to book maternity, baby, and family holiday sessions as soon as they learn they are pregnant, according to the mother-daughter duo.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
While Kristina is behind the camera, Katelyn uses her business acumen to refine processes and keep clients satisfied. The studio’s relaxed vibe and family atmosphere are a big plus for overwhelmed new parents. Katelyn’s partner Dallis typically is the first to welcome clients. He speaks with them on the phone and invites them to complete a questionnaire, select their preferred colors for the session, and upload inspirational photos for ideas. Katelyn uses that information to design a fully customized setup for each client. “Parents choose the big idea, and we make sure it flows,” she says. She also goes over the shot list with Kristina and charts every detail.
No detail is overlooked. Among the assets at their disposal is a Hollywood-level collection of props, outfits, fabrics, and accessories. For example, the studio stores 300 baby headbands in every imaginable style and hue. A miniature rustic bunk bed—a favorite for newborn twins sessions—features a wee ladder and trailing trellis of pastoral flowers. Parents also can choose from miniature velvet settees and antique-looking chairs, a tiny carriage and other scaled-down décor items. Among the most requested props, according to Katelyn and Kristina, is a dreamcatcher, an ethereal basket made of entwined vines that is used to cradle infants. For maternity and family photo sessions, SteinArtStudio also offers hair, makeup, and wardrobe services for the moms and moms-to-be, which adds to the magical, dreamlike quality of the experience, they say.
COLLABORATION AND COMPROMISE
Kristina and Katelyn use their extensive collection as inspiration, always on the hunt for new ways to pose, light, and celebrate their newborn and baby subjects. “If we can’t find something we need,” says Katelyn, “my dad can usually build it.”
While Kristina is lead photographer, the pair are highly collaborative. Kristina describes her daughter’s ability to create artistic environments as “amazing,” and Katelyn voices respect for her mother’s photographic talent. Once Kristina has decided on the images she wants, she’ll often turn the camera over to her daughter. “I’ll encourage Katelyn to take her shots in case I missed an angle,” says Kristina.
Neither mother nor daughter could think of a time they sparred or were stressed. “After more than 12 years together professionally, we’ve learned to compromise,” says Kristina. “We also have the special connection of mother and daughter. I have everything she’s missing, and she has what I’m missing.” That synergy contributes to an artistic whole that’s more than the sum of its parts.
LOVE AND CARING
As for equipment, Kristina remains loyal to her childhood favorite, Sony, specifically the brand’s a7RV body, which she uses with a Profoto deep white umbrella. She uses Sony FE 85mm F1.4, 35mm F3.5, 70mm F2.8, and macro lenses to capture diminutive hands and feet, and considers the Sony 85mm prime lens “the love of my life.” “I feel like I can create so much art with the 85 lens aperture; I rarely use 24-70 because of the distortion,” she explains. When she’s photographing a newborn on a bean bag, though, for example, she prefers the Sony FE 90mm macro lens.
The Fainsteins schedule just one session per day, which contributes to a relaxed, special-occasion feel. There’s no rush, and plenty of opportunity for an infant to be fed and fall back asleep, the desired state for SteinArtStudio’s smallest clients.
Those clients in particular are treated with the greatest degree of care, stresses Katelyn. While she was a pre-med student, she completed an internship in a neonatal intensive care unit, where she learned about infant anatomy and physiology. “I got to know a lot about babies, including what signs [of distress] to watch for, neck positioning and how to handle them safely, and what the different baby cries mean,” she explains. Her skills mean she can pose newborns gently and safely, which ensures their comfort during the photo session. The studio also is safety certified by Accredited Professional Newborn Photographers International.
Once the tots are safely tucked into their car seats and on the way home, Kristina begins editing, using Adobe Photoshop, LSP Actions, and Lightroom. Within a couple of weeks, clients can review the images and select their favorites for albums, canvases, and wall art. SteinArtStudio’s clients often prefer the clean, polished look of acrylic, the duo says. The studio has developed its own product line in collaboration with Floricolor, the Portugal-based print lab: a branded album featuring SteinArtStudio’s signature pastel colors and thick, high-quality pages, which is stored in a box fit for a coffee table.
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SHARING THE CRAFT
Kristina and Katelyn share their experience and knowledge with aspiring newborn photographers through Newborn Masterminds, an online mentorship program created with portrait and boudoir photographer Jennifer Bruno Smith. The 12-week, self-paced program covers everything from studio lighting to posing, client prep, proper angles, set design, and tips for booking and marketing.
Meanwhile, the Fainsteins continue to up their game, perfecting the processes, techniques, and service that have made them the go-to maternity and baby portrait studio in central Florida and beyond. Following their passions for photography and creativity together as a mother-daughter duo is not taken for granted, says Kristina. “As a child I was always an artist in my heart—painting, singing, or taking photos,” she adds. “That child, that spirit, is still in me.”
Evelyn Sacks is an Atlanta-based writer.
