Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Baldwin.
Hi Chelsea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am from the Baltimore area, but started my career in the fashion industry in New York while in school at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I started out as a stylist working backstage at runway shows and assisting other stylists with editorial shoots and then eventually had my own styling work published in Relapse Magazine. From there I went on to work in the fashion department at W Magazine for a year and then once I graduated college, landed a job at a creative agency working on concept design for retail clients including Abercrombie, Target, and Kohl’s. After living in New York for 7 years, I was ready to relocate back to Baltimore. I moved back here in 2017 and began working in the e-commerce photography studio at Under Armour, where I met my business partner, Victoria. I started at Under Armour as a stylist and eventually worked my way up to Creative Director of the studio, leading the end-to-end creative execution of all global e-commerce imagery. I directed all of the studio photo shoots, making final selects and overseeing everything from lighting and styling to model casting and post-production, ensuring consistency with the brand’s vision. Working in the photo studio for 7 years taught us everything we needed to know to open our own studio, which is what Victoria and I did together at the start of this year. We became close friends during our time at Under Armour and began dreaming of opening our own studio together. Victoria’s background is in photography and editing. She shot, retouched, and art directed sets in the Under Armour studio, so combining our talents was really the perfect fit to run a studio of our own without having to immediately hire a crew. Victoria also has tons of experience starting and running a business, as she already has a successful real estate photography business, Derek and Vee, which she started with her husband 5 years ago. Currently at Noire Blanc, I direct and style all of our photoshoots and I handle all of our creative consulting work, developing and directing visual concepts for marketing, design, brand campaigns, and digital storytelling for our clients. Victoria leads the photography for all of our projects with exceptional technical proficiency, expertly crafting lighting and composition to elevate and enhance our clients’ brands and online presence.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our experiences working within cookie-cutter corporations have not always been smooth, which is a large part of why we started our business together. We continuously kept seeing the same pattern of great creative talent getting burnt out and treated like a a cog in a wheel and we didn’t want to live like that anymore. We knew we’d be happier putting our hard work and dedication into our own business and helping elevate other small businesses in the Baltimore/DC area.
Leaning on Victoria’s experience in having already started a small photography business has been critical to our quick success. We already had all of the equipment we needed, as Victoria had been shooting her own personal work for years. We set up a studio space in her house to get started, so working in tight quarters has been challenging, but we are looking to move into a more permanent studio location soon. Because we had the equipment (lights, backdrops, camera, etc.) and the space, we were able to start working with very little overhead, which has been great. We also have a lot of industry connections from our previous experiences, so it has been easy on the production side of things as well to book models and work with external retouching partners when needed.
We are both very passionate about what we do and really enjoy working together, so it’s been a really fun journey so far.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a women-owned photography and creative studio dedicated to crafting stunning, high-impact product imagery. We specialize in premium e-commerce photography and creative direction that turns browsers into buyers for our retail clients.
With over 15 years of experience in the fashion and beauty industries, our two-woman team brings a refined eye and editorial sensibility to every shoot. We blend artistry and strategy to craft imagery that not only looks beautiful—but performs. Having come from styling and shooting product to on-figure art direction and leading creative direction for global brands, publications, and small businesses alike, our perspective isn’t theoretical — it’s lived, tested, and trusted. That depth gives us an instinct for brand that feels second nature and we use it to shape work that is both elevated and effective.
Our portfolio spans a wide range of categories—beauty, fashion, accessories, health, footwear, home, and childern’s wear—showcasing our ability to adapt to each brand’s unique identity while maintaining a consistent standard of excellence. We provide end-to-end services that ensure every detail is thoughtfully executed from creative ideation to on-set art direction, styling, and retouching.
While e-commerce product photography is our bread and butter, we also work with clients one-on-one to provide actionable strategies and creative consultancy to elevate their brand imagery. In today’s market, the right imagery isn’t just about showing a product—it’s about creating an experience that makes people stop scrolling. With more and more people shopping exclusively online, product imagery and digital branding is more important now than it’s ever been and we are really proud of the work we have created for our clients so far.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I was always interested in fashion, so watching my mom get dressed up for something, trying on her jewelry, or having her sew something for me to wear was just the best. Even going and picking out outfits for my barbies was one of my favorite things to do. My mom also has a love for fashion and owned her own boutique at one point, so I definitely get that from her. I got accepted into Teen Vogue’s fashion academy when I was in high school and got to go to New York for a weekend and learn from industry experts and it was an absolute dream come true — I always knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry, but growing up in a rural area in Maryland I was never really exposed to that as a career path, so I had to really go out of my way to learn more and I’m so glad that I had the support from my parents to do so at such a young age.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noireblancstudios.com/
- Instagram: @noireblanc_studios
