Empowered in Portrait
Local photographer captures the beauty of motherhood
Sharing photos on social media has become second nature to millions. What started as a fun way to keep in touch with family and friends has launched many amateur creators into unexpected careers.
In a way, that’s exactly what happened to Kinda Arzon.
Arzon specializes in editorial photography sessions at her Oak Brook studio.
The Oak Brook-based photographer started sharing photos of her kids on Facebook—like many other moms with jam-packed camera rolls—during its rise to popularity in the late 2000s. Arzon, who had always been interested in photography, was surprised when friends reached out in awe of her hidden talent.
“People started reaching out to me saying, ‘I love the way you take pictures. Would you mind taking my family photos?’ And it’s kind of how it all started,” Arzon said. “I was so flattered that people were asking me to take their photos.”
Encouraged by this feedback, she signed up for photography classes near her home in San Diego and converted her garage into a studio, where she initially specialized in newborn photos. As her confidence grew, so did her ambition.
“I knew that I wanted to do more maternity,” Arzon said. “I just was just kind of bored of being outdoors. Everybody does outdoor pictures…I wanted something a little bit more challenging for me, so I started looking at studio lighting and more, like, editorial type of photography.”
Her shift to studio-based maternity portraits proved to be the perfect fit. Clients began flying in from all around California. She started photographing celebrities and landing credits in People Magazine, US Weekly, and the Wall Street Journal.
“I feel like every woman needs to be treated like a celebrity.” – Kinda Arzon
“I have worked in San Diego and in L.A., and I feel like the studio experience should be given to every person you know, every day moms, every day women…I’m not just taking their photos; I’m giving them an experience to feel like they’re movie stars,” Arzon said.
When Arzon and her husband moved to Elmhurst in 2020, she took that mindset with her. She took a leap of faith on a two-year lease in Oak Brook—despite having no clients nearby—determined to provide a Hollywood experience in the Chicagoland area. Thanks to a hashtag on her Instagram account that attracted local accounts, her studio was almost immediately full of pregnant women ready for their photo-op.
“I feel like every woman needs to be treated like a celebrity,” Arzon said.
In order to make that a reality, Arzon and her team handle everything. Clients receive professional hair and makeup, access to a curated wardrobe of dresses and fabrics, and guided posing instruction. All they have to do is show up.
Arzon has many celebrity clients, including Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore and his family, who are pictured here.
“The transformation process is amazing,” Arzon said. “They look at the first picture, and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s me.’ Like, they’ve never seen themselves in this light before.”
As a mom of two, Arzon understands that pregnancy is often filled with joy but also anxiety and insecurity. She leads each session with empathy and grace, focused on connecting with each client.
“My favorite part is just really showing someone who’s not feeling so great and not feeling so beautiful how beautiful they truly are,” Arzon said.
These photoshoots are vulnerable and emotional. Many of her clients have faced heartbreaking pregnancy losses, struggled through IVF, or anxiously waited years, hoping they’d one day be able to book a maternity photoshoot of their own.
“I’ve had a few clients who have gone through the IVF journey, so I told them to bring a lot of the needles that they injected themselves with, and we created artwork with it,” Arzon said. Then I’ve created a photo where the mom is laying down, and then they’re kind of around her, just to kind of capture the journey.”
Arzon’s passion for helping people extends beyond the studio. She hosts cooking classes, another passion of hers, to raise money for local charities. She also co-founded a nonprofit to raise money for Syrian refugees, a cause she is passionate about because of her Syrian ancestry. Any time she can, she donates her photography services to support charitable events and organizations.
“If you’re unhappy with something, really search within yourself to find what’s going to bring you joy, whether it’s cooking, whether it’s learning how to sew, whether it’s learning how to [play] pickleball, whatever it is that’s going to bring you joy,” Arzon said. “And then I think, I think things will fall into place.”
“There’s no age limit to what we want to do or what we want to learn and what we want to create,” Arzon said. “I’m very happy doing what I’m doing right now. I just never knew that this was ever going to happen.”
For more about Kinda Arzon, visit KindaArzon.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @kindaarzonphotography.
