Meet The Team
We believe in building strong relationships with our brand partners filled with collaboration, creativity, and good vibes.
Lindsey Monroe
Lindsey is our Head of Production. She started her career in 2009 as a Commercial Artist Rep before moving to NYC to expand her marketing and communications skills at a media measurement company. She moved back to Chicago in 2012 with an entrepreneurial itch, and launched a brick-and-mortar family photo business. After that, she circled back to her roots as a client account manager for an e-commerce photo studio on Chicago’s North Side – where she met Paul and Sara. Now, she’s here with us in West Town, scratching that entrepreneurial itch once again!
Lindsey is the main point of contact for projects at AVE3 and your go-to for any questions about our process or what we can offer as a studio. Her passion for connecting with people moves her to build meaningful, lasting relationships both in and out of work.
On a typical weekend you’ll find Lindsey keeping busy with her family (her husband, 2 boys, her pup Chi, and her cat Willa). She’ll either be on the sidelines at one of her kiddos' many sporting events, hiking, cooking, caring for her plants, or planning the next family road trip adventure. Oh, and walking Chi around the neighborhood... Chi loves walks.
Paul Zimmerman
Paul’s our Head of Photography. He moved to Chicago after graduating from RIT in 2002 to pursue a career in commercial photography. Since then, he’s shot for hundreds of brands, including Groupon, Motorola, and Walgreens. In 2010, he helped found a commercial photo studio called POW Photography, where he spent 13 years mastering the art of white-background product photography in a way that results in images that are efficiently produced while also maintaining his high quality photo standards. In 2023, he moved onto to Ave3 with Lindsey and Sara, where he continues to shoot and create on a daily basis.
Paul knows all the ins and outs of studio lighting, has experience building out custom sets, and has connections with other creatives around the city that he collaborates with on projects in and out of Ave3. He’s here to help strategize how to build out custom sets and lighting setups, determine what equipment is needed, and hire qualified crew members to get the job done right.
Outside of Ave3, he enjoys pushing his creativity with woodworking (which comes in handy for set building at the studio), and creating photography of Chicago and all it has to offer. He’s also part of a Chicago Rowing club and rows in the bow seat for the team. Aside from that, he’s always up for trying out the latest recipe or baking some bread on the weekend.
Sara Katkar
Sara is our Head of Creative and Post Production. She moved from Wisconsin to Chicago in 2012 to pursue a Commercial Photography degree from Columbia College Chicago. Since completing her degree in 2016, she’s worked in the product photography industry as a photographer, stylist, and retoucher. She kicked off her career at Paul’s studio where she spent 10 years working as a photographer, retoucher, and eventu, then moved up to lead the digital department where she managed retouching, quality control, and revisions.
At AVE3, Sara combines her experience in photography, styling and retouching to oversee the creative elements of each shoot (props, set, styling, overall vibes), and then works her Photoshop magic to polish up the deliverables before handing them off to clients. Sara’s favorite products to work on are jewelry. She loves the technical and artistic challenges of working with the reflections on set and in post, with the goal to make those products look shiny and luxurious.
In her free time, Sara likes to slow down with a walk in the park and a mocha or chai latte in-hand. She enjoys tending to her plants, painting or doodling, meditating, thrifting, or browsing Pinterest for inspiration on her next art project.
What Sets Us Apart
and makes us a go-to choice for our clients.
Our Flexible
Production Options
Our studio is equipped to handle a range of production methods that can flex for your budget.
You can opt to come on-site for a full, traditional shoot in the studio with us,
OR
stay where you are, and ship your products to the studio for remote production.
Our Fully-Equipped
Photo Studio
We have a 3200 square foot studio space that we’ve designed exclusively for product photography shoots. We have ample equipment for most lighting setups on-site, and plenty of space for multiple custom sets.
Because of this, we’ve reduced many of the expenses associated with outside rentals such as location, transportation, and equipment.
Our Team — We’re A
Full Crew!
With Lindsey handling production, Paul leading photography, and Sara managing styling and post production, we have the critical production rolls covered right off the bat.
If we need more hands on deck,, we have a network of creatives that we can add to the project.