Meet Rick Feldman | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rick Feldman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rick, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Photography found me during the darkest period of my life — after the loss of my oldest son. It was one of the few things that helped me find my way back. That experience completely shaped the kind of photographer I became and the kind of studio I built.
At Black Kat Studios I work primarily with women, and what I’ve learned is that most of them walk in carrying something heavy. Maybe it’s years of not feeling good enough. Maybe it’s a body they’ve been at war with. Maybe it’s a version of themselves they lost somewhere along the way and are trying to find again.
My boudoir and glamour work gives them a safe space to be seen — fully, beautifully, and without judgment. When a woman sees her images for the first time and her hand goes to her mouth because she can’t believe that’s her — that’s the impact. That’s the moment that matters.
My personal branding work does something similar but in a professional context. So many women in business are showing up online with photos that don’t reflect who they actually are or the level they’re operating at. When I photograph a woman for her brand I’m not just taking headshots — I’m helping her show the world the leader, the expert, and the visionary she already is. Confidence in business starts with how you present yourself, and great photography changes that instantly.
I believe confidence is contagious. A woman who walks out of a session feeling extraordinary carries that into her relationships, her work, her family. The ripple effect of that is real even if it’s hard to measure.
Beyond individual sessions I’m committed to creating art that reflects the full range of human beauty — every body type, every age, every background. Representation in fine art photography matters. Every woman deserves to see herself as the work of art she already is.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My photography lives at the intersection of glamour, boudoir, and fine art. I know a lot of photographers say their work is artistic but for me that’s not a marketing line, it’s a conviction. If it’s done right, it’s all fine art. Every session I shoot, regardless of the style, is approached with that same intention, to create something beautiful, lasting, and meaningful.
What sets me apart is harder to put into words than a list of technical skills. It’s the environment I create. Women come to me nervous, self conscious, and unsure. They leave transformed. Not because I worked some kind of magic but because I genuinely see them, and I know how to show them what I see. That’s the work I’m most proud of.
Getting here was not easy. Not even close.
There was a period in my life where grief and depression made even the smallest tasks feel impossible. Some days the most significant professional accomplishment I can point to is simply that I got out of bed, kept breathing, and kept going. I don’t say that for sympathy. I say it because I think it’s important for people to know that Black Kat Studios was built in the middle of that darkness, not in spite of it but because of it. Photography was one of the few things that cut through the fog. Creating art gave me a reason to keep going when almost nothing else did. It became my way back.
Not enough people who experience grief and depression talk about it openly. There’s still so much silence around it, so much shame that doesn’t belong there. I’m not interested in pretending my path was smooth or that I had it all figured out. If being honest about the hard parts means even one person reading this feels a little less alone in what they’re going through, then it’s worth saying out loud.
And before anyone cancels their booking, I promise I am not showing up to your session in a trench coat clutching a box of tissues while Depeche Mode plays in the background. The studio is full of good music, bad jokes, and more laughing than you’d expect. The hard stuff made me a better photographer and a more present human being. What you get in the studio is all of that, without the sobbing.
That experience changed how I photograph people. I don’t take a single session for granted. I know how fragile life is and how much it matters to create something meaningful with the time we have. Every woman who sits in front of my camera deserves my full presence, my full skill, and my full heart. That’s what she gets.
And the truth is, this work brings me more joy than I ever expected. There is nothing quite like the moment a woman sees her images for the first time and that involuntary “wow” escapes before she can even think. That moment never gets old. It’s the reason I pick up a camera every single day.
My work has been featured in Victoria Magazine, UnTold, SHADES, LeDesir, and The Social Pin Magazine. I shoot from my private studio in Upland, CA and at premium locations throughout Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.
What do I want the world to know about Black Kat Studios? That this isn’t just a photography business. It’s a place where women come to be seen, celebrated, and reminded of their own beauty and strength. And that every image I create carries the weight of a life that taught me nothing is guaranteed, so make it count.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ll be honest with you, I’m an introvert at heart. My idea of a perfect week isn’t packed with nightclubs and rooftop bars. It’s good food, good music, great scenery, and quality time with people I actually want to be around. So here’s my version of the perfect week in the greater Los Angeles and Inland Empire area.
Day 1 — Hit the Beach
We’re starting at Venice Beach. Walk the boardwalk, watch the chaos, take it all in. Venice has this energy that’s completely unique to Los Angeles, street performers, artists, athletes, and characters you won’t find anywhere else on earth. It’s a little loud and a little weird and I love it.
Day 2 — Into the Mountains
We’re lacing up and heading to Mt. Baldy or the Claremont Loop for a hike. The views up there remind you why Southern California is unlike anywhere else in the world. Ocean, desert, and mountain all within an hour of each other. Take your time, breathe the air, and remember what it feels like to be small in the best possible way.
Day 3 — Eat Like a Local
We’re starting at Canter’s Deli on Fairfax in Los Angeles. This place has been an LA institution since 1931 and for good reason. The corned beef, the rye bread, the old school diner energy, it’s a must. Then dinner at The Meat Cellar in Claremont. Local, unpretentious, and genuinely great food. One of those spots that flies under the radar but shouldn’t.
Day 4 — Theme Park Day
Depending on who’s in the group it’s either Knott’s Berry Farm or Disneyland. Both are within easy reach and both deliver a full day of fun. Knott’s if you want to feel the nostalgia of old California. Disney if you want the full spectacle. Either way bring comfortable shoes and get there early.
Day 5 — Live Music or Burlesque
If the right act is playing, a night at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip is an experience everyone should have at least once. That stage has hosted some of the greatest musicians in rock history and on any given night you might discover your next favorite band. If burlesque is more your speed I’d take you to see one of my past clients perform. Watching someone you’ve photographed command a stage with that kind of confidence is something special. Art in a completely different form.
Day 6 — Icons of LA
Drive up to Griffith Observatory. It’s one of those places that stops you in your tracks every single time. You can see the Hollywood Sign from there, the whole LA basin stretched out in front of you, and on a clear day it feels like you can see forever. Free to visit, iconic, and genuinely one of the most beautiful spots in the city. Then take a slow drive back down through Los Feliz and grab food somewhere local. Some of the best moments in Southern California happen when you stop trying to see everything and just let the place wash over you.
Day 7 — Desert Magic
We’re ending the week in the desert, either Palm Springs or Joshua Tree depending on the mood. Palm Springs for the mid century architecture, the sunshine, and the energy of a town that knows how to do leisure right. Joshua Tree if you want something more raw and spiritual, standing in the middle of that landscape with the bizarre twisted trees and boulders in every direction feels like another planet. Either way the desert light at golden hour is some of the most beautiful light in Southern California and as a photographer I never get tired of it. It’s the perfect way to end a week, quiet, vast, and completely unforgettable.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a few people and things that deserve real recognition in my story.
First and foremost my wife Bhavini. She has been my rock through everything, through grief, through rebuilding, through every late night editing session and every moment of self doubt. Black Kat Studios exists because she believed in it and in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself.
I also have to acknowledge the photographers who came before me and whose work shaped my eye. Helmut Newton, whose fearless use of light and the female form taught me that bold photography can also be deeply respectful and artistic. And Bunny Yeager, a true pioneer who proved that a woman behind the camera could capture femininity with an intimacy and authenticity that changed the genre entirely. She photographed women the way women want to be seen, with power, beauty, and dignity. Both of their influences are woven into how I see and shoot.
And honestly my clients deserve a shoutout. The women who trusted me enough to walk through that door, especially in the early days when I was still finding my footing, gave me something I can never fully repay. Every woman who said yes to being photographed by me helped make me the photographer I am today. Their courage inspired mine.
Finally the loss of my oldest son Zac. I wouldn’t have chosen that path but it led me here.

Website: https://www.blackkatstudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackkatstudios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RickFeldmanPhotography

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-kat-studios-upland?osq=Black+Kat+Studios&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2F

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackKatPinupStudios

Image Credits
Photos by Rick Feldman at Black Kat Studios