Katie Donnelly Photography: An Expat Entrepreneur in Paris On Turning Fear Into Fuel

Sep 27, 2025 - 08:04

Katie Donnelly Photography: An Expat Entrepreneur in Paris On Turning Fear Into Fuel

It takes audacity to pack up your life, move to a new country, learn a foreign language, and build a career from the ground up. For Katie Donnelly, doing so wasn’t just a life change—it was the start of a thriving photography business in the heart of Paris.

A New York native, Katie first discovered her passion for photography in high school. But it was love that eventually led her to Paris, a city that would become her home and the backdrop for her successful studio. Her path was far from easy, as she navigated the complexities of French bureaucracy, built her company from scratch, and later expanded her team after a harrowing battle with cancer during the pandemic. Katie’s story offers valuable insights into building a life and business abroad and finding the courage to face obstacles head-on.

Katie Donnelly holding her young daughter on her lap at a Paris cafe. — photographer Katie Donnelly and her daughter, photo by Our Days Photography.

As the founder of Katie Donnelly Photography, she runs a highly successful family portrait studio. Her beautiful studio, with its walls adorned with stunning portraits, serves as a testament to her talent. It’s a space where clients can view their photos in a cinematic setting, celebrating the special moments she and her team capture.

We recently sat down with Katie at a cozy café in the 6th arrondissement to learn more about her journey. Her story is one of resilience, adaptability, and choosing to find joy even when life presents its most difficult challenges.

Visual Celebrations

Katie refers to her work as “relationship portraits,” focusing on couples and families, but also working with individuals. Together with her team, she shoots throughout Paris, using locations that hold special meaning for each client. Whether it’s capturing a personal journey or a relationship with the city itself, Katie says these images are meant to be a visual celebration.

A little boy and his mother at Palais Royal photographed in black and white.

“So much of our life is lived and lost on a hard drive or on our phones,” she explains. “It’s important to have those moments as tangible pieces of artwork that you can love every day.”

Her studio offers museum-quality prints designed to last for over 80 years, ensuring that these cherished memories become heirlooms. The entire process is deeply personal, always beginning with a conversation to understand her client’s vision and create a unique and meaningful photo session.

A family of four pictured by the Eiffel Tower and a closer up of the mother and daughter.

Making Paris Home

Katie’s journey with photography began as an elective in high school. Years later, while applying to university as a language major, her mother’s simple observation—”You always have your camera”—pushed her to apply to a single photography school. The rest, as they say, is history. After gaining experience as an assistant and helping to open a family studio in the U.S., a serendipitous meeting with a French man changed her entire trajectory.

She moved to Paris to be with her now-husband, initially planning a six-month stay. A decade later, she’s still there. “I told my parents, ‘I’ll be there for six months or a year,’” she laughs. “And then I’m here over a decade later.”

The decision to stay was solidified by her growing life in Paris: her business, her marriage, and the birth of her children. The French healthcare system and community infrastructure were also significant factors. As a cancer survivor, Katie speaks to the immense value of having a stable, accessible support system for her health and family.

Navigating the Parisian Life: Overcoming Self-Doubt

When Katie first arrived, she immersed herself in an intensive French course at the Sorbonne. This was her starting point for meeting friends and building a community. “I think just learning French made it way easier,” she shares. “The barrier is just, do I like this person or not? It’s just meeting people.”

She found friends through her language courses, clients, Instagram, and eventually, through her children’s school. She notes the unique dynamic of expat friendships, where some people are just passing through while others are here for the long haul.

Paris photographer Katie Donnelly smiling on a sunny day wearing a red dress. — Katie Donnelly, photographed by Katie Mitchell

When asked about the biggest challenge of assimilation, Katie offers a powerful perspective. Faced with the initial frustrations of learning the language and navigating bureaucratic hurdles, she realized her biggest obstacle was often herself. “For me, it was realizing that I’m my own biggest barrier,” she says. “If I don’t get out there and try and make friends, I’m not going to make friends. If I don’t do the work, if I don’t consistently sit down and work on my business, my business will not grow.”

This realization came with accepting that she would always have an accent and be an immigrant. Embracing her true self unlocked new opportunities. “When you think, this is who I am, and I’m going to try my best to assimilate… there’s respect in that for the other culture,” she explains.

She also learned to embrace imperfection. In moments of tripping up on the language or being misunderstood, Katie reframed her mindset to look at the bigger picture. “Is this really what is going to ruin my day? Because they asked me to repeat something twice? No. I can still say things in another language and that is so freaking cool.”

Building a Business on Courage and Adaptability

Twelve years ago, Katie registered her business in France. Within nine months, she had enough photoshoots to support herself, but she was managing everything on her own. The turning point came in 2020, when she was diagnosed with cancer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The diagnosis was devastating and shifted her perspective on everything, including her business.

A couple kissing under a clear umbrella in the rain in Paris.

After about six months of recovery from chemotherapy and with Paris still in lockdown, she realized she couldn’t continue running her business alone. She decided to bring on a few hires. “It was for sure a sink or swim moment,” she says. She knew she could relapse and needed a solid team that could take over if her health required her to step away.

With the expansion came new fears: How would she hire the right people? Could she find enough work to pay everyone? “Honestly, you don’t know what you don’t know, and there’s fear in all of that, and it’s valid,” she says. “And one day I just stopped being afraid of it and thought, I’m going to make mistakes. Then I’ll figure it out.” Her efforts to grow were successful, and Katie now has a dedicated and talented team. “They’re so talented, truly. I’m very lucky.”

Her advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: take it one step at a time. Understand the legal requirements for visas, learn the language, and don’t be afraid to put yourself in uncomfortable situations.

“You’re going to fail at some things,” she advises. “And having kids, the things that I say to them also always apply to me. When you’re learning to ride a bike, you don’t just get on the bike and ride. You fall down, you scrape your knees, you get frustrated and then you try again and you keep getting up.”

Katie’s journey is a playbook on how to embrace life with an open heart and a sense of humor. Her story is not just about building a business; it’s about building a life, one joyful moment at a time. As Katie wisely shared, “Anything can be fun if you make it fun.”