Louis Bramson established the Royal Photo View Company in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1904. In 1908, the company was renamed the Royal Photo Company. The Royal Photo Company focused on commercial photography and, unlike many other photographic businesses, did not operate a studio for portraits. Clients included Hillerich & Bradsby—makers of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat—and other businesses such as Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, and the Kaufman-Straus department store.

Stern Bramson (1912–1989), the son of Louis Bramson, joined the studio upon graduation from DuPont Manual High School in 1930 and remained with the firm until 1972 except for a break for service with the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He eventually became Royal's principal photographer and was the owner of the studio after the death of his father.

The University of Louisville Photographic Archives acquired the Royal Photo Company collection of photographic negatives in 1982.

Our Staff

John Deo

Wedding Photographer

John is a corporate photographer. Based in New York City, John works with Camera One, one of the leading studios specializing in corporate photography and special event photography.

Ella Milton

Artist

Ella is a fine art photographer based in Los Angeles who combines travel and fashion photos to create surreal images. She's traveled to over 25 countries to seek out inspiration for her work.

Billy Joe

Inspiration

Billy is an educator and freelance photographer based in Seoul. He specializes in portrait and travel photography. Billy also serves as an adjunct instructor for Flashlight Expeditions tours.