Born and raised in the small town of Oregon, Wisconsin, Kailee grew up with an affinity for the musical and visual arts; her original passion for drawing soon evolved into an interest in photography. Throughout her college career, she focused on studio photography and quickly developed a specific taste for product photography.
From there, with Kailee’s first job being a chocolatier at a small local chocolate shop in her hometown, it soon merged with her affinity for photography and she became an in-house product photographer for the family-owned business in 2019.
Since then, while her eye for product photography has improved, Kailee remains intent on bettering her work further. While she’s continuing to gain experience in the realm of product photography, she also still find inspiration in other various types of subjects, shooting nature and portraiture in her spare time.
“As a photographer, I shoot with my eye first, and my mind second. I simply shoot something when it triggers a sort of “photographer’s instinct’ in me, without even thinking if I have a gallery theme or project the image will belong in. Over time you just sort of hone this sense of when something catches your eye. Eventually you don’t even think about it; you just find yourself pulling out your camera.
Some people would say it’s because I can’t make up my mind; I say it’s because I find it fun to not be limited on what I can or can’t shoot. I’m an artist, and art is about expression and inspiration. If I see something that inspires me, I’m going to shoot it. Simple as that.”
Kailee Lessner
-Head Photographer/Director for Photography at
The Chocolate Caper March 2019 - August 2021
-Photographic work for The Chocolate Caper featured on televised commercials, newspaper ads in The Oregon Observer, and the official Chocolate Caper website
-Photography featured in the 2020 Oregon Town Community Calendar
-Photography featured in the 2021 Oregon Town Community Calendar