Patrice Gentile knows how to bring out the best in people. Coming out of college with a fine arts degree in photography, Patrice worked at a portrait studio. She developed an understanding for how to put clients at ease, to let them be themselves in front of her camera.
“People don’t always speak up if they’re not comfortable in a pose or in a situation, so you’re just reading body language,” Patrice explains.
Following the task of getting clients to trust her and follow her direction, Patrice faced the moment when she showed them the results.
“I enjoy the part when you give them back their pictures because they get all excited to see them. And a lot of the times, it’s people who don’t like pictures of themselves,” Patrice says. “If you’re able to work with them and figure it out, you can give them something that they like.”
Patrice has furthered her knack for pleasing customers in businesses she has run with her husband, including a pop-up restaurant on Milwaukee’s East Side and most recently, a food truck in the Bay View neighborhood.
Patrice and her husband, Ryan Hoffman, live in Cudahy with two cats and a dog. She continues to enjoy photography as well as traveling, roller derby, illustrating and punch-needle embroidery.