On the fast track to success - Zoe Cristofoli

Raoul Beltrame is one of the few that leaves a life behind of opulence to pursue of a dream of creativity with no guaranteed rewards of immediate prosperity. His relentless desire to go after his heart’s calling, led him to New York and eventually to becoming a sought after photographer in the exhilarating industry of fashion. His story is inspiring as is his charm.“Ciao Bella!” is the boisterous greeting that you can anticipate along with a warm embrace and a pair of cheek kisses upon entering the Union Square studio of Raoul Beltrame. Beltrame, a native Italian fashion, beauty and portrait photographer, has relocated to the dynamic city of New York to grow his portfolio. Despite only having a few years of semi-professional photography under his belt, Raoul is comfortably cool behind his camera.Growing up in Verona with his family, Raoul’s initial exposure to the business world involved spending his weekends and summers with his brother helping out in the family’s plastics factory. As Raoul was entering his first year of college at the age of twenty-one, his father died and he and his brother took over the family factory. Without any formal business training, the Beltrame brothers ran the family business, overcame its colossal debt, and turned it into a profitable business. Raoul, still in his early twenties, was living the good life, married with a big house and fancy car, and a booming high-society jam-packed calendar.By his late twenties, Raoul, now divorced, decided it was time for a change of pace and enrolled himself in a one year course at the National Academy of Cinema in Bologna to pursue his long­time hobby of filmmaking and editing. It was during his time at the Academy that Raoul discovered his passion for photography. At the end of his course, he took a trip to New York City to visit friends and it was during this vacation that he purchased his first camera and underwent some photography and retouching training.The family business in Italy continued to grow, but the Beltrame brothers decided to split up due to creative and management differences and Raoul sold his part of the company in the spring of 2012. Now Raoul would make his living as a photographer and videographer, taking a second trip to NYC. Moving through the bustling streets of the city, Raoul photographed whatever caught his artistic eye or struck a creative chord.This was the start to a new and exciting chapter in his life. One of Raoul’s Italian friends made an introduction to Maurizio Bacci, photographer to Manolo Blahnik, whom he had known through weekly soccer games. Bacci offered Raoul a job, and with it Raoul made the permanent move to the United States from Italy. As soon as the move was made, Raoul started taking advanced photography workshops with other top photographers and has since has done advertisements for Missoni and Los Angeles-based designer Joe Polthakorn of Vilaiwan Fine Jewelry.