The History of Jewell Photo

Jewell Photo was founded in 1919 by Sarah and Wilbur Jewell as a photographic laboratory, processing photos for families in the metropolitan Detroit area. In the late 1940s, the company was passed along to Sarah’s two nephews, Field and Bob Carden, Sr. who moved the business to a large commercial building in Detroit in 1962. In 1983 Bob Carden Jr. took over the company. Bob opened a camera store in Troy and moved the laboratory business to St. Clair Shores, which eventually included a one-hour lab. In 1987, Jewell started photographing sports, and in 1989, Jewell started photographing dance schools. At that time, Michelle Mortier joined the company as Vice President. Jewell continued to grow with the addition of preschools and collegiate graduation portraits. Over the next 15 years, fewer people needed a processing lab, our camera store closed, and our portrait studio and digital laboratory opened in 2006 at our previous location in Clinton Township. In 2016, Bob and Michelle chose to retire and passed the business onto long time employees Liz Frank and the late Jason Phillips. In 2022, Jewell Photo relocated to their current location in St. Clair Shores. 

Jewell Photo now organizes picture days for a variety of sports clients, dance studios, events, and collegiate graduates. 

We control every aspect of our business. Having the ability to create everything in-house gives us complete control over the quality and comfort of customers. From picture day to final delivery, we are always focused on customer satisfaction.