From Photography to App Founder: Bonnie Cee’s Creative Journey

Want to hear the full conversation? Listen to the podcast episode here.

At Riva Offices, we’re always inspired by the people within our community and the stories behind the businesses they’ve built. In this episode, we sit down with Riva member and creative entrepreneur Bonnie Cee to explore her journey from fashion photography into tech entrepreneurship. With nearly two decades of experience in the creative industry, Bonnie shares how curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to evolve led her to build a successful photo editing app used by millions.

She also shares what she’s currently working on and offers advice for the next generation of creatives looking to build a career in the industry.

Bonnie Cee, Film Director, Photographer & Founder of Colourtone App

A Creative Career That Started with Curiosity

Bonnie’s journey into photography wasn’t immediate. Like many creatives, she experimented with several creative paths, from makeup artistry to floristry, before discovering photography during a trip to Europe in her early twenties.

After trying a DSLR camera for the first time, she instantly knew it was the medium she wanted to pursue. That moment sparked a passion that led her to immerse herself in photography, learning through experimentation and hands-on experience. From shooting friends and personal projects to working in studios and fashion photography roles, Bonnie gradually developed her technical skills and creative identity.

Over time, photography became more than a job. It became the foundation of her career.

Building a Brand in the Instagram Era

Bonnie’s career grew during the early boom of Instagram, when social media became a powerful platform for photographers and creatives. Her distinctive editing style, known for rich colours, warm skin tones and vibrant coastal imagery, quickly became part of her personal brand.

Many of her photography clients discovered her work directly through Instagram, allowing her freelance business to grow organically. During this period, visual aesthetics and editing styles were becoming just as important as the photographs themselves.

Recognising this trend, Bonnie began selling her own Lightroom presets, allowing other photographers and creators to apply her signature editing style to their images.

Turning an Editing Style into an App

While presets were popular, Bonnie realised there was a barrier for many users. Editing tools like Lightroom required technical knowledge and subscriptions that not everyone had access to.

This sparked a new idea: what if anyone could apply professional editing styles directly from their phone?

With this vision, Bonnie began developing the Colourtone App, a mobile platform designed to make professional colour grading and photo editing accessible to everyday creators. Working with an independent software developer, she launched the first version of the app in 2018.

Despite starting as a side project, the app quickly gained traction. Within months it had tens of thousands of downloads, and over time it continued to grow organically through the creative community.

Today, the Colourtone App has reached millions of downloads worldwide, proving that strong creative ideas can evolve into scalable digital products.

Learning the Business of Tech

As the app grew, Bonnie also had to adapt to the technical and business challenges that come with running a digital product. When her original developer stepped away from the project, she faced the challenge of finding someone who could rebuild and future-proof the app.

Eventually, she brought on a new developer who helped rebuild the Colourtone App using modern development tools. This upgrade allowed the platform to evolve, introduce new features and support a subscription model, dramatically increasing its revenue potential.

The experience marked a shift in Bonnie’s career. Instead of trading time for client work through photography, she began focusing more on building scalable digital products.

A New Creative Direction: Blending Digital and Analog

While Bonnie remains passionate about photography, her focus today is expanding beyond traditional photography work. Through the Colourtone App, she continues exploring new ways to combine creativity with technology.

One exciting direction involves recreating the nostalgic aesthetic of analog film photography, something many younger creators are rediscovering today. Inspired by the growing popularity of film photography and vintage photo booths, Bonnie is currently developing new creative projects that combine both digital tools and real-world experiences.

These projects aim to capture the authentic look and feeling of analog photography while making it accessible to modern audiences.

Advice for Creatives Starting Out

After years of navigating the creative industry, Bonnie shares one key lesson: consistency matters more than speed.

Creative careers rarely move in a straight line. Progress can feel slow, especially in the early stages when resources are limited. But Bonnie believes persistence is what ultimately separates successful creators from those who give up too early.

Her advice is simple: keep working, keep learning and keep moving forward, even if progress feels small.

Over time, that persistence compounds into real opportunities.

Interested in being part of the Riva community? We’d love to hear from you.