Danielle Stoddard
Madison Studio Share members have access to the studio.
Opening your own photography studio can be a costly venture, something that Milwaukee photographer Danielle Stoddard discovered after doing it herself in 2011. In addition to paying rent and monthly utilities, she needed to outfit her studio with lighting equipment and backdrops, furniture and eye-catching props.
Two years after opening her own studio, Stoddard opened MKE Studio Share, a space for photographers. Members pay a monthly fee to have access to a fully furnished, professional photography studio. This past spring, Stoddard opened a second location in Madison, called Madison Studio Share.
Tracy Tiedeman
Lighting equipment and backdrops are expensive, so why not share?
Stoddard sees the studios as helping working photographers who can now access studio space without having to spend a lot of money up front. “People can start in the black and not in the red, be more successful as small business owners and put more money in their pockets,” Stoddard says.
Stoddard found several examples of studio shares across the country and modeled hers after one in Indianapolis. Membership in MKE Studio Share grew quickly and now includes 20 to 25 photographers at any given time.
The 1,000-square-foot studio on Odana Road is open seven days a week. A membership gives photographers access to an online reservation system where studio time can be booked in three-hour blocks. It also provides photographers with a mix of modern and vintage furniture, props and a range of lighting options for photo shoots, and another room where photographers can meet with potential clients. Membership fees start at $110 per month and increase according to how much time is spent at the studio. Daily rentals, for non-members, are also available.
Tracy Tiedeman
Props are available to create different atmospheres for portraits and more.
Tracy Tiedeman, a Madison-area photographer who specializes in photographing families, senior photos, head shots and product shots, was the first Madison Studio Share member. Tiedeman was looking for space to rent in Madison when she learned about Stoddard’s studio share. “I wanted a space that had limited risk,” Tiedeman says. “I do commercial photography and work with natural light, but because the weather in Wisconsin is so changeable I wanted the option of an indoor space to offer clients.”
She also likes that the monthly fee is much less than what it would cost to operate her own professional studio. “Why didn’t I think of this?” Tiedeman says with a laugh. “It’s brilliant.”
Membership also comes with access to an online community where photographers can share information, ask for advice and collaborate. “It brings photographers together to inspire each other,” Tiedeman says. “The variety of work is incredible.”
Madison Studio Share
6314 Odana Road, Suite 10, mkestudioshare.com
