Photography studio moves to downtown Puyallup after a decade in Tacoma
A photography rental studio opened its doors in downtown Puyallup last week.
Studio 253 was in Tacoma for 10 years before its owner, Amanda Howse, made the move to Puyallup. The business had its ribbon cutting ceremony June 25 on 108B N Meridian, Howse told The News Tribune on Wednesday.
“It’s amazing. Everyone is so helpful, between all the girls at the [Puyallup Sumner Chamber of Commerce], and then there is a business called Puyallup Main Street Association,” she said.
Howse said a friend of hers first owned the studio, and she joined as a partner before taking over around COVID. She then acquired the name and studio. She vacated the Tacoma property, which was located at 739 St Helens Ave., at the end of May.
“I wanted to get more of the sense of community and just have a location that people could see, and just was ready for a change,” she said.
Howse said she specializes in photo shoots for high school senior girls and providing them a luxury experience. The starting rates for this service are typically $899, and the average client spends about $2,500.
“We do professional hair and makeup, fashion consults. Being a full-service studio — we also do products, and we show them their photos on TV at the end, so it’s a whole huge awesome thing,” she said.
Howse said she does a similar service for business owners where she takes their headshots. She also does brand sessions for women-owned businesses or for women in general.
“And, of course, we don’t forget the guys, or leave them out,” she added. “Guys are also welcome to get photos with us. It’s just the majority of our clients are usually female.”
She also rents the studio out to other photographers, and sometimes an in-house photographer rents the space.
“So right now we do have an in-house maternity and newborn photographer that’s renting space out of [the studio],” she said.
In the past Howse said she has photographed the Puyallup Sumner Chamber of Commerce at events. She recently shot photos for her next-door neighbor, Rainier Valley Coffee.
“They have all these wonderful people that work there, and the owner of that, her name is Amanda, too, so it’s kind of funny,” she said. “We’re already like working together on stuff, and going to try to get all of her employees some photos, and just everyone who comes there.”
Howse plans to do a mini headshots photo events once a month. This is where people can come to the studio without an appointment to get professional headshots. The cost for these headshots are typically $99, but can go up depending on if people want more outfits in their pictures or backdrops.
“It’ll be a set time of every month, and anyone can stop by and get a little quickie headshot, and so that’ll be fun,” she said.
More information on the services that the studio provides is on their website. They are appointment only, and Howse said people can book through either text, direct message on social media or through the website.
