A mother and daughter duo are set to debut a new photography studio in Battle Ground next month.
Tanya Hammon-Johnson and Megan Northrup will host a launch party for their new business, the Elizabeth Marie Collective, from noon to 4 p.m. on Jan. 8 as they unveil a new storefront.
“We’re really excited,” said Northrup. “This is something we’ve been talking about for a while, and it just feels too surreal to be living this and having it become a reality.”
The two decided to open a studio after they noticed a shortage of photography studios that are available to rent in the area.
Northrup is a professional photographer who takes portraits of families and newborns. She rented studios for the past year and a half, and said she has always aspired to have one of her own.
“The more I was getting into other’s spaces, I said to myself, ‘wow, this is really something that I’d like to pursue to offer to the community as well,’ so we talked about it and decided this is something we wanted to do together,” Northrup said. “The idea was born out of the need to have a studio here on this side of the river, since many of the studios in the area are in Portland.”
Hammon-Johnson said they have a large family, so they need to take pictures in a place that’s bigger than someone’s house, yet still affordable.
With extended family included, she said there’s about 20 people in their family. Besides taking pictures of their family, the Elizabeth Marie Collective can serve other families who want to do the same thing.
“Our goal is to create a place for photographers to come and create memories of other people’s good times, and also for Megan to be able to use that space for herself,” Hammon-Johnson said. “On the event side, it’ll be a place for people to have their happy moments and (capture) milestones in life.”
The name of the business comes from Northrup’s middle name, Elizabeth, and Hammon-Johnson’s middle name, Marie. On social media, they often shorten it to “Em Collective,” with the “Em” being short for Northrup’s 2-year-old daughter, Ember.
“It’s like Em is tied to her as well, making the name multigenerational, which I think is super cool,” Northrup said.
The demand for a studio like theirs is high in the area, Northrup said, and she noted there aren’t many stylistic options for other creatives in the area.
“I think this is really cool to add a different approach or style into the community,” she said.
As co-owners of the business, Hammon-Johnson describes Northrup as the creative leader, while she handles more of the back end of the business like logistics.
“I have to confer with her on all the creative decisions,” Hammon-Johnson joked.
Hammon-Johnson said opening the studio is a proud moment. She’s happy to have a women-owned and mother-daughter operation.
“I’m excited to do something that makes people happy and I’m excited to do this project with my daughter,” she said.
At their Jan. 8 launch party, there will be coffee and snacks provided by North County Coffee. The business is located at 1908 NW First Way in Battle Ground. Their website can be found at elizabethmariecollective.com and Northrup’s personal photography website is megannorthrupphotog raphy.org.
