Photography studio celebrates opening in re-purposed elementary school in Marine City

Creativity is the name of the game when it comes to making sure children have fun while getting their photo taken.
Jen Knightstep was on assignment, shooting photos at a classic car show.

She had been working as a photographer in the automotive industry since 2001 but, years later, she wasn't taking photos of the cars like she was supposed to. Knightstep was drawn to focus on an interesting-looking older gentleman, complete with suspenders, hat, and old-fashioned camera.

It was then when she realized she’d rather take photographs of people than cars. Knightstep made the switch in 2008. By It's a whole "llama" fun during a photoshoot.2012, she moved her photography business to Marine City, where she specializes in portraits of newborns, children, and senior citizens.

Now, in 2020, Knightstep has made another big leap, opening her own photography studio in Marine City. She celebrates with light refreshments and an open house on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

This is Knightstep’s first studio of her own.

"Now I don’t have to worry about the weather here. In the wintertime, you don’t want to be taking newborn babies out in that," she says.

"For working year-round in Michigan, you need that studio space for flexibility."

Working with children is a fun job.In searching for a space for her studio, Knightstep was thinking about the Washington Life Center, a former elementary school that has since been re-purposed by the Council on Aging. She says she approached them on a whim. It wasn’t even a week of searching for a space that she found her own.

The studio occupies the space of a former elementary classroom, complete with a tiny sink and a tiny toilet. It’s actually perfect, she says, given the age of the majority of her clients.

And the majority of those clients are in Marine City.

"If you think about the revitalization of Marine City as a whole, this is a good bellwether of economic development," Knightstep says.

"I’m a photographer of children, something that people only spend their Having a studio gives Jennifer Knightstep more options, especially in the winter.extra income on. If I’m doing this good then the area must be doing well."

The Jen Knightstep photography studio is located in Room 31 of the Washington Life Center building in Marine City.

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