Studio 1887 provides unique space for artists, events

Kat Halfman

Past Contributor

April 3, 2024

GREEN BAY — To fill what they saw as a void in the Green Bay community, local photographers Daniela Rollin and Macy Siudzinski opened Studio 1887, a photography studio and event space.

“It’s something that wasn’t present in the community — we don’t know of any other place in Green Bay that offers what we have,” Rollin said. “We saw the opportunity to have something a bit more innovative people could use and enjoy for a variety of purposes.”

The photographers turned business partners said they first met at a style shoot in 2021.

“She was modeling, and I was invited by the organizer, and we started talking and ended up exchanging information,” Rollin said.

Siudzinski has 10 years of experience as an independent photographer, operating under the business name Macy Roth Artistry.

“I shot my first wedding when I was 16, and I fell in love with it,” she said.

Before starting her own photography business, Siudzinski said she worked as a nurse, which required long hours.

“I was a nurse before I went full-time with photography, and I love being creative and having that flexibility in my schedule — especially with young kids at home,” she said.

Rollin has seven years of experience running her business, Daniela Rollin Photography Collective.

“I have two bachelor’s degrees, and I went to grad school for an MBA,” she said. “I had a corporate job in Minnesota, and my husband got me a camera as a gift. I played around with it using him and our dogs as models, but then I left it there for a while.”

Like Siudzinski, Rollin said motherhood changed her perspective on her career.

“When my first baby was born, I did not want to go back to (my corporate job),” she said. “I worked from home for a while, but I still had to travel a lot, and I didn’t want to leave my newborn.”

That is when, Rollin said, she started shooting weddings — charging a little bit more as she went.

“Then I got pregnant with my second baby and realized there was no way I was going to be able to go back to work and pay for daycare — which was expensive in Minnesota,” she said. “My husband is from Green Bay, so we decided to move here, and then the (COVID-19) pandemic hit in 2020, and I saw an opportunity to become a full-time photographer.”

Joining forces
Siudzinski and Rollin said they discussed the idea of opening their studio for a few years before deciding to hire a realtor to look at available spaces in the Rail Yard District in Green Bay.

“We talked about opening a studio for the two of us to share for a couple of years, and then we started to consider getting a bigger space we could open up to other photographers,” Siudzinski said. “Our real estate agent showed us a different space in the same building we’re located in now, but it was a little too small. Then he told us he had another space, but it needed a lot of work, and we decided to go check it out.”

The largest space available at Studio 1887 is called the grand room — a blank slate of sorts that can be tailored for each event. Photo Courtesy of Studio 1887

Rollin said they took one look at the windows of the space and “fell in love.”

“We wanted to make a space we wanted to use — somewhere with natural lighting that could be fully customizable for whatever clients want,” she said.

The duo signed the lease for suite 301 at 126 Pine St. Jan. 3 and said they began renovations almost immediately.

“Originally, the space was filled with a lot of cubicles made up of half-walls, which we had to knock down, and then we also had to remove the carpet and put in all new floors,” Siudzinski said.

The renovations, she said, went well and took only a month, thanks in part to Rollin’s husband.

“Things went smoothly, partly because Daniela’s husband owns a construction company and was able to do the work for us,” Siudzinski said. “The only thing that took us longer than we anticipated was the snow and the factwe both have young children at home, so it was hard to coordinate our schedules sometimes.”

Renovations were completed in early February, and Studio 1887 held its grand opening shortly thereafter (Feb. 18).

“The grand opening was so fun-,” Siudzinski said. “We had about 85 people come to check out the space during the open house.”

More than a photography studio
Studio 1887, the business partners said, is more than just a photography studio.

“We have a couple wedding showers already booked, and a baby shower,” Rollin said. “We’re also looking out for bridal showers and micro weddings, small ceremonies — intimate receptions of up to 50 people and birthday parties.”

Rollin said there are amenities available for clients to use for photography and while hosting events, like furniture and a small kitchen area.

“We include tables and chairs for up to 50 people for event rentals, but food and decorations are the client’s responsibility,” she said.

Siudzinski said clients are also allowed to bring whatever additional decor they would like, “as long as it isn’t messy.”

With rentable studio space available to photographers and for events, Rollin said collaboration with the Green Bay community has been essential for Studio 1887’s success.

“A lot of our photographer friends were the first ones to rent the space, which helped in spreading the word,” Siudzinski said.

The pair said working as an independent photographer required a lot of networking, which has come in handy with advertising the studio space.

“We’ve worked with a lot of different floral companies, designers, event coordinators, caterers and videographers,” Rollin said. “Community is big — especially in a field like photography where you’re pretty much working by yourself.”

Studio space
Siudzinski said Studio 1887 has three different rooms available to rent.

“Our first room is called the luxe room,” she said. “It’s a smaller shooting room with great natural lighting, and it has a privacy film on the windows so people outside can’t see in, as well as a dressing room. There’s also a paper roll holder on the wall with a few different background options.”

In addition to the luxe room, which is a customizable space, Siudzinski said Studio 1887 also has a room specifically geared toward newborn photography.

“There’s also a newborn room that is for insured and experienced newborn photographers,” she said. “Daniela is amazing at newborn photography, and she has lots of props and blankets available for clients to use in that room.”

The biggest and most versatile space available in the studio, Siudzinski said, is called the grand room.

“(That is) my favorite room, which is the space we also rent out for events of up to 50 people,” she said. “It’s a wide open space with great windows, and it’s more of a blank space that can be tailored for each event.”

Macy Siudzinski said Studio 1887 also has a room specifically geared toward newborn photography complete with props and backdrops. Photo Courtesy of Studio 1887

Studio 1887 also offers a bonus space called the brick room, which Rollin said is surrounded by offices that studio members can store their equipment in.

“The offices all have the original exposed brick from when the building was first opened in 1887 (hence the name), but the brick room has those beautiful windows that originally drew us to the space, so we decided to leave it open,” she said. “If it’s available while clients are here using another room they’ve rented out, we allow them to use it as well for no additional cost.”

Membership
Rollin said Studio 1887 has memberships available for frequent studio users “who would like to save some money instead of renting hourly.”

She said there are two tiers of membership available:

Part-time, which guarantees 10 hours in the studio per monthFull-time, which includes 20 hours in the studio
“Members still have to book online so we can keep track of when the different rooms are in use, but they don’t have to pay each time because it’s included,” she said.

Rollin said members can use the studio’s two shared offices to store their equipment around the clock.

“We’re still in the process of furnishing those offices with desks and chairs, but members can store their photography equipment and props there when they’re not in use,” she said.

For more information on Studio 1887, visit studio1887.as.me/schedule.php or check out the studio’s Facebook page.