ABOVE: Photo via The Snap House.
The Snap House has been capturing Tampa Bay patrons in their best light since opening earlier this year, but it’s much more than an event space and photo studio. It’s also a love letter to its home in Ybor City and the diverse community the area serves.
That’s because the creative team behind the venture – six photography enthusiasts who as minorities themselves are traditionally under-represented as small business owners – value and understand the importance of inclusion. It’s why they’ve promised to provide a space for guests to authentically express themselves both in front of and behind the camera.
“Our mission for The Snap House is to deliver a safe, family friendly and fun-filled event space where guests of all ages can come together to express their individuality and authenticity,” the studio’s website reads. “The Snap House transcends all socio-economic boundaries, delivering moments in time that [allow] photographers of all skill levels … to create and engage in a fun environment that fosters creativity and individuality.”
The Snap House offers 23 backdrops for patrons to accomplish that feat through the lens of their choice, scenes designed as the perfect conversation starter on and beyond social media. They encourage each visitor to utilize their imagination “to see the brightness in the world around us,” something they chose to represent with a dedicated space painted in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet stripes, the vibrant colors of the traditional Pride flag.
Representing the LGBTQ community, which has long had a presence along Ybor’s 7th Ave. on which The Snap House opened its doors, was an intentional decision. Co-owner Rick Moore explains it was one of the earliest designs he and his business partners completed.
“This space has something for everyone,” he says. “Creating an environment where we can highlight that there’s a very diverse community – that we can bring all walks of life into the studio, that we can be accepting and that it is a safe and fun-filled space – was really the top of mind for us.”
Moore is an Air Force veteran who specializes in business and technology. His co-owners include Maria Moore, an event planner with more than a decade of experience; Davontay Moore, who excels in social media and marketing; Super Bowl LIV Champion Demarcus Robinson, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs as well as Benito and Jazmin Calzada. The former offers his expertise in construction while as a nursing director, the latter brings her desire to help others live life to the fullest.
“We are a mixed group,” Moore explains. “We are Latino, we are minority, we are Asian, we are women, and we are all equally yoked within this business. We wanted to highlight that these underrepresented groups can be successful in starting their own business and we wanted to be inclusive. We understand what it is to be misrepresented or under-represented, or not having our voices heard.
“So creating a place where we can be accepting of all and allow people to come and express themselves freely without being judged, that’s the environment that we wanted to create because we live it,” he continues. “That is very, very important to us.”
The owners worked together to conceptualize the 23 backdrops. They analyzed social media trends and drew upon their own experiences traveling the world to anticipate what customers might want to see.
They say the designs range from chic to whimsical, offering inspirational and colorful options to help every photo pop across social media. The Snap House’s backdrops are 8×8 on average, though their signature Tampa wall is among those that are much larger. It’s also one of the pieces the owners enlisted local artists to complete.
“Surprisingly, we the partners did the majority of the work, but there were some pieces where we knew we couldn’t capture our vision,” Moore says. “So we scoured social media to see what was hot in the Tampa Bay area.”
That led them to Damucca, who in addition to the Tampa wall designed a graffiti backdrop. The artist owns and operates Ink Fink Tattoos.
“He’s been in the area doing tattoo and other artwork for more than 20 years,” Moore says. “He’s a staple in the Tampa community.”
Lakeland’s Gillian Fazio captured their attention as well. Described as a new age flora and fauna artist, she’s created more than 20 murals across Central Florida. The classically trained artist will next hold a Mother’s Day Paint & Sip gathering on May 7, one of the many type of events the space can accommodate for rentals.
Rounding out the artists currently featured is a 13-year-old Riverview resident named Addison. The aspiring artist is responsible for the Pablo Picasso-inspired designs that adorn one of The Snap House’s restrooms, and owners expect to continue utilizing Tampa Bay artists to refresh their backdrops as time goes on.
“We wanted to keep our designs consistent for the first six months, but then as we survey what’s hot on social media, what the customers like and what they may be looking for, we’ll change out our space across the year,” Moore explains. It’s something he highlighted in January when the space opened.
“We want to put the talents of Tampa artists on display and allow them to inspire and pay homage to the city and surrounding area that we all know and love,” he shared at the time. “This photo experience is not your average department store portrait studio. There are photo studios in town, but none with the access and price point The Snap House offers.
“Here you get to play the role of the director, the cinematographer and the star,” he added, “and in the end have instant gratification with the results of your final product ready to post and share across your socials.”
View a gallery of photos courtesy of The Snap House, with images from AnnaGraceSimon, Thaliavila, Stephanielanniphoto, Justinalexander, Thewhiteclosetbridal, RememberWynnFLA, Kimberleyasantephotography, Justbeautyhmua and more below:
While the backdrops will be updated, Moore confirms that the Pride wall “will be a staple for a long time.” He and his fellow owners intend to highlight it along with their dedication to serving the LGBTQ community when Tampa Pride returns to Ybor on May 22.
As a proud event sponsor, Moore says The Snap House is currently planning ways to accommodate Pridegoers. They intend to expedite their traditional one-hour photo sessions to provide greater access to their studio.
He adds that during and after Tampa Pride, The Snap House will welcome guests responsibly. Having officially opened in January during the ongoing pandemic, the business immediately adopted COVID-19 safety measures and continues to implement them.
That includes following all CDC guidelines to minimize the risk of exposure. Hand sanitizer is provided and restrooms with soap and water are readily available.
“Our space is relatively big and we can offer many more guests at one time, but we are limiting our guests to 15 per session,” Moore says. In addition, the space is sanitized following each photo session, or in-between sessions if multiple groups are present.
Occupants also maintain social distance and the staff wear masks at all times. Guests are asked to do so while entering or moving between backdrops, but Moore says they can be removed once photos begin to “shine those pearly whites and create those once in a lifetime images that they can be proud of.”
While guests can utilize their cell phones or professional cameras for that, The Snap House also utilizes preferred photographers to capture them at their best. For a fee, five independently contracted photographers offer photo packages that include 15 edited images delivered within one week.
“These are photographers who caught our eye on social media that we wanted to bring into the fold,” Moore says. Other professional photographers also frequent the studio with their clients, which he says speaks to owners’ goal of “creating a space where everyone can come and feel welcomed, accepted and beautiful.”
That’s sure to include Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ residents and visitors for years to come. “We want everyone to come and visit to see what we have to offer,” Moore says.
“If there are things we can add to the studio to make the environment more welcoming, more diverse, more socially aware, those are things that we are looking to do,” he continues. “We are a part of the community and we want to do our part to raise awareness and to give back.”
He also notes that the Pride wall and other backdrops honoring the area’s diversity will remain of paramount importance.
“This is Tampa,” Moore stresses. “We are Tampa. And this is what Tampa looks like.”
The Snap House is located at 1318 E. 7th Ave. in Tampa and is open Mon.-Thurs. 12-9 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Walk-ins are not accommodated at this time and all guests entering The Snap House must adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions and present a valid ticket.
Tickets for one-hour photo sessions must be purchased online in advance, are subject to availability and are $25, $20 for youth ages 3-12 or free for those under two years old. Patrons are asked to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the start of their session, which will end as scheduled even upon a late arrival.
For more information about visiting during Tampa Pride 2021, booking events or scheduling a professional photography session, visit TheSnapHouse.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.