BizBeat: Locals team up to offer BoxDrops by SJP

Jefferson City natives Sarah Jane Shorthose and Elizabeth VanHoutan recently launched a national company highlighting their separate talents. Both now residing in Decatur, Ill., the pair teamed up to offer a line of photography backdrops under the business name BoxDrops by SJP.

Shorthose and VanHoutan originally came together when Shorthose commissioned VanHoutan to hand paint a few large canvas backgrounds for use at local high school dances. VanHoutan, a decorative artist, went on to create a variety of custom backgrounds exclusively for Sarah Jane Photography.

"Her designs are amazing," Shorthose said. However, working with large hand-painted canvases can be difficult due to their size and material, so she looked into ways to reproduce VanHoutan's work into a more manageable material.

"We wanted something that would be easy to use," she said.

Shorthose photographed the original paintings and printed those images on wrinkle-resistant cloth.

She said finding just the right material was tricky, as she wanted to be sure the quality was there. The backgrounds can now be reproduced quickly and are easy to use, pack up and take anywhere, Shorthose said.

Both women own their own businesses - Shorthose at Sarah Jane Photography, and Elizabeth VanHoutan with Punch & Sizzle. The new business venture will allow them both to continue their already busy schedules, while offering a unique product to photographers.

The 2006 Jefferson City graduate said a lot of backdrop companies offer digital design, manipulated in Photoshop. With the fabric backdrops, the pair are able to offer a ton of custom designs and produce them quickly.

The backdrops are "high quality, high-end products any professional studio would be happy" to use. Shorthose said they tried to keep the costs down so the backdrops are not a huge investment, and therefore great for new photographers as well. "Everybody needs a variety to fit boys, girls, families, babies, etc.," she said. BoxDrops by SJP offers a variety of versatile designs.

Sarah Jane is the daughter of Patty Gaughan of Holts Summit and David and Cari Gaughan of Columbia. Her husband Ryan Shorthose is also from Jefferson City.

Elizabeth is a 1988 graduate and the daughter of Dr. Harry and Suzanne Richter.

Link:

www.boxdropsbysjp.com