Start Photo Studio
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, this very true phrase can perfectly be the motto when setting up a Photo Studio. Today, more than ever, the image has become vitally important and the areas in which it is used are as varied as they are profitable. From a wedding to a book of models, from an advertising campaign to a magazine, photos are the presentation card of any project that wants to be presented and the memory that we treasure with so much love and care. Setting up a Photo Studio is the profitable and independent business you were looking for.
Knowing how to make money with service businesses
Keywords: photo studio, professional photography
Requirements for Setting up a Photo Studio
This is one of the most independent businesses in existence; you will enjoy the privilege of being your own boss, setting your own hours and working with the client of your choice. From the whole range of clients that a Photo Studio can have, once you are established and the clients are looking for you, you will be able to choose the kind of work that you like best.
Local: The main requirement for setting up a photo studio is precisely its assembly. You can rent a local as well as dedicate a room in your house for it. What you need is a background to which you add different themes, from a neutral black or white background, to certain landscapes or designs in front of which the person is placed and situations are simulated or simply the image is decorated.
Tools: You will need a professional camera, tripod, digital camera and Photoshop. You will also need a room in which to develop your photos, with the necessary materials for that purpose. Don’t forget the decoration of the place, tables and chairs. Obviously, it is essential to get customers, which we will be dealing with later.
Services offered when setting up a Photo Studio
Setting up a Photo Studio implies providing the following services, although, as we said, once you have a regular clientele, you can dedicate yourself to the one you like best:
Parties and events: here we include weddings, birthdays, product launches, awards, theatrical performances, dance performances, etc.
Model book: many girls want to embark on a modeling career given how profitable it is, for which they need to have their own book and update it as they change their look or as time goes by. On that occasion the photos will be taken in your studio with the backgrounds we mentioned and outdoors.
Magazines: every note and article is accompanied by images. These are carefully prepared photos that will most likely require the benefits of Photoshop, especially when they are notes to people who want to hide or highlight certain physical features.
Advertising campaigns: this is a challenging but exciting part of the job for a photographer. The challenge is to create an image that “sells”. We work in coordination with advertising creatives and “trial and error” is part of the daily routine.
Advantages of photographic studio
It is an economical business to set up and easy to start, unlike businesses that require specialized equipment or varied payroll for its operation, generating a high cost of assembly, making it difficult for people who do not have medium to high resources to access the item.
It is easy to administer, this type of business requires a high level of creativity, leaving the administrative part simple, emphasizing only the accounting of the company logically and the history of customers with the record of their service or photographic record.
It goes hand in hand with the media which can connect the business with large advertising contracts, modeling, exhibitions, press and other ideas that require an equipped photo studio. If you have enough vocation you can go far, lend yourself to represent the business even outside the country, depending on the reputation and quality of the brand you build.
How to get customers when setting up a portrait studio
The first thing to do when setting up a photo studio is to put together your own book with examples of different types of work, as far as possible in all the areas we mentioned, with which you will request interviews in magazines, television channels, event organizers and offer them your services.
Secondly, create a very attractive website with your work detailing your services.
As you consolidate, you will be able to think of other more massive ways to advertise your business by setting up a Photo Studio.
Problems that can appear with your portrait studio
Without the necessary expertise, ensuring the quality of the photography service could be one of the most questionable aspects. It is key that you have at least some knowledge in one of the
required fields, such as taking pictures or editing, developing, etc.
Final recommendation for a successful photo studio
A good customer service is one of the most determining factors in this type of business where the user experience will be mostly influenced by their taste and if they agree with the pictures taken, so their opinion should always be kept in mind.
As you consolidate and grow, you will be able to think of other more massive ways of advertising your business by setting up a Photo Studio so that it achieves the reach we are looking for.
Success stories
Within the world of photography there are many companies that have succeeded, given the high rate of need for taking images, either for advertising or artistic purposes, is the case of A.C.imagen SL, is a relatively medium sized company but high quality, formed in 2000, and has the equipment required to meet the needs of many companies, as well as users of the industry. They are qualified in the professional use of photography and developing for multiple purposes, attending to the varied needs of the consumer in this matter.