Taking professional pictures is your passion, but how do you start a photography business? As a creative soul, you think more about taking the next brilliant shot rather than about the nuts and bolts of creating a suitable space for you to run your company.
Running your photography business from home is okay when starting out, but opening a real brick-and-mortar studio will help you gain credibility and trustworthiness. It will take your business to the next level. A studio of your own provides an anchor point for your photography business where clients can contact you, visit, and discuss their project requirements. Having a studio is a great way to make you appear professional and give you total control over your working process. It also provides a secure place to store all your equipment and eliminates the high costs of renting a studio when preparing for a shoot. So, how do you pick and design a studio to meet your needs?
Discover the Area
Location is the most important factor when looking for real estate for your studio, as it will affect how your clients perceive your brand personality. Consider the demographics of your target audience before deciding on the area where you need to be. If you mostly shoot portraits of people or specialize in wedding photography, then opening a studio in your local area may be beneficial. On the other hand, if you specialize in fashion or product photography, you may need a more up-market office space in the city center. You may pick your studio location near a local art gallery closer to a place that will exhibit your pro pictures.
Another factor to consider when choosing the perfect location is the cost of office space. Cost is usually inversely proportional to your distance from a city center. You may get larger premises with parking if you choose a suburban property. When calculating the maximum amount you can spend on rent or mortgage, don’t forget to factor in other costs like insurance, transport, and whether the space is big enough to scale your business as you grow.
Your studio should be located where it is easy for customers to find it. A central location with available parking will attract more visitors than a studio located on a side street. Although the side street location may have cheaper rent, you must balance the need to be seen by customers and have walk-in business with what you can afford.
If you find a property you like, it is a good idea to visit the area a couple of times before signing the lease. It will give you a chance to assess the natural light available at different times of the day. If any distractions are nearby, and how they will affect your work.
Also, take cognizance of other perks, like the amenities close to your studio. Nothing is worse than working late and finding out that the location does not have pizza delivery. Hangry people do not produce beautiful photographs.
Find a Studio
Once you find the perfect studio, you need to assess how much work the space needs to transform into a cozy, professional setting to create a positive ambiance that will impress your clients.
You may need to divide your space into areas suitable for each project type to use it effectively. For instance, if you are working on portraits, you may need to design an area with a backdrop screen to create different backgrounds for your pro pictures. For backgrounds, you can use seamless paper rolls and fabric backdrops or invest in collapsible background screens that can easily be changed and adapted for various shots.
As a portrait photographer, you may need to create a comfortable shooting area with furniture, soft furnishings, and toys. Soft furnishings will add the right ambiance to the shot, and toys can distract children to capture those “natural-looking” portraits.
If you are working on photographing products or food, you will need a set-up of tables and chairs and some sort of background that resembles a kitchen. Fashion photography will need a ramp for models, a place for them to change, and extra lighting equipment for those glamorous shots.
Besides a shooting area, the ideal studio space will also need to fit in a client’s waiting room, space to store all your equipment, a boardroom for client meetings, and a post-processing room where the magic of your photography will come to life.
To ensure you get everything into your new studio space, you must hire reliable movers who will take care of your expensive equipment without damaging it.
Ensure the Place Has All the Facilities You Need
Ensure the space you pick for your studio has all the necessary facilities, like an air conditioner. A good HVAC system is a great investment to regulate the temperature and level of moisture in your studio.
Your electronic photographic equipment, necessary to take all those pro pictures, is very sensitive to moisture and extreme temperatures. If you take note of the instructions for storage, they always state to store in a cool, dry place. If there is a lot of moisture in the air in your storage space, the lenses, tripods, and other electronics will be susceptible to growing mildew, damaging your equipment.
Another upside of having a studio is that you can produce pro pictures in any weather. Wind, rain, and too hot or too cold temperatures can spoil a shoot and increase the cost of a project. You don’t want to photograph models with goosebumps on their skin, and you cannot bring out your camera in the rain. Shooting in a studio with an HVAC system that creates an ambient temperature makes the whole process of production easier and more predictable.
You also need to ensure that your studio is located within the reach of a waste removal company. Especially if you do food photography, there may be a lot of food waste to dispose of. Regular waste removal will ensure that your studio is kept clean and hygienic.
The photography process can produce a toxic waste that needs special disposal, which a waste removal company can handle. Chemicals used to develop pro pictures can contain heavy metals like mercury and selenium. These can be found in photographic fixers, stabilizers, toners, photo paper, and film and need to be disposed of responsibly to avoid polluting the area. Even printing cartridges used to print out images contain silver and must be disposed of carefully.
Another thing that is easily overlooked is the availability of clean running water. If your studio has a water filtration system installed, you won’t have to worry about unclean water affecting the quality of the images you produce.
Get Your Lighting Up to Scratch
Good lighting differentiates between a pro picture and just an average picture. The light source’s position, intensity, and color can change and emphasize your model’s or product’s features. A photograph unveils depending on how the light hits the lens, so even though your studio may have plenty of natural light, you will probably still need a great source of artificial light to create the perfect lighting conditions for your shots.
Artificial light in space implies plenty of strategically placed lamps, which in turn need electricity to power them and cables to plug into a power source. So let’s discuss these needs in more detail.
You may need to get to know your electrician when setting up your photography studio. Ensure they are professional and install wiring and electricity outlets according to all building codes and regulations. Good wiring is a priority for a photography studio. The artificial lamps often draw a lot of power when switched on, and if not installed properly, can cause an electric fire. Skimping on spending on electrical installation that will deliver the power you need safely is a sure way to lose everything in a fire.
Once your wiring is installed, inspect all the cables regularly for any signs of wear and tear.
You must implement proper cable management techniques to protect your equipment from damage and prevent your crew and models from tripping over cables. It is an often-overlooked element but can increase the safety of your photo shoots and is likely to prevent damage to your expensive lighting and camera equipment. It is also often a way clients differentiate between professionals and amateurs and will appreciate you creating a safe photo shoot.
Give Attention to the Condition of Your Floor
Many novice photographers do not realize how your studio’s floor can affect your lights’ reflective quality. Bouncing light off a dirty cement floor is almost impossible. It also makes a poor impression on your prospective clients.
Wood or marble are the luxury floor coverings that give your photographs extra light. For a less expensive version, you can use sheet vinyl to give the appearance of the elegance of wooden flooring without the exorbitant cost. Vinyl is also durable and will last a long time, even in heavy foot traffic areas. It is also versatile, with many finishes to give you the best aesthetic at the best price.
Upgrade the Plumbing
The nicest thing about hosting a photo shoot in your own space is the proximity to the restroom. Make sure that the studio space you rent or buy has a toilet available. It may seem like the last thing you need, but it does add value.
You will have a private space for models and crew to use, which is one less thing to worry about during a shoot. Creating a clean and welcoming bathroom facility will help you appear more professional, and clients will appreciate the creature comforts.
Don’t try to install the plumbing fixtures yourself. Rather, hire a professional plumber to do the job properly so everything works well. Nothing is worse than an overflowing toilet because the plumbing has not been done right.
Find Clients
Without clients, your photography studio will not survive. So, where do you find your first client? Luckily, finding people who need photographers is not that difficult. Start at the beginning by making eye-catching signage to display outside your studio. It will act like a silent salesperson, enticing passersby to enter and order pro pictures from you. Take care to include your brand name, colors, and your unique selling point in the sign. Ensure it is visible and easy to read, even from a distance. Your signage should be made from a durable material to look new for longer. Look for local banner and sign companies to manufacture your professional signage.
Besides great signage, there are many other ways to attract clients. You are making use of your family and friends. Perhaps you know someone in a real estate business or someone who wants to advertise part of their home on an Airbnb site.
You can also approach local businesses to offer your photography services. They may need product photographs for their website. Look for local beauty schools or hair and nail salons. They often need glamorous photographs to advertise their services.
Of course, you should also create your personal artist website, where clients can contact you and where you can display your portfolio of work. Online presence has become the industry standard. People look online first when searching for photography services, so you need to be visible. Even if you don’t like the online vibe, use your website to market yourself to your preferred audience and clients. Good SEO strategies will help you be found locally.
To succeed, you must define your brand and identify what appeals to your target audience. If you try to be everything to everyone, your brand identity will be diluted. So, it’s better to define your target customers from the beginning. This choice will help guide all your business decisions. It will play a role in determining the location of your studio, the way you decorate your space, and how you design your website.
Being passionate about taking professional pictures is not enough to turn you into a successful photographer. To become professional, you must consider yourself a business owner and invest in renting or owning a personal photography studio. Having your own space will help you improve your productivity and make you appear more professional to your clients, making them more likely to want to work with you.