I Need Some Pointers On Starting A Real Photography Business?

1. photog Says

   “free-lance on my own for almost 5 years now. ”
   So in effect you have been in business for 5 years?? so you should at least know the basics.
   However,
   Figure out your “cost of doing business”. This is means work out ALL your annual costs.
   That is rents, utilities, equipment, insurance, your planned salary etc etc etc
   Work out how many days a year you are planning on working. Don’t make the mistake of thinking 365 days or something as most photographers only actually shoot on 100-150 days a year.
   Divide the cost of doing business by the number of days and you have a figure you MUST make per working day to break even.
   You then base your pricing on that figure.
   So…………..
   If your cost of doing business is 25k (say 10k expenses and 15k salary)
   You plan on 150 days a year
   then your daily take must be 166.66 – that means that if you do one shoot per day then that customer MUST spend that amount for you to stay in business.
   If you shoot 2 per day then it is 83.33 etc.
   Here is a calculator to help with working out your cost of doing business https://www.nppa.org/professional_develo…
   Any non-fixed costs like utilities/repairs etc you should put a figure 10-15% higher than your estimate to account for “emergencies”.
   As to marketing. That depends a lot on your target market.
   Obviously you will take out at least a half page ad in the local paper when you open!!
   If the mall has a newsletter then get in that
   Leaflet drops in the local area
   radio advertising
   etc etc
   Note: the figure of 25k is just a silly figure – you will find that your COB will be more in the region of 60-80k pushing up your daily requirement to over 500 per day.
   PPS. if you have to make a decision by Monday then you have really left this too late to do all the pre-work but as you are getting premises free then it would be worth telling the owners that you will take it for a couple of months initially.
   Unless the premises are already kitted out properly as a photographic studio then it is going to cost you around 10k to get it ready.
   It is NOT just lights that are required but office furniture, props, backgrounds, dividers to divide the space up properly into a reception and studio etc etc.

2. Steve P Says

   Charles Lewis is your “go to” man for marketing know how in the photography business.http://www.cjlewis.com/
   steve

3. Anonymous Says

   1st… Good luck.. In today’s market, you will need it..
   .
   Been freelance most of my life. I’m semi retired now as I’m heading towards 61.. Between real jobs, usually at camera related stores, and after hours, I ran around my area as a camera for hire. A true freelance in the truest of words. Anything, and it WAS anything that someone wanted where I felt I could give them a fair shake for their $$ paid I would shoot it. When film was king I had a very impressive wet color darkroom with 2 color enlargers. 1 for 35mm and 120 formats and a wall mount 4×5 monster. I had 2 automatic continuous feed roller transport paper processors. 1 for black n white and the other for color. Both were 16 inch wide and as long as I wanted the roll to be. It all made me good $$. Real good..
   .
   In 2000 I bought my 1st D-SLR and never looked back. Darkroom went for next to nothing, some I gave away or just tossed. My stable of 35mm, 120 and two 4×5 film bodies were cleaned and packed in baggies and finally sole to a guy in Europe of all places. I kept all my Nikkor lenses, accessories and one 4×5 camera with it’s lenses.
   .
   I now shoot 100% digital using 3 D-SLR bodies and a Epson 7600 24″ wide format roll paper printer. I stopped doing wedding, too many ‘other people’ there with digital cameras. Graduation’s as well. I started to hit the side of some people that many don’t go. Because I ride a Harley, paid for BTW by using my mind and finger.. I started hitting the places and things that bikers go to. They have a lot of $$ too. Hot rod and 4×4 events, big or small. While some may frown, the human body is still in high demand and legal to shoot across the country.
   .
   What I’m saying is you better have something that sells. You seem to have that, kinda, but will people want to drive TO you and walk in and give you $$ for what you do..? I mostly went to them.. I had a studio here but it is being changed into a office and work room for our work. Needed studio work dropped of and the room was going to waste. I make my own frames, mount and matt images and a indoor room will be better than a out building we were using.
   .
   In todays age of very nice digital cameras and photo quality printers and scanners it’s hard to compete with Larry, Moe and Curly let alone brother John and uncle Henry, then the guy down the street. It seems today almost EVERYONE has a “photo quality setup” and are out there trying to turn a buck.
   .
   Pricing is what ever the market can handle, but if customers are walking in their going to want K-mart or Walgreen’s prices. I don’t wanna rain on your parade and I wish you all the luck in the world but having a fixed location for this kind of business will be really, really hard. I assume your going to be digital.. What printer are you going to use. Computer..? Will you have a scanner of pro quality to do copies of other peoples images. Offer film scanning..? Or will you basically just offer a stool, lights and a backdrop..?
   .
   Stocking your business with needful things would be a BIG plus too, but now your opening over head went through the roof. If you could design the idea around a digital camera store with a lot of the accessories the average shooter may want, and have the studio in back as well, you might be able to do something. Your fire will need many irons.
   .
   Now, when your in back shooting pictures, who is up front running the store..? Will there be 2 of you there all the time or at least when clients are there for a sitting..? Here is another idea. If your good at what you do, hold classes like some sewing or craft shops do and for a set fee per ‘student’ you teach them. Schools near by..? Just ideas..
   .
   Another idea between paid client settings, you rent the room and equipment out TO Larry, Moe & Curly and any of the rest for so many bucks an hour, and deposits, to cover other expenses (they tripped on a cord and pulled a light down). However, now you may have insurance problems larger than just having a walk in studio. Worth looking at tho.
   .
   Pets..? Still life items that people want to post pics of to sell. E-bay photos made here, or Craigslist, and so on..
   .
   These are viable options because every hour of every day your open (and into nights maybe..?) will NOT be booked with setting clients wanting to throw fists full of money at you. In the un-scheduled opened hours, your shop in now costing you $$ and to turn a profit that studio NEEDS to be busy..! Only 2 paid settings this week, OK, I have the other days booked, rented out to such and such school down the street… Think out of the box.
   .

4. screwdri Says

   I would sell the time taken for the shoot, may be with a couple of prints included, and then sell extra prints a 2X the printing costs. Otherwise if you take a couple of hours over the shoot and they buy a couple of prints your actually working for less than the minimum wage.
   If its a City centre building then people would expect you to be paying high rent and rates for the studio, price accordingly, don’t price too cheap as in people’s psychology cheap means poor quality.
   Start with a high price and lower if you need to. £150.00 for a portrait package including a print or two would be the cheaper end, I would try £250.00 or more and see what the response is.
   If there is another studio in the area try to find out what they are charging, look in local papers.
   Be prepared for the business side to take up more time than the photography side. Registering for VAT does mean that you have to keep records of what you buy and what you sell (which is no bad thing anyway), but it also means that on items that stay within the company you can claim the VAT back.
   Go to see your Bank Manager there are start up grants for new businesses and income tax amnesties available. Though its always a love – hate relationships when it comes to Banks. Don’t forget to advertise yourself whilst your there, they may even give you leads. Leave them some business cards, put an example of your work on them.
   Think about registering as a Company, your name followed by the word ‘Photography’ doesn’t box you into a particular genre. There are benefits when dealing with the Inland Revenue and dealing with other Companies, large Company accounts is where the big money is.
   OK that’s the easy bit, the hard bit is getting your name out there, think about the ‘company look’ you want to give out, get some cards printed with a Logo, local restaurants and Cafes might display some of your pictures, advertising in local papers can help. the exterior of the building itself will let people know your there if that’s possible.
   Most Cities have exhibition space they need to fill, council run ones are often free to you, prepare some of your best work and hawke it around.
   Join the local Photography club, they know the local photography scene, once you’re name is known in that circle work will come your way, but you have to be good.
   Don’t worry too much, once you start on a course such as this you’ll be surprised at the opportunities that ‘come out of the woodwork’ so to speak.
   Work on your techniques to get as broad a spectrum as possible, everything from ‘soft and dewey’ for the young ladies to ‘grunge’ for the tatooed males. It increases your appeal to a wider audience.
   Think about submitting a portfolio to the Royal Photographic Society, if accepted being able to add FRPS after your name works in the higher (read as, you can charge more) circles.
   I wish you the best of luck.
   Chris

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