Photography Business Advice

[MissCream]

You WILL need strobe lights, not continuous as others have already mentioned. I wouldn't dream of creating a studio without strobes and frankly I would turn around and walk right out of a studio if I saw they used continuous.

Here is a link to Professional printers Welcome to Epson Professional Imaging - Epson Canada, Limited

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it, but I find B&H to be a little high priced lots of the time. Not even sure why people shop there when other people sell the same stuff cheaper. I can understand in person if there is great customer service, but not online. Sometimes I find items for hundreds of dollars less than what B&H offers for the same item.

I wasn't pushing either B&H or Fuji's printers. Just giving you an example of the type of printer to look into. There are also printers that use an actual photographic printing process. According to a friend of mine who has a retail studio, if I remember correctly, those are the best. But they may not be cheap. I know his cost about 8,000 euros but I think it also prints the next bigger size which is around 11x17.

In this case you are limited to 8x12 as the largest size so you may need something allowing bigger prints along with this one. But it is just an example to give you an idea of what you need. Remember though that a single larger printer might not be cost effective if you run mostly smaller prints. Two printers may be the better way to go.

We were thinking of doing the wallet sizes and 4x6. What would you suggest for doing those?

Print 4x6s 2-up and that gives you a print of 8x6 that you just have to cut in half or do them 4-up and you end up with an 8x12
I have no idea what wallet size is but just put a bunch of them on a sheet 10 or 12 long...

Another thought which would allow you to get a better printer and maybe make some extra money on the side, if there isn't one already in this location, is to install a printing station that customers can use to print their own shots off their memory cards...

That's a great idea, unfortunately, there isn't one. That's something I'll definitely look into in the future.

The one my friend has is nothing more than a screen and a mouse. The screen (monitor) has slots for the different types of cards and then everything is done through the mouse. It barely takes any space at all and he makes pretty good money off of it.

 

[etnad0]

Can you post some examples of your photography?

Green screens are fine for video. They suck for still photography. I would invest in white and black muslins. You need more than one. What if someone gets sick on the one you have or an accident happens? And you will need something much more durable than the $89 cheap muslins.

I actually only paid $150 for the greenscreen and it is super durable and thick and came with 2 cheapo lights. It was the first muslin I bought. The black and white I plan to buy for $89 is muslin as well, but I'll definitely look into the quality. Thanks. I love the quality of the green that I have and just assumed it was all the same quality material. Thanks again for the heads up.

Another idea is investing in a virtual background projector. Virtual Backgrounds Then all you need is 1 screen and it is pretty cheap to make slides.

Another great idea. I'll look into that asap.

I'm not from Vegas. But who is getting up at 6am to get pictures taken?

Let me educate you lol... here in Vegas most things are 24 hours. 2am and 2pm are the same as far as activity. I can drive around the corner any time of day or night and go to Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Grocery Store, Casino, Wal-Mart, etc. A lot of people are already up at 6am. You should come out sometime. It's unlike most of the cities in the US as far as night life is concerned.

Continuous lighting, again, ok for video, but not what you want to use them for. You will want strobe lights or you will be working in a sauna.

I thinking of going mostly LED. I like the results I've had from continuous lighting. LED doesn't put off any heat and they put out a ton of light. I bought a $30 LED just to see what the hype was about and I've used it a lot and it's one of the cheaper lights available. I'll consider the strobe as well, but likely it'll be LED.

For printers take a look at used equipment. I've seen Fuji Frontiers on ebay for as low as $10k

Garage sales and thrift stores are great for props. And I am still amazed at what people give away on Craigslist. If you need things fast try TJ Maxx/HomeGoods/Marshalls (all the same company) They have things like curtains, chairs, stools etc... If you are in a hurry to furnish props.

You need backups for EVERYTHING. Cameras get dropped, cards fail. Printers go down.

All great suggestions. Thanks.

 

[etnad0]

You WILL need strobe lights, not continuous as others have already mentioned. I wouldn't dream of creating a studio without strobes and frankly I would turn around and walk right out of a studio if I saw they used continuous.

Here is a link to Professional printers Welcome to Epson Professional Imaging - Epson Canada, Limited

I've seen lot's of continuous lighting set ups. Why would you walk out? Just curious. The best part about continuous lighting is "what you see is what you get". No surprises when the flash goes off. Let me also add, it's not a studio in the sense that I'll be doing full model shoots, etc. Mostly pictures for people that want to give them to their friends and family.

 

[etnad0]

The one my friend has is nothing more than a screen and a mouse. The screen (monitor) has slots for the different types of cards and then everything is done through the mouse. It barely takes any space at all and he makes pretty good money off of it.

The above was pretty much my own rant about B&H lol. I'm definitely going to check into it. Do you have any idea what system he uses at all?

 

[MissCream]

You WILL need strobe lights, not continuous as others have already mentioned. I wouldn't dream of creating a studio without strobes and frankly I would turn around and walk right out of a studio if I saw they used continuous.

Here is a link to Professional printers Welcome to Epson Professional Imaging - Epson Canada, Limited

I've seen lot's of continuous lighting set ups. Why would you walk out? Just curious. The best part about continuous lighting is "what you see is what you get". No surprises when the flash goes off. Let me also add, it's not a studio in the sense that I'll be doing full model shoots, etc. Mostly pictures for people that want to give them to their friends and family.

Continuous lights aren't very powerful so they need to be close to your subject and they are very hot. I had pictures taken for a law suit with hot lights and I almost died I'm just not a fan at all, I've yet to see a studio use them, but whatever, if they work for you then that's your prerogative. Also most strobes have a modeling light so that you can see exactly where the light will hit I've used a friends lights that were continuous and where they aren't as powerful I couldn't do any sort of fast motion shots because I would end up with motion blur. I guess if your not doing model shoots then you might be okay unless you've got a quick two year old to shoot!

 

[orljustin]

With that said, most places don't have a guaranteed minimum of 30k people per weekend walking by their store either. Even if I only charged $5 per person, I'm sure I could shoot 100 pictures per day across three days = $1,500 per weekend = $6,000 per month.

People don't just walk by and decide to get a portrait. Portraits are a destination - you have to get dressed, look nice, etc. In fact, I wouldn't go anywhere I had to drag my family through a mall in nice outfits to get to.

 

[orljustin]

You WILL need strobe lights, not continuous as others have already mentioned. I wouldn't dream of creating a studio without strobes and frankly I would turn around and walk right out of a studio if I saw they used continuous.

Here is a link to Professional printers Welcome to Epson Professional Imaging - Epson Canada, Limited

I've seen lot's of continuous lighting set ups. Why would you walk out? Just curious. The best part about continuous lighting is "what you see is what you get". No surprises when the flash goes off. Let me also add, it's not a studio in the sense that I'll be doing full model shoots, etc. Mostly pictures for people that want to give them to their friends and family.

If you're a professional, there won't be any surprises when the strobe goes off.

 

[etnad0]

Continuous lights aren't very powerful so they need to be close to your subject and they are very hot. I had pictures taken for a law suit with hot lights and I almost died I'm just not a fan at all, I've yet to see a studio use them, but whatever, if they work for you then that's your prerogative. Also most strobes have a modeling light so that you can see exactly where the light will hit I've used a friends lights that were continuous and where they aren't as powerful I couldn't do any sort of fast motion shots because I would end up with motion blur. I guess if your not doing model shoots then you might be okay unless you've got a quick two year old to shoot!

I can understand your position which is why I want LED. Those don't put off any heat a all. They can stay on for hours, you can turn it off and handle it immediately. In fact you can handle them while they are on with no problem. CFL is the same way and I've seen some good results with CFL light. They are a little hotter than LED but significantly less than incandescent. I have a 300w CFL here at home and several times I've just unscrewed it barehanded after having it on all night. I'll definitely look into safer lighting options if we do decide to use continuous.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

No but I can find out. However, I am in France and so is he so it may not be of much help. I would look into what is being sold/leased and serviced in your area.

As for the continuous lights, they are also known as hot lights because they do get hot. They are some available that stay pretty cool but the good ones cost as much as strobes. You don't want you subjects sweating... Plus the energy use is so much less with strobes.

I had looked into background projectors but the good ones were quite pricey. For what you want to do, the green screen (although make sure and get a blue one too) is plenty fine. In Augusta, GA, where I last lived in the US, there were two photo booths at the local flea market that did nothing but green screen photo and they seemed to always be busy.

 

[etnad0]

People don't just walk by and decide to get a portrait. Portraits are a destination - you have to get dressed, look nice, etc. In fact, I wouldn't go anywhere I had to drag my family through a mall in nice outfits to get to.

Oh you're so wrong lol. Here in Vegas people just up and do everything. In fact, K-Mart and Sears pull people in all the time in the same exact way. They have greeters at the door that pull people in for portraits. Some come back as I expect they will where I'm going to be.

Lot's of people go to this place in wedding dresses, suits, costumes, etc. It's like Mardi Gras every single weekend, but the people are only there to shop or sell. It's a huge tourist attraction as well. The owner is a good man that only wants to see people do good so he doesn't gouge on the rent and has over 1,000 venders there on the weekend. I've never had a space there and not made money. Back in the day it was only $120 month to have a space there, but things change and I understand that from a business perspective. Now it's about $300.

 

[etnad0]

No but I can find out. However, I am in France and so is he so it may not be of much help. I would look into what is being sold/leased and serviced in your area.

As for the continuous lights, they are also known as hot lights because they do get hot. They are some available that stay pretty cool but the good ones cost as much as strobes. You don't want you subjects sweating... Plus the energy use is so much less with strobes.

LED it will be for continuous. They don't suck up much power at all. Thanks for the input. I may also get strobes later on.

I had looked into background projectors but the good ones were quite pricey. For what you want to do, the green screen (although make sure and get a blue one too) is plenty fine. In Augusta, GA, where I last lived in the US, there were two photo booths at the local flea market that did nothing but green screen photo and they seemed to always be busy.

That's where we were the first time we saw how busy the photo place was. The Discount Mall out here in Vegas. They were always busy. I said it above but a slow day for them was $1,500. Glad you mentioned the Green Screen that they did. I might use that as a marketing tactic. Thanks again.

 

[shootermcgavin]

Certainly with that kind of traffic it doesn't seem like a bad business move, I would never go there nor would anyone I know but I would imagine some people would. To go to Vegas to get a picture in a studio that is just a plain jane picture seems pointless. If you did like western theme or something like glamour shots it might work better, I don't see the business failing but I definitely don't think this is a get rich business. There is a place near me that easily gets 30k per day foot traffic and does the theme shots and I never see anyone actually doing it so I would imagine they do a couple shoots a day. Personally I think you'd make more getting a crew of rookies going around to hot spots to get pictures of people giving them a business card and letting them purchase the photo off the internet. This is what I think you have working against you, families don't go to Vegas and they are probably one of the biggest # to get portraits done, if someone gets married there most likely they'd get it done at the chapel in a package deal so that's another large number, a bunch of guys partying definitely are not going to be thinking lets go get our pictures taken, there will be couples from time to time that want it but you'll have someone like me in a good number of couples that would never ever have a portrait taken. So just as much as that traffic is working for you, it is also working against you. I've been to vegas many times, there are a lot of better business ideas than starting a portrait studio. But you don't have that much to lose so it wouldn't hurt trying, maybe you can use the slogan "What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in vegas when you get a portrait from us!" Good Luck, I would use the camera you got now as a back up and buy a more professional camera but that's just me. I wouldn't start a business half assed.

 

[Todd_Reichman]

I would be less concerned about not having sufficient equipment (which I still think is a very relevant concern given what I've read) than I would be concerned about the business plan. It sounds like (and I could be making assumptions, so forgive me) that the OP thinks foot traffic = a percentage of paying customers. This isn't necessarily a fair assumption. I don't know of a single entrepreneur making easy money. I've run a photography business for several years now and I've worked at many different price points. I don't know everything, but having failed and succeeded at every level and having mentored studios at every price point I believe it is true that actually getting the critical mass of consistent, paying clients is difficult today and only gets more difficult over time. It sounds like the OP is looking at assets (i.e. equipment, inexpensive real estate) as the factors for generating revenue. Typically it involves some kind of brand value proposition and an enormous amount of soft-skills work to get the money in the door. That's all before you actually have to execute on it.

- trr

 

[etnad0]

Certainly with that kind of traffic it doesn't seem like a bad business move, I would never go there nor would anyone I know but I would imagine some people would. To go to Vegas to get a picture in a studio that is just a plain jane picture seems pointless. If you did like western theme or something like glamour shots it might work better, I don't see the business failing but I definitely don't think this is a get rich business. There is a place near me that easily gets 30k per day foot traffic and does the theme shots and I never see anyone actually doing it so I would imagine they do a couple shoots a day. Personally I think you'd make more getting a crew of rookies going around to hot spots to get pictures of people giving them a business card and letting them purchase the photo off the internet. This is what I think you have working against you, families don't go to Vegas and they are probably one of the biggest # to get portraits done, if someone gets married there most likely they'd get it done at the chapel in a package deal so that's another large number, a bunch of guys partying definitely are not going to be thinking lets go get our pictures taken, there will be couples from time to time that want it but you'll have someone like me in a good number of couples that would never ever have a portrait taken. So just as much as that traffic is working for you, it is also working against you. I've been to vegas many times, there are a lot of better business ideas than starting a portrait studio. But you don't have that much to lose so it wouldn't hurt trying, maybe you can use the slogan "What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in vegas when you get a portrait from us!" Good Luck, I would use the camera you got now as a back up and buy a more professional camera but that's just me. I wouldn't start a business half assed.

Here's the thing about the location. It's a local spot but it's so huge and so far off the strip that very few tourists come, but they do come. Most of the people there are local and there for concerts that they have weekly. People ONLY come there to spend money and see the concerts. I also have a market for high school girls and their boyfriends. At the other location, that was the main clientele. I have a few things working in my favor and 1 being there is no competition at the moment. The second thing is the fact that there are tons of couples there.

We plan to hire a Spanish speaking model since most of the people there are Spanish or black. I already have 2 models that want to interview for the job starting in February. I'll see how it works out, but based on doing my business as an exact copy of the other business across town, I don't need a theme. They have a 10x15 booth in the Discount Mall with a camera and a printer. No waiting room or anything and they make a killing. They don't even speak good English and no Spanish. They are Asian in a Spanish and Black part of town with no competition, so they clean up. The part of town I'll be in has no photo studios, no K-Mart or Sears anywhere near them to compete with me. The closest shop would be about 10 miles away. I didn't just think this up, I've been plotting, and prepping to make a move on an untapped market.