Would this be good business?

[ItsssRyne]

Alright so I live in an area that is frequently visited by hundreds of tourists every day. Do you guys think it would be a good idea to approach the tourists,
offer my photography services, then post the pictures to a website later for purchasing?

I mean people want pictures of their vacations. And I don't see any photographers out there doing this.
It's similar to what theme parks do when you first enter them, except I won't have a store, just a website.

Your thoughts?

 

[MLeeK]

Yes, I think it is a possibility.
Think it through very thoroughly, plan it out carefully. ANYTHING can work if it is marketed properly and has a good solid plan to it.

 

[pixmedic]

DO IT! Tourists are such suckers. they will spend money on anything.

 

[Designer]

Your thoughts?

If I were approached, I doubt if I would be interested, however no telling what other people might buy. Probably the one thing people will pay for is a picture that is WAY BETTER than they could do themselves. Show some samples that will prove to them that you are a good photographer.

 

[tirediron]

Ehhh... I'm afraid I'm not quite so optimistic as the other posters. My guess is that while you might get some that would express initial interest in the idea, the actual sales would be rather low. With the instant gratification provided by today's digital cameras, ppeople no longer have to wait, and combined with the fact that almost every cell 'phone has what most people consider a "good" camera, they have little reason to pay for services. That said, as there'd be relatively little investment to get started other than the cost of a business license, why not give it a whirl?

 

[rob0225]

The big theme parks basically do this, with people standing just inside or near the entrances. I'm sure they make money off of it, but no doubt their traffic is much higher to balance out.

 

[MLeeK]

Ehhh... I'm afraid I'm not quite so optimistic as the other posters. My guess is that while you might get some that would express initial interest in the idea, the actual sales would be rather low. With the instant gratification provided by today's digital cameras, ppeople no longer have to wait, and combined with the fact that almost every cell 'phone has what most people consider a "good" camera, they have little reason to pay for services. That said, as there'd be relatively little investment to get started other than the cost of a business license, why not give it a whirl?

Tirediron brings up a good point. Much of our sales come from the followup and follow through after we shoot. If we just shot and posted the images to an on-line gallery then did nothing the sales rate is pretty crappy. However, if we follow up and change how that works, sales rate changes. I do not post anything on-line for viewing. I show everything in person at an ordering session. When I started doing that my sales more than doubled over a 6 month period of time.
So, this poses to you a challenge of how to get the follow through and pressure to purchase.
When you are at an amusement park and you get off the ride to see yourself or your kids on the screen and you can purchase RIGHT NOW, it's still in that impulse buy moment. IF you got off the ride, went home and then had to remember to log into some website to see the image would you be likely to order?
So... How about a mobile ordering system on an ipad or laptop where the client sees the image immediately and you can process payment and maybe even print on site or the image gets mailed directly to their home or office and a web size digi image goes to their inbox with the option to purchase the large size digi... Thoughts here, but Tirediron has given you part of your challenges to overcome!

 

[KmH]

If the photos are online, they can be copied without being paid for.

I think you would do much better making prints right then and there so people can impulse buy.

 

[ItsssRyne]

Ok thanks, so much great advice. I think it's a good idea to start with, it just requires a little tweaking and some hard work. I could possibly have a little work station set up and perhaps take my laptop with me.

It's just something I've been mauling over.

 

[12sndsgood]

Yeah, i'm in the tirediron group on this one. I know when I go on vacation I splurge. get me while im there and i'm likely to spend money, a week after my trip. i'm home, I may have lost your card, forgotten the website or realised, "oh we splurged a wee bit too much on that trip and need to watch our cash" I think your best option would be to setup a computer and printer and print them out where they can come back in an hour two pay and get there photo. I think you would capture a lot more business that way.

 

[sm4him]

When I was on vacation with my sister in the Grand Caymans, there were people who took photos of you during certain activities, like swimming with the 'rays.
They took photos of everyone in the group, then offered the opportunity to purchase those photos, on the spot, sight unseen--no preview of your photos was available.
You paid your money, got a receipt and contact information for the photographer and in a few weeks, you were told, a CD of your photos would be mailed to you.
I was absolutely shocked by how many people went for this set-up (my sister included!). Me, I'm way too cheap for it, splurging-on-vacation or not, but there sure were a lot of folks who didn't bat an eye at doing it.

Ever since, I keep thinking that perhaps I should retire, move to the Caribbean and make my living selling photos to tourists.

Since you wouldn't necessarily be taking more than one or two photos of each individual/group of tourists, perhaps a variation on that theme. You take the photos, maybe even offer them a "preview" via laptop or iPad, then you take their order right there, they pay and you send them whatever size prints they order.
I could definitely see it working. I can't really see being able to quit your day job to do it, but it might provide a little extra income for more gear.