Do you need a studio?

[hdctx]

I'm considering offering portraits shot on location, or done with a portable kit and lights at customer's homes.
Have any of you handled a portrait business without a studio?
Is it a waste of time?

[Tom]

The majority of photographers by FAR don't have a studio. Whether it is a waste of time depends on your ability. I wouldn't jump into business until your talent level is up to par. Obviously I have no clue what you can or can't do, but it is a good general advice. I SURE wouldn't take on a mortgage or rent for a business until it has been successful for an extended time period.

[reader0428]

I'm pretty new (been in business a year ago April), I shoot entirely on location, but my business is structured to be part-time, targeting a specific clientele who wants on-location photography so it works for me. If I were going to support a family on a full-time photography income, I can see how a studio would be really beneficial (but also very costly). Not having a studio allows you the opportunity to provide awesome customer service (shooting at their home as well as coming to them for viewing and sales appointments, rather than trying to get them to come back to the studio), but you will probably have a lower volume working that way. It all just depends on your goals for your business. There are also places that rent studio space (sometimes by the hour) if you find yourself occasionally needing that kind of setup.

And +1 about Tom's comment on the image quality. ;)

[suerenee]

I have studio lights and backdrops. I had a "studio" set up in my garage and I have found that isn't my style. I can do a high key photo but I don't like it personally. I spent a lot of money (over $2K) on stuff I rarely use.

I think it's a matter of style. If you do studio work you have to love it. I feel I am far more creative on location.

The best thing to do it identify your ideal client. If a studio is something they would desire then you have your answer.

[David Whatley]

Dave, no, you don't have to have a studio to do portraits on location or in someones home. Which to me is the same thing BTW. I offer both in studio and "on location" and charge an additional $50.00 to go on location.
But, and again I will take some heat for this. I think having a "home based business" damages your credibility to some degree, and yes, even loss of potential income. Yes, I know ALL the arguments, and yes there are a lot of successful home based business, including photographers.
I'm in a small office building, and my studio is part of my other business, but prior to that I was a member of a co-op studio. The building I am in is strictly "office" space and not retail at all. But I had a senior that works in the building, see my work in the window, and I did her senior photos. I have had other people stop and get information for services because they saw my work in the window. Will that happen if you office at home?
Is having foot traffic an advantage? Is having a professional environment to meet clients an advantage? Is there a comfort level for a client to an office, vs a home? Is there a perception of more professional, higher cost for the final product to having professional environment? Do you need a studio, the answer is no. Is it worth the cost of an office or a co-op or studio rental? Only you can answer that, but for me, the answer is yes.

[T. Adam Martin]

I'll offer the opposition arguments to David's, and I think in the end, you'll find that we probably agree on more than we disagree anyway.

Your decision to lease/purchase space outside the home is based on a number of factors, and these should feed your business model and decisions. My first question for you is "What are you planning on shooting" followed by "What percentage of your product mix will each of your offerings constitute?"

Take the time you're going to devote to this venture. What will be your offering: weddings? portraits? commercial? editorial? reportage? etc. Each of these have a different margin and cost structure. If you have offerings that share a number of redundant sources, then you can justify investing in those resources; however, if you product mix has highly variable costs and are not redundant, then you have to fully rationalize in a large fixed cost investment.

Take the traditional mix with for a lot of photographers: weddings and portraits. If I am offering these two, then I'm most likely asking the question you posed: should I have a studio outside the home? Let's be honest: the primary reason for having a studio outside the home, with this mix, is to service your portrait business. The wedding business will benefit mostly from having a location that [A] conveys your business as a going-concern; and [B] a professional place to meet for consultations and proofing. But you could do that in a smaller office space as well without studio space. But you need to make sure you clearly delineate how resources are being shared because it should impact your decision to have an outside studio.

If you spend 80% of your time shooting weddings and 20% on portraits, then, as a rule of thumb, you ought to attribute 80% of your cost structure to your wedding business and 20% to your portraits. There is variance based on product margins, however, let's keep the numbers straightforward for example. What you'll find with most businesses with this type of time structure, however, is that they devote a large portion of the fixed costs to their portrait business. This means that the studio space is being used primarily to service the portraits, not the weddings. If this is the case, then you as a business owner, have a cost structure that is out of line with your business model. You either need to [1] lower your cost structure by reducing your fixed/operating costs on the portrait side and/or [2] raise your portrait business to justify the structure.

These examples are not exhaustive, but I use them to illustrate my perspective: if you are in weddings for more than 50% of your business, I would not advise you to lease outside studio space. It's unnecessary and there are viable alternatives for obtaining the benefits of having a "storefront space."

Photography is already a high fixed cost business for equipment. There MUST be a strong strategic rationale for increases those fixed costs by operating out of commercial space. I don't think it's worth it and based on the way the market is headed, I don't think it's financially wise to do if you're a wedding/portrait photographer.

I'll leave the commercial side of the business to another discussion (in short, a commercial photographer should be booking space, not eating the overhead).

[Tom]

. I think having a "home based business" damages your credibility to some degree, and yes, even loss of potential income.

I would agree with this if your business was primarily portraits, especially more traditional portraits. While I do studio stuff, I don't offer it. I don't think it damages my credibility to not have a studio, considering I don't really do (or offer) studio work.


I also agree with Tyler.

[JohnT]

Personally, I think it can limit you in terms of business (not creativity) if you are indeed a portrait photographer. People have come to expect portrait photographers to have a studio, and sometimes it just isn't possible to shoot on location or in a person's home for different reasons. I don't have numbers to back up my opinion, only personal observation and what I've experienced by not having a studio.

[TxTowman]

I actually did a bunch of passport photos once in an emergency, we met at Uhaul and did them in the back of a truck. they weren't art but served the purpose,

[hdctx]

Thanks for all the excellent points. Adam, you raise an extremely important point regarding the revenue split. My primary goal is to build a wedding videography business. That said, I'm concerned I won't generate the kind of revenue I want, and there appears to be a market opportunity in the area I'm looking at. Between two very large high schools, and no studio within 30 minutes. I'm certainly not ready to pay for a studio, and I wanted to confirm that working in client's homes and on location is a viable business model for portraits. I've been an amateur shooter for thirty years, and think I have a decent eye. I took the plunge and invested in some moderately good glass, though so far, all manual focus for video. Nikon 24mm 2.8, Zeiss 28mm and 35mm 2.8, Zeiss 50mm 1.4, and a Sam Yang 85mm 1.4. I also have an Olympus 75-150mm f4.

If anyone can recommend a reasonably priced lighting kit, I'm all ears.

BTW, do any of you use the video type LCD viewfinder? I love that I can use that without my reading glasses.

[hdctx]

Hey Tom, I'll never be as good as you, so I guess I should just give up and find another line of work.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by hdctx

Hey Tom, I'll never be as good as you, so I guess I should just give up and find another line of work.

If you are using me as a barometer, your sights are set way too low. I don't have the skills to be profitable in a portrait photography business, which is why I don't have a studio or a portrait photography business.

A good attitude helps in this business a LOT.

[David Whatley]

I have a total space of 1200 sq ft that I pay 1,000 a month for and that includes utilities. Of that space 1/2 is "studio area. I would need an additional 150 sq ft if I was doing "only photography here, for an office area. My shooting area is 15X23 and I have a 14X14 dressing area plus a small storage room about 5X14.
I also have a couple of other photographers that pay a small monthly fee to shoot here, so a retail space doesn't have to cost all that much.
But Tyler is right, it depends on your business mix, and what your long term goals are. A dedicated studio doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, and there are also several co-ops that you can get space at.
I would guess that Tom, as mostly a sports shooter does all his work on location and if doing a portrait of a sports figure, he would be shooting at an arena/gym somewhere.

[MyKey]

My Answer and take it with a grain of salt please (as with everything I spout out)

Having a studio can help or hurt you both in great ways. The studio itself is not the key but the business which you create around everything else.

Our industry (photography) has changed a ton during the last 10 years. The speaking/education circuit has changed a lot too. Heck, our industry has been revolutionized in the past 10 years so it is hard to keep up with.

The question I asked myself all the time, over and over is... "Have I revolutionized myself?"

Some here have, some have not. The ones that have not, are simply doing basically the same old, same old they did years ago which worked then so they expect it to work now. They fell behind and during the last 10 years and now they don't like the position THEY PUT THEMSELVES INTO.

Gary Box of OK, an amazing artists, reminded me of a saying recently....I keep thinking of the phrase

"LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY".

We have a lot of photographers that are no longer capable or won't LEAD. But they don't want to FOLLOW either. So the only remaining solution is GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY.

So for whatever reason you are in this business for, be it the art, the money, or a little of both, the question you need to ask your self is:

Are you a leader? A follower? Or are you just in the way?


The great thing about it, if you honestly answer yourself and do not like the answer, there is always ways to create a more happy solution, you just need to look into the mirror and be honest with yourself and not blame others.


Taking the leap in moving out of the home studio was not easy. Our new 4500 Sq. Ft. Studio has taken almost 20 years of part-time and full-time work to reach. Not to even talk about all the planning and budget tuning and yet it still feels we are jumping off a high cliff, head first, without any safety net. However thats part of being successful, taking educated risks, making mistakes and coming out the stronger person in the long run.

So look into the mirror and ask yourself...

Are you a Leader?

Are you a Follower?

Or Are you just in the Way?

and your business will grow the way you want it too in the long run, if your in a studio, a showroom only or out of your home.

[pbyd]

Mike, you used a great quote we used in the Marine Corps, “Lead, follow or get the hell out of the Way!” That said, the thing is that most of the people that are leading today’s photographers have never made it in the business of photography, they lead and teach with out any or little experience. They quit or get laid off from their day job and decide to become photography speakers. What they teach and what most of the start up photographers copy will in no way keep them in business in the long run. I have said often, check out the really successful photographers (and I do not mean people that got their tax permit in the last 3 years or so) and you will not find people doing what the speakers and new start up part-timers think as not cool or boring work.
When I and the other “Old” studio photographers go out of business then it can be said what we do does not work. As of this time I must say what I and others do has paid off and keep me in a full time business for a very long time, it has put myself through a BFA and a MFA and two children though their BA’s.
No a studio is not required, but until you get into this as a full time business “You haven’t see nothing yet!”
It is easy to do something part-time without making an investment, it is much like making promises to a lady without making a commitment. It becomes a totally different thing when you invest in it. You will see what I am talking about over the next few years.
Wayne
Photography by Design