# Is it better to have a studio outside the home to be successful in this business?



## Cpennickjr (May 18, 2011)

I keep going back and forth on if I should try to get a studio space or not. I really think it would be better but it may be too expensive for me right now. I would like to hear from some of you with studios and those without.


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## Formatted (May 18, 2011)

This thread is certainly going places....


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## tirediron (May 18, 2011)

If it's too expensive, then don't; if you can afford it and want/need it, go for it.


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## bentcountershaft (May 18, 2011)

Cpennickjr said:


> I keep going back and forth on if I should try to get a studio space or not. I really think it would be better but it may be too expensive for me right now. I would like to hear from some of you with studios and those without.


 
As opposed to having a studio at home?


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## Cpennickjr (May 18, 2011)

Yes, as opposed to having a studio at home? I think no matter how good I am, people may not take me seriously and will not be able to charge the rates I want.


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## bentcountershaft (May 18, 2011)

In my area 2/3 of the full time studio photogs have home studios although they generally aren't spare room or basement set ups.  They're more often large, converted garages/barns with high ceilings and a decent amount of length.


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## KmH (May 19, 2011)

According to a survey the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) did, retail photographers without a studio, have less total revenue and less yearly income than retail photographers that do have a studio (at home or otherwise).

However, the photographers that didn't have a studio had income that was a larger % of their total revenue. so while photographers with a studio had more income, that income was a smaller % of their total revenue. Which makes sense, because those with a studio generally have more overhead expenses.


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## ghache (May 19, 2011)

If i had  the space a home to make a decend studio, a converted garage or whatever i would deffinetly do it.


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## Mike_E (May 19, 2011)

Do you want your customers coming to your house?/Is your SO good with it?

Does your HOA allow it?/Are you zoned for it?


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## ghache (May 19, 2011)

Mike_E said:


> Do you want your customers coming to your house?/Is your SO good with it?
> 
> Does your HOA allow it?/Are you zoned for it?


 
this is why i stopped shooting in my basement. i didnt like to have people i dont know in my house for a shoot. Its not like a did alot because i was using my friends at that time but i wouldnt be comfortable doing it. Plus i have 2 dogs and is not really good for peoples with alergies.


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## g-fi (May 19, 2011)

Do you live in a metro area that may have studio space to rent? I think renting space as you need it can be a good compromise between the expense of a studio and an in-home studio. I don't think that a studio is "necessary", but in terms of getting more clients, I think it helps. Having a presentation space to maximize print orders helps, and having your clients come to you rather than always going to them can be a positive as well. I think the only real question to ask when you're thinking about opening a studio is, can my business support it? If you aren't making twice of what your overhead is going to be for a studio space, there's no benefit to saddling yourself with a lease and all the bills that come with sq footage. If you don't like having clients come to your in-home studio, look into renting studio space by the session, or have a very careful map of indoor and outdoor all season locations to shoot at, or shoot at your clients homes.


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## c.cloudwalker (May 19, 2011)

What kind of photography?

I think you can get away with an in-home studio with retail but it is much harder to be taken seriously when you are doing commercial.


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## Joshonator (May 19, 2011)

One thing to consider would be that at home you will get little-no walk-in clients when compared to a studio in a retail area, so you would have to rely more on word of mouth or advertising to reel in customers at a home studio. But even having a very popular studio doesn't mean much if the cost of overhead exceeds your revenue.


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## CCericola (May 19, 2011)

Depends on the type of photography you want to do. I worked for a studio that did not allow walk-ins so traffic really didn't matter. I would see if any studios in your area rent out space. Or try traditional office space for rent, although the ceilings are usually not high enough. Another opportunity you might want to look into is buying an existing studio complete with their book of business. You can then shape the business into want you want it to be.


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## herrickphoto (May 28, 2011)

I think the biggest space you can get is probably the most important thing. 
If you don't want to have the studio at home and aren't sure you can afford your own, you could always look into sharing a space or renting time in another established studio?
You also might want to think about whether you want a studio with a shopfront, where you have walk-ins. If so, you'll need to think about who can deal with potential clients while you're doing shoots.
Hope that helps!


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## suet (Jun 1, 2011)

I think you can set the studio at home at the very beginning because it is very expensive for renting, equipments setup etc. and it would be time to set outside home when your business do well and develop for a period of time. You know, you cant forced business outcomes. Don&#8217;t take risk


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## behanana (Jun 2, 2011)

One of the things that needs to be taken into consideration here is when you set your business plan, as anyone looking to start a legit business should, your business is/should pay rent for the space reguardless of where it is located. Granted, you may not charge your business the same rental rate for a room in your house as a location outside your house, but there should be a line on your balance sheet with a number dedicated to studio/office rental. This does 2 things, one it pays you for the space your business is taking up inside your house, and two if you grow to a point where you need to move out of you house there is already a portion of your income dedicated to rental so you don't have to make dramatic changes to your pricing to compensate for new space.
As KMH said too, having a studio greatly increases overhead expenses so although you might have a higher income on paper, your actuall net income will most likely be lower. This is all given the fact that you are structuring a business with a plan, taking into consideration all the expenses that go along with it. If you are just doing under the table type of work, the added overhead of having a studio may never actually be felt because you probably aren't following the numbers that closely, just looking at what each job brings in on it's own.


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