# Studio - In home or brick and mortar



## waycar71 (Mar 21, 2012)

For those of you who are Portrait photographers and have a studio, do you have a studio inside your house, like the basement or another room converted to a studio, or do you have an actual brick and mortar storefront?

Which would be better, to have it in-house or actual storefront?

Thanks in advance.


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## tirediron (Mar 21, 2012)

The demand (at least in my area) for formal, posed portraits is very low.  Given the cost of real-estate, insurance, etc, I've found it much more ecnomically viable to use a studio share for those occasions when I do want/need to shoot in a studio environment.  This allows me to have a physical address, and a clean, tasteful environment for clients, but eliminates the need for high rents, extra insurance, maintenance, etc.  The only downside is that it's not available 24/7.


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## waycar71 (Mar 21, 2012)

tirediron said:


> The demand (at least in my area) for formal, posed portraits is very low. Given the cost of real-estate, insurance, etc, I've found it much more ecnomically viable to use a studio share for those occasions when I do want/need to shoot in a studio environment. This allows me to have a physical address, and a clean, tasteful environment for clients, but eliminates the need for high rents, extra insurance, maintenance, etc. The only downside is that it's not available 24/7.



Is this studio share a group thing or how is it set up?


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## tirediron (Mar 21, 2012)

The one I'm involved in, I sub-let from the primary tennant who has a number of different users ranging from Yoga to dance. I'm the only photographer, but at $20/hour for a 15x40 room with southern exposure, change-rooms, reception area, and only five minutes from my house, I couldn't beat it. It's simply a matter of checking the on-line schedule for availability and sending her an e-mail a day or two in advance of the time I need it.

Edited to add:  There is also a photographer's cooperative studio share in town which is again controlled by a primary tennant but where all costs are shared equally by the [up to] six members of the cooperative.


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## waycar71 (Mar 21, 2012)

tirediron said:


> The one I'm involved in, I sub-let from the primary tennant who has a number of different users ranging from Yoga to dance. I'm the only photographer, but at $20/hour for a 15x40 room with southern exposure, change-rooms, reception area, and only five minutes from my house, I couldn't beat it. It's simply a matter of checking the on-line schedule for availability and sending her an e-mail a day or two in advance of the time I need it.
> 
> Edited to add: There is also a photographer's cooperative studio share in town which is again controlled by a primary tennant but where all costs are shared equally by the [up to] six members of the cooperative.



Do you bring your own lighting and backdrop setup, or is that already there in the studio for different users?


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## c.cloudwalker (Mar 21, 2012)

tirediron said:


> The one I'm involved in, I sub-let from the primary tennant who has a number of different users ranging from Yoga to dance. I'm the only photographer, but at $20/hour for a 15x40 room with southern exposure, change-rooms, reception area, and only five minutes from my house, I couldn't beat it. It's simply a matter of checking the on-line schedule for availability and sending her an e-mail a day or two in advance of the time I need it.
> 
> Edited to add:  There is also a photographer's cooperative studio share in town which is again controlled by a primary tennant but where all costs are shared equally by the [up to] six members of the cooperative.



Glad you found a nice space to work in.


To the OP: Unless you have a very nice basement with decent ceiling height, separate entrance and no clutter from your family life, I don't think it is a good idea.

My very first studio was in my basement. You had to go through the living room, dining room and kitchen to get to the stairs leading to it. Not too cool if you are going to charge decent rates. Mine was fortunately just a practice and learn studio until I launched a real one in which to do paid work.

At that time I was shooting weddings and I did meet customers in my house. They came into the living room and we did everything there: contracts, negotiating, proofing, etc but I would never have taken customers into my basement studio. It just didn't look very professional. And if you are going to ask for the decent money that allows you to make a living instead of spare change, you want to look professional.

And please don't advertise yourself as a natural light photog only. A lot more people than you think know that it means you are a photog who can or won't afford a proper space.


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## c.cloudwalker (Mar 21, 2012)

By the way, if you really can't afford your own space and can't find a set up like tirediron's, you may want to think about starting one. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find enough photogs to rent out the space when you are not using it. I mean you're not in the boonies, Toto 

I got involved in real estate when my daughter went to college and I figured out it would be a lot cheaper to buy a house for her and fill it with students then to put her up on campus. The students paid for the mortgage and also allowed me to buy another one, etc, etc, lol.

Be as creative with your business as you are with your photo.


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## tirediron (Mar 21, 2012)

waycar71 said:


> Do you bring your own lighting and backdrop setup, or is that already there in the studio for different users?


I bring my own gear and take it away; a bit annoying at times, but again, well worth it for the price!


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## Balmiesgirl (Mar 27, 2012)

I have done both. 
There are advantages to both also.
A home studio is definitely more economical... No rent, you already pay that. No utilities either. Not as professional and can be a nightmare for your home life sometimes. Close, so no commute. If you can arrange it so you have a separate entrance it helps a lot. Make sure your kids clothes aren't on the bathroom floor... U know "Murphy's law" 
A commercial space: 
People take you more seriously. They don't expect your services for free because you have " over head". It's easier to separate work and home life. You will realize how much time you actually spend working. ( at home u can get lost working on a clients photos til three in the morning and don't even think about the time u r putting into it!)
You do have rent/lease and utilities. You can't just skip bringing in $.
I currently have a commercial space. My mother and I share it. She uses 1/4 of our space for her sewing business, I use 1/2 for my studio and office and we rent out 2 other offices in the remaining quarter. Renting the other section of the building gives us enough income that if things are slow it doesn't put us out of biz.


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## spacefuzz (Mar 27, 2012)

check out last weeks TWIP podcast, there was a good interview that discussed your question in length.  You may find it useful.


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## Big Mike (Mar 27, 2012)

This is a tough issue.  It can work either way, and it can fail either way.  As we're always saying, whether you fail or succeed is more based on how well you run a business, rather than how good you are at what you do.  

I've have space in my basement, and it splits time between playroom, bedroom for the in-laws and photo studio.  I've brought clients there, but not very often.  It's almost always messy, so it requires a lot of work to make it look presentable...and even then, it's a basement that was finished in the 60s...so it's both dated and run down.  Not very professional looking.  My good, long term clients understand and it's not an issue...but I wouldn't even think of bringing a new customer there for the first shoot...unless there was no other option.  

It can be helpful to think of it from the other side.  Would you be more likely to go to a photographer who shoots out of their home, or has an actual retail studio space?  I would certainly be more comfortable going to a studio.  Sure, I'd be happy to go to a home-studio if the price was better and the results were as good or better...but the first time you go to them, you're not sure.  Having a building/studio can give potential clients that sense of comfort.  And that's the usually the hard part - getting new customers.  Keeping the ones you already have is just as important, but it's typically not as hard to do.  

I know one or two photographers who rent retail space (storefront) just for the sake of having that presence.  People in the town/city see the store and know who/where you are.  You are seen a a member of the local community, and not just somebody working out of their basement, who may or may not be around when it comes to shoot the wedding that they have put a deposit on.  It doesn't even have to be a studio space (especially if it's mainly weddings that you shoot).  It's just the fact that you have a 'real' business space.  They use it for displaying their work and maybe for sales meetings etc.  

As someone was mentioning above...there is the whole 'work from home' issue.  So do you put your 'office' in your home or keep it separate?  Many of us know very well that it can be hard to get work done when you're working in a home-office with your family around.  Some people rent space, mainly because it's a place where they can get out of the house and get some work done.  

Of course, there are many shades of grey between the options.  I know of at least one photographer who has a home-office, but separate it from their home.  A loft above the garage, for example.  It's a place to work, maybe a place to meet clients, but it's not in your basement or livingroom, which would interrupt your family life.  
I know a couple who bought their house because it had an over-sized garage, which they turned into a very nice studio.  They also teach classes out of there, have small meetings/seminars etc.  I don't know if they rent it out to other photographers...but they let me use it when I ask.

I can't think of their names, but I went to a seminar by a photographer (a couple) who decided to move to a different area.  They hired an architect to design them a house/studio.  It is a rather large house, but the living space was separated from most of the building, and it was all designed with the idea of natural light shooting areas, inside and out.  They created a huge 'fantasy' garden behind the house.  Very impressive...although, I'm sure it was outrageously expensive.


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## jake337 (Mar 27, 2012)

How much acreage do you have?  What about setting up a studio at your house, but not attached?  The link posted is just the first on I came across on google.

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## Big Mike (Mar 27, 2012)

Or you could build a giant softbox and have your studio inside it.

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(company I work for)


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## Lchdz (Mar 27, 2012)

Im practicing in my garage currently!  Good size and I'm in Phoenix so weather is amazing right now.  Once summer hits I'll need to find a cooler place tho.... :x


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## jake337 (Mar 27, 2012)

Lchdz said:


> Im practicing in my garage currently!  Good size and I'm in Phoenix so weather is amazing right now.  Once summer hits I'll need to find a cooler place tho.... :x



Insulate and add a small window A/C unit.


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## c.cloudwalker (Mar 27, 2012)

jake337 said:


> How much acreage do you have?  What about setting up a studio at your house, but not attached?



This is exactly what I did. The studio was built in the rear of the property with a separate entrance and the (legal) possibility to split the property eventually for sale of the business without selling my house.

If you're going to build a business you definitely want to be able to sell it if it works out...

And not every business buyer will be interested in buying the house with it!

That is what happened to me but... I'm in the country (boonies, kind of), another house in the village would have cost him as much with no advantage whatsoever .

The view from my side was a bit different because this is the first house I ever bought, when I was only 21, it's an absolutely beautiful house, and over the years I've done work to it to fit my personality. But when I considered all the details such as having the new owner's traffic go right by my house, the possibility of the new owner knocking on my door everytime something goes wrong for him, etc, etc I decided to try and sell a package. It worked out for me because of my location and the kind of work being done here but...

it sure is something I hadn't really given much thought to when I built the studio although it is something that needs to be considered.


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