We are dreaming of starting a photography studio. Where would we start?
I’m making a list of everything we’ll need …. we have the space for it currently to run it out of the garage, it will be so simple to fix it up. We need digital SLRs (I have an SLR, but it’s film, so that’s no good.) We need photo editing equipment, which we have, and the proper computers with the editing programs (also have that).
What else, and where do we go next?
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You need studio lights (consider ebay, there are some nice ones there at a bargain price), reflectors such as triflectors, diffusers and add-ons so you can ‘model’ the light, focus it, soften it etc. Also a decent / supportive tripod but ideally light, quick and easy to use + backdrops and props.
Along with your dSLR you need suitable lenses and media cards… then you’ll be set. I’d also consider some training – it will pay off very quickly and save you a LOT of time.
For commercial standard work you also need to calibrate and profile your camera, monitor and printers… so you can correctly control your quality of output… and know how this process is done and used properly.
Comment by The Violator! — December 9, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
Well, equipment is cool, but the best thing I ever saw done took place in Paris about 25 years ago. There was a bunch of pals who wanted to start, each one, a photo studio.
So they banded together, pooled resources and rented a handsome apartment in a central area of Paris with a mixed-use lease. It was a one bedroom (about 1000 sq. ft. in all) with a large alcove entry, and a “triple” living room with nice windows down one side. The living room they transformed into a studio with all the fixin’s (no cyclone — that came later: they just used seamless at the beginning). The entry thay made into an office, hiring a receptionist part-time, and the bedroom stayed a bedroom (with space for archives and the bed for serious casting).
They were six, as I recall, and called the place “L’Atelier Photographique des Tuileries”. Consider these names: Gilles Bensimon, Jacques Malignon, Patrick DeMarchelier, Uli Rose, Andre Carrara, and Alex Chatelain. No kidding.
I guess it goes without saying that the project was a success. “A.P.T.” lasted about ten years, and was the launching-pad to stardom for all of them.
So you might aim for the same sort of setup! Choose your team as wisely as they did and you could maybe enjoy the same kind of achievement as they have by starting off looking big instead of doing it out of a garage.
Now, once again, if I could only take my own advice!
Comment by titou — December 9, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
My strong advice is that if you have to ask what you need, than you’re probably not ready to get a successful studio off the ground. The photography market is extremely saturated right now with people who have just bought digital SLR’s and are now offering “professional” portraits on craigslist and the like.
The only way to be successful in the current market conditions is to aim at the high-end of the market, as the low end is very over-saturated. The ability to achieve high-end quality doesn’t come from equipment, although good equipment is necessary. High end portrait photography comes from a thorough knowledge of lighting, posing, composition, and other technical aspects of the discipline.
You are best off finding a job at a local *high end* independent portrait studio (Olan Mills doesn’t cut it!). Work there for at least 6 months to learn about the business of photography. You will also be learning about portrait technique, both on your own and through your job. You need to eat, sleep, and breathe light ratios, f/stops, posing, inverse square law, grids and snoots, etc. Buy books like “Understanding Exposure” and “Light: Science and Magic.” Take classes at your local Community College. By the end of that six months, you should know exactly what you’ll need to start your own business. Even after six months, you’ll only just be beginning to learn about portrait photography, but you’ll be on your way at least.
Buying a set of knives doesn’t make you a chef. Buying a guitar doesn’t make you a musician. If you just go out and buy your first DSLR, set up shop in your garage, and post an ad on craigslist… I do not see a successful business in your future. However, if you take the time to learn the art and business of photography, and offer a unique high-end product, there will always be a market for quality.
Comment by Free Wordpress Plugins — December 9, 2009 @ 4:42 pm