When I started out photography professionally, I only wanted to do weddings. It was what I loved (and still love). I thought studio work was so boring. With time, I was convinced to get my own studio and started doing portraits, beauty, products, and other genres. It was great. However, after two years, I am about to terminate my studio lease and will not take a new one. While I love shooting in a studio, I think the cons outweigh the advantages. Perhaps they will not for you. Nonetheless, let me show you what I learned from my two-year experience of having a studio.
At first, when I got the keys to the studio, I was over the moon. I finally had my own "office", I did not have to worry about the weather before a shoot, and I did not have to travel to my clients’ homes to photograph them anymore. It was awesome. A studio is very practical for many reasons and potential clients tend to look at a photographer more seriously when they own a studio.
However, with time, I started to realize everything was not so perfect. Some details became almost problematic with time and got me thinking about my work, as well as my priorities.
Define the Kind of Work You Want to Photograph and Your Priorities
Traveling more and more since the beginning of this year, I had to work differently because I didn’t have a studio available everywhere I went. When I travel, I usually book a place through AirBnB, make sure it looks nice enough to shoot in, and that I have the whole place to myself. This year, I might have shot as much in apartments I rented on AirBnb as in my studio, which got me thinking about why I have a studio.
When I got my studio, I wanted a ten-foot high ceiling to have room to place my lights. I also wanted enough space to take full-body shots using my 85 or 100mm lens. Then, I wanted enough light that I could shoot natural or artificial light. These are all things that didn’t matter that much when I traveled because I couldn’t find an apartment meeting those criteria anyway. When you are on the go, you have to deal with what you have, just like photographing a wedding.
Having to take as little gear as possible also forced me to take the equipment I needed the most for what I wanted to do the most. But to chose the gear, I had to define what I wanted to shoot and stop shooting everything and anything. Beauty and portraits are what I enjoy doing the most now. For these genres, I do not think that a massive studio is very useful. A simple white wall could do the trick for most shoots and thus, I could set up a studio anywhere I wanted. Thomas Ingersoll wrote a very interesting article that shows how to shoot studio-like work outdoors.
Model: Lea at Jana Hernette Model Scouting. Photography and Retouching: Quentin Décaillet.
I also realized that I wanted to travel more than I wanted to have a studio. Because the market I am in is so small, there aren’t many professional models around, which is the reason I started traveling more this year. So, why have a studio with no one to shoot because the market for what I want to do isn’t big enough? I would rather travel and shoot on the go across Europe than be stuck in my empty studio.
Knowing what you want to shoot and offer your clients is essential before getting a studio. If you love shooting outdoors, why even think of having a studio? Your clients might like you for what you do outdoors, but will they like you for your studio work? Define what you want to shoot and this will probably help to decide if a studio is a good idea for your business.
Do Not Take a Studio Too Early in Your Career
You might say I realized all this after two years only because I took a studio way too early. And you know what? I think you are right. Taking a studio without knowing what you want to do and if there is a market for it in your area is most likely a mistake — one that I made.
I will always remember when I first heard Zach Arias say: "when you think you need a studio, wait one year and then start looking for a space." I didn’t listen to it. But boy, was he right! I took a studio when I had nothing to show my clients but wedding pictures. How could I possibly make a profit out of something in which I had nothing to advertise? I had perhaps one or two portraits in my portfolio, but they were far from good. I didn’t know what I was doing with strobes at that time.
It took me a good year before I had a solid portfolio and experience in the services I wanted to offer my clients. Looking back, my portfolio could have been created without a studio for the most part. Even worse, if I calculate all the money I spent on the studio and compare it to what I spent this year traveling and shooting professional models, I could have made a way stronger portfolio with less money!
Model: Cindy at Jana Hernette Model Scouting. Photography and Retouching: Quentin Décaillet.
Now, am I saying you should travel to build a successful portfolio? Surely not. In my case, I just believe I could have had stronger pictures more quickly if I had started moving earlier. But again, I am in a small market that makes it hard to create a beauty and fashion portfolio with professional models. If you live in NYC, for example, it is an entirely different story. But if you want to read more about traveling to build your portfolio, you will probably have some interest in reading this recent article Nino Batista wrote.
So, traveling might not be the solution for everyone. The only thing I do believe is when starting out, you should put your money into your branding and personal shoots, then into your studio. A strong branding and marketing strategy will get you clients; your portfolio will help you book those clients. Because in the end, without clients, you will not make money to pay for your studio. So, make sure have a solid clientele before looking for a studio space or you might end up with some money problems rather quickly.
But How About Commercial Photoshoots and Regular Clients?
I am sure you are wondering if I should keep a studio for commercial photoshoots or for clients that are not professional models so I can shoot in a comfy environment, rather than in the middle of the street. Well, my short answer is "no."
Commercial clients usually have the budget to rent a studio anyway. So, why pay for a studio myself when I could get my client to pay for it? Furthermore, if I rent a studio, I can rent the gear with it. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on five strobes that I will use a couple of times a year. Most of the time, two or three heads are more than what I need on my shoots.
As for clients that are not models or commercial, I can find other solutions. In most cases, I can either rent a place (hotel room, studio, conference room, etc.) or go to my client's home. Now that I have more clients, traveling to them is less of a problem. I can book a day with different clients that live close to each other to minimize my travel time.
Finally, for my personal projects, I could shoot in my garage, in my home or anywhere I want. If I could work without a studio for half a month away from home, why couldn’t I do the same all the time where I live?
Model: Sindi Arifi. Makeup: Marinka Haas. Photography and Retouching: Quentin Décaillet.
In the end, I still do believe having a studio is very practical and a must-have for many professional photographers. It is even something I see myself having again in a couple of years. For now, I think traveling, creating a stronger portfolio, and enlarging my network is more important for my business. For the quantity and the kind of work I have and do, a studio costs too much. Will it be the same for you? Only you (or your accountant) can answer that.
If you wonder if the pictures in this article were taken in a studio or not, only the last one was realized one. The others were all captured in a small apartment with either just one flash or window light.
How about you? Do you have a studio? Do you find it worth it? Has it helped your business in any way? Let us know in the comments!
Living in a place with seasonal clients like I do, I need to consider a studio when the time is right, the money is right, and the space is right.
I'm fortunate that I am mostly a location photographer, and find ways to make a studio feel out and about. However, having the space to host models & clients for meetings or shooting, as well as a place to hang/lay out my work, brainstorm, and do video work for my YouTube page sounds so very appealing.
Does anyone have any experience with having a collective or artists all sharing the same space? Pros and Cons?
HI, I do. It is nice that your pockets are not getting empty, but then you got to have really really "your people" sharing it, otherwise you might face unwanted companies in the studio, bad time arrangements and dirty studio all the time, so consider discussing all these prior to making an arrangement with someone.
Awesome. Thanks for your feedback.
There are several shared studio spaces in Des Moines, IA that have seemed to be successful. You buy a monthly membership that gives you access to the shooting areas and sales facilities. If you don't mind sharing and thrive off of being around other creatives, it seems like a great idea
**Not sure why this is posting as a sub-comment when I enter it in the regular comment box**
As a portrait photographer who has made the transition from part-time to full-time, I'll throw in my experience. It all depends on what your goals are. If you're single and want to travel the world, don't root yourself. But I'm a married guy trying to establishing roots within the community I want to service for the long haul.
After going full-time I invested heavily into renovating an old building into a sweet studio a couple years ago... Having a physical presence has helped significantly in elevating my brand within my community. The benefits are compounding exponentially with each passing year, though the initial cost was steep. Having a permanent lighting setup saves me a ton of time and enables me to shoot a lot more than I use to. Having a tangible space allows me to participate in community events and engage people on a much deeper level than simply having a web site and those in-person connections build stronger brand loyalty than web connections ever did.
But there was a lot of saving/planning/forethought that went into the decision. Once you invest in a space, you have to commit and live with your decision for the benefits to outweigh the cost. Every situation is different and a lot of people jump the gun without doing the necessary planning. Great post topic!