Starting a photography studio can be an exciting and fulfilling endeavor, but it can also be challenging to make it profitable. Here are a few tips to help you create a successful and profitable photography studio.
Create an Instagrammable Moment
One way to increase your visibility and attract potential clients is to create an "Instagrammable moment" in your studio. This can be anything from a unique backdrop or prop to a specific lighting setup that makes for a visually striking photo. By encouraging your clients to take photos in your studio and share them on social media, you can benefit from their network of followers, many of whom may be industry peers and potential clients.
In my studio had an entire 16-foot wall dedicated to Kate Moss and Madonna. Both are old enough to be considered vintage celebrities, both are still relevant, and both have a wide variety of looks. In my glam room, you'd walk in and see this massive wall facing you. Not one hairstylist, wardrobe stylist, model, or makeup artist missed the chance to take a selfie against this wall. It brought me booking after booking as more people discovered my new photo studio.
Use a Location Company
While online portals like Peerspace have become popular for finding and booking photography locations, location companies can also be a valuable resource. Unlike Peerspace, which has a publicly listed price, location companies act as an agent on behalf of your business and negotiate rates and contracts on your behalf. This can save you time and money, while also providing you with the necessary paperwork and legal protections.
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I have five total ways you can promote your photography studio the easy way and without spending money on advertising. If you wish to learn more from my experience, please watch the video.
You can have a profitable photography studio that's used for shoots, meetings, gathering spots, premiers, and more. Photography studios can be wildly profitable because you don't have to deal with perishables or creating a product. You simply provide space for pay. If you do it correctly, a photo studio can become a full time income, but there is a chance it can be the biggest pain in your life if done incorrectly. Make sure you're set up for success!
Love the instagramable moment! Funny you say Madonna and MJ are the two blue prints...I totally agree with that! It was kind of sad seeing Madonna last night on the Grammy's and see how much of a shell she is of her former self. Anyways, what a great idea. I'm curious if you think it would be a good idea to push it even further and add a very visible hashtag sign to increase the awareness?
Another useful thing to do would be have some sort of tag recommendation for this wall (and posts others make in general) that target useful hashtags in your area. I've used #puertoricomodel and #charlestonmodel quite a bit in looking for talent to work with. I've noticed the models who are smart with marketing use hashtags like this a lot and often they become the most featured model under these hashtags which drives a lot of eyes on their content compared to others. Obviously not everyone will use the hashtags you recommend but if you combined this idea with the intagram wall, it would def stand out over time.
Great content as always Walid!
Thanks, the Instagramable moments totally work!
Madonna: I think she's been punished for who she is/was since the birth of her career. She can't do anything right according to the public but somehow she holds the record for highest selling female artist. The public is funny like that. I say, let people age how they want. It's hard to critique a 65-year-old woman for changing her face when we have fresh-faced 18 year olds on TikTok running filters that change their physical features and skin. Like everyone is guilty and I hope the trend stops.
Hashtag Sign: So that's up to you. Me personally, I like the impromptu factor of it all. Once there's a hashtag, then it's a staged photo opp. It can't hurt you and it's a matter of how you place it. I would say to give it a shot or maybe even run contests for free studio time if someone tags your studio in their stories. People love free studio time!
I like the idea of #CITYmodel hashtag, that could be really useful. It's just about staying creative and knowing when to ditch something and try something else.
It always struck me as strange how in the US famous men can age and nobody cares, but the same isn't true for famous women.
Doesn't seem to be such an issue in a lot of other English speaking countries (UK, NZ for two examples)...
America is a wild place. We're quite a prejudiced nation and people get really upset when you point out the truth.
Over here, people seem to have pathological tall poppy syndrome - Unless the target is a foreigner, then more and more are adopting a hero worship view.
The world keeps changing.