Studios

When I ran a studio in Kent it was booked most weekdays and some weekends, either by photographers (a few were frequent regulars) or models who preferred not to work in their own home. For me, week days were in greater demand than weekends. Importing European models was more lucrative than touring UK models.

All my studio income was essentially profit, but only because the studio occupied a small part of an industrial unit which was financed by my separate and much larger business. It was good fun, but I wouldn't entertain doing it again if I needed to cover rent etc.

Also, Folkestone might be challenging since you're 50% surrounded by sea, which contains no potential customers!

FiL said

Also, Folkestone might be challenging since you're 50% surrounded by sea, which contains no potential customers!

Well that is true, but I might look to finding somewhere more inland lol, or maybe fishermen need new headshots!

Having had a studio myself although not in your area, much depends on location, whether ground floor, size, facilities, parking, location to trains, motorways etc then the person running it, the investment in fit out, there are so many variables. I know of a studio just 2 minutes from my house, 22500 sqft, way too small for the business which employs 30 full time, and since has opened in Europe and China too, very successful originally just a couple of people. Then others within 10 mins or so can't rent out, do no real business and a few have closed up.

The successful ones do product photography, the others struggle or have gone bust. My own studio was an indulgence and set up that way for personal pleasure, although covered costs, it was reasonably well located, equipped and clinically clean but you'd struggle to call it a business as no product photography was persued, basically a service for hobbyists just to cover costs when not being used by myself.

HTH

PhotographybyMichaelangelo said

So this is an attempt to pick a few brains really, as I'm considering renting out a small-ish space (either by myself, or perhaps sharing the use with a few other people) to turn into a studio that I can use for my own shoots/workshops, or hire out to other photographers to use for their work, or a bit of both as the need/want arises.

It's worth saying that I shoot weddings mainly by trade, so don't really have the need for a studio for my own work, though it may allow me to vary my service offering a little with a dedicated indoor space that I have full control over.  So the main reason really is to hire the studio out to others, or put on workshops to cover and hopefully surpass the rent and other overheads and turn a bit of a profit.

What I'd like to know is, as I consider dipping my toe into having a commercial space, if you own or rent a studio space (either to conduct the entirety of your photographic work, or to supplement it in a similar way that I've described), is it a worthwhile investment, and have you been able to turn a profit, or at least break even?

I'm ideally looking at answers from those with a studio space in the southeast, as that's my location too, so will hopefully give me a better indication of the demand and costs/incomes.  Obviously I don't want to know actual figures, though if you want to give ballpark numbers that would be great, but more a sense of whether your books are full for the next 6-12 months or not, and whether it has been worthwhile for you to have this space available to yourselves, or to hire out to others.

Thanks all!

I'm in Havant, on the Hampshre Sussex border, about 600 metres from the main A/M27 south coast trunk road. Here's a link to how I did mine, some of the technical issues I had to overcome, and how I tried to get as much stuff off the floor as possible in order to use every square centimetre as efficiently as possible. I'd add that my studio is also my office and "command centre" for maintaining lots of remote computers. So I was keen to ensure that its 25 square metres (~275 ft²) can be quickly and easily redeployed for other purposes. This is quite an important consideration for you too, I'd imagine, especially if this is a speculative venture.

• https://garfnet.org.uk/cms/2017/01/25/setting-up-a-home-studio/

As I mentioned on another PP thread recently, I have just spent the various COVID lock-downs undertaking a lot of improvements and tweaks, that I am currently in the process of writing up. My point being that how ever much thought you give it, and how well you set it up, please be prepared to make further changes amendments and tweaks. Never paying for any proprietary software has pretty much bank-rolled mine. Nevertheless, even though I always shop around for bargains, and I undertook most of the installation and maintenance work myself, it still cost a small fortune!

Meantime here's an overview of what it was like before the upgrades c/w a few behind-the-scenes snaps, if you are interested...

• https://waist.it/about/studio

I'd add my studio has hardly ever made a bean as an actual studio - certainly not for model photography. But as 25m² of versatile creative space, it is very much at the heart of all my other business interests - if that makes the remotest bit of sense to you?

I had a large studio when I was a wedding and family portrait photographer. I also tried to rent it out to other photographers for model shoots, family photography and product photography. I also used it as a base to store all my event photography business equipment.

Hire by model photographers was a very small income. Wedding photography sales didn’t increase by having a studio base. Family shoots did the best. I was making about £2500 per month. But take off overheads, - business rates, insurance, rent, fuel bills (especially heating), phone, internet and extra equipment and props to kit out the studio etc, the profit ended up being very small. Family portraits for me were also really hard work for the money earned compared to weddings. 

I did enjoy having my own studio space for model shoots though. But it was an indulgence and a debt building activity rather than even breaking even. I did do training courses but they were 1-1 rather than big groups.

In the end I closed the studio after a couple of years and focussed on weddings and events (black tie, pageants and fashion shows). Profit was much better as there were no high running costs associated with a building. 

Good advice so far, thank you to those who have contributed!  

It seems there are lots of factors to consider, and I'll admit none of the (albeit very few) places that have caught my eye on estate agent websites are that well placed for transport links, and being quite 'out of the way' in terms of being in Kent might be an issue, as I won't have a very large (or as large) a market to tap into...

This is roughly half of it, the other end changing, wardrobe, refreshments, make up, storage seating, and a bit more floor space. This was shot just before it was finished and backdrops installed etc 1000sq ft high ceilings was more or less derelict before works began.

Might be worth checking out creative spaces for artists and the like, I imagine they will be cheaper than full commercial tenancies.

My studio is on the top floor of a large commercial wedding / meeting venue, they literally didn't know what to do with it, so were grateful to get something for it. There must be other places in every town like this?

I don't try to rent it out, I found it cost me more in time, setting them up and sorting it out, than the average photographer is willing to pay for the hire.

I shoot for a few commercial websites, and easily cover the rental costs, so I look at it like this:

If I were a golfer, then I'm a golfer who has his own golf course, and can use it anytime I like, 24/7. Sometimes I get paid to play my golf course, and that covers the costs. I often go in there for an afternoon, to try out lighting ideas with the resident mannequin, and as a /previous poster said, it's great to have somewhere to store all your stuff.

As a suggestion, look around your town for places where Freemasons or Oddfellows meet, they often have top floors that are unused, and no good for storage. Ideally you want someone else to be paying the rates and energy bills!

Graham White said

My studio is on the top floor of a large commercial wedding / meeting venue, they literally didn't know what to do with it, so were grateful to get something for it. There must be other places in every town like this?

I don't try to rent it out, I found it cost me more in time, setting them up and sorting it out, than the average photographer is willing to pay for the hire.

I shoot for a few commercial websites, and easily cover the rental costs, so I look at it like this:

If I were a golfer, then I'm a golfer who has his own golf course, and can use it anytime I like, 24/7. Sometimes I get paid to play my golf course, and that covers the costs. I often go in there for an afternoon, to try out lighting ideas with the resident mannequin, and as a /previous poster said, it's great to have somewhere to store all your stuff.

As a suggestion, look around your town for places where Freemasons or Oddfellows meet, they often have top floors that are unused, and no good for storage. Ideally you want someone else to be paying the rates and energy bills!

Golfers get paid more though....

You're absolutely on the button about renting to others, I found they left the place dirty, it cost more in fuel and time/heating for me to rock up, for it to be worth bothering with.

indemnity said

Golfers get paid more though....

You're absolutely on the button about renting to others, I found they left the place dirty, it cost more in fuel and time/heating for me to rock up, for it to be worth bothering with.

This is partly why I am considering a shared rental with a few others, so if the studio is in use by someone other than us for example, we can take it in turns to be there and supervise, rather than it all being on my shoulders, which also allows more flexibility around everyone's schedules too (I can't be present if I'm off shooting a wedding, and don't want to lose the booking).  While I know this will be less overall income for me, it's also less cost to me as well, so I guess it may even out!

You'd definitely need to assume this was going to cost you money, not make it. But some people are happy with that

PhotographybyMichaelangelo said

indemnity said

Golfers get paid more though....

You're absolutely on the button about renting to others, I found they left the place dirty, it cost more in fuel and time/heating for me to rock up, for it to be worth bothering with.

This is partly why I am considering a shared rental with a few others, so if the studio is in use by someone other than us for example, we can take it in turns to be there and supervise, rather than it all being on my shoulders, which also allows more flexibility around everyone's schedules too (I can't be present if I'm off shooting a wedding, and don't want to lose the booking).  While I know this will be less overall income for me, it's also less cost to me as well, so I guess it may even out!

I've used quite a few studios over the years. Sounds like you'd be surprised by how many studio owners either turn up just to let you in, then disappear saying to close the door behind you, or simply tell you where to find the key. The two studios I used in Kent fairly regularly left a key out for me to find - one in Sevenoaks the other a few miles south of Maidstone. I'm not suggesting you should do that necessarily, but it's not uncommon.