IN last years The popularity of photography has increased several times. Now not only professional models who need to update their portfolios, but also those who want to add bright and creative high-quality photographs to their family album have begun to take an interest in studio shooting.

Not only famous photographers with many years of experience want to open their own studio. Ordinary businessmen also find this direction quite promising. Naturally, to open a photo studio from scratch considerable capital investment will be required. But with a properly developed marketing policy, these investments will begin to pay off within a few months after opening.

Specifics of the photography business

Most often, photo studios are opened pursuing the following three goals:

1. Professional studio photography (creation of catalogues, portfolios, booklets, etc.).
2. Shooting for reporting.
3. Renting out premises and equipment as additional income.

Working in a photo studio is hard work every day. The peculiarity of this business is that Photographers usually have few regular clients. Quite a few families regularly update their photo albums.

On the other hand, it is always worth remembering about competition, which is quite high in this area. The same factor can be associated with a fairly long period of formation of a circle of regular customers.

It is also worth distinguishing a professional photography studio from a photo salon.

Do you want to open a pizzeria? We will help you choose the format of such a business and develop a business plan if

First of all, the studio employs professional photographers who can offer their clients interesting ideas for the upcoming shooting and have the skills to deeply process photographs using special graphic editors. For example, Lightroom and Photoshop. In addition, they do an excellent job not only in studio conditions, but also outdoors.

Photo studio workers can take good photos for documents, but, as a rule, they do not work outside the salons.

The studios offer their clients many other services. For example, photographing weddings or children's parties, creating a slideshow, printing photographs and photo books.

Registration

Registration is a very important step when starting your own business. Without this stage, everything commercial activity photo studio will be considered illegal. If an audit suddenly comes your way, you risk losing not only your reputation, but also your entire business.

You can register your studio as individual entrepreneur(IP) or companies with limited liability(OOO). At the same time, for Russians, OKVED number must be selected 74.81, which corresponds to activities in the field of photography.

Opening an individual entrepreneur may be the best option if most of your clients are individuals. Moreover, registering an individual entrepreneur will cost a little less than an LLC. But it is worth remembering that, according to the law, if the company incurs debts, the entrepreneur will be held liable with his personal property.

An LLC can be opened by more than one person. However, for this you will need availability of start-up capital. A limited liability company usually enjoys much greater trust among clients and potential business partners than an individual entrepreneur.

To open your own photography business, you don’t need to spend a lot of time obtaining licenses and other permitting documents.

How to open your own photo studio from scratch at home? We invite you to watch a video in which a professional photographer shares his experience.

Selecting a room

Your photo studio should be located as close to the city center as possible. The cost of rent, naturally, will be significantly higher than in residential areas. But it will also be much more convenient for clients to get to you.

The area of ​​the room must be at least 60 square meters, and its length is 10 m. This is due to the fact that the distance between the photographer and the model should be no less than three human heights, and between the model and the background - two. About 90-95% should be allocated to the studio itself. At the same time, it is worth considering a comfortable waiting room for clients, as well as a dressing room and locker room. Large studios may also have showers and other amenities. It all depends on your financial capabilities.
Ceiling height also matters. If ceilings will be lower than 3 m, it will be very difficult for you to arrange everything correctly necessary equipment to get the desired result.

The photo studio should have several large windows, which will allow the photographer to work not only with studio lighting, but also with natural lighting.

The dressing room should be light under all conditions. It should contain large mirrors. Don't forget that makeup artists will be most comfortable working in natural light.

The quality of the wiring is also of great importance, because you will need to connect a huge amount of equipment. If your studio will be open 24/7, then don’t forget about soundproofing. This will help avoid conflicts with people living next door.

Before you start decorating the interior, divide the room into zones, think about what you would like to see in your photo studio, and draw up a design project for it. If your studio has several rooms, you can safely decorate them in different styles, but if you are limited to one room, then you can divide it into several stylistic sectors. If the room is small, choose neutral colors for the interior. This way you will get rid of unnecessary reflections on the model’s body.

Necessary equipment

What does it take to open a photo studio from scratch? You will have to purchase the required minimum equipment, which will consist of:

• at least 3 softboxes of different sizes and several attachments for them. Optimal power - from 500 J;
• umbrellas for light and reflection;
• reflectors;
• sources of light;
• stands, tripods, holders;
• reflector;
• color filters;
• flash meter;
• flash synchronizers;
• backgrounds and mounts for them.

You can also purchase additional items if necessary props and reflex camera with a set of lenses.

We must not forget about the accompanying premises. You can go to the dressing room buy a dressing table, a large mirror, chairs and a screen. An iron and ironing board or a steamer will also come in handy. The administrator and photographer must be provided with a computer with the necessary programs installed, appropriate furniture and telephones.

Please remember that the list only includes essential equipment. In the first few months, you will have the opportunity to understand what is still missing to run the studio more efficiently and fill in the gaps in the kit.

Recruitment

Ideal if you are an experienced photographer who is opening a studio for himself. In this case, all you need is to find a good administrator who will communicate with clients, maintain order in the photo studio, update information about your establishment on the Internet and help you during the shooting process. If you are focused on working seven days a week, think about finding several administrators, to provide them with shift work.

If you need to choose a photographer, pay attention to the candidates' portfolios. Don't ignore young applicants they may turn out to be several times more creative than their more famous colleagues. The work of experienced craftsmen can cost several times more than the services." younger generation" However, this is a worthy price to pay for their experience, which can be the key to the success of your business.

A good photographer must be able to communicate correctly with a client, understand what he wants from a photo shoot, and also have a supply of bright and original ideas for high-quality photographs. Remember that the photographer is the face of your business.

You can also hire a stylist, makeup artist and hairdresser. They will help your clients create exactly the look they expect to see in photographs. For reference accounting and preparing quarterly reports, you can hire a part-time accountant or use the services of an outsourcing accounting company.

Advertising and promotion

How to build correctly and most efficiently marketing policy photo studio? First of all, pay attention to social networks, websites and thematic forums. If you are renting out studios and equipment, it would be a good idea to attract the attention of experienced professionals. Invite them to the opening let us try out new equipment, think about possible discounts, bonuses or special programs for regular customers. Believe me, no photographer can resist such temptation.

From time to time, various promotions or lotteries may be held. You can highlight some in which certain hours or there will be discounts or bonuses for certain services in your studio. You can also create a discount program for regular customers.

Don't underestimate modern web technologies. A bright, well-built website can become a wonderful business card for you. And don’t forget that good photos and satisfied clients mean best advertising for your establishment.

Possible problems and risks

Any investment of capital and opening an independent business is associated with some risk. What should you be wary of when opening a photography studio?

1. There is a lot of competition in the photo business, the presence of competitors with lower prices, etc. A well-thought-out advertising campaign will help correct the situation.
2. Inconsistency of demand for a number of services provided. A wide range of services provided will help you avoid problems.
3. Possibility of losing some personnel. To avoid this, try to create a cozy atmosphere in the team, and also think about a employee motivation program.
4. Risk of loss of property. Nobody not insured against robberies, power surges or fire. A good smoke alarm and contract with a security company will help you minimize this risk.

The structure of the photo studio and composition is described in the video.

A photo salon is a great idea for a business. On the one hand, such a business does not require any special financial expenses at the start, and the business owner himself can work in the salon. On the other hand, a photo salon can become a starting point for creativity, and over time turn into a famous photo studio. How to open a photo salon and what you need to know about the specifics of photographs for documents?

A little about document photos

Everyone will agree that every person takes photographs for documents from time to time. Such photographs are needed when applying for a job, when entering any educational institution, when applying for internal and foreign passports, passes, badges, medical certificates, identity cards, student cards and other things. This means that there will always be work in a photo salon. But, of course, this also has its own specifics: for example, the main influx of clients, as a rule, occurs in the summer and autumn months. The main contingent at this time is applicants and vacationers. But a decline in demand usually occurs around the New Year. It is then that additional services that must be offered to clients provide income.

Do you need to be a professional photographer to work in such a salon? Technically, anyone can take a photo for documents (even those who don’t know the basics of photography). You just need to invite a specialist to set the light correctly and prepare the equipment. This can be done once a month, and the rest of the time you can use the equipment according to the set parameters. But if your plans are to develop your business, then it’s easier to complete courses for beginning photographers and learn the technical basics, as well as the rules of working in special image processing programs.

Normative base

Many people are interested in the question: how can a beginner open a photo salon? I must say that it doesn’t really matter here whether you are a beginner or not, since anyone can handle simple photographic equipment. But if you plan to provide ID photography services to citizens, you will have to study the legal requirements on this issue.

The thing is that a passport photo, for example, has certain requirements that must be met. You can get acquainted with them by studying the order of the Federal Migration Service of December 7, 2009 N 339, as amended in 2011, and the orders of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 785, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs N14133, the FSB N461 of October 6, 2006.

Business registration

So, have you finally decided to open a photo salon? Then you need to draw up a business plan for a photo salon and start registering your own business.

• Buy or rent a room suitable for a photo studio.
• Go through state registration with the tax authority (you can also, but at first it will be easier and more profitable for an individual entrepreneur).
• Choose a tax system (simple or patent).
• Decide on OKVED codes: 74.81 - activities in the field of photography, 74.8 - provision various types services. And if you plan to sell accessories or photocopying as additional services, then it would be correct to also choose 52.4 - other retail in specialized stores and 22.22 - printing activities not included in other groups.
• Then you should register with Pension Fund and other organizations.
• Make repairs and bring the premises into compliance with fire regulations.
• Purchase strict reporting forms or a cash register.

Choosing a room: looking for a “bread” place

Particular attention should be paid to finding suitable premises. Of course, ideally it should be located where hundreds of potential clients pass by every day, for example, a shopping center, a transport interchange in the center of a city or district, a business center next to the passport office, travel agency, educational institutions. Naturally, the rent in such places is not the lowest, but a photo studio will require a maximum of 12 square meters, so do not be afraid of high rental rates - it will be covered by good demand for photographic services in such places.

Repair and furniture

After concluding a lease agreement, the premises need to be put in order, repairs made and prepared for work. This means that you should install a hanger for visitors’ clothes, a couple of soft chairs, and an administrator’s desk where the computer, printer and other office equipment will be located. A mandatory attribute of such an establishment should be a mirror. In addition, you can keep a “duty” jacket and tie for clients. This will help out in cases where the client urgently needs to take a photo for documents, but he is not ready for this.

Necessary professional equipment and software

The photo studio will also require consumables: glossy and matte photo paper (for document photos its density should be 170 grams per square meter, and for reproductions it is better to take A4 and A5 format with a density of 230 grams per square meter square meter), printer ink, laminator consumables, replacement cartridges for copier.

The issue of software deserves a separate discussion. To work, you will need a couple of programs that will help you quickly and efficiently process photos and take pictures of the desired format: for example, a program for document photos from AMS Software with formats for all types of documents and Adobe Photoshop, which is useful for processing the finished image and eliminating existing defects (of course, it is safer to purchase licensed programs).

Additional services: we increase the chances of a decent income

As for additional services, they are simply mandatory for a photo salon. This is necessary to increase the efficiency of the business and not be left completely without income at a time when the number of people wanting to take photographs for documents decreases. What additional services can you provide? It all depends on what equipment and skills you have. If you are a beginner photographer and are still unsure of working in graphic editors, then you can provide simple but very popular services:

• photocopying;
• recording photo on external sources information;
• scanning;
• printing photos from electronic media on photo paper;
• printing of publications, articles, dissertations, coursework and other things;
• sale of various accessories and photographic equipment (accumulators, batteries, albums, frames, etc.).

Well, if you have been working for a long time and have certain professional skills, then you can engage in photo retouching, creating retro photographs, printing photographic pictures, restoring old photographs, making booklets, business cards, inserts, wall posters, collages, photos for mugs, keychains, T-shirts.

Advertising

Certainly, great importance there is a salon location, but the business definitely needs advertising. In addition to bright signs, you should make announcements and posters that can be posted on nearby streets, and business cards that are best placed in the mailboxes of residential buildings. You can also leave information about the salon in nearby establishments, which will refer their clients to you.

Staff

When starting a business, there is no point in hiring additional labor for the work, since photographing and photocopying itself will not require much time and one business owner can easily cope with organizing the work process. But as soon as the business begins to gain momentum and there are more clients, it makes sense to hire a smart employee, since it will be difficult for the owner to cope with the performance of work duties, the provision of additional services, and reporting and documentation.

If you decide to hire a photographer, it is better to choose someone with skills in special programs and knowledgeable in photo design. Then you will not only free yourself from unnecessary work in the salon, but will also be able to significantly expand the list of your additional services.

Initial Investment

Let's calculate how much money will be required to open your own photo salon, taking into account that the area of ​​the premises is 12 square meters, and the rental cost is 3000 meters per square meter per month.

If we talk about the payback period for a business, it is on average six months or a year. It all depends on the rental price and client flow. But with the constant expansion of the range of services and high quality work, you can quickly return all the initial investments and earn good money.

Today, almost all existing documents require a photograph. This means that photo salons are in constant demand. That is why photography for documents as a business is especially relevant. You don't have to be a professional to be able to take photographs for documents.

Anyone can do this. The only thing is that once a month you will simply need to invite a specialist who will set up the equipment and set the light correctly. Thanks to modern digital technology, opening this business is very easy.

First steps

It is necessary to draw up a business plan only after a thorough market study. Do some research to determine how many photography shops there are in the area where you want to open a location.

Find out how walkable and accessible the place is. It is advisable that large stores and institutions issuing documents be located nearby.

A plan for organizing your business should consist of some main questions:

Salon operating hours;

Employees' wages;

Job descriptions.

If your plans are to open a small salon, then it will be enough to hire one employee who will photograph and take photographs of clients. The operator must be able to do this using the necessary program on the computer.

Basic formalities

You are fired up with an idea, you have the necessary finances, and you are thinking about how to open a photo salon, where to start your business. First of all, still with the design necessary documents. Regulatory framework will give you the opportunity to work calmly. The “Photo for Documents” salon as a business requires paperwork and compliance with certain formalities when opening it:

1. Registration of an LLC or individual entrepreneur.

2. Decide and indicate the tax codes (74.81, 74.8, 52.4, 22.22).

3. Registration in pension and other extra-budgetary funds.

4. Purchase cash register(other strict reporting forms are possible).

5. Preparation of documents in accordance with the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor and Gospozhnadzor.

6. Study regulatory documents(requirements for certain types of photographs - for passports of citizens of the Russian Federation and international passports).

Advertising

The “Photo for Documents” salon as a business, although relevant, also requires advertising. First of all, you need to spend money on a beautiful and large sign. This will be the main and main advertisement for the newly opened photo salon.

Don't rely on local television and newspapers. As it turned out in practice, this is ineffective.

Interior design and equipment

How to open a photo salon? Where to start equipping the room? They say that theater begins with a hanger. So it is in our situation. Be sure to install several comfortable chairs, a coffee table for those waiting, a hanger and a large mirror.

It would be a good idea to purchase an additional set of clothes: jacket, tie. Organize some kind of rental of things. This service will be appreciated by those clients who urgently need digital photography and are, so to speak, out of shape.

Equipment for document photos

To begin providing the population with the promised photographic services, you need to purchase some special equipment:

A computer with the necessary programs for photo processing (18,000 rubles);

Digital camera for taking photos for documents (15,000 rubles);

Lighting equipment (10,000 rubles);

Color printer, preferably inkjet (10,000 rubles);

Tripods (9000 rubles);

Flashes (12,000 rubles);

Consumables: cartridges, paint, photo paper (2000 rubles).

Major expenses should be reflected in the financial part of the business plan.

Expenses

IN financial plan the main costs for implementing the desired project and an assessment of effectiveness are included. All expenses are conventionally divided into starting and regular. Start-up costs include the purchase of basic equipment, furniture, and room design. In total, this will be about 100,000 rubles.

Regular expenses include:

Rent of premises (15,000 rubles);

Salary (20,000 rubles);

Purchase of consumables (2000 rubles);

Other unforeseen expenses (5000 rubles).

Monthly expenses are about 42,000 rubles.

Business profitability

When will the Photo for Documents salon start making a profit as a business? With an average attendance of 10 people per day and a cost of services of 300 rubles, revenue per month is expected to be 75,000 rubles. If you subtract monthly expenses, the net profit will be 33,000 rubles. In this situation, very soon the opening of the salon will pay for itself.

This calculation is only an example. The payback of the salon directly depends on the preliminary work done, which includes both advertising and its location. The more active you are, the more you can get as a result. Much depends on the seriousness of the enterprise.

Seasonality of business

The activity of the Photo for Documents salon as a business also depends on the time of year. At the end and beginning of the year, attendance at the photo salon decreases noticeably. Therefore, it is very good if your point provides some additional services.

The hot season for this type of business begins in early summer, when applicants are preparing to enter universities.

Additional photo salon services

Maybe you creative person and you are seriously interested in photography, you have professional skills in this field, then you need to use your capabilities and open a photo studio. In this case, you need to think about a larger room area and purchasing expensive equipment that will allow you to conduct studio filming.

Considering the seasonality of business, it is advisable to offer additional services to the population:

Printing photographs from electronic media;

Creating retro photographs;

Restoring old photos;

Printing wall posters and photo paintings;

Production of custom vignettes;

Scanning and photocopying;

Sale of photographic equipment and accessories and much more.

Conclusion

Now you know how to open a “ID Photo” business. Taking into account all the nuances and pitfalls, you can easily make your business profitable.

It may seem that a photo studio or photo salon is a business idea only for professional photographers. In fact, any enterprising person can open it. Renting out a room ready for photography is very profitable. This business is characterized by quick payback and relatively small investments. We’ll talk in detail about how to open a photo studio in this article.

• Opening a photo studio from scratch
• Deciding on the format of the photo studio
• Choosing a room for a photo studio
• What equipment do you need to open a photography studio?
• How much money do you need to open your own photography studio?
• Step-by-step plan for opening a photo studio
• How much money do you need to open a photo studio?
• How to choose equipment for a photo studio

Opening a photo studio from scratch

First of all, you need to figure out how such an establishment differs from a photo salon. There really is a difference. In the photo studio you can take creative, artistic photographs, change images and scenery. Ideas here are born in a creative stop. In addition, the photographer not only takes pictures of people and objects, he can also do computer processing of them. In a photo salon, the choice of services is much more limited. There, clients are rarely offered on-site photo shoots, album or book design, although anyone can do this with their own hands creative person. The photo studio offers clients a full range of services, a creative approach and always high quality.

The art of photography is developing at a rapid pace today. First of all, this is due to the emergence of new technology, and, therefore, new opportunities. The equipment is always selected only professional. In addition to equipment, the studio should have several interior options. Ideas for its arrangement should be fresh and exclusive. Creative people can make it with their own hands. There may be several decoration options. Usually they are made for generally accepted holidays. Often people cannot pay for full rent of a premises. In order to attract customers, promotions and mass thematic photo sessions are held. For example, you can invite several couples for photos on Valentine’s Day, arrange a costume shoot for Ivan Kupala, and so on.

Here are some types of services that should be offered to clients:

In addition, you can organize master classes to teach photography to beginners. Typically, any photographer can rent a professional studio. If the equipment in it is at the proper level, then there will always be people interested. For document photographs, a small room is usually allocated indoors.

Deciding on the format of the photo studio

Now a little about what ideas there might be for a photo studio. One of the most common themes is love. The scenery for wedding photo sessions or love stories can be very different: from Chicago of the 30s of the last century, to cute angels and clouds. Most accessories can be made by hand. If you don’t have the time or ability for this, then handmade masters will always offer not only original things to decorate the room, but also accessories for the shooting itself: three-dimensional letters, pictures, etc.

Another business format is a children's photo studio. You need to create the appropriate environment. For example, you can build equipment for a children's photo studio with your own hands. These are various swings, slides, decorations with “cartoon characters”. Here you can also offer parents several costumes to rent.

Some photographers, to reduce costs, equip their own work space right in their home. If the area is limited, then the maximum that can be done is portrait photographs and photographs for documents. Another option on how to set up a photo studio at home is to always work on the road, and at home in your office just finalize your masterpieces.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

We solve the problem of how to open an interior photography studio from scratch. Given: a creative person who wants to realize the abilities of a decorator Conditions: 700 thousand rubles. Find: profitable business opportunity.

Today photographs are an integral part of our lives. So familiar that it’s hard to imagine how people lived without the ability to capture memorable events in photographs. Now everyone has a smartphone with a camera at their fingertips, with which they take pictures every day. However, most of us still want quality and beautiful photos taken by a professional photographer in a beautiful setting.

Therefore, it is quite natural that opening a photo studio is currently a promising business idea. Renting a space ready for photography is very profitable. This business requires relatively small investments and can quickly pay for itself. Another plus is its creative focus. After all, thanks to such a project you can realize your Creative skills, prove yourself as a designer.

The photography studio market has undergone enormous changes. Do you remember what photo studios looked like before? A white canvas against which you pose with simple props. Now the interior of photo studios can be considered a work of art. Typically, studios offer several interiors to choose from for shooting. Each interior is clearly thought out, full of interesting locations and details that can be used in shooting. Whether a person wants to come to the studio for a photo shoot depends on the originality of the design. The interior is the main component of success for a photo studio.

However, in addition to the creative component, the photography business has many organizational issues, which you need to understand to open your own photo studio.

How to define a photo studio concept

Planning your photo studio needs to start with clear positioning. What type of service will you provide? There can be two options: you either provide interior space for photographers who shoot there; or organize photo sessions, providing a whole range of services - from providing a studio to makeup and, directly, shooting. The first option is less expensive. Here the business owner is focused on creating the interior. The second option is more complex because it requires a whole team of professionals (photographer, makeup artist, costume designer or stylist, administrator), and is more expensive. If the entrepreneur is a photographer, then it is more rational for him to choose the second option. But according to the terms of the task, the entrepreneur is a creative person who intends to independently design the interior of a photo studio. Therefore, the essence of the project is to provide an interior studio for rent for photo shoots.

How to analyze the photography business market

To analyze the market, it is not necessary to conduct a large-scale marketing research. It is enough to find out how many photo studios operate in your city and study their approximate list of services. Your main assistant is the Internet. Today, almost all photo studios have their own website or account in in social networks. Look at what interiors are presented there, how much it costs to rent a photo studio, determine their territorial location (Yandex.Maps will help, Google Maps or 2GIS). Based on the collected data, you will be able to plan your business more thoughtfully and create competitive advantages.

To attract clients, you will have to offer something that other photo studios have not yet offered. For fresh ideas and inspiration, look at what's on the market in other regions. You should also understand that your ideas should appeal primarily to your audience. Therefore, we advise you to find out what topic is relevant among the city’s population, what is the demand for existing services. This information will help you avoid unnecessary expenses.

How to calculate how much money you need to open a photo studio

The required investment is one of the most important elements of any business planning. In order to open your own photo studio, you will need from 700 thousand to 3 million rubles. It all depends on the scale of the business, the complexity of the interior, the idea, the city and the premises. For example, if you want to buy the premises in which the studio will be located, the amount will exceed 3 million. But 700 thousand rubles is enough to open a photo studio. You can save on the premises itself - rent it; for staff – limit yourself to studio rental services; interior – carefully consider locations that can be compactly placed in the rented area, and wisely select decorative elements, choosing budget options. You can also save on renovation costs by choosing a room in good condition. By the way, this will save not only money, but also time, allowing you to launch the project faster.

We will return to the money issue later when we plan to fill the photo studio. We are still getting used to the idea that we need about 700 thousand rubles.

How to choose a room for a photo studio

If your studio is located in the city center, this is perfect option. But achieving this ideal is not so easy: firstly, there are many requirements for the photo studio premises that are not so easy to fulfill; secondly, renting premises in the center is not a cheap pleasure. Therefore, you can consider options located in the city center, but on less traveled streets. Climbing far, into industrial zones, which will take a couple of hours to get to, is not the best the best option. It is also impossible to place a photo studio in a residential area, because it does not provide essential services to attract residents of nearby houses. You need to attract people from all over the city, so the most logical choice is the center.

Now let's move on to meeting all the requirements for the photo studio premises itself:

high ceilings - from 3 meters;

studio length is at least 8-10 m;

the required repairs must be cosmetic, otherwise you will spend a lot of money and time on remodeling;

the space should not be divided by vertical beams;

When choosing a floor covering, you should give preference to dark color and high wear resistance. Otherwise, the floor will quickly lose its attractive appearance.

On average, the cost of an 80 sq.m. premises rented in the city center is 50 thousand rubles.

Once the room has been chosen, you can think about the layout. The room needs to be divided into several zones, each of which will house a location for shooting. A good photography studio should have at least three locations. Also, do not forget that in addition to the workspace, you should provide an area for receiving visitors and a toilet.

How to choose the interior of a photo studio

So we come to the main thing - planning the interior of a photo studio. The main character who determines the interior of the studio is the entrepreneur himself. Here he can realize all his creative ideas, give free rein to his imagination and get creative.

It should be noted that, no matter how sophisticated the designers, the most popular are the following location themes:

romantic - they are designed for clients who buy family photo sessions or love stories. Such a location should be of medium size to accommodate a family. Typically, romantic locations are made in light colors, with floral motifs;

stylish locations that are popular among younger audiences. The design style is close to loft or modern and is most often decorated in dark colors;

the third room is usually called the "chameleon" because its interior changes for seasonal filming. Here you will have to change the environment frequently, which will allow you to re-attract clients and invite new clients on the eve of various events. Typically, locations are based on the theme of the seasons.

For inspiration, we have collected several interesting interior concepts for decorating a photo studio.

Ready ideas for your business

You can support the romantic style with a chic hanging bed decorated with a canopy and flowers. It looks very beautiful and gentle. Miniature swings will also look interesting, which will help create lively shots in motion. But a romantic interior does not have to be in light colors. A country style location - a hayloft, a romantic inscription on a wooden wall and a mini-picnic - will look stylish and unconventional. Why not romance?

Within the walls of a photo studio you can imitate the space of the street. For example, equip a cozy courtyard with a beautiful door, a veranda or a fence covered with grapes, a bench and a bicycle left near it.

To maintain a stylish loft, you can make a brick wall or a gradient background that imitates plaster. A chalk board will be an interesting addition - inscriptions and drawings on it can set the mood of the photo; designs made from light bulbs that look good in the frame; stylish armchairs and step-ladder racks.

You can provide creative details that make the interior special. Attach a bicycle to a brick wall, decorate a window in an unusual way and turn it, for example, into a porthole, “grow” a magic tree in the studio, cover one wall with different wallpapers, creating several backgrounds for photographs. It is also important that the interior contains a lot interesting details, with which customers could interact (books, pillows, musical instruments, three-dimensional letters, etc.).

How to equip a photo studio

There will be a minimum here lyrical digressions– only dry numbers.

Renovation of the photo studio premises - 150 thousand rubles.

Equipment - 150 thousand rubles, approximate list of equipment: light sources (from 4 pieces), umbrellas for transmission and reflection, curtains, attachments for reflectors, synchronizers, mounting installations, stands, herons, tripods. If you are afraid of incomprehensible names, you can contact companies that provide ready-made sets of equipment for photo studios. To choose the right equipment, you can consult a professional photographer.

Decorations – 250 thousand rubles.

Business registration – 20 thousand rubles.

Rent of premises – 50 thousand rubles.

Total: 650 thousand rubles.

How to legalize a photo studio

While our studio is being renovated and decorated, we can take care of organizational issues. First, you should register your business. For a photo studio, the LLC or individual entrepreneur format is suitable - it all depends on your personal plans. It is safer to register an LLC, but registering an individual entrepreneur is much easier. As an individual entrepreneur, you will be able to conduct basic accounting and choose a simplified tax regime. As for the registration of activities according to OKVED, code 74.2 (Activities in the field of photography) is suitable for a photo studio - it includes several subsections.

To operate a photo studio, you do not need to obtain any licenses; a standard package of registration documents is sufficient. But it is required to obtain permission from the fire inspectorate to open a photo studio in the selected premises.

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It is also worth mentioning inspections, which sometimes frighten entrepreneurs. Photo studios do not belong to the category of the consumer market that inspectors are closely interested in. Therefore, there should be no difficulties with the control authorities. The main thing is to keep the premises clean and tidy and provide high-quality services.

Another important issue is the search for personnel. A photo studio requires at least 2 people for the position of administrator who will work in shifts. If you want to save money, you can become one of the administrators, reducing labor costs. The average salary of one administrator is 25 thousand rubles. You will also need to hire a cleaner who will monitor the cleanliness of the premises. It does not have to be included in the staff.

How to advertise a photo studio

Promotion of a photo studio is usually carried out via the Internet. Beginning entrepreneurs place special hopes on social networks. And for good reason. Practice shows that Instagram gives the greatest return when managing your account correctly. After all, the photo studio business is based on high-quality photographs, so this resource is best suited for promotion.

First, you need to photograph the studio locations yourself, and in the future you can ask photographers to use their work to demonstrate the locations. Contacts, examples of work, decoration options, information about promotions, and reviews should be posted on social networks.

You can promote your studio through collaboration with photographers. And the now fashionable word “collaboration” would be appropriate here. What is their logic? You independently invite photographers to shoot in your studio, in exchange for providing the location, he undertakes to post information about you in his account. Essentially, this is an association for the purpose of mutual benefit: the photographer gets a photo shoot in a beautiful interior, and you get advertising for your photo studio.

You can also attract customers with profitable promotions and offers. Organize a drawing for a certificate for a photo shoot in your studio; provide a discount on certain days; organize a campaign in support family photo sessions with discount. All these actions will have a positive impact on the promotion of your studio.

When planning a business, most entrepreneurs focus on two parameters: required investments and profit. It's time to ask the question - how much can a photo studio earn?

To give a specific answer, you need to determine the cost of services. To do this, we look at the prices that competitors set. Each city has a different price level. But on average, 1 hour of renting a photo studio will cost 1,300 rubles. You can count on 120 hours of rented filming per month (that is, approximately 4 hours of filming per day). In this case, the revenue will be 156 thousand rubles. Then the net profit will vary in the amount of 70-80 thousand rubles. During weddings and New Year's holidays this amount may increase significantly due to increased demand. With an average monthly profit level of 100 thousand rubles, you can recoup the investment after 10-12 months of work.

How to assess the risks of a photo studio

Any business involves risk. You should take into account all possible difficulties that may arise when opening and operating a photo studio. This will allow you to quickly respond to threats or avoid them altogether.

The first risk is outdated props. The specifics of the work of a photo studio require constant updating of locations and props. Irrelevant, out-of-fashion props are unlikely to decorate the photo and interest the client. Therefore, the owner of a photo studio should always be on trend - monitor trends and change the content of the studio in a timely manner.

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The next type of risk is increased competition in the market. To reduce the impact of this risk, it is necessary to regularly invest money in marketing, improve the level of service, conduct competent work with clients, create unique offers on the market.

Another risk is the seasonality of business. In the summer months there is a decrease in demand, but the most active months for photo studios are November, December, February and March. To minimize the risk, during low sales, organize competitions for free photo shoots and distribute gift certificates. You can also expand the list of services. For example, rent out a room for holding any events (birthdays, master classes, etc.).

Thus, you can determine the main advantages and disadvantages of opening your own photography studio. After weighing all the pros and cons, you can make a final decision about opening this business.

Table 1. Pros and cons of opening a photo studio