Professional male and female business portraits are a serious approach to your image.

Women can choose elegant suits, business dresses, shirts with pencil skirts. Decorations are also appropriate, but they should not be flashy or match each other. If you have long hair, then for shooting it is better to choose a jacket, blouse or cardigan that is different in color from the color of your hair. It's good if the clothes are monochromatic. This way nothing will distract attention from your face.

Sometimes business photo shoots are themed, so you need to consult a photographer about the choice of clothing. Do not choose clothes that are too pale in color so as not to blend into the background. Experts recommend taking into account your skin color type, hair and eye color when choosing an image. For example, combinations of light gray, turquoise, and muted blue are ideal for dark-haired people.

Before taking photos, you don’t have to wear makeup and get ready. All imperfections in appearance will be retouched, plus a stylist always works with clients before the process.

Where to start a business for a beginning photographer?

Market and competitor analysis

It's no secret that competition in the photography business is intense. But the presence of a huge number of offers does not mean that behind each of them there is a high-quality masterful photography.

Available marketing research will help assess the state of the services market. Since advertising tools are usually the Internet and local media, it is worth paying close attention to them:

• material from two dozen sites will give an approximate idea of ​​the list of services provided, shooting conditions and prices;
• advertisements in newspapers and on local television will tell you which photographer is the most popular;
• groups on social networks will allow you to evaluate not only proposals, but also work with feedback, analyze customer reviews, their requests and suggestions.

Creating a portfolio

Having assessed your competitors’ advertising, you can move on to creating your own portfolio: without demonstrating your work, finding clients will be very problematic.

In addition to photographs on paper, it is worth making a selection and posting it on the Internet: creating a thematic group on social networks, offering material to specialized sites. Later, when the number of commissioned works increases, the photographs will “go to the people” and potential clients will see them. At first, questions about where and how you can view photographs will arise constantly.

1. Photos in the portfolio must be of high quality, without flaws. Here you need to strictly follow the rule “less is more.”
2. Photos should be sorted into albums according to theme (wedding, children's, romantic, staged, landscape).
3. The portfolio should provide the client with a certain amount of personal information about the photographer; it is necessary to indicate the presence of special education (if any), participation in exhibitions and competitions.
4. The client should clearly see the prices for the services offered, this will save time for both parties.
5. Contact information - phone numbers, email, Viber must be valid.

In your online portfolio, you should place links to Internet sites, social groups, and provide for the possibility of feedback. An additional bonus to the piggy bank is reviews from satisfied customers.

Risk assessment

A competent risk assessment and taking measures in advance will help reduce the occurrence of unpleasant situations to a minimum.

• low-quality photographs and, as a result, dissatisfied clients. There is only one solution - to work on yourself and your technique, long and painstakingly, and undergo training;
• failure of equipment is insured by the presence of backup equipment;
• against high competition, you can present work in your original manner, excellent quality of photographs or attractive prices;
• the decrease (lack of) demand is compensated by the search for new solutions and proposals.

Business photo shoot in the studio: highlights of the work

This stage begins with agreeing on the most convenient time for the customer. Then we offer several studio options with different interiors or just backgrounds. The cost of luxury photo studios in Moscow starts from 1,500 rubles/hour, and the price of budget offers starts from 700 rubles. The client pays studio rent separately.

In our work, it is important to choose the right lighting scheme and background for photography. Based on extensive experience, we understand how to effectively show a person in a photo, so we will not list all the technical details of this process. Universal recommendations would sound like this: it is necessary for the person being photographed to relax and completely trust the photographer. Professionals will select the right pose for the client and help him set the necessary emotional message. A confident and friendly appearance is what you need for business photography.

Organizational plan step by step

Choosing a photography business direction

Without trying to embrace the immensity, most professional photographers choose a priority direction in photography and improve in it. You can combine 2-3 related topics.

Among the most common and in demand:

• wedding photography;
• family and children's photo sessions;
• filming at holidays and corporate events, public events;
• photo shoots during pregnancy;
• studio, portrait photography;
• romantic stories, photographs in nature.

Nobody forbids you to come up with your own, fundamentally new direction; on the contrary, such a step will help attract and interest customers.

Registration of activities

To work, you need to register with the tax office, obtain a TIN and register with the local administration as an individual entrepreneur.

Codes according to (OKVED 2) 74 – professional, scientific and technical activities; 74.2 – activities in the field of photography.

To register an individual entrepreneur, you must write an application in the prescribed form, attach a copy of your passport and a receipt for payment of the state duty.

Taxation system – simplified tax system 6%, the choice is registered with an additional application to the tax authorities.

Studio rental

As a rule, a beginning photographer does not need studio equipment. The only strict exception is made in the case when studio shooting is chosen as a priority. But even then, you can find a way out and save money, at least at the initial stage. There are probably many equipped photo studios in the city that are rented out for an affordable amount. In some cases, the master negotiates a rental with the client and includes it in the cost of services; in others, the client pays for the premises, but the photos, accordingly, cost less. Famous photographers allow themselves to combine 2 options. Choosing a thematically designed studio is easier and cheaper than creating your own.

In some cases, customers prefer to be photographed at home; it is worth assessing the interior in advance, thinking through the composition, costumes, and technical details.

Staff

In rare cases, a novice photographer invites staff to work together; as a rule, he himself copes with the search for clients, the shooting, and the subsequent processing of the photo. If the flow of clients is very large and there is not enough physical capacity to deliver orders on time, you can hire an assistant (it is up to the employer to decide what he will do - process photos or look for clients, deliver orders).

Selection of premises, equipment and personnel

An important stage of the business plan for opening a photography studio with calculations will be the selection of suitable premises. Remember that the profitability of your business will greatly depend on the location and size of the premises. Therefore, focus on the following factors:

• You should not locate a photo studio in a remote area - not every client will be willing to waste his time getting to a remote studio; most likely, he will choose a competing organization, but in a convenient location. Therefore, make sure that the premises are close to the center and have convenient transport links;
• Each interior area is allocated about 10 square meters, so choose a room with an area of ​​at least 60 square meters. This is enough to design 5 zones and arrange a reception hall or dressing room;
• Ceiling height is very important. In order to work comfortably with all equipment, you will need a ceiling height of at least 3 square meters;
• It's great if you buy quality studio lighting, but you can't underestimate the effect that natural light can have. The room should have two or three large windows that let in plenty of natural light;
• There should also be natural light in the dressing room so that the makeup artist can choose the right makeup based on the texture of the face.

Advertising of photographer services

Before starting a professional activity, you should take care of compiling a portfolio and selecting photographs that can show the product face to face. This could be photographing relatives, acquaintances, friends, or random people. It is important to understand that these photos will serve as advertising for the business you are starting.

Information about services should be posted on thematic city portals, submitted a form for advertising catalogs (for example, wedding ones), and shown your work on social networks and on websites suitable for your profile. An excellent advertising tool is participation and victories in competitions and exhibitions. Gradually, word of mouth will spread the fame of a good photographer, and clients will seek meetings themselves. But negative reviews spread just as quickly, so it is very important not to damage your reputation with poor-quality work or missed deadlines.

Search for clients

Depending on which direction of the photography business is a priority, the client segment differs.
Categories of clients:

1. People with an active lifestyle and leading a busy social life, who are not shy about showing themselves, will be happy to use the services of a photographer to fill social networks with content. Thematic shooting with unusual scenery, make-up, hairstyles and make-up is a common trend among this category of clients.
2. Married couples. Marriage, the birth of a child, birthdays and anniversaries are events that people strive to remember and photograph.
3. Corporate events. Company managers turn to photographers to conduct photo sessions dedicated to professional holidays or organization anniversaries.
4. Photos for documents. You don’t have to look for clients; it’s enough to organize a mini photo studio in a crowded and accessible place.

Plan your time wisely, especially during national and seasonal holidays.

Financial plan

Investments at the start

• purchase of professional equipment – ​​150-300 thousand rubles;
• advertising – 20 thousand rubles.

It can be seen that the initial investment depends on the equipment purchased. Some people prefer to be content with only the essentials, while others purchase a complete set, including different types of lenses, lenses, reflectors, etc. For one, a used camera is enough, since it will cost an order of magnitude cheaper, while for another, a new one will buy the latest model. If a photographer starting a professional business already has his own equipment, then the cost of the business will only be paperwork, about 1 thousand rubles, and advertising.

Current expenses

approximate expenses
Monthly expenses include paying taxes, replacing consumables (printer cartridges, photo paper), purchasing additional equipment, and transportation costs. In addition, you will need packaging for finished orders - regular envelopes of the appropriate format or boxes, bags with an individual design, printed logo and contact information.

If the photographer does without an assistant and does not strive to buy new photographic equipment, the costs will be minimal.

Photo studio income,

Prices for services depend on the average level in the city; for a beginning master they are a priori lower, but on average, you can take as a basis:

• wedding photography (100 processed photos) – 10-20 thousand rubles;
• holiday shooting (30 photos) -4-6 thousand rubles;
• family photo session (30 photos) – 5 thousand rubles;
• children's photography (20 photos) -3-4 thousand rubles;
• waiting for a baby (20 photos) – 3-4 thousand rubles;
• individual shooting outdoors, in the studio (30 photos) – 4-5 thousand rubles.

We are talking only about processed and printed photos; the client receives the rest of the photos on the flash drive for free.

Profit calculation and profitability of photography business

Net profit will be from 40 thousand rubles monthly, with increasing popularity and demand, this figure will grow steadily. The profitability of the business is extremely high - 170-180%, the business pays off within the first year of intensive, high-quality work.

The photography business is one of those areas in which you can make money doing what you love while constantly improving your skills. The first year requires full dedication, you need to become noticeable, declare yourself, be able to sacrifice money for the sake of promoting your name. Investments will quickly pay off and begin to make a profit, even if the competition is high, in the case when the master does not sit idly by, but looks for new techniques, studies literature and the experience of foreign colleagues, travels, searches, looks and sees what others do not see . Templates quickly become outdated and go out of fashion; the ability to surprise is the first step to success.

Photo studio as a business – analytics of the services market today

Remember what photo studios looked like before - a couple of pieces of green canvas and several unfinished designer locations. Naturally, people preferred to go into nature rather than take pictures in nondescript places or only using computer graphics. Due to low demand, not many people decided to open a photo studio, but starting in 2020, the situation began to change dramatically.

Now, opening a photo studio means showing creativity, because the more creative the location, the higher the likelihood that the business will begin to generate significant income. Services market analytics say that in 2020, photo studio rentals are being made equally by both photographers and private owners. The former focus on their own business, while the latter take pictures purely for themselves.

Why you should open a photo studio - competitive advantages of business:

• quality of services provided. Many clients simply forget about this moment, but in vain, because it is much more pleasant to sit in a photo studio under air conditioning and drink a cup of coffee while waiting for the equipment to be set up, than to rush around in thirty-degree heat in some field;
• to open a photo studio, it is not necessary to have an army of photographers, since the business plan can only stipulate one source of income - renting out the photo studio and equipment;
• One camera will not be able to provide the client with reference images. To truly reveal the beauty of a person, additional light, high-quality lenses and many other additions are needed. It is very expensive for a private owner to spend a lot of money to achieve this goal; accordingly, renting a photo studio will be much more rational;
• subject photography capabilities. In the commercial niche of business, many companies require high-quality photographs, which are simply unrealistic to obtain without the equipment of a professional photo studio;
• auxiliary equipment that allows you to add additional non-standard effects to photographs from a photo studio. Similar elements of a photo studio include a smoke generator, a fan and various LED lamps;
• originality. Naturally, in order to meet this competitive advantage, it is necessary to open at least 5 photo zones with an original design in the photo studio. If it is not found in other photo studios, it will be ideal.

The last point is especially important, as it allows you to reach as large an audience as possible. According to statistics, every second private entrepreneur in a niche decides to open a photo studio with 4-6 photo locations. To make your business plan look like a priority compared to your competitors, you need to increase the photo zone indicator to 7-9. Thus, even if a person comes across 3 advertisements for photo studios in a row on the Internet, he will turn his attention to the offer where there is more variety in choice - this is not even taking into account the fact that some locations will simply be of no use to him. A striking example of how quantity decides the outcome.

Why you shouldn’t open a photo studio – negative aspects of the business:

• competition is growing rapidly, since entering a business niche requires moderate financial expenses and the absence of any experience in the field of activity;
• low business liquidity. If a person decides to open a photo studio and then wants to switch to another niche, it will be very difficult to realize the business, since everything is tied to the service market itself;
• You should understand that you may not always be able to use the services of a photo studio. Due to seasonality, business downtime will be par for the course. Considering rent and other expenses, this disadvantage is quite noticeable.

Some private entrepreneurs consider starting capital to be a disadvantage, however, if you compare it with other areas of activity, then business in a photo studio will not cost you that much. It’s another matter if a person wants to immediately open not just one point, but a network of several photo studios around the city/cities.

Another important statistical point is that the services of a photo studio are most often used by girls under the age of 35. If we take into account the total number of requests in a photo studio, then about 65% of clients belong specifically to this audience. The priority is portrait photography with several changes of images and locations.

From all of the above, we can conclude that it is still worth opening a photo studio in 2020 -2020. Despite the growing competition, demand is growing much faster, and if we take into account the rapid increase in the audience with their own equipment for photography, photo studio rental services will be in trend for at least a couple of years.

The final stage of a business photo shoot: transfer of processed images

When processing is completed, the photos are placed in two folders for uploading to a file hosting service. One folder contains full-size photos in jpg format, and the second contains their optimized copies, which are ready for uploading to the website (jpg web format). They have less weight and size, while the photo quality remains excellent.

The client receives a link to download his business photos from Dropbox. We decided that this method would be the most optimal, because a person would not have to waste time going to our studio. Time is a very valuable resource that should be managed wisely.

The photography process for all types of business photographs follows the scheme described above. There may be some changes due to special conditions and nuances specified by the client in the technical specifications. In any case, our cooperation will be fruitful and creative. Contact us!