Are you a Photography lover? This could be such an enjoyable business idea for you. If you have people tell you constantly how beautiful your photographs are and comment on what a good eye you have, this could be for you. You could make a great deal of money offering to come to people's homes and businesses to take portraits of them. Then bring the portraits to them to choose from as well.
People are so busy these days that they constantly put off the appointments to go get a nice portrait taken. It is not just making the appointment, but dressing for it and traveling to get it too. Then once you get to the studio, you have to choose from those same old tired backgrounds.
Taking portraits of people in their own homes is much more intimate and realistic. Most people have a part of their homes they would love to have their pictures taken in, with their home being a fond memory too. Many people would like to include their pets also in their portraits; this is much easier to do in the privacy of their home.
You will need photography equipment and a safe method for carrying it all with you. This is your first investment and fortunately, with the excellent quality and variety of digital cameras on the market you will have a large price range to choose from. Because cameras requiring film are not popular now, you can get an excellent camera using film for a good price too. At first, you may not be able to invest in the camera of your dreams but if you are successful, you will eventually be able to get it. I know some photographers that use both types of cameras.
Because you will be traveling with your supplies you will need to make sure, you have a couple of back-drops just in case your customers prefer them. In addition, a must-have would be extra lighting sources. Have a reliable safe way of transporting these items to your appointments. You will also need to have a dependable form of transportation. Remember that you can write this expense off at the end of the year, so keep good records of all your trips.
To make your service really high-tech, if you are taking portraits with a digital camera you could also bring a laptop computer with you, show the portraits right away to your customers, and let them choose the portraits from your computer. You may even be able to print up the proofs with a small printer hooked up to your camera or computer also.
You just have so many options to choose from these days. You could even invest in a professional printer and print up the final portraits yourself.
Be sure to invest in business cards and distribute them first with all of your friends and ask them to pass them on to people they may know that would be interested in your service. Offer your services to people in the workplace also. Many people need a professional picture to put on their own business cards and would be happy to have you come to their home or business place to take the needed picture. Some companies might even be interested in having you come in and take pictures of their staff, so that they can display a portrait of their staff. Visit these companies, show them your work, and explain how much it would cost to invest in a staff picture to display where visitors may see as they come in. This can make people more comfortable with a business that displays a portrait of their employees like a family picture. This could be a good back-up for your company, when your family portraits slow during certain times of the year.
Depending on the size portrait chosen by your customers, you should be able to charge on the average $30 for each portrait. You may want to charge an up-front sitting fee also for the initial visit just in case they choose not to order a portrait from you. Generally, it should be about the cost of a portrait or two. This way you can offer to refund the sitting fee when they order a portrait from you, and you are guaranteed money for taking the pictures and your time. Make sure you learn to take the pictures and wrap up the orders in a timely fashion, the faster the better for you and the customers. Give yourself at least 1 hour for the whole set up, pictures, and break down.
Resources:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.betterphoto.com
http://www.photographytips.com
http://www.betterphoto.com
http://www.betterphoto.com/digital
http://www.malsphotography.com
September 5, 2009
