Cost to set up a studio.

ikeeling

ikeeling

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Ian
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I'm relatively new to photography but I am keen to set up a studio primarily for rent but also for my use in the future as I get better. Has anyone done this and what would you say the costs are for decent lighting backdrops etc.
THis is early thinking but I just need an idea of what people would like in a studio.
 
Sorry I prob didn't make myself clear. This will not primarily be for my use, I want to create a studio to rent to others. My plan is that on another floor this building will also have a hairdressers, nail/beauty salon. And I will have a separate photography studio. I don't want to just put cheap tat in however there is a budget. I have research a little on the net but I seemed to just get domestic gear up. Hope this is more clear.
 
You'll likely get a lot of answers saying what individuals would like to see in a studio if they were to hire it, and very likely get thirteen points of view from twelve answers. You'll have to then balance these up into something that's decent quality, reliable and doesn't break your budget. My personal view is that less gear of better quality is always preferable to lots of crap. I can buy the Ebay rubbish for myself, but I'd only want to hire branded equipment. And I'd rather pay less for a basic studio with a decent amount of space and bring my own lights, etc. than be charged more for the use of poor quality equipment.

A few immediate questions come to mind:
- How big is the area and how is it arranged?
- What's your budget for furnishing the studio?
- What hire rate do you want to achieve?
 
I had mine a couple of years ago ( 7m x 5m ). The actual set up cost approx £2500. This was 4 lights ( 2 x 400ws and 2 x 300ws ). I had 4 backgrounds and most modifiers. Then there was the changing area and shooting area fit out.
Most props etc I bought from eBay or soured the second hand shops.
It was only intended for my own use but I did offer to rent it if anyone was interested, but not on a regular basis.
 
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Thanks for you response. Early days this so unsure on size but prob around 200 sq ft. As far as cost for hiring I was thinking of something like £20 per hour £50 for half a day £80 for a full day. As far as budget goes I think I could spend 5k, hopefully the premises will need little general work doing to it so this should leave the majority of this money for the set up.
 
As someone who owned two studios in the past, one here in Swindon and one in Birmingham my advice would be to purchase the best lighting system you can afford as it will be abused at some point. Sadly not all photographers who hire studios look after the equipment and trust me, you will get breakages so you will require spares, this will include lights, modifiers, backdrops triggers etc. My Birmingham studio was 2000 sq ft where the main shooting area had vinyl backdrops....... hard wearing and easy to keep clean, down side it costs a packet. We did shoot on paper as well, six coloured rolls on a frame and levied a charge of £8 a meter if it got dirty or damaged.

Other costs you will need to consider are a good marketing budget, insurance, business rates, utilities and paying someone to managed/run the studio. We operated from 8am until 10pm 7 days a week so be prepared for some long days, as occupancy rates are highest during the evenings and weekends.

Best of luck in this new venture.

Ian
 
If you're thinking of hiring it out, think 2000 sq ft (including changing room and small reception area) rather than 200.
Think in terms of 6 flash heads, a full range of light shaping tools, a range of backgrounds and all the other things that are needed in a studio.

In terms of ROI, you'd probably be better off buying a lottery ticket, the odds of making a profit are probably better, unless you have a really high end studio that will be hired out by really high end photographers, situated in a very expensive area such as central London, where most pro photographers hire rather than have their own, due to property costs.
 
I think setting up a studio hire business is a risky thing to do. I know people who have done this and they regretted doing it. Kit got broken/stolen on a regular basis and the revenue wasn't that great. The occupancy level had to be high to cover overheads. Insurance premiums were very high too. He made far more money doing shoots than hiring the studio out. Furthermore (and I think I've mentioned this before), one person I know had to close his studio hire business down after he got sued by a model. She trod on the pins of a mains plug...
 
Metal God said:
one person I know had to close his studio hire business down after he got sued by a model. She trod on the pins of a mains plug...
Click to expand...

That's a weird one - unless your friend habitually left the studio untidy between hires that sounds like should have been the responsibility of the hirer rather than the landlord. But I'd bet the insurance company just rolled over and paid without trying to defend - they usually do. It's not a reason to close a studio down though, unless he was looking for am excuse.

A local studio (far too small to be practical tbh) includes a mandatory 30-minute clean-up period at the end of any hire - if a half-day hire is 3hrs you get 3.5hrs but you're expected to use the extra 30 minutes to pack up and make sure you leave the studio tidy and not use it for shooting. Mind you, they don't mess about with hourly hires. It's either a half-day, full day or evening.
 
Blimey, £2500k?

I just totted up what I think you'll need not including insurance or rent of premises and rates...... etc.

£10 to £15k min on kit and accessories. includes a min of eight lights and a min of 2 spares. Pus incl spare model lights and flash tubes kept in stock. Studio ceiling mounted 'Hi-Glide system. that can reduce breakages as no one except a total t*** can knock those of the mounts.
 
Daryl said:
Blimey, £2500k?

I just totted up what I think you'll need not including insurance or rent of premises and rates...... etc.

£10 to £15k min on kit and accessories. includes a min of eight lights and a min of 2 spares. Pus incl spare model lights and flash tubes kept in stock. Studio ceiling mounted 'Hi-Glide system. that can reduce breakages as no one except a total bajingo can knock those of the mounts.
Click to expand...
As said what I had was adequate for me. Mind you if I still had the studio I bet I would have been nearer your figures.
 
As someone that opened my 2nd studio 14 months ago it is a minefield. You won't please all photographers. I agree with better quality equipment (we only use Bowens) but you need to consider how many heads you need and how many, and what type of modifiers. If you don't have enough heads you will constantly be changing modifiers so end up with more wear and tear. But then you also don't want to many as to have more equipment than room. Consider your backgrounds, paper rolls on a pully system are easier to use and change but depending how busy you are may need regular replacing, vinyl is more expensive but lasts longer.
Insurance is a must, liability, equipment and building.
Space is important, separate to the studio room you will need toilet and kitchen and a separate changing room as a minimum (models need that personal space) an office, cloakroom and MUA room is an added bonus.
Think about location, is there parking or at least good public transport links?
As I said, it's a minefield and you'll never ask all the questions or get all the answers you want.
Good luck.
 
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