Business plan for a photo studio cafe. Detailed photography studio business plan

If you like the art of photography, but for some reason you don’t want or can’t become a freelance photographer, then opening a photo salon may be a great idea for you.

Such a business has clear advantages: firstly, it does not require large expenses at the start; secondly, with the desire and capabilities of the owner, a small photo studio can grow into a large well-known photo studio. What do you need to open a photo studio and how much will it cost?

The initial investment in a photo studio can be quite modest, and their minimum amount will especially please those who do not have a lot of capital. For example, an office does not require huge areas, so the cost of renting a room will be low. With regard to the repair of premises and furniture, you can also get by with an inexpensive acceptable option. What you should not save on is on photographic equipment. It must be professional and of high quality, since the quality of services that your salon can provide will directly depend on it (of course, in conjunction with the skills of the photographer).

In general, the starting costs for opening a photo salon may look something like this. Please note that all these figures are only indicative and may vary depending on different conditions:

• Company registration: $70.
• Room rental: $400.
• Cosmetic repairs to the premises: $300.
• Equipment (photographic equipment, computer, printer): from 2 thousand dollars.
• Software license: $200.
• Furniture: $300.
• Advertising campaign: $100.
• Consumables (paper, discs): $100 for initial purchase.

With a high flow of customers, this business can pay off in 5-6 months, with an average of up to a year. To ensure a good customer turnover, it is necessary to take into account many nuances of organizing a business. More on some of them below.

How to open a photo studio from scratch

Company registration

There are two options for the registration form of a photo salon - this is an individual entrepreneur and a limited liability company. If you open a small photo studio, the main service of which is a photo for documents, then it’s definitely better to stop at. The option with an LLC will be more acceptable in the case of opening a large photography company that provides all types of photographic services and related ones. If in the future your business expands to exactly this, you can always switch to another organizational and legal form.

When registering a company, pay attention to the OKVED codes that you will indicate in the documentation forms. If, in addition to photography itself, you are going to provide other services (for example, photocopying, printing from electronic media, selling photo accessories, etc.), then the codes that fall under all these activities should be indicated.

Premises and location

First of all, you need to look for a room where there is a large accumulation of potential customers every day. It doesn't have to be in the center of the city. We know many examples of successfully functioning photo salons in the dormitory parts of the city, the main thing is that the area is densely populated.

Nearby passport offices, recruitment agencies, visa processing departments and other companies that require ID photographs from their clients will be able to help you in the success of your business. Clients of such services will automatically become your clients if you are lucky to be nearby.

As for the room itself, its dimensions can be no more than 10-12 square meters. For the provision of services, a photo for documents is quite enough. If you plan to provide art photography services, then you also need to design the interior in which it will be performed. The size of the room for artistic photography can also be small. And some even get by with the same room for different types of shooting, changing backgrounds and various interior items.

The design of the sign at the entrance to the photo studio deserves special attention. Here you should take into account a certain amount of laziness, which is inherent in most people. If you limit yourself to just the word “photo salon”, you risk losing a significant part of potential customers, because not everyone bothers to go inside and find out if exactly the photo services that they need are provided here. Therefore, place on the front door or on a street stand a list of all the services that can be obtained in your photo salon. And, of course, the sign should be bright and catchy, because, in fact, it will be your most effective advertisement. Advertising small photo shops on radio and television is not justified either in terms of financial costs or in terms of effectiveness.

Services provided by photo salons

What services can a photo studio provide? In fact, there are quite a few of them. You can start with the simplest and most popular, if the size of the room and the quality of the equipment do not allow you, immediately begin to provide all possible services. Work for the future, and with the growth of popularity and profit, increase the number of services provided. Their list might look like this:

• Photo for all types of documents (including "urgent").
• Art photography in the interior (strict photo for a resume, holiday photos with children, romantic photos, etc.). Printing photos in various formats, on paper of different density and quality. Framing photographs.
• Photocopying, scanning, laminating.
• Printing photos and documents of various formats from electronic media.
• Printing photos from films.
• Photo editing and retouching.
• Production of photo collages, thematic photo albums.
• Print photos on clothes, fabric bags, dishes and other items.
• Sale of related products: photo frames, photo albums, batteries and covers for photographic equipment, films, etc.).

Equipment

Having good equipment is a very important point in organizing the whole business. This is not to say that success will depend only on the equipment, because the skills and creativity of the photographer also play a huge role. Nevertheless, it is better not to save on the quality of equipment, and after working for several months, you will understand why: people will return to receive services from you if they are satisfied with the quality of the photos. Photo studio equipment:

• Digital camera.
• Tripod.
• Lighting devices.
• A computer with programs for editing, processing and retouching photographs.
• Color photo printer.
• Copier, scanner, laminator.

It is also necessary to install showcases for goods offered for sale; reception desk, full-length mirrors, sofas for waiting in the lobby, coat racks. Some photo salons have a classic men's jacket and tie in stock for those cases when the client needs to urgently take a photo for documents, but he did not have time to prepare for this.

Consumables that are necessary in the work of photo salons:

1. Photo paper. The most common is glossy and matte, but for some types of products semi-gloss, satin, silk are also used. Also, make sure you have paper of different weights and sizes.
2. Ink.
3. Cartridges.
4. Plain paper in different sizes.
5. Consumables for lamination.
6. When providing a printing service on objects, it is desirable to have plain white cups and plates, plain T-shirts and fabric bags. Not always the client will be able to bring you his product, which should be photographed, so it is better to foresee all options.

Staff

Very often, photo salons are opened by those people who plan to take pictures of clients on their own, that is, already professional photographers. If this is your case, then you only need to hire an administrator and a cleaner. The functions of the administrator will include providing information about services, recording customers and taking phone calls.

If you are not a photographer yourself and plan to hire a specialist for this position, then you need to pay attention to the following. Of course, this is experience and skills. When the photo studio gains popularity and there are many customers, the photographer will have to work quickly and deftly so as not to delay those waiting. If a photo studio provides art photography services, then the photographer's creativity and the ability to find an approach to each client are very important. When choosing a photographer, carefully study his portfolio and reviews of his former and current clients.

Today, photo services have reached a new level. Digital technologies have made photography more accessible to the mass consumer, and the development of photographic equipment has reduced the cost of photographic equipment to an acceptable level. As a result, a situation has formed in the market for photographic services in which people take a lot of photos, but print them less, as it was in the days of film. On the other hand, the low threshold for entry into the professional level has led to an expansion of the need for artistic photography. This business plan is developed for a professional photography studio that provides both standard photo services: shooting for documents, processing and printing photos, as well as professional thematic ones: chroma key, macro and product photography, genre and interior photography in a studio location, commercial and marketing photography, departure, etc.

Summary

Project goal: creation of a photo salon in St. Petersburg

Objectives of the business plan: to justify the possibility of a multidisciplinary photo salon, target audience: medium and small businesses, the general population with average incomes in the city.

Initiator of the project

The initiator is a professional photographer with over 10 years of experience, specializing in portrait and studio photography. The main objective of the project is to support and expand the core business:

• solving the problem of printing photos on our own calibrated equipment;
• conducting studio shootings in unique interiors;
• the possibility of photo correction, printing, etc. without delay;
• sale of related products (photo frames, drawing photos on mugs, t-shirts, etc.);
• provision of services for the calibration of monitors and printers.

The following equipment is available:

• professional Canon cameras (full-frame: Canon EOS-1D X and 5D Mark II) with a set of interchangeable lenses (6 pcs.);
• portable reflectors;
• 2 tripods for photographic equipment and 1 monopod;
• a computer designed for photo processing;
• household appliances for repairing and changing the interior of the location (drill, screwdriver, airbrush).

Investment costs

List of main investment expenses:

• Paperwork for individual entrepreneurs: 5,000 rubles.
• Security deposit under the lease agreement: 131,250 rubles.
• Finishing the premises: 275,000 rubles.
• Making a sign above the entrance: 30,000 rubles.
• Entrance registration: 35,000 rubles.
• Purchase of equipment, furniture, office equipment (general): 784,100 rubles.
• Initial purchase of consumables 100,000 rubles.
• Initial investment in advertising 15,000 rubles.
• Unforeseen expenses 100,000 rubles.

Total initial investment - 1,475,350 rubles.

Attention!!! Photo equipment for photography is already in stock. The site and group are pre-created. The main large one-time expenses are investments in a photo lab, the cost of which is about 500,000 rubles. Therefore, if you do not have large volumes of printing, then you can get by with a photo printer with CISS, and print large volumes of photo printing on the side. It is desirable to have a scanner capable of scanning photographic film at sufficient resolution.

Workroom - non-residential semi-basement on 2 levels of 3 rooms. Entrance 1 from the side of the street. Nearby is the center of public services "My Documents".

Project financing

Investments are planned in the amount of 1,725,350 rubles, of which:

• capital investments 1,475,350 rubles.
• turnover costs 250,000 rubles.

For the amount of 1 million rubles. a bank loan is taken at 15% per annum, the remaining funds in the amount of 725 thousand rubles. personal funds of the project initiator.

Project payback

• Direct payback period - 19 months. (1.6 years).
• - 21 months (1.75 years.).
• NPV - 10,288 thousand rubles.

Suppliers and contractors

Due to the specifics of studio shooting, cosmetic repairs are being carried out with the re-equipment of the premises: repainting the walls, highlighting floor areas in the studio, installing lighting equipment and a large chroma key.

Photo studio equipment is purchased from an authorized dealer of the equipment manufacturer. This allows you to get a discount on the purchase of equipment installation and subsequently conclude a contract for the maintenance of the photo lab and the supply of consumables.

Furniture from the warehouse of the manufacturer.

The selection of suppliers was made by the initiator of the business project based on their own experience, knowledge about the quality and principles of using equipment, the quality and norms of consumables, prices from the supplier and reviews.

Services

The main services of the photo salon:

• printing photos;
• printing on ceramics;
• film printing;
• printing on fabrics;
• printing works (design of photo albums, collages, etc.)
• Studio photography;
• filming for documents;
• outdoor shooting;
• object shooting;
• renting out a location;
• calibration of photo and office equipment (with departure);
• sale of related products.

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Investment plan

Investment size

Capital investments amount to 1,475 thousand rubles:

Name of works/goods/services	Quantity		Price
Preparation of documents for IP
Security deposit under the lease agreement
Room decoration
The cost of finishing materials
The cost of construction work
Making a sign above the entrance
Entry design
Purchase of equipment, furniture, office equipment (general):
Fotokvant (82000-1) product photography kit
FST KF-104 4x26W fluorescent light source with softbox 60x80
Sofa for visitors
Folding sofa for interior location
Pulse sources, set of 3 pcs.
Constant light sources 500 watts.
Calibrator-scanner and photocorrection tables
Computer for the hall
Armchairs swivel
Computer monitors
Illuminator with reflector
Poufs for the location
Background setting system small, without lifting mechanism
Background setting system with lifting mechanism
Scanner with slide adapter
reception desk
Lighting racks
Work table
Coffee table for visitors
Chair adjustable
Location chairs
Background plastic
White photo umbrella for light 101 cm
Photolab Frontier FR330
Epson photo printer with CISS and support for formats up to A3
Initial purchase of consumables
Printing and distribution of leaflets
Unexpected expenses
Total initial investment			1 475 350

Investment work plan

Investment work takes 2 months. are held according to the following schedule:

room

The photo studio will occupy a separate non-residential basement with a total area of ​​35 m², of which the upper level is 7 m² - a hall, the lower level is 5 m² - a service room, 5 m² - printing, 18 m² - a studio.

The area is rented at a rate of 15,000 rubles. per 1 m² per year.

There is only one entrance from the street.

Ground floor plan

Top floor plan

Equipment

The purchase of photographic equipment is made through the official distributor of the manufacturer. It is important to agree not only on a discount when buying, but also on the installation of a photo lab. It is recommended to conclude a contract for the maintenance of equipment and the supply of consumables for photo printing.

Furniture is purchased from the warehouse of the manufacturer.

Working hours

Photo salon schedule: 9.00-21.00 without breaks and days off.

When processing or photographing, the work procedure is agreed with the salon administrator and its owner (project initiator).

Discounts are provided for the morning hours and regular customers renting the location of the photo studio.

Service delivery process

• Photographing for documents is carried out in the process of a live queue;
• Registration for photography and rental of equipment is carried out by the administrator of the photo salon;
• Registration for field photography and calibration of equipment is carried out by the administrator of the photo salon;
• Photographing for documents is carried out by a senior photographer, in his absence or if he is busy at the studio shooting by the administrator.
• Photos are loaded from the camera's memory cards to the office computer;
• The reception of the captured photos by the client for subsequent printing is accepted by the administrator, who downloads the photos received from the client to the office computer and returns the media to him. The storage media is checked by an antivirus without fail.
• Photos and color correction according to templates, and then they are selected before printing (to be agreed with the client)
• The resulting photographs for documents are printed in the presence of the customer on a photo printer. The average waiting time is no more than 15 minutes.
• Subject and macro photography is carried out within 2-5 days. with photo editing.
• For studio photos and photos from outdoor sessions, it is made within 2-5 days.
• Printing on ceramics and fabrics 1-3 days;
• Studio rental time for shooting by third-party photographers from 1 hour;
• Design of photo albums, calendars, plot photo applications for printing on ceramics or fabrics 1-5 days. and can be outsourced.

Cost of services

The cost of the service includes the cost of consumables, the recalculation of the hourly rental rate, the remuneration of the master, taking into account insurance payments, as well as the average cost of maintaining the salon.

The average cost of a print 10 * 15 cm is 8 rubles.

The cost of 1 hour of renting an interior studio is 500 rubles, morning hours - 300, in season - 700 rubles.

Marketing plan

The main direction of promotion of services is professional type services, which are provided by a full cycle photo process.

The main channel for promoting shooting services in a photo studio and for calibrating monitors and printers is the Internet, more precisely groups on social networks and special forums. Photo printing services are promoted through the distribution of advertisements and printing in the local press. It is important to find a way out for mass filming (d / s, schools, children's centers, registry offices, etc.).

Differences of the project from analogues

	Photos of the documents	Photo printing	Photo studio with location	Complex photo studio
Photos of the documents
Photo printing
Photo prices	For documents average on the market. Artistic - high, because usually printed on a photo printer	Market average		Market average
Photo quality	Low due to photo printer	Low or variable violations, tk. reduce costs through cheap consumables. It's hard to find a studio with a calibrated photo lab	High, because printed in proven photo labs	High, because photolab and printer calibration is carried out independently
Shooting location	White background	None, sometimes white background	Chroma key, decorated locations	White background, chroma key, decorated location
Footprint	1 room ≈8-10 m2	2 rooms ≈ 10-12 m2	Several isolated rooms from 50 m 2	Several isolated rooms from 35 m 2
Location		In crowded places	Large area and low rent required. Often an uncomfortable place: on the outskirts of the city; in former industrial zones, etc.	In crowded places. Decor storage problem

The target audience

The main task of the photo is the preservation of memory, beauty and pleasant memories. There are several target audiences, and they are radically different:

• a wide audience of people who need to shoot and print photos for documents
• family people aged 25-45 who need studio and family photography;
• professional and amateur photographers who need interior shooting in locations and professional photo printing.

Competition and location

The main photo studios are engaged in printing photos for documents. Printing photos in photo labs is less common. Despite the demand for the service, there are few orders, but large volumes, most photo labs have problems with unstable quality. This is due to the fact that they use cheap consumables not recommended by the manufacturer, and printing is done on non-calibrated equipment (according to the rules, equipment should be calibrated after each ink change).

Nearby there is a studio with a photo for documents. There are no studios with studio photography services and many types of printing.

Range of services

The planned structure of the photo center service is as follows:

Price policy

Prices for the services of a photographer with an established client base (field sessions, photo processing, subject photography, photo albums) are average prices for the region. For new services that will only appear in the salon down the city, with a gradual increase.

For related products and services with outsourcing, the markup is at least 20%.

Volume of sales

Below you can see an estimated photo studio occupancy chart.

Sales are significantly subject to seasonality, which affects the start of the project.

There is a distributed seasonality in the business, depending on the services of a photographer, photo printing and studio shooting services. The request for photographer services is maximum in April-May, June and at the end of the year. The peak of requests for photo printing falls on May, then it grows only in November-December. And studio shooting services are in demand in October-April. In fact, the opening of the photo center should take place in October-November, when the demand for photo printing and studio shooting services begins to grow. Also, it is from the end of autumn until the summer that services for calibrating monitors and printers are most in demand.

SWOT analysis

Let's analyze the solution based on the SWOT matrix

	Strengths: central location professional photography equipment comprehensive professional services established client base	Weak sides: basement advertising budget high influence of seasonality personnel qualification "binding" to suppliers
Possibilities: promotions to attract customers; the possibility of changing the interiors in the location	Internet advertising is oriented by a professional community Quick change of interiors, backs and use of chromakey Reduced prices for home photography	Opportunities to print ads on the spot On-site employee training Distribution of services. In summer, advertising for outdoor photo shoots, starting from autumn locations
Difficulties: limiting the expansion of the range of services; customer retention; high requirements for equipment maintenance repayment of a credit	in advertising to emphasize the provision of stable professional quality. Free service for calibrating customer equipment when ordering a large amount of photos	Pre-selection of personnel In case of problems, repayment of the loan is possible through the sale of printing equipment Changing suppliers without sacrificing quality

Advertising strategy

• participation in professional groups of social networks and forums for advertising interior shooting, printing photos, calibrating equipment;
• website, city forums and amateur photo groups in networks: for advertising outdoor sessions (wedding photography, shooting in kindergartens and schools, business shooting, including portrait and subject photography).

organizational plan

Business form

Individual entrepreneur with a patent system. This allows you to reduce costs and work with taxation.

The cost of the patent is 42,000 per year. Paid every six months. Within 1 year, you can pay 1/3 for the 1st half of the year and 2/3 for the second.

Personnel and staff structure

The photo studio employs 3 people: a photographer and 2 administrators.

Job title	Quantity	Salary, (thousand roubles.)
Photographer
senior administrator
Administrator
Total

The photographer has an irregular work schedule.

Administrators work in shifts schedule 2 through 2 for 12 hours.

1. Functional duties of the photographer:
   • Outdoor and studio photography;
   • Object shooting;
   • Departure for the calibration of customer equipment;
   • Control, refueling and calibration of photo salon equipment;
   • Processing and color correction of photos of studio shooting;
   • Processing and color correction of photographs of shooting clients;
   • Print photos in the photo lab.
   • Purchase of consumables and related products;
   • Transfer of work to outsourcing;
2. Functional responsibilities of the senior administrator:
   • Acceptance of orders;
   • Control of the availability of related products and consumables;
   • Transfer of the studio for rent;
   • Studio photography;
   • Shooting for documents;
   • Printing photos in a photo lab;
   • Monitoring the execution of works issued for outsourcing;
   • Room cleaning.
3. Functional duties of the administrator:
   • Acceptance of orders;
   • Drawing up a schedule for renting a studio;
   • Shooting for documents;
   • Printing photos for documents;
   • Transfer of the studio for rent;
   • Sale of related products;
   • Room cleaning.

Requirements for a senior administrator: knowledge of Photoshop and MS Office programs, ability to work at an advanced level.

Requirements for the administrator: knowledge of PhotoShop programs or equivalents and MS Office.

Financial plan

Project financing

Investments will amount to 1,725.35 rubles, of which capital expenditures - 1,475 thousand rubles. and working capital - 250 thousand rubles.

1 million rubles will be a bank loan received at 15%, the project initiator invests in the project in the amount of 725 thousand rubles.

The loan is repaid in equal installments in the amount of 49.2 thousand rubles. within 2 years, starting from the 3rd month from the start of the project. Interest on the loan is included in the payment.

Own funds are returned to the project initiator after the loan is repaid within 2 years, taking into account inflation.

Project payback indicators

The payback of the photo salon is calculated on a planning horizon of 10 years:

• contributions to social funds 30% (PFR - 22%, social insurance fund - 2.9%, medical insurance fund - 5.1%);
• the cost of the patent is 42,000 rubles. per year (3500 rubles per month);
• annual inflation of 10%.

Direct payback period - 19 months. (1.6 years).

The discount rate is set as WACC in the amount of 12.48%:

• Direct payback period - 19 months. (1.6 years).
• The payback period for the discounted cash flow is 21 months. (1.75 years.).
• NPV - 10,288 thousand rubles.

Risk Analysis

Main risks:

• low incomes of the population. The lack of demand for photo printing and photo shoots is partially compensated by a photo for documents. The rest is solved by a flexible pricing policy.
• the seasonality of demand is partly offset by the location and a wide range of services, surpassing photo salons in which photos are printed only on documents and photo labs. Seasonality is associated with the start of investment in a project, when the opening falls on the decline in demand between filming on location and low demand for filming in the studio.
• advertising. Customers want to make sure that the photographer has experience, which means they need to see the work. Having a website and your own group is a must. The period of connecting "word of mouth" in this business area is significant.

conclusions

The calculations performed confirm the effectiveness of investing in a photo studio to expand the photo business and obtain a better end result that surpasses the quality of possible competitors. The analysis carried out shows that the business pays off within an acceptable time frame, not only the credit institution, but also the initiator of the business receives profit.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

We solve the problem of how to open an interior photo 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, photography is an integral part of our lives. So familiar that it is already difficult to imagine how people lived without the opportunity to capture memorable events in the photo. Now everyone has a smartphone with a camera at hand, with which daily pictures are taken. However, most of us still want high-quality and beautiful photos taken by a professional photographer in a beautiful setting.

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Therefore, it is quite natural that at present the opening of a photo studio is a promising business idea. It is very profitable to rent a room ready for photography. This business requires a relatively small investment and can quickly pay off. Another plus is his creative focus. Indeed, thanks to such a project, you can realize your creative abilities, prove yourself as a designer.

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

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

How to define the concept of a photo studio

Planning your photo studio must start with a clear positioning. What type of service will you provide? There can be two options: you either provide an interior room for photographers who shoot there; or organize photo shoots, providing a whole range of services - from providing a studio to make-up and, directly, shooting. The first option is less expensive. Here the business owner is focused on creating the interior. The second option is more complicated, because it requires a whole team of professionals (photographer, makeup artist, costume designer or stylist, administrator), and 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 rent an interior studio for photo shoots.

How to analyze the photo 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 social media account. Look at what interiors are presented there, how much it costs to rent a photo studio, determine their territorial location (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps or 2GIS will help). Based on the collected data, you will be able to plan your business more thoughtfully and form competitive advantages.

To attract customers, you will have to offer something that other photo studios have not yet offered. See what's on the market in other regions for fresh ideas and inspiration. It should also be understood that your ideas should be liked first of all by the audience. Therefore, we advise you to find out what topic is relevant among the population of the city, 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

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 out the premises where the studio will be located, the amount will exceed 3 million. But even 700 thousand rubles will be enough to open a photo studio. You can save on the premises itself - rent it; staff - limit themselves to studio rental services; interior - carefully consider locations that can be compactly placed on the rented area, and correctly select decor elements by 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 when we plan to fill the photo studio. So far, we are getting used to the idea that we need about 700 thousand rubles.

How to choose a room for a photo studio

If your studio will be located in the city center - this is ideal. But achieving this ideal is not so easy: firstly, there are many requirements for the premises of a photo studio 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 passable streets. Climbing far, to industrial zones, which will take a couple of hours to reach, is not the best option. You can’t place a photo studio in a residential area either, 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 thing to do would be to give preference to the center.

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

high ceilings - from 3 meters;

the length of the studio is not less than 8-10 m;

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

space should not be divided by vertical beams;

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

On average, the cost of a room of 80 square meters rented in the city center is 50,000 rubles.

When the room is selected, you can think about the layout. The room needs to be divided into several zones, each of which will accommodate a location for shooting. A good photo studio should have at least three locations. Also, do not forget that in addition to the working space, 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 the 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 be creative.

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

romantic - they are designed for customers who buy family photo shoots or love-story. 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 with younger audiences. The design style is close to the loft or modern and is most often decorated in dark colors;

the third room is commonly referred to as the "chameleon" because it changes interiors for seasonal filming. Here you will have to change the scenery frequently, which will allow you to re-attract customers and invite new customers in anticipation of various events. Usually, locations are performed in the theme of the seasons.

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

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

Within the walls of the photo studio, you can imitate the space of the street. For example, to equip a cozy courtyard with a beautiful door, a veranda or a fence entwined 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. An interesting addition will be a chalk board - the inscriptions and drawings on it can set the mood for the picture; light bulb designs that look good in the frame; stylish armchairs and racks-ladders.

Ready-made ideas for your business

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

How to set up a photo studio

There will be a minimum of lyrical digressions - only dry numbers.

Repair of the photo studio premises - 150 thousand rubles.

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

Scenery - 250 thousand rubles.

Business registration - 20 thousand rubles.

Room rental - 50 thousand rubles.

Total: 650 thousand rubles.

How to legalize a photo studio

While our studio is being repaired and decorated, we can deal with organizational issues. First, you should register your business. For a photo studio, the LLC or IP format is suitable - it all depends on your personal plans. It is safer to register an LLC, but registering an IP is much easier. As an individual entrepreneur, you will be able to keep 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 issue any licenses, a standard package of registration documents is enough. But you need to get permission from the fire inspection to open a photo studio in the selected room.

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It is also worth mentioning the checks that sometimes scare entrepreneurs. Photo studios do not belong to the category of the consumer market, which is closely interested in the inspectors. Therefore, there should not be any difficulties for the control authorities. The main thing is to keep the premises clean and tidy, to provide quality services.

Another important issue is the search for personnel. For a photo studio, at least 2 people are needed 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 25,000 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 state.

How to advertise a photo studio

Promotion of a photo studio is usually carried out via the Internet. Aspiring entrepreneurs place special hopes on social networks. And not in vain. Practice shows that Instagram gives the greatest return with proper account management. Still, high-quality photos are at the heart of the photo studio business, so this resource is best suited for promotion.

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

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

You can also attract customers with profitable promotions and offers. Arrange a drawing of a certificate for a photo shoot in your studio; provide a discount on certain days; organize a promotion to support family photo shoots at a discount. All these actions will positively affect the promotion of your studio.

When planning a business, most entrepreneurs focus on two parameters: the required investment 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 set by competitors. Each city has a different price level. But on average, 1 hour of renting a photo studio will cost 1300 rubles. You can count on 120 hours of rented filming per month (that is, about 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 holidays, this amount can increase significantly due to increased demand. With an average monthly profit of 100 thousand rubles, you can recoup the investment in 10-12 months of work.

How to assess the risks of a photo studio

Any business involves risk. You should take into account all the 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 the photo studio involves the 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 in trend - to track trends and change the content of the studio in time.

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

Another risk is the seasonality of the business. During 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 contests for free photo shoots, distribute gift certificates. You can also expand the list of services. For example, to rent a room for any events (birthdays, master classes, etc.).

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

Table 1. Pros and cons of opening a photo studio

It is quite possible to organize a photo studio by spending no more than 700 thousand rubles. To consolidate the material, we offer a checklist for opening a photo studio from scratch.

The total investment amount is 758,000 rubles.

The payback period starts from 10 months of work.

The term for reaching the break-even point is 3 months.

2. Description of the business, product or service

The activity of the photo studio is based on providing clients with professional photography in the interiors of the studio. The main advantage of studio photography is professionally set lighting and the use of additional equipment. In addition, studio photography provides more opportunities for the photographer's creative work, as it does not depend on environmental factors (for example, weather). In other words, the client gets the opportunity to take a large number of photographs in a short period of time against the background of various scenery using several images.

The cost of renting a photo studio varies from 1,200 rubles per hour to 3,000 rubles per hour.

The more interior zones, made in various stylistic directions, are presented in the studio, the more expensive is one hour of renting this photo studio. Also, the rental price is affected by the quality and cost of finishing materials and decorative elements. The studio, whose interiors are furnished with Italian furniture and author's decor from famous designers, will set a deliberately high price for the room. However, this requires a huge initial investment, which is considered inappropriate within the framework of this business plan.

The photo studio provides clients with two main services - photography with a full-time studio photographer and renting a studio to work with your own photographer. In both cases, the costs of using the premises are borne by the client. An approximate range of market prices is shown in the table below.

Studio photography includes various genres, the most popular of which are:

1. Portrait shooting;
2. Artistic staged shooting;
3. Shooting nudity;
4. Subject photography;
5. other genres.

For staged shooting, it is extremely important to have props and decorative elements that will create the necessary atmosphere in detail.

For subject photography, a special set of equipment is required. The purchase of such equipment will increase costs, which, however, pay off very quickly, since almost all enterprises and organizations that produce and sell goods order professional photography to fill websites and online stores.

3. Description of the market

The clients of the photo studio are both photographers and end users - customers of photo shoots. Among the latter, individuals and companies are singled out. Individuals usually order individual photography, family photography, photography of children. As for working with the b2b segment, orders are received either for corporate shooting of employees, or for professional shooting of products for an online store or website content.

The target audience is the determining factor when choosing the interior design of a photo studio. If your main clients are young people aged 18 to 30, then styles such as loft (brick walls, external wiring), vintage (underlined antiquity), country (rustic style), shabby chic (white and pink colors) will be popular. , a large amount of textiles, forged furniture). As for filling the interiors, such props as a motorcycle, a leather chair (the zone of a successful leader), a wrought-iron canopy bed, etc. will be in demand.

For family photography aimed at an audience of 30 to 45 years old, you need to set up a sofa, a soft area with an artificial fireplace, or a beautifully set dining table. Such styles as Provence, classic, modern will enjoy popularity.

The ideal option would be to reach a large target audience. This can be achieved through a variety of room design: for example, within one hall, you can create from 4 to 8 different zones. Each will be designed in a certain style using suitable props and other decorative elements.

If we talk about the statistics of studio attendance among various groups of the target audience, then about 50-60% of clients are girls from 18 to 30 years old who order shooting for posting photos on social networks.

As for the competition among photo studios, the main criterion for difference is the design of the premises. Not all studio creators are ready to invest in unusual and expensive props. In addition, some studios focus on only two or three types of shooting or work with a limited number of photographers.

Since there are 16-20 photo studios in a city with a population of about 1,000,000, we advise you to visit each of them before opening your own studio. This will help you evaluate the level of service of each competitor, see all the details and even the quality of the equipment used. In addition, by communicating with the administrator, you can roughly estimate the level of employment of each studio, and then analyze this data.

The competitive advantages of the studio are:

• Customer service quality.

Timely reminder calls, hospitable administrator, a tour of the filming space, the opportunity to relax and have a snack (tea / coffee / light snacks).

• Opportunity to order photography in the studio, and rent a room.
• High quality equipment.

Several sets of lighting equipment.

• Possibility of subject photography.

A separate set of special equipment.

• Additional inventory for spectacular shots.

The studio has a powerful floor fan and a smoke generator.

• At least 5 interior zones with unique props.

There are no analogues of decor and interior items in other studios.

• Possibility of taking photos in the bathroom.

Photo studio website with photos of interiors and portfolio of studio photographers.

4. Sales and Marketing

5. Production plan

It is more profitable to carry out state registration as an individual entrepreneur. Two main codes are indicated as the type of activity:

70.20.2 "Rental of own non-residential real estate"

74.81 "Activities in the field of photography."

Even if at the initial stage you decide not to form a staff of photographers, but only sublease, you should indicate both types of activity. The fact is that ordering photography from a studio photographer significantly increases the price for the client and, as a result, increases the profit of the studio owner. That is why, sooner or later, you should recruit a staff of photographers working under the brand of your studio.

After completing the registration, you need to select a room.

The room of the photo studio includes not only a room for photography.

Be sure to allocate a separate dressing room for changing clothes for clients, as well as for preparing for shooting (make-up, hairstyle, trying on images). In addition, the studio needs a bathroom. If there is a technical possibility, then you can install a bathroom that will be used for filming and will become an additional element that sets you apart from the competition.

The total leased area will be from 80 sq.m. It is important to note that for this type of business, location does not play a decisive role. Therefore, you do not have to look for a room in the very center of the city. On the contrary, a room with the required ceiling height (from 3 m or more) and the absence of partitions over a large area is easiest to find in the industrial area of ​​the city. Photographers and clients allocate time in advance for photography, so they are ready to come to any part of the city. The main thing is that your studio should be easily accessible by public transport, and parking should be provided for motorists.

The next step is to renovate the premises. Despite the fact that the repair of a photo studio includes the organization of several zones, its cost will be moderate, since you are focusing on the appearance of the design, and not on the quality and reliability of the materials used.

To ensure that all finishing materials and decorative elements are harmoniously combined with each other, you should hire an interior designer. A design project with the selection of materials will cost you about 30,000 rubles.

The price of the project depends on the amount of space occupied. About 100,000 rubles will have to be allocated for finishing materials and labor. Props and decor should be bought by hand. In this case, you will be able to save a lot and keep within 150 thousand rubles.

Then you need to purchase professional equipment. It includes softboxes, reflectors, beauty dish, reflectors, etc. A more detailed list of equipment can be found in the investment table (section "Financial Plan"). Also, do not forget about the installation of sound equipment, since photography is always carried out with background music. The best solution would be to purchase Bluetooth speakers with the ability to connect from any portable device. Such speakers will cost about 15,000 rubles.

Do not forget about installing a Wi-Fi router. Your customers will appreciate the ability to scroll through their Instagram feed at any time or instantly post a couple of finished photos.

The next step is to find staff. You need to find two young people for the position of administrator. Indeed, it is better to hire guys, because the studio needs a person who can fix small problems in the equipment, advise the photographer on the use of equipment and call the master in time.

As for the formation of the staff of photographers, they must be carefully sought. You can hire individual photographers for each type of shooting. Thus, it will be easy for you to distribute orders, and each photographer will have the opportunity to become the best master in his specialization.

6. Organizational structure

The staff consists of administrative staff (studio manager and administrators) and photographers.

The head of the studio makes decisions on the internal content of the studio, on the replenishment or reduction of staff, on staff salaries. He chooses the main directions of development of the studio, specialization in the types of shooting. Determines the marketing strategy and ways to promote the studio. Interacts with the media, develops the brand of the organization, attends professional events, and is engaged in networking. In addition, the head manages the cash flow of the photo studio, distributes profits, regulates the cost of working capital. For his work, the head receives 30,000 rubles a month. If the profit received is insufficient to pay this salary, then it is reduced, which stimulates the head of the studio to work more in the next month or change the direction of the studio.

An administrator is a person who is constantly in the studio. He should be able to deal with studio lighting, know the intricacies of setting up equipment. His task is to record clients, receive visitors, show the studio, accept payment and ensure that all technical equipment is in good working order after shooting. In his spare time, he performs tasks assigned by the manager.

Since the studio works 7 days a week for 10 hours, two people are needed for the administrator position. Working hours - 2 working days after 2 days off. The salary is fixed and amounts to 20,000 rubles.

Photographers are the workforce of a photography studio. The staff of photographers can include from 1 to 10 people. Professionals unite in studios to work under a single brand. Their task is to maintain the reputation of the company with the high quality of their own work. Each photographer has his own camera and computer for photo processing. Finished processed photos of the client are marked with the company logo.

Good afternoon, colleagues. My name is Egorov Alexander, I live in the Moscow region. Six years ago I asked myself how to make a photo studio. For several months he studied the art of photography, delved into the essence of the business. After some time, I managed to open my own studio, which has been successfully operating for more than four years.

The characteristics of my business are as follows:

• initial costs - from 500 thousand rubles;
• large room with an area of ​​275 square meters. The cost of rent is 125 thousand rubles per month;
• monthly income at this stage - 400 thousand rubles per month;
• payback - 6-8 months.

How to open a photo studio from scratch?

Keep in mind that in such a business there will be a very high demand from you. If you work by yourself, you must have a high level of skill. In the absence of relevant skills, it is better to hire a professional photographer.

A feature of the photo studio is the provision of a wide range of services, that is, not only photographing and transferring images, but also processing the latter in special editors, creating a portfolio and further processing, designing photo books, and so on.

But here, of course, much depends on the experience of the specialist.

Below I will give a small step-by-step instruction on how to open a photo studio. It should help you in building an algorithm for further actions and future progress:

1. Before opening a photo studio, Decide on the range of services provided (the wider it is, the better).

You can take photos for documents, model (portrait) photography, take pictures at events and holidays, make advertising and subject photography, make photomontage, make souvenirs based on the photos taken, and so on.

2. Find the right space. The ideal place for an office is the central part of the city, where large flows of people move.

Of course, rental costs will increase in this case, but it will also be easier for customers to find a photo studio.

The optimal area of ​​​​the premises for the first time is from 60-70 square meters.

Please note that for the convenience of visitors, it will not be superfluous to organize a small reception and dressing room. Pay attention to the height of the ceilings. It is very important for the photographer that it be at least 3-3.5 meters.

If you take a standard apartment with ceilings of 2.4-2.5 meters, then there may be problems with the placement of equipment. Pay attention to the windows - they should be large.

At the same time, it is desirable that there are several of them in one room. Natural lighting is an essential attribute of a high-quality photo. A similar requirement applies to the dressing room. In addition to artificial lighting, it should also have natural light.

It is not necessary to buy a room for the first time - it is enough to rent it and make a high-quality designer renovation. Keep in mind that everything in a photo studio should “breathe” with creativity, so it’s better not to skimp on finding and paying for a quality designer.

The average cost of renting a room is from 50 thousand rubles (but here it all depends on the city, proximity to the center, arrangement of the premises, and so on). Additional costs for finishing and purchasing basic furniture - from 150 thousand rubles.

Again, you can save money or furnish the room in the highest class.

3. Be sure to formalize. Otherwise, an audit from the tax office will come very quickly. For a photo studio, two options are suitable - LLC or IP.

As a rule, entrepreneurs opt for the first option. If the work will be carried out only with individuals, then IP is enough.

Opening and promotion of a photo studio

As for taxation, one of the best options here is UTII or a patent form. The OKVED code for this activity is 74.8 (it includes the provision of various services) and 74.81 is a specialized code relating only to photography.

If sales and copying services will be provided, then two more codes must be specified - 52.4 (retail) and 22.22 (printing work).

You will definitely need to register with the Pension Fund and a number of other organizations. After the arrangement of the premises and repairs, there must be a conclusion of the SES and the fire inspection. Be sure to buy a cash register and strict reporting forms.

The expenditure part for the entire stage of registration (together with the purchase of a cash register and other devices) - from 30,000 rubles.

4. As soon as the documents are processed and the premises are ready, start buying equipment. At the initial stage, you can not spend much and buy only the most necessary.

Please note that you will definitely need a high-quality camera (it will cost from 30,000 rubles).

In addition, you will need a computer with software, which must be very powerful to work in various video and photo processing programs (from 35,000 rubles).

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To print photos, you will need a good photo printer (its price is about 10-15 thousand rubles), a tripod for mounting a camera (about 2,000 rubles), a copier (about 10,000 rubles), lighting devices (about 10,000 rubles).

Be sure to buy a laminator - about 8,000 rubles. The total cost of purchasing equipment is about 110,000 rubles.

5. Personnel may be needed, if the photo studio will offer additional services for scanning, photocopying, recording information to external sources, printing photos, printing other information, and so on.

You can take an experienced person to work with Photoshop and put him to process photos, restore old pictures, create collages, make retro photos, and so on.

As a rule, it is enough to take 1-2 assistants, who, in which case, can replace and take simple pictures for documents. In this case, the cost of wages will be negligible. As a rule, you can meet the amount of about 30-40 thousand rubles.

Table number 1. Potential of photo studio production services in Russia

6. If you want to quickly recoup your costs, then advertising is a must. Ideally, it is desirable to make your website on the Internet with examples of the best photos, organize outdoor advertising, make beautiful announcements and hang them around the city.

Thus, the total cost of starting a business, taking into account the investments mentioned above, will be about 400 thousand rubles. Plus, the monthly costs for renting premises, advertising, paying people, and so on - about 100 thousand rubles.

What do you need to open a photography studio?

The business of opening a photo studio is one of the most accessible in terms of organization, design and competition. But here it is important to remember that not everyone succeeds.

You must be a professional in your field and have an individual approach to each client. The opening of a photo studio should be a special event in the life of your city, so advertise before you start.

In the future, the reputation will be formed solely on the basis of customer reviews. So be courteous, always go forward, listen carefully to the wishes and carefully bring your professional vision. If the client sees you as a professional, then he will completely trust.

It doesn't take much to start a business. First, you must be madly in love with your work (even if another person will work as a photographer). Secondly, there must be a desire and readiness to organize a business.

Thirdly, you need to have about 500 thousand rubles (at least) on hand. This is the answer for people who are wondering how much it costs to open a photography studio. As a rule, at the initial stage, the above amount is sufficient.

Then you can continue development - buy (rent) a larger room, expand the range of services (for example, you can open a store selling photo or video products), hire people, and so on. Here much depends on success and profit.

Do you need a photography studio business plan?

Before you open an interior photography studio, creating a business plan is a must. This document becomes a reliable assistant in the harsh world of business.

If you have certain knowledge and experience, you can write a document yourself or entrust the work to professionals.
Please note that the following aspects should be reflected in the business plan - the goals of the future enterprise, the types of services provided, development prospects, risk factors, ways to overcome competition, all types of costs, start-up capital for starting a business, initial and monthly expenses, recruitment features and etc.

The more accurately the document is written and the more details it takes into account, the less likely it is to burn out. Of course, the risk always remains, but it can be minimized.

Opening a photo studio: total costs

Let's summarize the total costs of opening a photo studio:

• renting a room will cost from 30-50 thousand rubles (monthly);
• repair and arrangement of the selected office - from 150 thousand rubles;
• registration of all papers, purchase of a cash register, registration - from 30 thousand rubles;
• staff remuneration, provided that you hire 1-2 employees - from 30-35 thousand rubles (monthly);
• the cost of a full-fledged advertising campaign - from 30 thousand rubles;
• other expenses (taxes, purchase of accessories, components, and so on) - from 20 thousand rubles per month.

At the same time, the potential income of your business in the first month can be from 200 thousand rubles. With the growth of popularity, profits will definitely grow.