Starting a Photography Business - Home Based vs. Studio Space

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When deciding on a place to run your successful photography business, there are a few options:

Home Based Photography Studio

Many photographers are deciding to run their photo businesses out of their homes. This has several advantages:

? Low overhead ? no rent
? No commuting time
? Your work space is tax deductible
? Great if you have kids at home
? Family oriented and relaxed

Disadvantages of a home studio include:

? Lack of sufficient space
? You have to keep a clean house at all times!
? Having strangers in your home
? Some people may view a home studio as not being a ?real? business

Buying / Renting a Photography Studio

If your business increases and you can no longer operate out of your home, then it is time to look into purchasing or renting a space for your photography business. Advantages of renting or buying a studio space include:

? More exposure for your business (window displays, foot traffic, drive by traffic)
? More adequate space for your equipment and props
? More adequate space for parking
? Some may view you as having a ?real? photography business
? Your work life and home life can be kept separate

Disadvantages include:

? Higher overhead (rent or mortgage) eats your profits
? Commute time
? High prices may keep you out of more desirable neighborhoods or shopping centers
? A less desirable location may mean that you have to lower your prices

Other options

Many photographers choose to shoot ?on location? only. This means that they either go to the client?s home or shoot mainly at outdoor locations. This can work nicely because it allows you to avoid renting a space and keeps clients out of your home.

Other photographers may choose to temporarily rent a studio space for a day or more. Some photo studios rent out their space on an hourly basis, but if this isn?t available in your town, consider renting a small conference room at a local hotel (this would be good for a portrait event where you will be photographing numerous families).

Cindy Bracken is the founder of http://www.shuttermom.com, an online community for photographers of all levels of experience. Stop by to create a free blog, enter the photo contest, join in the discussion forum and more!

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