Biz talk: Getting a studio

[Gabe]

I don't need a studio just yet, but I do want to have one in the near future. I'm trying to figure out how to go about it, though. Questions:

I personally have horrible credit. Mistakes from my not-too-distant past (I was 20 years old with 11 credit cards, totalling in the thousands - yikes!) are still around to haunt me. I know I won't get a personal loan to get a studio off the ground, but could I open up a company, go through all the legal channels to become incorporated, and get a business loan?

How much space should I go for? At the moment I'd just be shooting people and some still life commercial stuff, maybe portraits as well.

How much money should I expect to pay for said space? Renting a space would require a first and last security deposit, and lighting equipment, backgrounds, props, etc. Depending on the size of the space and its location, I'm gonna guess about $5000?

In the meantime, I'll rent a studio down here for a day, get some models together, and shoot some stuff that's been in my head for a while. Thanks for any replies.

[Sandee2]

Gabe,
Trying to get a studio off the ground is a major task at best. Are you making all (or most) of your income from photography or do you have a "day job"?

All I did was go down to Town Hall and fill out DBA paperwork (Doing Business As). I went to the bank and opened up a business checking account and also got a Visa machine. My studio is in my home, so there's tax deductions and I don't have to worry about making an added rent (or lease) payment. I'm about $12,000 in debt due to business expenses and refuse to take out a business loan (I'm thick headed..lol) I, mostly, work with kids and do some second shooting for weddings.

If you have lucrative commercial work coming in you might just need the commercial space though. Keep in mind there's tons of extra bills too. Insurance, Security, blah blah blah etc.

If I can help ya out in any way just give me a hollar.

Sandy

[Gabe]

Thanks for the info, Sandee. I'll look into DBA paperwork this weekend.

I don't need a studio just yet, but I need to start figuring out how to get one next year, if all goes well. Looks like I might have just nabbed a spot in another magazine now ... ;) It's still in discussion, though.

[Asylum Steve]

Gabe,

For a lot of shooters getting going in commercial work, there is no feeling in the world like having your own studio space for the first time. Until, that is, you realize how hard it can be to meet the overhead.

It's when you start taking on a lot of jobs you don't especially want to do simply to pay the rent that you begin to realize a studio can be a real ball and chain.

I'm no banker, nor a business attorney, but I'm pretty sure if you incorporate and have no track record for earning as a company, a bank will look at your personal credit info. The obvious exception to this is if you have investors, or a partnership with someone with deeper pockets. I'm sure that would grease the wheels for getting a loan.

Rent will vary greatly based on the location you choose. Large divided industrial spaces in "downscale" neighborhoods will almost always be much cheaper than pristine space in nicer ones.

When I got my first studio space on Lincoln Road, the Art Center occupied previously desolate retail space that no businesses wanted any part of. Rents were as low as $6/square foot. Once the area made its amazing comeback, nearby similar spaces shot up to $30/square foot and higher. Luckily for me, the Art Center buildings were owned by the group, and the artists' rent was pretty much fixed.

As for space, trust me you can never have too much. One thing you don't realize you need until it's, uh the time you need it is ceiling space. Ten feet may sound like a lot (and sure, it's much better than eight), but it's really not. Fifteen gives you some of the leeway to do really creative things with lights, but that's tough to find.

What's funny is that I've come full circle and like a lot of experienced shooters, now only rent studio space as I need it. I have plenty of storage space in my home, and with the amount of studio work I'm doing now, it's the only thing that make sense.

Of course, on interesting solution is to find a studio space you can also live in, some of the area pulling double duty. I did this for a while and I loved it (very Greenwich Village Bohemian type of thing). Everything in my studio was on casters, and when I shot I moved all my stuff out of the way and setup all the lights. It was great until the landlord found out (under the lease we weren't allowed to live in our spaces) and threw me out!

Hey, I was thinking of you the other day. A model in South Florida emailed me and wants to work with me sometime soon. The funny thing is she's in this month's Maxim magazine. I think we're planning on some shoots in late September down there, and I was wondering if you'd like to help out? And, hey if you find a studio space by then it'd be perfect. That's exactly what I need...

[Gabe]

Thanks for the breakdown, Steve. I know what you mean about ceiling space, I've seen shoots in lighting books where the 10 feet would not cut it. Eventually I would like to have a studio in which I can shoot motorcycles with models, big trucks with models, models by themselves, lol. You get the idea. I want to be able to shoot anything at all without worrying much about the weather, etc.

For starters I'd be happy with a Public Storage type of space, ha! Just enough to throw some lights in, a piece of furniture or other prop, the model or whatever I'm shooting (that's suitably small), and some shooting space to get good angles from. Hell you can get a space here for less than $150 a month, with A/C .... who would know, or care, what we were doing in there as long I obviously wasn't living there? Hmm. In a pinch, maybe?

I tried turning my current place (more like a dorm) into a mini-studio for a while. Hell, I shot a whole rock band in here once! lol But there's really no space here, and if I'm going to be paying for the space without a business loan, I don't think I can get an apartment big enough to shoot in.

But, like I said, I don't need this just yet so we'll see what happens.

As for the shoot, sure thing, man. Just tell me where and when. All my contact info is at my site. If it's going to be on a weekday, try to give me some notice so I can take a day off from the day job. Incidentally, I'll soon be shooting a girl that appeared in Stuff magazine a while back. It's too bad I don't read these mags any more so I wouldn't have recognized her anyway, lol.