Friends and family often suggest, “You should open a photography studio in your house. You have the room for it.”
At first, you thought they were being polite or making small talk — but you started picturing yourself photographing numerous clients with different backdrops, octa softboxes, props, and more.
Turn your house into a home photography studio with these essential ideas and tips.
Research Photography Niches and Salaries
According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary of a work-from-home photographer is $42,345. However, this number doesn’t give the complete picture because profits vary by industry, location, experience, and credentials.
Let’s zoom in specifically on niches.
Decide On Your Photography Niche
Managing a home photography studio gives you creative freedom, including the specialty you pursue. Nailing down one (or several) niches determines your photographic strengths and separates you from your competitors.
There are several specialties to inspire your photography business, such as:
- Products: Snapshot inanimate objects ranging from the latest tech products for an online retailer to culinary dishes for a food blog
- Fashion: Photograph chic, bold styles for magazines, ads, and posters
- Headshots: Snap professional headshots or school portraits
- Family photos: Capture the essence of a charming family to earn the repeat business of a family for years to come
- Pets: Shoot photos of dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and other furry friends
- Green screen: Photograph subjects with endless virtual backgrounds for unique images
Research Demand, Competitors, and the Local Market Makeup
Research the market and local competitors to learn if other home studio photographers are nearby. Review their websites and brainstorm ideas to differentiate yourself from them.
For example, if they dabble in several niches, you have options:
- Pick one industry that’s aligned with your skills and stick to it
- Choose several industries that differ from your competitor
- Choose the same specialties and offer better rates
Top research tips include:
- Google your competitors with search terms like “[your industry] photographers near me.” Review their websites, pricing models, and services.
- Join local photography associations or communities to analyze who’s out there and what potential clients are seeking from local photographers.
- Review competitors’ social media pages to get inspiration for your posts on channels like X, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Explore Eventbrite, Meetup, and similar sites to discover networking events, conferences, craft fairs, and other places where photography is in high demand.
- Pick locals’ brains with interactive polls on Instagram, Facebook, and X to gauge their photography needs.
- Partner with local businesses like salons, baby boutiques, wedding planners, or other local companies that could benefit from your services.
Think Through the Client Experience
To earn clients, you have to think like them.
Consider what potential clients truly expect when choosing you for their photography needs. Ask yourself why they should choose you from all the in-home and traditional photography studios in your area.
Key aspects your business should offer for a healthy client experience include:
- Clear, consistent communication when going over contracts so you and your clients are heard and understood before initiating the photoshoot
- Realistic expectations and boundaries for each photo shoot — and putting them in your contract to prevent miscommunication and costly lawsuits
- A comfortable environment within your studio and making the client “feel at home” with clean, germ-free props, furniture, and restrooms
- Reliable photography insurance tells clients you care about protecting them and your business
Consider the logistics of your in-home studio with questions like:
- Are you using half of your house or only a few rooms/areas? Think about how much space in your home you’re willing to dedicate to your home photography business.
- Where will clients enter or exit? Your home’s front, back, or side doors — which is most convenient for clients and other people living in your home?
- Will customers have a usable bathroom? It may be beneficial to have studio space next to a bathroom.
- Is there a designated room for clients to change? Consider using a nearby small guest room or bathroom.
- Will you offer ambiance? Create a vibe with small details like scented candles, background music, floor or table lamps, and throw pillows.
- Will you serve food or beverages? Some clients enjoy having snacks before or after shoots. Ask them about food allergies or dietary restrictions beforehand.
Set Up Your Home Photography Studio Space
Now’s the time to envision and plan your studio space.
Turning spare bedrooms into home offices gives you dedicated, controlled environments to host consultation appointments, finalize contracts, view photo proofs, edit photos, and create prints or other products. Living or recreational rooms offer more space to maneuver and set up your photography gear and backdrops.
Basements and garages can be converted into additional studio spaces with backdrops, equipment, and props. To improve the look and keep spaces warm, especially in winter, you may need professional help adding insulation and appropriate lighting.
Set Up the Business Side (and Plan for Startup Costs)
Developing an in-home photography studio involves more than setting aside space in your house. You must construct your business strategy and calculate start-up costs.
Business News Daily suggests budgeting at least $10,000 to $15,000 to initiate your photography business because you’re allotting money for cameras, lenses, laptops, permits, advertising, and other expenses.
Write Your Business Plan
A photography business plan is your business’s foundation. It guides you in establishing your studio’s identity and purpose with areas like:
- Mission and vision statements
- Organization and management details
- Financial projections and needs
- Monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals
No one knows your business better than you, and a business plan allows you to put everything you know in a living, breathing document you can review and revise as needed.
Decide What Equipment Your Home Photography Studio Needs
For starters, you need a camera. Find a camera and lens that meets your needs at an affordable price. If new cameras on Amazon are out of your budget, look for used cameras in local shops or online marketplaces like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
Once you find a camera and start making money from photoshoots, invest in the latest model or get a backup if needed.
Other ideal equipment to consider includes:
- Additional camera gear, such as filters, flashes, tripods, and lighting tools for visual effects
- Props like hats, wigs, sunglasses, and so on for comedy or lighthearted photos
- Furnishings such as stools, chairs, benches, and cube pedestals
- A laptop and/or tablet for photo editing, scheduling appointments, and maintaining your website and social media channels
- A point-of-sale (POS) system for handling transactions and managing customer data
Get a Business License, Tax ID, and Bank Account
Launching a legitimate photography studio in your home means following local and national regulations to keep your business compliant. Failure to do so can lead to fines or immediate shutdowns.
These compliances include:
- Employer Identification Number (EIN): Your EIN is an IRS identifier you need to pay federal taxes and apply for business licenses and permits.
- State business license: This is a government document giving an establishment legal permission to operate in that specific state. Your studio can’t legally operate without this license.
- Local permits: A city permit allows people or companies to complete construction, zoning, and other projects. Get a city permit if you’re renovating part or all of your house for your in-home studio. Homeowner’s association (HOA) boards must issue permits to approve home renovations if you live in an HOA neighborhood.
- Business bank account: This is a separate account to hold business transactions and monitor profits against expenses. This expedites tax filing, boosts your credit, and streamlines bookkeeping processes.
Get the Right Insurance
We know what you’re thinking: “Why do I need photography insurance? I’m working from my own home.” True. However, unforeseeable risks can creep up anywhere — even at home. Your homeowners’ insurance may not protect you from claims that arise from operating your small business. That’s where liability insurance for photographers steps in.
Here’s what we recommend:
- Must-have essentials: General liability insurance that addresses third-party injury, client property damage, and advertising mistake claims
- Non-essential (but highly recommended) add-ons: Professional liability to guard your reputation and equipment coverage to protect your gear if damaged
- Additional optional coverages: Data theft protection (cyber liability) to protect photos and customer data stored online.
Breathe Life Into Your Home Studio Brand
To infuse personality into your business, brand it with a snappy name, an interesting logo, a list of services, and a stellar online presence.
Choose a Business Name
Often, photographers name their businesses after themselves or someone they know, like Jane Jones Photography. Think outside of the box and get creative. Brainstorm names based on niches, pop culture references, and puns like:
- Snapshots Across the Multiverse
- Untamed Wildlife Photos
- Do Rey Mi Photography
Get a Logo and Startup Marketing Materials
A logo is just as sacred to your business as the name. Make it original and distinctive enough to stand out in a room of other logos. Use design tools like Canva or Adobe Illustrator to create simple designs.
Alternatively, reach out to a professional graphic designer via Fiverr or Behance to create a few mock-up designs.
Other ideal photography marketing ideas and materials include:
- Business cards
- Digital and print flyers
- First-time or returning customer offers/discounts
- Loyalty rewards like gift cards or handwritten thank-you cards
- Shooting a few local events for free
Create a Menu of Services, Bundles, and Add-ons (and Set Pricing)
Every photographer has a service menu to showcase their specialties, prices, add-ons, bundles, and more.
When planning your menu of services, start by going back to your niche(s). Are you exclusively focused on professional headshots, or do you dabble in family, school, and holiday photos? Focus on offering services that align with your specialties rather than trying to offer every service a photography client might want.
Research how much photographers charge in your area when developing your pricing strategy. Based on your findings, create pricing packages that consider your experience level. If you’re just starting out, consider charging on the lower end and raising your prices once you have a solid book of business and excellent client testimonials to share.
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, general photographers’ hourly wages vary across different states by demand, experience, and other factors:
- California: $36.30
- Florida: $21.20
- New York: $39
- Texas: $17.72
- Illinois: $21.18
Bundling services is another way to launch your photography business. For instance, you photograph a professional headshot and do a holiday shoot in one session for a consolidated price. You can also offer add-on services to enhance sessions and final products, such as:
- Prints (color, black-and-white, glossy, non-glossy)
- Black-and-white filters
- Retouching
- Custom photo album books
- Wardrobe rentals
- Professional hair and makeup
- Extended session time
Publish a Website and Portfolio
Do you know what else looks great with your new studio? A user-friendly website and a portfolio showcasing your amazing work.
A stellar website includes:
- A home page with the name of your business
- An about page that tells customers about you and your photography story
- A contact page with appointment booking links and contact information
- A page detailing your niche(s) and menu of services
- A gallery page that showcases your work
- Links to social media channels
Design a Killer Kickoff Plan
You bought all the right furniture and accessories, set aside the best spaces possible, purchased your camera equipment, and launched a website. It’s time to open and attract customers to your photography studio.
Launch Social Media Channels
Decades ago, if you wanted to promote your business, you’d print flyers and business cards to hang on telephone poles and bulletin boards. Some even paid for ad space in phonebooks, billboards, and newspapers.
Today, social media because they reach different audiences with numerous needs. Promoting your business on several social media outlets boosts your visibility, grows your customer base, and serves as another means of communication with your audience.
Some ideal social media channels for your home photography studio include:
- Instagram: Share photos from your portfolio and behind-the-scenes videos of your latest photoshoots and interact with customers and fellow photographers
- Nextdoor.com: Communicate offers, sales, and other info with community members
- Facebook: Create a business page to post portfolio pictures, host live photo demonstrations, share updates, and join photographer groups
- LinkedIn: Network with other entrepreneurs and photographers, join exclusive groups, and share your portfolio
Announce Your Studio Opening With a Press Release
Create a press release to announce your photography business’s opening day, location, niche(s), and more. Share your press release with local community news websites and social media channels for more visibility.
Essentially, a press release has the following:
- A headline that draws readers in
- An introduction that tells others about your business and why it’s significant
- Body text to explain the story behind your business, ideal takeaways, and a quote from you, the business owner
- A boilerplate that has the company’s contact information
- A call to action that lets readers click and go to your website or schedule a photo session
Spark Interest With Targeted Ads
Targeted ads for Facebook, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, and other channels allow viewers to visit a website’s homepage, schedule an appointment, or apply a discount toward a product.
Consider your ideal audience when developing paid ads. What do these customers think about, and what do they look like? Are they a family with children, a person with pets, a professional chef writing a cookbook, or a company needing photos of their latest products?
Once you’ve narrowed in on your top audience, optimize your ads to appeal to them. This boosts engagement, sending more people to your website — leading to more bookings and referrals.
Hold an Open House
Real estate agents host open houses for potential buyers to view properties and decide to make a purchase.
Hosting an open house-style tour of your studio allows potential customers to learn about your brand and what you offer. They interact with props, furniture, changing rooms, snacks and refreshments, backdrops, and equipment, giving them the opportunity to get a feel for you and your business.
Set up open house invitations with booking links through Calendly and insert them in ads, email invitations, or social media posts for others to reserve time slots. Some visitors may even set up appointments with you in person after the event!
Offer a Chance to Win a Free Home Photography Studio Session
Host an online sweepstakes for a free photo session. Although you won’t make a profit, it creates a positive buzz for your business and encourages potential customers to return to your studio or to tell others about it.
Host a scavenger hunt on Facebook Live or Instagram Live. You read descriptive clues of everyday home items, and viewers search their homes for them. When they find them, they show it to you and get a point for each object. The person with the most points at the end of the livestream wins.
Or, fill a clear jar with candy and have people guess how many are in the jar through a live stream event or a simple post. Participants submit their guesses, and whoever gets closest to the exact number wins.
Common Questions About How to Open a Home Photography Studio
How Much Does It Cost to Open a Photography Studio at Home?
Opening a home photography studio costs anywhere from $200 to $10,000+. Allot for expenses such as camera equipment, photography insurance, renovations (if applicable), lighting, backdrops, props, furniture, city and HOA permits, and more.
How Do I Choose a Location for a Photography Studio?
Choose a photography studio location based on lighting, space, comfort, and creative vision. Lighting affects how subjects look in your photos. Space and comfort determine how easy it is for you and your subjects to move around and if there’s enough room for your equipment. Creative vision enables you to picture different photo possibilities.
Is Opening a Home Photography Studio Worth It?
Absolutely! An in-home photography studio is worth it when you find the right space in your living room, garage, or basement to set up your furnishings, props, backdrops, and equipment. This way, you boost your business and level up your online portfolio without leaving your home. You can also use a spare bedroom as an office to conduct client consultations, set up contracts, and edit photos.
