Having a suitable working space is vital to running a successful business. In photography, the definition of such a space is wide and varied. From a blank wall in a spare room in one’s house, to sharing with another photographer, to running a place solo, studios come in all shapes and sizes. But as much as we’d like to think that function was the only determining factor, other things like location, comfort, amenities, and cost play an equal role.
Our own studio-having journey has been probably as interesting and dynamic as anyone else’s, but with the excitement of our most recent move being fresh in my mind, I felt inclined to write about it. In 2001 when I first started shooting, a studio was an unachievable future utopian thing that (at the time) I felt would never happen. I was 18 at the time, and content to work as an assistant photographer to someone else for a while. Isn’t that where we all start out? He ran his business from the dining room table in his personal home, and had recently repurposed his garage into a production area. I embarked out on my own, working solely on location, and since I was then a photography student at the time, managed to sneak in some studio time when I needed it, often working late into the wee hours – the only time available with all the demand for the space, especially when projects were due. Then we came to Tennessee where production happened in an upstairs office of our four bedroom home, but meetings with clients went on at the nearest Panera Bread. Haven’t we all done that too? Starbucks for some, no doubt. I will say that while I fretted and whimpered about raising my prices that year, it went off without so much as a batted eye. Then I was approached by a local photographer who invited me to share his studio with him. Alas we had a commercial location! A year went by, and it provided a good way to wean myself into having a separate office location and studio. And finally in an effort to get closer to home and into the middle of my target demographic, we moved downtown into an empty three story building. Lots of plans were discussed for the future of the building, but in the end it turned out to be in the owner’s best interest to sell the property, and so the hunt began again. We moved out, spent a month looking at multiple options for office space. They included sharing with another photographer, having a co-op use of a nice meeting space on Music Row, or going back to a virtual office and doing the Panera Bread thing again (not ideal).
Then it suddenly became known that the building immediately next door to where we’d just left was available for rent! I had reservations, but was overall optimistic. Surprisingly, this discovery came amid a search on LoopNet for local commercial space, and of the 20 places I emailed with my parameters and budget, this was the one place that not only emailed back (many of them ignored me completely), but that also had what we needed and agreed to the budget we had set! I scheduled a day to stop by, and was very happy with what I found! Hardwood floors, crown molding, genuine efforts to make the space inviting and warm, and great people too!
What I think was important to take away from this experience is diligence and not being afraid to be candid about what you can afford and what you need to be successful in a space. Before perusing LoopNet, Rob and I drove around for an entire day all throughout Nashville trying to find places that we might call. And before that I had already been keeping a sharp eye on my drives through the city and frequenting Craigslist to see if anything popped up. It took a full month. Had I jumped into the first place I found, I don’t think I would have ultimately been as happy. And also, had I not been steadfast in my search, I could have easily gotten discouraged and stopped looking. Sure it took about two months to find a new place, and in that time I visited about 7 places in person, and looked at dozens of them online, but the work was well worth it. If you are in the market to upgrade from a home studio to a commercial location, or are perhaps doing like we did, and having to move locations, my best advice would be to have a goal and stick to it. If you get that little uneasy pit in the bottom of your stomach, it probably isn’t going to work out and you should keep looking until the pit becomes butterflies.
And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for what you need! The worst they can say is “No.” Right? And if they do say No, you just thank them for their time and keep looking. It isn’t scary at all, and its nothing personal; they just can’t accommodate your needs. No biggie. Someone out there can! Remember I visited 7 places, searched for 2 months, emailed 20 locations online….all of these people I told the exact same thing, and out of those, ONE had what I needed! So, just because you talk to five, or even ten, locations with no luck, that doesn’t mean it won’t work out.
So, good luck photographers! And clients if you are reading this, I look forward to seeing you soon at our new digs next door to our previous location downtown! Cheers!
They are shooting images of objects in their hands, but directing their shoot while also holding their own object. 
Communication is key here, because they first have to explain their vision for their image to the person working the camera and adjusting the lighting, and then they have to be able to explain how to change something, and also why they want it changed. 
I found it interesting some of the contorted positions they ended up in trying to get the lighting and angles “just right.”
