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Pam’s Totally Dinky
~ But Functional and Profitable ~
Home Photography Studio
Will a small room work for a home photography studio? Yes! Want proof?... I recently found some video of Pam’s rather small studio from a few years back (before we began doing sessions in our Farrm House) so you can see for yourself. While technically the studio wasn’t in a home it was in an old house that had been converted to commercial space. Pam did quite a few sessions there, and made some nice profits.
Here’s Pam to tell you the story and narrate the “long-lost” video...
After moving from Chicago to North Carolina, a decision was made to open a photography studio. Since this was before we realized that people would travel 20-125 miles (and in a few cases, more!) to have a session here at The Farrm, I decided to locate the studio closer to the center of population in our area.
After a bit of searching, I found a room to rent on the 2nd floor of an old house that was 22 miles from The Farrm. The rent was cheap and the good location was good — right between the two largest towns in the area. Plus, the photo lab I was using (this was back in the “film” days) was right on the route home!
The rest of the house was headquarters for a collection agency. My “Not Your Normal” room was at the corner of the house and pretty much isolated from the sounds of the “interesting” conversations taking place at the agency!
The studio room was the size of a small bedroom — about 12 feet wide and 11½ feet long. What helped make it work as a photography studio was the extra 4-5 feet of additional length I optained by shooting through the doorway from the hallway (you can see this on the first part of the video).
There was a bathroom nearby down the hall which was perfect for changing clothes as well as other crucial needs!
I was also lucky to have use of the storage room next door to my studio for storing additional props, although as you’ll see in the video, I did manage to load up the main studio space with quite a bit of photographic extras like hats, boas, frame samples, portfolio shots... even a little seating area for clients!
To help control the light, I completely covered the window behind my backdrop, blocking out all light. The other window in the room was covered with foam core that I could easily put on and take off, letting the light in after the session. I eventually got a shade for it, which looked a little more “professional.”
The following video will take you on a quick tour of the “before” and “after” of my very first (and only!) rental photography studio!
Special note — as Jeff mentioned, this is “found” video we digitized from an old 8mm video tape that dates back to 1992. High definition it is not, but it is perfectly watchable and interesting to see what can be done with a small “home” photography studio...
Ready for business
When I was actually ready for business, I hung a framed sign on the outside of the studio door that read...
Not Your Normal Photography
by Pam Farr
By Appointment Only
910-947-2587
This little studio served me well for many years until the building was sold (for more on that story see the “secret of” e-book about how I got started doing business).
As you can see, you don’t need something fancy to get started (or ever!). Use what’s available or affordable to you. With some imagination and creativity, you can turn just about any space into a very workable, and profitable, “home studio!”
