Written by There is always the major question that arises when starting photography business: should one hire the space or purchase/built own. Even though having your own studio might sound convenient and let you have full control over the space, renting photography studio has a number of clear benefits that are still worth considering.
Cost Savings
There is so much to be saved in terms of money when one opts for a rented photography studio especially when starting up business. Costs are relatively affordable, especially if you do not need a studio daily or work in a group. This definitely saves you a lot of money that you would have used to cater for the overhead and operating costs as compared to owning.
Renting too has minimal costs when one is being put into use as compared to buying. It is very costly to buy or construct a studio, and this is not the case with renting since you may only be needed to pay a token deposit. This allows one to open working capital to other crucial photography equipment and costs when setting the business.
Flexibility
In this type of lease, it is more flexible as you establish your business in the future, for instance renting a photography studio. It is also flexible when it comes to location since you can easily move as your client base or focusing niche changes as opposed to being fixed to a specific studio building.
This is because through renting you can only take the space when you are making a shoot or a taping hence not occupying it most of the time. You can avoid spending budgets for unused space or shooting times. It also allows you to increase the number of hours in the studio rented for your business and clients if needed.
Amenities & Equipment
Another advantage of photography studio rentals is that everything can be availed, such as furniture, equipment, and other necessities. Essentials such as backdrops, modifiers, lighting, grips and other accessories such as some props or sets are normally supplied by most rental studios. This saves you the cost and the inconvenience of having to buy all these items and then try to secure storage space for them.
Other rental studios also offer additional perks such as makeup rooms, steaming areas for garments, luxurious lounges, and superior quality furniture for even higher standard shoots. It is challenging, perhaps impossible, to acquire these luxurious features if one owns their own tiny studio.
Networking Opportunities
Sometimes, the rental photography studios have other photographers who also use the space as their workplace and base of operation. This makes it perfect for interaction with other professional photographers to get mentorship, source for assistant photographers, second photographers among other things as well as getting referrals from the clients.
It also applies to practicing photography together with other photographers in a single studio since this fosters inspiration and knowledge exchange. You also get to organize on shoots by taking advantage of other photographers’ specialty and equipment that you do not have.
Ideal Shooting Environments
The main benefit that one is likely to experience by renting a photography studio is the fact that they are built for photography and videography. They provide open environments, numerous range facilities, outstanding lighting tools, and backgrounds.
Rental photography studios also take responsibilities of maintaining the studios, cleaning, building of the studio, and even paying the utility bills. This saves your time and energy and keeps you free from all the usual distractions that come with managing a facility apart from photography.
Some rental studios even offer studio managers that can help with your shoots depending on the kind of rental studio you choose. This can save time and energy to be used in organizing the photoshoot instead of the equipment and where the photoshoot is to take place.
Location Convenience
Good photography rental stores are situated in accessible strategic regions, which are normally city central business areas. It also means they are easy to access for clients rather than having your own remote studio facility. Rental studios can also have their own parking or rented parking, or even be located close to public transport.
The location convenience also gives an option of shooting street style when in urban environments. Such clients can easily access graffiti walls, city scenes, and architectural backdrops since the photography studio is located along the downtown streetscape.
Drawbacks to Consider
In conclusion, there are a number of benefits associate with renting a photography studio, but there are also some disadvantages too. Rental facilities have a large demand for studio availability, while most of them accept reservations for months. Tariffs vary at some centres at certain intervals of the year due to some factors such as festive season.
Some photographers also are also particular about the environment they are shooting in and the type of studio they want for their work, which cannot be gotten when renting shared studios. Secondly, the value of the premises cannot be recovered as it is possible when you have your own studio as is the case with owning.
Last but not the least, ensure that the rental photography studio comes equipped with the right insurance policies. You need to have coverage to shield your equipment and you in case of an incident within the studio areas.
The Bottom Line
Renting a photography studio can in the end enable new photographers to practice from a professional station at a fee they would incur if they had to own the space. The convenience factors, networking advantages, flexible arrangements, added tastes and amenities, cost efficiencies, and decreased noise and zoning issues more than offset any advantages of purchasing or constructing a studio in most instances. This makes it possible for you to launch your photography business and start making profits and growing the business gradually once you start receiving more photoshoots and clientele.
In case you later realize that you may require a more extensive space for your photographic company requirements, you will also have the capital and customer base to afford a larger studio in the future. However, for most photographers beginning their careers, renting a photography studio offers a plethora of benefits that cannot be obtained from any other form of studio setup.
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