It's been a couple of years since I did a studio tour. Honestly, those posts are the most popular posts on my blog site with almost 5,000 page views. And it doesn't surprise me. People love behind the scenes looks (including me). I'm always happy to share information with fellow photographers!
Part 1 of this series is about my client area. Converting our garage to a studio was the best business decision I have made. My clients have a warm and welcoming place to visit when they are ready to place their order. I enjoy helping them decide what will work best in their home and my sales sessions are NEVER pushy or full of pressure. One of the reasons I ask that potential clients view all of my pricing
before they ever book a session is because I believe 100% in complete transparency. Have you ever hired a photographer only later to realize that their products were way out of your budget? That's just a yucky feeling for everyone all around and I knew when I opened my business that I would be doing things differently.
OK - down to the nitty-gritty. I have a client seating area with a couch and two chairs. One thing I will point out to photographers who are planning a studio space, if you have unlimited square footage - awesome! But most of us do not and I highly recommend making everything dual purposed. All of my seating choices were made knowing I would be able to use them in photo shoots as well. Even my side table is made of suitcases I can easily grab and incorporate in a child's session.
You can't see it in the image below, but in the corner of the room is a large mounted flat TV where we can view images from the session. I use Lightroom and am able to duplicate my monitor over to the TV for clients.
I try to keep things as clutter free as possible. I believe samples are extremely important. Clients often don't know the difference between styrene mounted wall portraits, canvases and other products you might offer. When they can see and touch these products it is much easier for them to decide what is best for their home.
This is the view from my hallway. My clients have their own entrance into the studio. Through the hallway is the bathroom and is also where I display products of my own family. Clients love to see how they can incorporate their images into their own spaces. Because I know I'll be asked, the mural behind my desk and the large image behind my couch is a wall cling from Pro DPI. I love them! The one behind my desk is over 2 years old and has held up beautifully.
Also, all of these images were lighted with a studio strobe. The next portion of my studio tour will cover my shooting space and what I like to shoot with, but you can see a preview here. I'm sure there is a prettier way to take an image of a huge light source, but I'm not sure what that is :) And you can see my newborn gear is still out from a session. Stay tuned for more info on all of that.
