Does Anyone Have A Home Photo Business?

[patois]

I was wondering if anyone had a home based photo business? The reason I ask is that I have friends who have come to me wanting me to help them use their old film cameras. So far I haven't really charged for it but I do see a market for things like b/w developing, slide scanning, etc? Anyone ever tried it and if so what were your results?

cheers

Gordon

 

[kbg32]

I do, for many years as well as other things I do. Results are favorable.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

There's no money in scanning and developing. Scanner is $1000 or more for one capable of results people will pay for, then most will balk at what you have to charge to just break even when you consider how time consuming it is. Same with developing. You spend an hour developing films and they will want it for $3 cause thats what the labs who have machines charge. You need to eat too. If you have a job, be thankful....don't quit your day job.

I make my money doing web design, graphic design, a little commercial photo work, and selling my photos as stock. With all that I barely get by. Creative work is hard pressed by a market that thinks we can live on air alone.

 

[robert blu]

How about ink-jet high quality printing? Most of people I know are not satisfied from lab print when an enlargement is desired. But a print, let say A3 format would be quite expensive, cotton or special paper, inks, time, not sure how much it could be charged...probably not a good deal unless you are very good at and able to find the right market niche...just an idea...
robert

 

[bwcolor]

Remember, once you start earning money from photography, your homeowners insurance policy won't cover your photo equipment.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I sort of fell into this one.
The local photo lab still does traditional colour negative processing in 35mm and 120 but a couple of years back, knowing I did my own B&W, they asked if I'd be interested in processing any B&W film that comes in rather than them having to send it away at big cost and waiting time at a professional lab.
So I develop any traditional B&W film that comes in and give it back to them to do the printing just as they would if it was XP2.
I run an account with them. They credit the account for $10 per film and when I want something from them (usually the occasional colour print) then they just take it out of the account. Pocket money stuff, but helps keep me in chemicals and 'free' colour prints.

I have a friend who has set up in a semi-rural area to do photography for schools, fetes & fairs, churches, sporting clubs, local politicians etc. They're too far out of a big town for the regular photographers to bother but there are a lot of small schools and clubs in the wider district. Digital of course. He has everything set up in the back of a van with a Mac Powerbook, power supply from battery/inverter, generator or direct plug in and can do A3 colour prints on an Epson R2880, burn and print CD's etc on the spot. If his wife goes along he swaps out the memory cards in his camera quite often and she goes back to the van to do the editing while he continues to shoot. Uses two Canon DSLR's.
He has to do a lot of networking and marketing to get his name out there and get remembered but it seems to be working for him. But it's not all 9-5 or Monday to Friday. He works every weekend and a lot of nights at meetings etc.

 

[patois]

Thanks all of you who answered. I've had offers to do work on the side and usually just say no thank you because it doesn't seem profitable or fun. I think the fun part is really the key as my primary job is too stressful for me to do anything additional isn't fun. I have modified a website I built for a client that didn't want it to document labs that process film and I added the ability to have free classifieds to do things like slide scanning, film developing, darkroom rental, etc. If there is a market for some of those things I will push forward with it but if now I'm just gonna let it go.

 

[samuelphoto]

.... I've had offers to do work on the side and usually just say no thank you because it doesn't seem profitable or fun...

One you start presenting yourself as a professional, much of the "fun" you experienced as an amateur quickly disappears. As an amateur, you don't need to be concerned with profits, deadlines, marketing, liability (you need insurance, PPA is a good source), etc. This is not to say it can't be rewarding, but be aware it is a very different circumstance. Unless you need a studio on site or have to entertain clients, I see no reason why a home based operation should not be adequate, regardless of the specific endeavor.