* The calculations use the average data for Russia

We solve the problem of how to open an interior photo studio from scratch. Given: a creative person who wants to realize the ability of a decorator Conditions: 700 thousand rubles. Find: a profitable business opportunity.

Today, photography is an integral part of our lives. So familiar that it’s hard to imagine how people lived without the ability to capture memorable events in the photo. Now everyone has at hand smartphones with a camera, with which pictures are taken daily. However, most of us still want high-quality and beautiful photographs taken by a professional photographer in a beautiful setting.

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Therefore, it is quite natural that at the present time the opening of a photo studio is a promising business idea. To rent a room, ready for photography, is very profitable. This business requires relatively small investments and is able to quickly pay off. Another plus is its creative focus. Indeed, thanks to such a project, you can realize your creative abilities, prove yourself as a designer.

The photo studio market has undergone tremendous changes. Remember what the photo studios looked like before? A white canvas against which you pose with a straightforward props. Now the interior of photo studios can be considered a work of art. Typically, studios offer several interiors for shooting to choose from. Each interior is clearly thought out, full of interesting locations and details that can be used in the shooting. The originality of the design depends on whether a person wants to come to the studio for a photo shoot. The interior is the main component of success for a photo studio.

However, in addition to the creative component, the photo business has many organizational issues that you need to understand to open your photo studio.

How to define the concept of a photo studio

Planning your photo studio must begin with a clear positioning. What type of services will you provide? There can be two options: you either provide an interior for photographers who shoot there; or organize photo shoots, providing a range of services - from providing a studio to visage and, directly, shooting. The first option is less expensive. Here, the business owner is focused on creating the interior. The second option is more complicated because it requires a whole team of professionals (photographer, make-up artist, dresser or stylist, administrator), and more expensive. If the entrepreneur is a photographer, then it is more rational for him to choose the second option. But according to the conditions of the task, the entrepreneur is a creative person who intends to independently engage in the interior design of a photo studio. Therefore, the essence of the project is to lease an interior studio for photo shoots.

How to analyze the photo business market

To analyze the market, it is not necessary to conduct large-scale marketing research. It is enough to find out how many photo studios work in your city and study their approximate list of services. Your main assistant is the Internet. Today, almost all photo studios have their own website or account on social networks. See what interiors are presented there, how much it costs to rent a photo studio, determine their territorial location (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps or 2GIS will help). Based on the data collected, you can more deliberately plan your business and create competitive advantages.

To attract customers, you have to offer something that other photo studios have not yet offered. In search of fresh ideas and inspiration, look at what is on the market in other regions. It should also be understood that your ideas should appeal primarily to the audience. Therefore, we advise you to find out which topic is relevant among the population of the city, what is the demand for existing services. This information will avoid unnecessary expenses.

How to calculate how much money you need to open a photo studio

The required investment is one of the most important elements of any business planning. In order to open your own photo studio, you will need from 700 thousand to 3 million rubles. It all depends on the scale of the business, the complexity of the interior, ideas, city and premises. For example, if you want to buy the room in which the studio will be located, the amount will exceed 3 million. But 700 thousand rubles will be enough to open a photo studio. You can save on the room itself - rent it out; staff - limited to services for renting a studio for rent; in the interior - carefully think over the locations that can be compactly placed on the rented area, and correctly select the decor elements by choosing budget options. You can also save on repairing the premises by choosing a room in good condition. By the way, this will save not only money, but also time, allowing you to quickly start the project.

We will return to the monetary issue when we plan to fill the photo studio. So far we are getting used to the idea that we need about 700 thousand rubles.

How to choose a room for a photo studio

If your studio will be located in the city center - this is ideal. But to achieve this ideal is not so simple: firstly, the requirements for the premises of a photo studio are many that are not so easy to fulfill; secondly, renting premises in the center is not a cheap pleasure. Therefore, you can consider options located in the city center, but on less passable streets. Climbing far into industrial zones, which will take you a couple of hours, is not the best option. You can’t place a photo studio in a sleeping area either, because it does not provide essential services to attract residents of nearby houses. You must attract people from all over the city, so the most logical will be to give preference to the center.

Now we turn to compliance with all the requirements for the premises of the photo studio:

high ceilings - from 3 meters;

the length of the studio is at least 8-10 m.;

required repairs must be cosmetic, otherwise you will spend a lot of money and time on remaking;

the space should not be separated by vertical beams;

choosing a floor covering, it is necessary to give preference to dark color and high wear resistance. Otherwise, the floor will quickly lose its attractive appearance.

On average, the cost of a room of 80 square meters, rented in the city center, is 50 thousand rubles.

When the room is selected, you can think about the layout. The room needs to be divided into several zones, in each of which there will be a location for shooting. A good photo studio should have at least three locations. Also, do not forget that in addition to the workspace, an area for receiving visitors and a toilet should be provided.

How to choose a photo studio interior

So we come to the main thing - planning the interior of a photo studio. The main character determining the interior of the studio is the entrepreneur himself. Here he can realize all his creative ideas, give free rein to imagination and create.

It should be noted that, no matter how sophisticated the designers, the following locations are most popular:

romantic - they are designed for customers who buy family photoshoots or a love story. Such a location should be medium in size to accommodate a family. Typically, romantic locations are performed in bright colors, with floral motifs;

stylish locations that are popular among a younger audience. The design style is close to the loft or modern and is most often decorated in dark colors;

the third room is usually called the "chameleon" because the interior in it changes for seasonal shooting. Here you will often have to change the situation, which will allow you to re-attract customers and invite new customers in anticipation of various events. Usually, locations are performed in the theme of the seasons.

For inspiration, we have collected some interesting interior concepts for decorating a photo studio.

You can support the romantic style with a chic hanging bed, decorated with a canopy and flowers. It looks very beautiful and gentle. Miniature swings that will help create live shots in motion will also look interesting. But the romantic interior does not have to be in bright colors. The location in the country style will look stylish and unbeatable - hayloft, a romantic inscription on a wooden wall and a mini-picnic. Why not romance?

In the walls of a photo studio, you can simulate the space of the street. For example, equip a cozy courtyard with a beautiful door, veranda or hedge, twined with grapes, a bench and a bicycle left near it.

To maintain a stylish loft, you can make a brick wall or gradient background that mimics the plaster. An interesting addition will be the chalk board - inscriptions and drawings on it can set the mood for the picture; constructions of light bulbs that look advantageous in the frame; stylish armchairs and racks-step-ladders.

Ready-made ideas for your business

You can provide creative details that make the interior special. Attach a bicycle to a brick wall, unusually designed a window and turned it, for example, into a porthole, “grow” a magic tree in the studio, paste one wall with different wallpapers, creating several backgrounds for photographs. It is also important that the interior contains many interesting details with which customers could interact (books, pillows, musical instruments, volumetric letters, etc.).

How to equip a photo studio

There will be a minimum of lyrical digressions - only dry numbers.

Repair of the premises of a photo studio - 150 thousand rubles.

Equipment - 150 thousand rubles, an approximate list of equipment: light sources (from 4 pieces), umbrellas for light and reflection, curtains, nozzle mounts for reflectors, synchronizers, fasteners, racks, herons, tripods. If you are afraid of obscure names, you can contact the companies that provide ready-made sets of equipment for photo studios. To choose the right equipment, you can consult with a professional photographer.

Scenery - 250 thousand rubles.

Business registration - 20 thousand rubles.

Rental of premises - 50 thousand rubles.

Total: 650 thousand rubles.

How to legalize a photo studio

While our studio is being renovated and decorated, we can deal with organizational issues. First, you should register your business. For a photo studio, the LLC or IP format is suitable - it all depends on your personal plans. It is more reliable to register an LLC, but registering an IP is much easier. Being an individual entrepreneur, you will be able to conduct elementary accounting and choose a simplified tax regime. As for the design of activities for OKVED, then for photo studio code 74.2 is suitable (Activities in the field of photography) - it includes several subsections.

For the work of the photo studio, you do not need to issue any licenses, a standard package of registration documents is enough. But you need to get permission from the fire inspection to open a photo studio in the selected room.

Ready-made ideas for your business

It is also worth mentioning about checks that sometimes scare entrepreneurs. Photo studios do not belong to the category of the consumer market that inspectors are closely interested in. Therefore, difficulties to the regulatory authorities should not arise. The main thing is to keep the room clean and tidy, to provide quality services.

Another important issue is the search for personnel. For a photo studio, at least 2 people are needed for the post of administrator, who will work in shifts. If you want to save money, you can become one of the administrators, reducing labor costs. The average salary of one administrator is 25 thousand rubles. You will also need to hire a cleaner who will monitor the cleanliness of the premises. It does not have to be included in the state.

How to advertise a photo studio

Photo studio promotion is usually done via the Internet. Beginning entrepreneurs place special hopes on social networks. And not in vain. Practice shows that Instagram gives the greatest return on competent account management. Still, high-quality photographs are at the heart of the photo studio business, so this resource is best for promotion.

First you need to photograph the location of the studio on your own, and in the future you can ask photographers to use their work to demonstrate the locations. Social networks should include contacts, examples of work, scenery options, information about promotions, reviews.

You can promote your studio through collaboration with photographers. And here the word “collaboration” is now fashionable. What is their logic? You yourself offer photographers to shoot in your studio, in exchange for providing the location, he undertakes to place information about you in his account. In fact, this is an association with the goal of mutual benefit: the photographer gets the shot in a beautiful interior, and you get an advertisement for your photo studio.

You can also attract customers with profitable promotions and offers. Arrange a certificate for a photo shoot in your studio; give a discount on certain days; organize a campaign in support of family photo shoots at a discount. All these actions will positively affect the promotion of your studio.

When planning a business, most entrepreneurs are guided by two parameters: required investments and profit. It's time to ask a question - how much can a photo studio earn?

To give a specific answer, you need to determine the cost of services. To do this, we look at prices set by competitors. In each city, the price level is different. But on average, 1 hour of renting a photo studio will cost 1300 rubles. You can count on 120 hours of rented filming per month (that is, about 4 hours of filming per day). In this case, the revenue will be 156 thousand rubles. Then the net profit will vary in the amount of 70-80 thousand rubles. During weddings and New Year holidays, this amount can increase significantly due to increased demand. With an average monthly profit level equal to 100 thousand rubles, you can pay back the invested funds after 10-12 months of work.

How to assess the risks of a photo studio

Any business is fraught with risk. All possible difficulties that may arise during the opening and operation of a photo studio should be taken into account. This will allow you to quickly respond to threats or avoid them altogether.

The first risk is obsolete props. The specifics of the work of a photo studio involves constant updating of locations and props. Outdated, out of fashion props are unlikely to decorate the photo and interest the client. Therefore, the owner of a photo studio should always be in the trend - to monitor trends and change the content of the studio in time.

Ready-made ideas for your business

The next type of risk is increased competition in the market. To reduce the impact of this risk, it is necessary to regularly invest in marketing, increase the level of service, conduct competent work with customers, create unique offers in the market.

Another risk is the seasonality of the business. In the summer months there is a decrease in demand, but the most active months for photo studios are November, December, February and March. To minimize the risk, during low sales, organize contests for free photo shoots, distribute gift certificates. You can also expand the list of services. For example, to rent a room for any events (birthdays, workshops, etc.).

Thus, you can determine the main advantages and disadvantages of opening your own photo studio. After weighing all the pros and cons, you can make the final decision to open this business.

Table 1. Pros and cons of opening a photo studio

How much money do you need to open a photo salon or photo studio? What equipment is needed for the service “Photo on documents?

HOW TO OPEN YOUR PHOTO SALON HOW MUCH MONEY NEEDS WHAT IT NEEDS

I read many articles on the Internet about such a ready-made business as “Photo for Documents”, and decided to write my own article about it. My article differs from the rest in that it is based on real events, and not on my assumptions and fantasies, like many other authors. Reading other articles, I was constantly horrified by the ridiculous nonsense with which they were crowded from beginning to end. The business “Photo for Documents” was constantly presented in these articles as simple, requiring almost no investment and giving fabulous profits in a couple of months. But is it? I received an answer to this question only then, I decided to start this business on my own, about all the pitfalls of which I will tell you.
  The starting capital for opening this business is announced differently by different sites, but is approximately equal to 100,000 rubles. All the time I was amazed at such a budget, how you can open anything with such money. Let's try to delve into the numbers and draw conclusions using the example shown below. For the sake of illustrating the example, for each proposal on spending the budget from other sites, I will leave my comment. And so, what and for what money are we offered to buy authors of articles from other sites to buy “Photos for Documents” for business development:

DIGITAL CAMERA + STUDIO LIGHT + BACKGROUND + SYNCHRONIZER \u003d 20,000 RUBLES

In fact, even a supported normal SLR camera costs about 14,000 rubles. If you try to use a cheaper soap box for photographing documents, then you and your customers will be very disappointed, because the quality of your pictures will make you go to the competition even the most lazy and laid-back client. And it's all about the excessive digital noise that gives a budget digital camera. In addition, you cannot use manual settings for shutter speed, photosensitivity and aperture in such a camera, and without them you can not do anything! The world-famous program “Photoshop” installed on your computer will help to partially solve the problem, but you can’t even imagine how long it will take you to process the photo for documents to the proper level! Studio light is generally a separate issue. The most budgetary set of 3 flashes (two front and one rear for highlighting shadows) will cost you 10,000 rubles. If you plan to take a used kit, then you will have to work very hard to find it, since finding one on the Avito and Hand to Hand websites is almost unrealistic. For the camera and studio light, you still need a device to synchronize them. This device synchronizes the flashes and the camera with an infrared pulse. It is worn on the camera instead of attaching an additional flash. By the way, most soap dishes (almost all) have no such mount at all. The synchronizer will cost you about 1,800 rubles. To shoot “Photo for documents” you will also need a white background. Of course, it can be replaced with almost anything, the only question is how much it will look aesthetically pleasing. Now let's add the numbers: camera (14,000) + studio light (10,000) + synchronizer (1800) \u003d the sum is 25,800. And this is if you take everything to a minimum! Ideally, you get 40,000 if you take everything new and good.

COMPUTER + MONITOR + PHOTO PRINTER + SCANNER + PHOTO PAPER + FURNITURE \u003d 28 900 RUBLES

Another weird tally! Let's go in order. A computer with a monitor is not a problem, now there are a lot of supported computers for sale, and for a very conservative price, you can take yourself a very good machine. From the “computer + monitor” combination, we need a large screen and a dual-core computer with a large amount of physical and RAM memory, because we have to work with resource-intensive applications. The system unit will cost us 10,000, and a large monitor, 26 inches, approximately thousands in 6000-8000. This, of course, will not be the best monitor in terms of color rendering, but with different monitor settings and a video card driver, this problem can be partially solved. To print your photos you need a photo printer and, naturally, it will be a printer from Epson. In general, thanks to the printers of this company and CISS systems for them, it became possible for only 5-10 000 rubles to add a whole range of printing services to their photo studio (low-circulation naturally). For 2014, the most relevant models are A4 series printers: L100, L800 - with their own CISS, T50 and a series of A3 format: 1410 and an excellent 5-color printer - 1100. These printers consume almost any inkjet paper. Thanks to them, the consumables market has a huge assortment of papers: design papers, photo papers, and high-density papers. There is self-adhesive paper, there is transparent, there is even natural linen canvas and paper for printing on T-shirts. If to speak about quality, then only professional printing machines for printing houses can compare with the 6 color Epson printer. It really is! The cost of printing is so ridiculous that many simply do not pay attention to it. The only and big enough minus of these printers is the print speed, they are very slow! The price for an A4 printer is 5,000 / 9,000 rubles, and for an A3 printer is 11,000 / 19,000 rubles. The author of another article suggests that in our case we can do with a simple photo scanner, but there is another point of view.

Your photo studio will not be able to do with a single printer and scanner; you will have to buy a laser printer for it. It is advisable to buy it in color and A3 format, for example, OKI 9650/55, but it costs as much as 90,000 rubles. Given our small budget, we will manage with a proven, reliable black and white printer and A4 format for only 7,000 rubles. For 2014, the best model is a printer based on the Canon MF 4410. This is a very hardy printer-scanner-copier, for which you can find new non-original cartridges costing less than refilled. This printer has been tested by testing tens of thousands of prints and copies. Even after so many, he will be livelier than all living things. On this printer we can do photocopy, print documents from a flash drive and scan them. By the way, a photocopy and printout in your salon will be done most often! Have to take care of paper. To start you will need: matt paper “Lomond” with a density of 180-200 gr. - 300 rubles per 100 sheets, photo paper of the same company “Lomond Satin” 270 gr. - 180 rubles for 20 sheets, plain paper in a box 2,500 sheets for 500-800 rubles. The rest: envelopes and files for photos and documents for 500 rubles. For cutting photos and “Photo for documents” you will need a cutter for A4 sheets worth 2,000 rubles. For our photo salon you will need furniture. At a minimum, there should be a very large table for equipment, a second table for cutting things and warehousing. And there must also be a hanger for customers and a mirror. Do not forget, you must have chairs: both for yourself and for the client. In total, all this will take you about 12,000 rubles. Now it’s time to make calculations: a printer (8,000 rubles) + an MFP (7,000 rubles) + a computer with a monitor (17,000 rubles) + a cutter (2,000 rubles) + paper (2,500 rubles) + furniture (about 12 000) \u003d 48 500 rubles.

According to the author of another article, all this will require 42,750 rubles. This amount includes: advertising, accountant payment, employee salary and rent. Honestly, this is frank nonsense. To organize a modern (not artisanal) photo salon, you will need an area of \u200b\u200bat least 8-12 square meters. m. It will be necessary to rent the premises in residential areas with good traffic and far from competitors. If you rent in a residential building on the ground floor, then it will cost you at least 20,000 rubles. Well, if we talk about a small shopping center, the rent will rise to 40,000 - 60,000 rubles. It is worth remembering that for the first month of rent you will have to pay a double fee right away, i.e. for the first month of rent + guarantee payment for a month in advance. And when you consider that your business is just starting and it needs time to get on its feet, you will have to stock up on the amount to pay the rent for six months ahead.

For some reason, many authors of similar articles do not include registration of a company and purchase of a cash register in their calculations. To be able to rent a room and work, you will need to register a company LLC or IP. In our case, there is no difference. This pleasure is worth about 10,000 rubles. After registering the company, you will need a cash register (15,000 rubles) and opening a bank account. By the way, note that as soon as you open your own company, you instantly become a debtor to the state. You will make pension and insurance payments to his account, regardless of whether you conduct your business or not! Do not forget that your ticket office has an EKLZ, which needs to be changed every year, while the replacement will cost you 15,000 rubles. You can hire an accountant or, with certain knowledge, keep accounts yourself. An accountant will cost you 10,000 rubles a month. As for advertising, you will need to at least print and distribute approximately 10,000 leaflets, order 200 pieces of business cards and make a simple business card site for publication on Yandex maps. And now to summarize: rent for 3 months (60,000 rubles) + company and cash desk (26,000 rubles) + accountant (10,000 rubles) + salary for an employee or yourself (18,000 rubles) \u003d 114,000 rubles.

STARTING CAPITAL FOR OPENING A BUSINESS + PHOTO FOR DOCUMENTS \u003d 91,650 (According to other sites)

From the read above, you understand very well that the amount of 91,650 rubles is not enough to open any business! According to our estimates, the minimum required amount for starting a “Photo for Documents” business will be 188,300 rubles. I repeat once again that this is only the minimum amount! Plus, for the next six months, you will need a cash reserve for rent and accommodation, according to conservative estimates, you will need about 160 - 200,000 rubles for this. Keep in mind that it will be very difficult for you to survive in the market of photo services if you do not start selling related products, for example: photo frames, albums, batteries, flash drives, disks, headphones, etc. If you nevertheless make a decision to draw up shop windows and purchase goods, you will need new investments, namely: purchase of the most budget compact store window (10,000-15,000 rubles) and purchase of goods: photo frames and albums (40,000 rubles), as well as batteries, flash drives, disks (25 000 rubles). Whatever you have to read on other sites, whatever connoisseurs, professionals in the field of photo printing and photo services would say, and whatever the authors of other articles would say, remember one thing that you can’t do with less than 500,000 rubles! Your costs may seem minimal to you, but as your business develops, especially in the first months, you will realize that you need investments, and even immodest ones.

Working with photography in a creative studio can be both complex and useful. In the beginning, when only the first steps are taken to improve photography skills, the use of accessible light always begins. For most people, it takes very little time to realize that creating very beautiful photographs in low light conditions, especially indoors, can be extremely difficult. Looking for answers on how to get around the low-light problem, faster lenses and better cameras are bought as a result. But a better and more expensive camera device cannot properly capture poorly lit terrain. In the latter case, it becomes flash photography - a topic that scares many photographers.

However, the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a home studio with lighting may seem like a terrible prospect. But a studio flash is not a complicated art, just a combination of the basic principles of lighting and camera skills, while the necessary kit has become much cheaper and easier to use. And it completely depends on the photographer, which kit he buys, and how much he spends. You can get rid of the use of a large polystyrene plate as a reflector or deploy a practically full-size softbox.

But I want to save some money. Then the best place to start is with a home studio flash kit. This set offers a number of advantages. Firstly, it will give exposure control. A high flash output means that lower ISOs can be used and, therefore, images with less noise can be created. Secondly, the studio flash kit effectively gives you control over the depth of field, as increasing or decreasing the power allows you to open or close the aperture.

However, the biggest advantage is the control that the studio flash gives the quality of light. You can choose whether it will be scattered or sharp, widespread or narrow beam, you can choose so that it emits at any angle. Consequently, creating a studio may not be as expensive as it seems.

Key Steps for Opening a Home Photo Studio

It is necessary to take clear and structured methods in the process of creating your own home photo studio. To understand what you will have to do in the future and calculate costs, you must follow the following instructions:

• Determine the location.The place to be chosen should be wide, spacious and comfortable. Here you will need to install a lot of equipment, and you need a place for: backgrounds, equipment and even people. A hidden place is more suitable than outdoors, but if you plan to take more outdoor pictures, then this is a great place to install it. However, this can interrupt the process (there will be all kinds of anxieties, such as curious neighbors, etc.). Nothing in the room should be too bright, or it will take away the quality of the photo. Bare walls work best. Comfortable, creamy carpets create a pleasant atmosphere.
• Make a waiting room (optional).If you need a professional approach, you can create a waiting room where clients can rest and relax before taking their photos. This room should not be as spacious as a “photo room”. But it should be pretty big. You need to install chairs and / or several couches so that customers can take a seat and look around. This room should be bright, warm and welcoming. You can hang some of your past work on the walls so that customers can observe and compare. You can also provide magazines for entertainment. You need to create a pleasant atmosphere by exploring options for wall and carpet. It is advisable to do everything so that clients feel like guests.
• Set a schedule and hire assistants (if necessary).  If you do not plan to create a whole photo studio yourself, you will need responsible, dedicated people who will help. It takes somewhere between 2-8 people to successfully launch a photo studio. After this process is over and a good team is assembled, you can start scheduling. This should be discussed with your current employees.
• Make seamless paper backgrounds.  A good photo studio has a wide selection of backgrounds for photos. Customers expect quality designs, landscapes, and solid colors to complement their photos. Backgrounds should not be sloppy or not professional. You need to have several backgrounds to choose from (solid white, solid black, and possibly some decorative). They should be large enough to occupy the entire frame. You can use gels in the background to adjust the appearance (a solid white background may appear red with gels). You can create your own backgrounds to save costs:

1. Take a sheet of 300x300 cm muslin and dye.
2. Take a sheet of canvas (size, as indicated above), and paint it - it will be heavy and will require a lot of dye.
3. Search used backgrounds.

Cosmetics and accessories. Customers want to look their best in photographs - because they pay good money for it. You can hire a makeup artist to apply makeup on them. You need to purchase a medium-sized mirror, which can help with makeup. In addition, it is worth considering the possibility of providing accessories for such photos as: hats, jewelry, wallets, etc. This can make the photo more interesting and stylish. Customers will be pleased with the tremendous help and will strive to ensure that their photo is great.

• Determine prices.Prices are an important factor to consider when creating a photo studio. Too high a cost will quickly scare off customers. However, too low a cost will make the profit scarce. It is worth looking at the prices in your area. You need to set a price per visit, as well as charge a print fee. It is necessary to take into account the salary factor of employees, the cost of studio equipment and your personal experience.
• Post the price listso that customers can see it.
• Name the studio.Each photography studio needs a name to attract customers. The name that is given can transcend or fail such a business. It is worth discussing the choice of name with your colleagues and think about your business. What are the strengths? How can this be expressed in a few words?
• Advertise a studio.  Now that the place, workers, props and even the name has been created, it's time to start advertising your photo studio. Before you start advertising, you need to make a list of all the strengths of the studio. Why does the client want to come to this photo studio? It's important to create colorful, engaging ads that list these strengths.
• Run a business.

Studio Equipment

In the field of photography, you can find many professional photographers who have never touched the flash. Some of them could not do this for financial reasons (unfortunately, among professionals it is often considered that flash photography is extremely expensive), some of them were too afraid or too busy to try, others felt that they never needed it . Most photographers strive to connect the flash to their cameras (in Auto / TTL modes), point the camera at the subject and take pictures. And when their flash breaks down after a shot 20 times, they will blame Nikon for not having overheated it. Sounds familiar?

If people pay for work on photography, you need to know how to work in various lighting situations. And the best way to study flash photos and get good results from it is to constantly work and experiment with it. Creating a small, affordable home photo studio is a great way to get started. You can learn a lot by simply photographing your family and children at home. Even if photographs are taken for fun, why not experiment and learn something new? To build an affordable photography studio at home, you need to consider some basic and required tools, and then expand the possibilities for lighting the studio.

The very first thing that needs to be decided is what you need to work with. An inexpensive way to find studio lighting is to use continuous “hot” (tungsten) or “warm” (fluorescent) lights. You can buy two light racks with umbrellas. But this type of settings has its own problems, and they will not learn how to cope with low light.

If you are interested in continuous lighting, it is best to use it before using the flash. Then there will definitely be an understanding of what is needed, and you can get the maximum benefit from the equipment.

Many high-end studios use continuous lights because they can pinpoint the light exactly as needed. Professional studio photographers often require precision and consistency. But for the one who is just starting, there is no need for this.

Therefore, despite its relative complexity, it is better to learn how to use flash first. There are some basic flash photography guides. This will be the most expensive part of the purchase. “Flashes” or “Speedlite” (depending on whether Nikon or Canon are used) are compact flashes that can be used both for cameras and outside the camera. For adjustment outside the camera, the lamp is removed from its camera and mounted on a stand for lighting. This is the configuration that is used to create the first studio. The nice thing about high-speed lights is that they accumulate enough power for everyday needs - from lighting one person to a group of people. They are also extensible - you can start with one high-speed light and add more flashes in the future for more creative photography.

All the leading manufacturers of digital SLR cameras make LEDs that are the property of their cameras. Nikon calls its flash system "Nikon Creative Lighting System" with many built-in automation tools. Canon and Sony also have their own comparable flash units. All three provide different options for high-speed lights - from basic to high-quality models used in commercial photography. Nikon currently offers three accelerator options for the DSLR: SB-400, SB-700, and SB-910. For one light installation, the cheapest way is to use the SB-700 in an off-camera configuration and use the camera’s built-in flash to fire it.

If you have an entry-level DSLR, then there are several options. The first option is to buy a command unit, such as an SU-800. The second option is to buy a set of PocketWizard Plus III devices. If you have Canon's DSLR, you can start with the Speedlite 320EX or 430EX II, both of which can act as “slaves”. Many of Canon's new DSLRs, such as the 7D, can also act as flash module commanders. The total cost will cost: from $ 250 to $ 550.

Like cameras, there are all kinds of lights to choose from. To start the indicator lights under controlled conditions, they usually select the most affordable backlights that can be found. You don't need anything heavy duty to fire flashes.

Then you need an umbrella adapter that will sit on a light stand - it will hold both a flashlight and an umbrella (to soften the light that comes from the flash). The best low-cost two-in-one adapter is the Impact Umbrella bracket with adjustable boot. If you build two lighting settings, you should consider buying the Impact Digital Flash Umbrella Kit. The total cost of the kit is about $ 60.

Background support system is not needed. You can find and use a white bed or colored muslin as a background. But if you want something more pleasant and portable (for photographing corporate clients), it is recommended to buy a good background support system.

It will take a couple of other things with a background system. First, you need to decide whether to buy paper background or muslin. Paper is cheaper, and if it gets dirty, you can just cut out its dirty piece. In addition, there is no need to worry about ironing. But much more storage space is required. One must remember to take a pair of adjustable clips to hold the paper.

These are the most basic tools to get you started. Once you start using more advanced flash techniques, you can start exploring the best light modifiers, shaping tools, flags, and other tools for complete control.

Studio lighting can seem complicated if it has never been before. However, this is not as scary as many people think. Using a simple home studio kit with several flashes and several basic accessories, you can get great results in no time.

There are many lighting kits for your home studio to choose from. The basic kit of a home photo studio includes everything you need to get started. Here are some of the key tools you can use to create classic studio lighting technologies:

• Outbreaks.  Most kits have two flashes. Along with the flash, there is a model light. Most of them have a switchable “slave device” that allows one flash to fire another, so you just need to connect the camera to one of the heads.
• Constant light.  A studio flash is all about the location of a light source away from the camera. They support flashes, which means they can be positioned at the right distance and at an angle to the subject.
• Photo umbrella.The flash is directed so that light reflects on the subject. They are available on a variety of reflective surfaces - usually white, silver or gold.
• Softboxes  They are a little more complicated, but they create a softer light with more even lighting.
• Snoot and honeycomb.  Both of these tools help focus or “focus” the light. They are ideal for use as a backlight or for highlighting a specific part of an image.
• Reflector.  A simple reflector can be really useful in installing studio lighting, especially if only one light is used. You need to use it in the same way as natural light - to reflect the light back onto your subject and fill in any area of \u200b\u200bthe shadow shadow.

There are several ways of lighting:

1. The selected shutter speed is less significant in the studio, but it should be fast enough to avoid camera shake. However, care must also be taken not to set the shutter speed faster than the specified camera sync speed. On most cameras, this is usually 1 / 200sec or 1 / 250sec.
2. Flash power is measured in watts. Each part is 400 watts, which approximately corresponds to the number 64. This is normal for normal work with portraits.
3. Switch the camera to manual and use the histogram and LCD to evaluate the exposure and the effect of the lights. Use the switches to change the power of lights and aperture.
4. To connect the camera to a light source, you need a synchronization cable or a wireless trigger, so that when you press the shutter, the lights turn on at the same time. Some wireless devices are now so cheap that this is the best option, since many popular DSLRs do not have the PC slots needed to use the more traditional cable sync.

The main costs of launching your photo studio

A professional photographer will need at least two professional cameras. You need to have a professional-level backup camera.

The necessary equipment will vary depending on whether it will be a portrait shooting or wedding photo shoots. The following list is exactly what it is recommended to buy for a beginner:

• Cameras. Nikon d750 is the best camera for wedding photography. For portrait photographers - 2 Nikon D7500 cameras. For wedding photographers, you need 2 Nikon D750 cameras.
• Lenses. As for lenses, the following are recommended for both portrait and wedding photographers: Nikon-50mm-1.8, Nikon 35mm f / 2.0, Nikon 50mm f / 1.8, Nikon 85mm f / 1.8. Also for wedding photographers: Nikon 70-200 f / 2.8.
• Other equipment. Wedding photographers will need at least 2 flashes for the camera. Nikon SB-700 recommended. You also need to purchase bags for the camera, memory cards, reflectors, light racks, flash triggers, etc. It will depend on the style of the photo.

Since the costs will vary depending on location, market area and type of business, the listed costs are universal for most cases.

The following expenses will be required:

• The costs of registering a photo studio as a private enterprise.
• Annual accounting services: for filing tax returns at the end of the year, etc.
• Insurance (if you want).
• Sample photos. If customers cannot see the products, they are less likely to pay for them.
• Legal fees and photo contracts.
• Computer software. (For example, an iMac costs $ 1299).
• 2 backup hard drives.
• Screen calibrator.
• Purchase Lightroom and Photoshop.
• Web site. Having a website, which is not just a free website, is absolutely necessary.
• Other photobusiness needs. Many photographers start a business without any idea of \u200b\u200bhow to actually conduct it. They do not know how to get new customers, how to attract or even make them buy their services. To avoid wasting time and money, the following tools and courses should be included in startup costs: a photographer’s pricing guide and a professional photographer community.

Business plan

Before you buy a camera and create a website, you need to do a little preparatory work:

1. Define the points of a business plan. This detailed document serves as a roadmap describing how it will be beneficial. This affects things such as cash flow, expenses, property, and competition.
2. Get access to financial needs. As part of a business plan, you need to access launch tools. You will need business licenses, insurance, a website, and accounting software. If the studio needs office space, it will be necessary to study the commercial lease objects and indicate the monthly expenses and the cost of utilities in the plan. Most photographers in the studio need help. You can ask friends and family for financial support. Regardless of whether assistance is requested from friends and family or applying for a bank loan, you will need a plan before opening your own business.
3. Calculate your personal finances and calculate the opportunities.
4. Get a professional experience. You will need to show your potential customers your capabilities, and working with a professional photographer is a great way to gain some experience and start collecting portfolios.
5. Buy a camera. If you buy used equipment, you can collect all the equipment worth about $ 5,000.
6. Come up with a pricing plan. This is a difficult question for every photographer, especially when for a beginner. You need to find out what time it is. For every hour spent shooting, it takes about three hours to edit. You need to consider this in your prices.
7. Invest in the site. The site should demonstrate work. This is what customers will want to see. You need to keep the site organized by breaking the galleries into categories. Include an image of yourself and a page that describes work experience. Contact information is also required. You need to enter pricing information on your website.

Marketing and photo studio development

Now, after organizing a photo studio and buying all the equipment, you can attract customers by following these steps:

1. Create your own brand. You need to find out what makes your studio unique and use it for branding a business.
2. “Join” to groups, forums, clubs, teams of photographers.
3. As a photographer, you need to have not only insane compositional skills, but also communication skills. Not only should the client trust the photographer, but also lead and bring others. If necessary, you can meet with your customers before shooting.
4. Use social networks to promote yourself. It’s best to start with one or two sites and use them consistently. Facebook is a good option, but you can lean towards one of the more visual channels of social networks, such as Instagram.
5. Google Ads. You can take part of your marketing budget to buy keywords that generate more traffic on the site.
6. Team up with charities.
7. Create a list of email addresses.
8. Keep a photo blog. A blog is a great way to establish credibility in your field. This is an open platform to showcase your photos.
9. Make a savings plan. It takes time to make a profit from a photo studio, and even more money is required for a savings account, but saving money should be a priority as it develops and becomes more popular.
10. Reinvest in business. After you have an income of at least three months of maintaining the studio, you can start thinking about reinvesting it. With new lenses and improved editing software, new technologies can improve the product. To make the right decisions, you need to make a list of items that are needed.
11. Diversification. Over time, you can add certain elements to the business that will help diversify your revenue stream. You can add maternity and newborn photographs to your list of services. Instead of generating all of your income from child shoots alone, you can generate more money by branching.
12. Continue to learn and improve your skills. You can replenish your classes, watch training videos or plan time to take photos of something completely unrelated to the career of a photographer.
13. Help for hire. First, you will need to perform all the functions: take, edit, and place print orders. Once a business is created, it would be nice to delegate responsibilities. To do this, you need to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. You can find a freelancer to help yourself in some area.

As in any new business, there will be ups and downs with a photo studio, but if you have a commitment to photography, it is easier to build a solid reputation as a photographer with your studio.

With the development of digital technology, the market for photo services is expanding. Themed photo sessions in nature and in the studio, family and individual, are becoming popular. Today, any creative person can open a photo studio and turn his passion for photography from a hobby into a business - just follow the developed plan.

Business concept selection

For a photographer, a studio is a way to combine hobbies and work, the ability to shoot regardless of weather conditions, and vary the surroundings for interior photo shoots. If you have achieved recognition as a photo artist, the opening of a photo studio will be a prospect for development.

When planning a business, take one of the existing concepts as a basis:

1. Interior photo studio. For productive work, it is necessary to rent or purchase premises and decor items. In the absence of a stable client request for interior photography, the studio pays off only by renting out to novice photographers and providing related services (stylist, hairdresser, makeup artist and others).
2. Home photo workshop. The capabilities of the photo lab created on the basis of the apartment are limited to portrait photography.
3. Photo salon. A small room with a minimum of equipment for making photos on documents.
4. Room for shooting children. The concept is designed for loving parents who want to capture the kids in professional pictures.

Photo Gallery: Types of Studios

Create a list of services in accordance with the requests:

• individuals (family and individual photo shoots, shooting events);
• commercial companies (photo for applying on souvenir products, shooting goods for advertising catalogs, corporate events).

Additional sources of income:

• cooperation with glossy magazines, shooting branded products;
• photo shoots with beginner portfolio models;
• art processing and retouching of the best pictures;
• hairdresser and makeup artist services;
• instant photo;
• souvenir production;
• master classes and lectures on image processing;
• studio hourly rental during downtime.

At the beginning of your career, create a set of additional services in accordance with the budget. Choose ideas for the implementation of which colossal costs and specific equipment are not needed.

Benefits and risks

The cost of photo studio services varies from 3 thousand to 10 thousand rubles per hour, and the additional costs are minimal. The profitability of the business is high if you warn of possible risks:

• increased competition;
• seasonality of demand (probable downtime);
• low liquidity (inability to sell the studio in the event of a collapse).

In a competitive environment, do not overestimate the price of services. Look for an individual approach to customers - develop a discount system for regular customers, come up with bonus student programs. To minimize risks, provide professional services, collect and offer clients a portfolio. During downtime, organize contests for free photo shoots and distribute gift certificates. Hire a team of qualified employees who can work in your absence, ensuring the stability of the company.

Step-by-step instructions for opening a photo studio from scratch

To open a photo studio from scratch, a novice entrepreneur must go through five stages:

1. Registration of a business.
2. The choice of premises.
3. Acquisition of equipment.
4. The design of the studio.
5. Staff recruitment.

Documents for registering a business

You can register the activities of a photo studio in the form of a limited liability company (LLC) or an individual enterprise (IP). Advantages of LLC - the ability to expand, create a network of branches and attract financing from external sources. The positive aspects of IP are the simplified registration process, the absence of the need to keep accounting records, the ability to spend revenue at one’s discretion.

Documents for issuing IP:

• notarized application form No. Р21001;
• certified copy of the passport (all pages);
• receipt of state duty in the amount of 800 p.

By default, when registering an IP, a general taxation system (OSNO) is established. If you have chosen a different type (simplified system or single tax on imputed income), make a statement about the change in the tax system (notification form 26.2–1).

Documents for registration of LLC:

• notarized application form No. Р11001;
• articles of association;
• the minutes of the meeting or the sole decision of the founder on the establishment of the company;
• certified copies of the founders' identity cards;
• receipt of payment of state duty 4000 r .;
• if necessary, an application for a change in the taxation system (notification 26.2–1).

The minimum authorized capital of a limited liability company is 10,000 rubles.

When registering a company, select the types of planned economic activity in accordance with the classifier of OKVED. Possible options for a photo studio:

• photo activities (74.81);
• printing activities not included in other groups (22.22);
• other types of publishing (22.15).

Having sent the documents to the registration authority, proceed to the choice of premises.

Studio location and room requirements

The success of a photo studio depends on its location. When choosing a room for a future studio, analyze the factors:

• remoteness from competing companies;
• convenience of accommodation for customers, remoteness from public transport stops, availability of parking spaces;
• the ability to install outdoor advertising structures near the building.

The minimum height of the room for the installation of lighting equipment and the podium is 3 m, the optimal is 3.7 m.  The width of the pavilion for shooting is from 5 m, it is necessary to accommodate a paper background. The length is calculated as the width multiplied by two.

In addition to the stylized pavilion, the studio should have:

• screen;
• dressing room;
• shower stall;
• reception with a reception desk;
• technical room equipped for printing photos and related services.

If you have the money, additionally equip a relaxation room with a tea table and a vending machine with drinks.

Equipment for photo shoots

Having chosen a room, proceed to the technical equipment of the studio. Install four to five light sources and attach softboxes to them. Additionally purchase:

• reflective umbrellas;
• classic hard light reflectors;
• racks for light sources;
• portrait plate;
• herons and holders;
• flash meter for measuring exposure;
• nozzles in the form of blinds and honeycombs;
• paper backgrounds with fastening;
• flash synchronizers;
• interior items, props;
• dressing room mirror and steamer;
• computer and photo retouching software.

Photo Gallery: Equipment and Props

If necessary, buy a SLR camera and a set of lenses. When choosing a camera, contact the manufacturers specializing in the manufacture of photographic equipment - Canon and Nikon. Do not read the tips on the forums - focus on the technical parameters of the device and your own needs. List of important features of a professional camera:

• matrix size;
• matrix resolution - from 13 megapixels;
• iSO matrix sensitivity - from 10 to 25,000;
• the ability to manually change settings;
• dimensions and weight.

Studio decoration

When designing a studio, consider the general requirements for shooting facilities. Paint the walls and ceiling neutral gray, and lay on the floor a hard-wearing matt linoleum of the same shade. If the studio has a window, install a curtain rail above it and hang curtains made of opaque fabric.

Equip the pavilion with ventilation and air conditioning systems, consider the location of outlets that is convenient for moving equipment. There are three options for the design of the studio:

• simple gray room without decorations;
• hall with colored backgrounds;
• themed room.

Using the last design option, do not forget to change the scenery depending on the time of year. In winter, install a Christmas tree, lay a fluffy carpet on the floor and sprinkle artificial snow. In the summer, decorate the room with flowers or stylize in accordance with the beach theme.

In light pastel colors, design a zone for shooting children and couples in love - it will be popular with studio tenants and customers, increasing the profitability of the business.

Staff recruitment

The photographer is the main "weapon" of the photo studio. If you have realized yourself as a photo artist and plan to work on your own, at first do not hire employees. Having successfully worked for two or three months and received the first income, invite the administrator to maintain a client base and a cleaner.

If you open a photo studio as a business, not doing photography, pay attention to the selection of a photographer. At first, it will be he who will shape the image of the studio.

Having formed a client base and rolled out a studio, hire specialists on a contractual basis to provide additional services:

• makeup artist for applying makeup;
• hairdresser to work on hairstyles;
• stylist to create an image;
• seller to trade related products.

A photographer, make-up artist and stylist can not only provide services directly, but also conduct master classes for beginners on shaping the image of a model, properly setting up light or processing images.

Promotion and advertising of photo studio services

To attract customers, advertise studio services on available resources. Create a website or group on a social network and upload a portfolio of the best works. Think over how much your services will cost, place the price list in the public domain.

Conclude contracts for servicing large corporations - they will invite you to shoot your own events. Other advertising opportunities:

• discount system;
• gift certificates;
• promotions and sweepstakes;
• installation of banners near the studio;
• advertising on television and radio.

To create and maintain the image of the studio, participate in creative exhibitions of professionals.

Financial plan - expenses and projected income

When opening a photo studio, plan one-time and monthly expenses and try to predict income. Sample calculations are summarized in tables.

Table: calculation of initial investments

Table: monthly expenses

The average cost of a photographer is 1 thousand rubles per hour. Average daily employment is 3-4 hours. The rest of the time the studio is rented at a price of 900 rubles per hour on weekdays and 1200 rubles per hour on weekends. Average daily employment - 3 hours.

Table: Projected Monthly Income

Is it profitable to open a photo studio: reviews of entrepreneurs

At first, you will work at a loss to yourself. But if you manage to develop the project and build a customer base, ensuring the full load of the premises, the photo studio will start to make a profit. This is confirmed by reviews of entrepreneurs from business forums.

A successful photo studio should have a "chip." This should be not just a room where you can rent, but a stylized interior with a thoughtful interior design and interesting photo zones. Creating a creative space requires financial costs.

Alexandrof

I’ve been tracking photo business trends since 2011. Over 40 studios of various plans operate in St. Petersburg and 1–2 of them are closed annually or change their direction of work. A studio is a good option for a reputable photographer who wants to save income in the winter. If it is possible to attract 20-30 customers per month and rent out the premises, the studio will pay for itself.

http://www.biznet.ru/topic188946.html

A complex of services can lead to success in the work of a photo studio: photo for documents + field shooting + photo processing + sale of souvenirs. In other cases, it will be difficult to make money with bread and butter.

http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/topic/87654- I want to open a photo studio in a small Siberian /

Video: how to open your own photo studio

The business plan contains approximate figures, which you can adjust depending on the region, your own needs and the request of the target audience. Before opening a photo studio, calculate your own business plan on the basis of the proposed one and act in accordance with it.

Arranging a simple home photo studio can be very useful for any photographer. Regardless of whether you are a professional portrait painter or a designer who needs subject shooting, a home studio will give you the opportunity to work, and most importantly, learn and experiment. Let's look at a few key points needed to create a home photo studio.

Room.

The first thing you need is free space - the more the better. If it is possible to maximize one of the rooms or at least part of it from furniture and other things - do it.

Ideally, it would be great to completely empty the room before filling it with photo equipment. In real life, this is unlikely, there are a lot of things in the house and in addition to the photo studio, so you have to put up with crowding.

In the room you will need tight control of light conditions at any time of the day or night. Natural lighting can of course come in handy, but consider the possibility of tightly closing the windows, completely blocking any natural lighting that could ruin the light picture.

Another point that you should not forget about is the temperature. Especially if you are going to work constantly and store equipment in the studio. For example, in summer, a room can heat up on its own from the sun and working lighting equipment to very high temperatures, which is not very good for photographic equipment. In addition, sweating from the heat or trembling from the cold models, not the best subject for shooting. Therefore, consider maintaining an optimal climate and temperature in the room.

And the last thing worth thinking about is sound insulation. If you are going to take only a photo, then this will not bother you much, but if you plan to video, you should think about how much extraneous sounds can interfere with you, for example, noise from a busy road outside the window. In this case, it is worth thinking about investing in some sound insulation.

Back (background).

Each good studio has several backdrops against which pictures are taken. It will be wise for you to refuse expensive "professional" backdrops that you may have seen in stores with equipment in favor of something simpler. You need something with a dense, uniform color and inconspicuous texture.

Backs are usually made from a variety of materials, including cotton, canvas, vinyl and plain plain paper. The easiest and cheapest choice for a backdrop is plain paper, especially if you find it in large rolls.

But if you want to get a more professional studio and achieve better results, you should still spend money and choose inexpensive material for a backdrop in a photo store or sew it to order.

Nevertheless, for starters, for the first experiments, a simple white sheet or a roll of wrapping paper, with which you can build something similar to the photo below, is quite suitable.

Shine

Light is the most difficult and expensive part of the studio. The choice of studio light is not an easy task and is the subject of a separate discussion.

In short - there are two types of light. Constant and impulse. Permanent is cheaper, but it produces a lot of heat in the studio and is not as versatile as a pulse. With pulsed light, you get much more power, very good quality of light and much more features. But it costs much more.

For starters, you can purchase a simple, inexpensive studio lighting kit. But for a good result, be prepared to fork out a decent amount in the future. And I would not like to save, but it is better to immediately buy an inexpensive set of pulsed light with two or three flashes rather than a permanent one. For a small home studio this will be enough to get an excellent result in various situations, besides, over time, you can expand the kit.

Umbrellas and softboxes.

Looking at the various lighting kits, you can start to rush between what is best for your studio - an umbrella or a softbox. Unfortunately, there is no exact answer, since both have their pros and cons. At the same time, both fulfill their task of softening the light.

Umbrellas are usually cheaper and more versatile. Often they come with a reflective surface that allows you to control the luminous flux - you can use the light as much as possible by reflection or weaken by removing the reflector and directing the light directly through the umbrella material. Umbrellas spread light over a fairly large space and they work well in large rooms or when shooting a group of people. In addition, umbrellas are more mobile than soft boxes, they are quicker to assemble and install.

Most professional photographers work simultaneously with umbrellas and softboxes to achieve the best result. But if your budget is limited, then for starters an umbrella would be a great choice.

Entourage and costumes.

What often they don’t think about is a lot of crazy and at first glance completely unnecessary accessories and other junk. Creating a portrait for most people is an incredibly boring process, so using costumes to dress up and anything that can turn shooting into a fun and enjoyable pastime and stir models can be very relevant.

So it will be useful to keep in the studio all sorts of nonsense such as stupid sunglasses, wigs, jewelry, toys and other nonsense, which will "stir up" the most notorious customers - from clerks to children, causing a smile, good mood and relaxed state.

The main thing is to make a person relax. A picture of a person with a tense face “like a passport” always loses a picture taken in a relaxed atmosphere.

Photo accessories.

Do not forget about the specific and often necessary equipment for the studio. It may be a refrigerator and a plasma TV or laptop, but first of all think about the most necessary. For example, you definitely need a tripod or even two. You may need remotes or cables to remotely control the camera.

If you use flash units, think about wireless controllers for them. Do not forget that a small step-ladder can be very useful to choose a specific angle or to hang a backdrop. And also a mirror, for those who at the last moment before shooting decide to check - what it looks like.

And further. Take spending wisely and try to realize your goals. Otherwise, the creation of a home studio can make a lot of money out of you, some of which you will spend on expensive, but not needed or rarely used things. Therefore, always carefully think over what will be useful for you and what will not. Perhaps for your specific purposes an inexpensive constant light is also suitable, so there is no need to invest in pulsed light, etc.

Well and the main thing. Do not be afraid to learn and experiment - shoot more, try new approaches and you yourself will understand what you need most. Remember, a home studio is only the first step to “get your hand”, to understand the basic principles of working in a studio. And then you will either begin to improve your own studio or find a suitable professional one.