Expert: Don Wood - 10/2/2006

Question
Hello there! I had a question for you: could you advise on how to think about, prepare, write and submit a proposal for a photo studio located within a supermarket? If you are familiar with Walmart, you know that in some superWalmarts, there are photo studios where you can take portraits for good prices. I have a friend that is interested in starting a business like that. He is already a professional photographer, and gets hired to cover weddings and such events. Do you have any advice on the market considerations of such a venture? what about feasibility? costs? liabilities? other things I am missing? Can you also point me to a resource that could further inform me? I GREATLY appreciate your help!

Answer
I suspect that Wal-Mart has control over its studios and treat them the same as the processing labs. I don't think that your friend could break into the business except as an employee for the studio who is running the business. He should work for such a studio for a time to learn the ins and outs of the business. Most of the time, the photographers they hire are taught to do a very narrow job of portrait photography. The cameras are preset, you put the camera this far from the subject, (they will probably have strings to measure with) this also includes where the lights will be placed. They are set to take 2-3 subjects at the most. They are in deep trouble if they try to take a family group of 5-6 people. You take the pictures, they choose the poses they want, any other pix you take of them are trashed. It's a cutthroat business. But, someone's got to do it. You would probably be paid an hourly fee. They would provide all the equipment and tell you precisely what to do. I would imagine the costs would be rather expensive for a start-up. And particularly since we are in the age of digital, you would need the digital camera, lights, backgrounds, computer, printer, etc.
As an alternative, your friend should probably take some training in running a business before starting such a venture. It's easy to be a photographer, cameras are so simple to use now that anyone can get a decent picture. This is not the age of 35 years ago when the man with the camera who knew how to use it could start in and make tons of money. In those days, you had to know how to use the camera, set the f stop, shutter speed, focus, then develop your efforts and hope that you succeeded.
I do wish you well. Please write back if I've failed to help.
Don