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Archive 2016 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?

  
 
Sid Ceaser
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?


Hey gang.

My photography studio has been in an old mill building since 2004. This year, the mill building is being sold to a developer and will be gutted and turned into apartments, and all us creatives are going to be displaced.

I've been researching other available studios in the area, but, ideally, I'd love to buy a home with some kind of out-building (barn, big shed, garage, etc) that I can turn into a studio. I'd rather put money into the mortgage than give a landlord my hard earned cash. I've done that for 12 years. Not fun any more.

Has anyone transitioned into having a studio at home? Not a "convert-my-living-room-into-a-studio-when-I'm-doing-a-print-for-time-shoot", I'm talking about converting a garage, or an old barn, or building some kind of out-building into a studio.

Anyone here doing that? Looking for some advice, etc.

My current studio is 15ft wide x 50 ft long.

Thanks gang!

Cheers,
Sid



Feb 03, 2016 at 03:53 PM
swoop
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?


I left NYC last year and purchased a farmhouse in Northern NY. One of the things that was essential to me was having a studio to transition from a career as a photojournalist and moonlight wedding photographer to a full time wedding and portrait photographer.

About a month ago I finally finished turning the "dining room" of the house into a photo studio complete with separate entrance. Luckily all I had to do was pull a window out and put in a door instead of cutting a hole in the wall so that made the price reasonable.

The room isn't an ideal size. It's 14'x14' with 8' high ceilings which is good enough to use a 50mm for a full body shot in portrait orientation.



Feb 05, 2016 at 09:52 PM
sherijohnson
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?


I have always wanted to do this, when I had the space, I didn't do it. Now I don't have the space and would love to have the chance to move to a house that has an outbuilding. There are plenty of places like that near me, but not able to move anytime soon unfortunately.


Feb 06, 2016 at 11:22 AM
swoop
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?


sherijohnson wrote:
I have always wanted to do this, when I had the space, I didn't do it. Now I don't have the space and would love to have the chance to move to a house that has an outbuilding. There are plenty of places like that near me, but not able to move anytime soon unfortunately.


When I lived in Milwaukee I had a HUGE studio and I was paying about $125 a month for it with heat and electricity included. It was this old warehouse someone converted into an artists co-op and I was lucky enough that I got in just as they were opening up.

The thing is I did nothing with the space. I used it mostly as an office and place to hang out because it was about a 10 minute walk from my apartment and I was working at a magazine at the time and all my work was on location and had no intention of becoming a wedding or portrait photographer. And the one time I actually needed a studio to do a shoot, the magazine rented one for me. It was such a wasted opportunity. A few months ago I actually looked the place up and those studio's go for $1,000+ a month now. And they turned the other half of the building into condo's.



Feb 06, 2016 at 03:01 PM
story_teller
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Home based photography studios (outbuildings): who has one?


I guess a first step would be to list what you liked and didn't like about your old studio. Then think about what types of photography you want to do in the new space that you couldn't in the old space. From there, make a list of must-haves and like-to-haves with respect to dimensions (height, width, depth), access, comfort and ascetics (are you going to have customers in your studio), windows for light (which side of the building and what kind of light comes through), etc.

It's best to write the list down and take it with you when you look at properties. That way you don't forget important features you wanting the heat of the moment.

When it comes to converting a building into a studio, if you don't do your homework that studio conversion could be very costly. When you find a candidate property, take a ton of photos of the potential studio building i.e. outside walls, inside walls, ceilings, doors, lighting, etc. Does it already have electricity and heating/cooling? What about running water? Is the roof in good shape and is there evidence of roof leaks? Find a good building contractor in your area and show them the photos. They can provide some great feedback just from the photos. You might get a quote or quotes on the cost of conversion before you sign on the property.

Best of luck and show us photos of your new place when you finish it.

Larry



Feb 09, 2016 at 10:02 AM





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