Okay, so I need some help with creative solutions. I am opening my photography business. I have been second shooting for 4 years now and have a good knowledge of photography. I am comfortable with entering the market in the upper middle range. The problem is this...I don't have a studio and I don't own a home. I rent a small apartment with my wife and 2 year old son. I plan to someday buy a home and have a home studio/ office where I can invite potential clients to meet with me there. The reasons for renting have more to do with the fact that my wife and I want to move in a couple of years, but I fear that inviting clients to a small janky apartment will give the perception that I am not successful and they will second guess the quality of my work and professionalism because of that. Again, I am not aiming for the budget end, so I would think that upper middle range clients would expect their upper middle end photographer to have a better "studio" than a janky apartment. Does anybody have any input or ideas to work around this? Thanks.

How about renting an office space from someone? I have a space from a manufacturing company which has offices in the front. I know other togs who rent together a space just for client meetings. Coffee shops work too.

One option is to meet in their home. I do this now. I have a house, but I don't ever want clients to come here. With two little kids, it's always trashed!

Now, I'm only just starting doing weddings, so I can't say how it would work for that. However, meeting in the client's home has worked well for me for portraits. I know of one photographer who uses projection in clients' homes and makes a sale of $4000+ in wall portraits.

When I've shown images in the client's home, they've been very comfortable, and we've even been able to talk about which wall their print is going to hang on. The downside to this is that they've been so comfortable, sometimes the viewing session has gone really long!

I've been going into their homes as well. It's worked nicely so far. I have Preselect for the slide show presentation and I can bring them samples of my work to see. The sales have been nice too!

Like Aaron said though, they are comfortable and it usually is now less than 1-1 1/2 hours.
Tanya

meeting at THIER place is a good option, and better I think than meeting at a coffee shop, BUT witht he price of petrol nowdays, do we really want to be traipsing all over the counrtyside on the off chance these people will book us?

I try to meet in their home. I thought about using my place but it's pretty janky too...my prices and photography, however are not. I don't want potential clients to get the idea that they are because my surroundings are...people do that, subconsciously or not.

Man I'm old. Had to look "janky" up in the urban dictionary. Now I almost wish I hadn't.

I book all of my brides at Starbucks. Works for me.

Another vote for meeting in a neutral place or their home. My house is quite nice, but I have a VERY outgoing 5 year old and also live with my in-laws, so it's not the best place to meet. I am very split on meetings here and at neutral locations - I do about 50/50 depending on whether I feel like driving to meet them half way (or further) is going to be worth it. I usually treat them to dinner when I meet outside of my home. It's appreciated not only that I treated them, but that I drove to meet them and it gives us plenty of time to chat without it being awkward - if it gets awkward, you just eat, drink & shut up! Besides, I love going out to dinner and don't get to go often because my hubby always works late - it's a nice excuse!

Our house is a partially remodeled 70's gem.. I meet with people at Starbucks.

i live in an extremely old, worn out, english cottage - and its tiny. but, i was able to section out part of my livingroom and turn it into a client meeting/office space. i had a bunch of my work enlarged to A3 plus had them mounted and matted and hung them on the walls, painted the room black and put in a divider. i have lots of shelves with my samples and cute vintage frames wtih portraits. i went to a junk shop and bought some really cool shabby chic chairs and i already had the old antique chest/table.

its very separate from teh rest of my house, even though it nots. and i tell you, the first question i get asked when we start to talk about where to meet is that they want to come to me. more than fine with me - it saves me having to lug my samples albums all over the place - and helps to keep them in pristine condition as well.

Thanks everyone!

It helps to know that people are typically okay with either meeting in their own homes or in a public place. I just had no idea whether or not people would be turned off by that idea...or think that it was weird that I didn't have some sort of studio or home studio to meet in. Good to know!

As a single female I'm just not going to enter a strangers home. Am I the only one who thinks like this? I'm not even a paranoid person - but for safety I'm just not doing this if I'm alone. Realtors are having a hard time these days getting mugged and such from fake clients. I'm also don't have them come to my house because I'm not that fond of people knowing where I live - and that I'm gone from where I live most Staturday nights. In NYC, I'm part of an artist co-op and can use that space - but otherwise it's neutral Starbucks and public spaces for me.

We also meet at a Starbucks or similar places. Works well for us as well.

no, your not the only one who thinks like that. you never know do you? there hve been known 'teams' who pose as a couple and lure people out. once i was even paranoid about an engagement shoot - i was just strting out and i thought - i'm bringing out all my gear, all they have to do is hit me over the head or hold a knife up to me and take my gear and run!

me too!

Starbucks, client's home, borders, barnes & Noble, cafe, panera....anywhere that works.

Tami. I feel the same way. But I guess I am a paranoid person too. I won't meet a client at their home before a shoot. However, due to the nature of my work, what if the client wants the shoot at their home? What do you do? Go alone? Bring a buddy (which are hard to find), bring a tazer and a bottle a pepper spray?

wow. I have battled with this for a while too. I am another +1 for Starbucks. I am currently setting up a studio at my house, but until then, I am going to pretend to like coffee and wait it out for the good seats in the corner.

Hey Matt!

Yes, you are definately ready to book mid to higher clients. I went to a seminar by Jeff and Julia woods once and this is what they did: They lived in a trailor park home. Jeff usually met with the clients. He made sure that he looked like he didn't live in a trailor park. He always had his best cloths on, and looked very professional. Then, he would either meet them in a coffee shop or their home. He played it up as a positive for them, not a negative.

He would act as if he was doing them a favor by meeting with them where it was convenient for them. He always brought very nice samples.

Maybe you should get a laptop for a slideshow to show, and get some nice prints. A photog I used to work for had a portfilio case with some 8X10's mounted on 11X14 mats... they looked stunning when he pulled them out of a nice leather case and carefully handed them to you.

(PS... Glad to see you on osp! Don't be a lurker!)

I'm just starting out but the two client meetings I've had so far have been at a restaurant lounge at a very nice, very high end resort down by the beach (about 10 minutes from where I live). Sure, a cup of coffee is twice the price of Starbucks, but to me the atmosphere is sooooo worth it. And since I always grab at least a cup of coffee when I get in, they'll validate parking for everyone.

At my last meeting, as the clients were leaving, I overheard the groom say to the bride, "Wow, this is a really nice place."

Starbucks is fine, but with just a bit of creativity you'll see that there can be other options if you don't want to meet in either your home or theirs, and ones that you can definitely play to your advantage.

Im curious about the folks who met in Coffee shops, what do you take with you to show to the clients? Is it all on the laptop? or do you lug your huge albums around too?

Just a laptop and, when I get it, my studio album sample. I only plan on offering one album (okay, maaaaaaybe two, absolute tops - we'll see), so lugging items around shouldn't be a problem.

I'm new though, so I don't have much experience to go by, but that's my plan.

Ditto! I was even thinking in the point of view of a potential client, I cannot imagine a bride (if she cannot bring her man) buzzing into an apartment building, up a creepy elevator, down a long, quiet hallway, to meet a male photographer in his apartment. (Even if it were really nice) So, I would say a neutral place.

Some photog's think that a coffee shop may be too casual, or noisy (man Starbucks is SO crazy noisy with their grinding machine going off every few seconds! AHHHH) However, it is the easiest, most common place that I can think of as well.

A few other options, of course, as mentioned, their home, a restaurant that can seat you for drinks... with that I would also give the waiter a cc before the clients arrive and be sure to buy them a drink. I have also heard of renting an office space or board room (smaller one) in a hotel, near the lobby, where you can meet in peace and have a jug of water on the table. Wouldn't be too expensive to rent, especially once you make a habbit of using the same site.

Hope this helps. As for myself, usually at a coffee shop or their home, however I always make sure someone knows where I have gone. I often have my husband drop me off and park nearby.