Professional Aspirations

My future plan is to eventually have my own studio from which I can work, but also for it to be a space which could be hired out to other photographers and in doing so, eliminate any downtime where the space is not ‘working’. With this in mind I decided to contact other photographers who have gone down this route, both those who use the space for their own work and those who solely own the studio to hire out to others.

I contacted the following photographers working at the moment

Sarah Deane – (www.sarahdeanephotography.co.uk) who runs a studio in Newcastle

Sarah Stone – (www.sarahstonephotography.co.uk) who works as a baby/child photographer both in her studio and on location in South Wales.

Mayfield Studio – (www.mayfieldstudio.co.uk) a warehouse style rental space in Newcastle, which I have used on a few occasions. Both Martin and Mark who own the studio are ex-graduates from Newcastle College.

Alex Telfer – (www.alextelfer.com) Award winning advertising photographer, based in his studio in Byker.

The Junkyard Studio – (www.thejunkyardstudios.co.uk) A creative hub that incorporates a fully functioning hair salon and a creative photography studio

Brian Settery – (www.centrestudio.co.uk) Owner of Centre Studio in Newcastle

Tyne Studios – (www.tynestudios.co.uk) Studio team who specialize in model portfolio, family portrait & corporate photography shoots based in Newcastle.

On top of this list I also decided to contact Wiesai Bojko (www.littlemissboyco.co.uk) and while she doesn’t have a studio, she is a recent graduate from the course I am currently studying, so I thought she would be able to offer some insight into the challenges of starting up a business. I also contacted Tom Hussey (www.tomhussey.com), an American photographer who I have recently been in touch with regarding his work “Reflections”.

I contacted each of the above with the following e-mail which was adjusted to suit:-

My name is David Brennan and I’m currently in my 2nd year of FdA Photography at Newcastle College. As part of one of the modules in the course I have to make contact with a current photographer who is working in the role I aspire to, and ask them about their progression route into photography. 

I was wondering if you would have the time to answer a few questions for me if I e-mailed them over? Your answers, along with a couple of others I am contacting will assist me greatly in completing this part of my module.

From the people I contacted, unfortunately only 4 of them took the time to reply. Of those Sarah Stone said that she was leaving the country on assignment and wouldn’t be returning until mid-January. Wiesai Bojko said that she was taking time off from photography due to her pregnancy but wished me luck with my course and how good it was at Newcastle College. Both Brian Settery and Kayla Wren (Junkyard Studio) agreed to answer my questions. I sent the questions to the Kayla but as yet have not had a reply back, even after I followed up the e-mail with a phonecall.

Shown below are Brian’s responses to the questions raised.

How did you you get into photography? - About as roundabout as you can get. When I worked for Lloyds Bank we used to go on holiday to America a lot. And I got into taking landscapes of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Death Valley etc, etc. When I left the bank one of the things I started doing more of was wedding photography, initially asked to do a few for friends, which then built up. Then a couple of years ago I thought I would go along to a few studio workshops and then hired a couple of studios. Having tried it I saw a possible site for my own studio and decided to go for it. That was two years ago, and was an initial 6 month trial, but I enjoy having the studio and it pays its way, so long may it continue.........in other words Self Taught lol

What would you say are your unique selling points? -

Studio Hire - Location and price. It has everything you need for half the price.

Studio Shoots - Value for Money and a very high positive response rate >97%

Weddings - Two togs, all day, no limits. Full size printable images, on DVD

Did you take a business course prior to setting up the studio?

Not exactly - I was a Banker for 32 years before I "semi-retired". When I left I was a Corporate Relationship Director i.e. I looked after businesses with a turnover in excess of £2m, so I have a good business sense anyway!

What were the first steps you took towards your goals? -

If we stick to the Studio business, the first step was to research what I wanted my studio to include. Where would it be based (home, lock-up or pro-studio), what equipment I would need and what size I needed as a minimum. Then it was a case of keeping a look out for potential premises, mainly looking for the best balance of price and size, plus layout.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m not really aiming for anything special. I try to keep the studio in good working order, changing things around every now and then. My plan is to run it as long as I am enjoying it, and dump it when I've had enough. Whether that is trying to find a buyer or just shutting shop I don't know.

What piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry? -

Don't risk anything you can't safely afford to lose. Whether that is money, time or relationships! It takes up huge amounts of time, thankfully my wife is a huge help, but if she wasn't I could see it causing problems for some people. Also try to avoid the ego's, it amazing how many togs will view your studio yet feel they have to lie and make up an excuse to be there, or ask you questions - then out of nowhere they have their own studio.

Are there any things you wish you’d learned or opportunities you didn’t take that you regret?

Not really, I keep it very simple and modest. I once made the ridiculous mistake early on in the wedding photography days of signing up to advertise in a Hotels Wedding Brochure. I paid a small fortune and it was a complete and utter waste of money. It's the people in the Hotel that matter not their brochure, the people were recommending one photographer and just ignored what we had spent to support them.

What is your favourite thing about owning your studio?

Freedom, versatility, creativity, the people (well most of them lol), Seeing people come along and there work getting better and better over the months.