Coming Soon - The Studio

Sometimes when life gives you lemons. . . you know that old saying.  Well I am about to make some lemonade.  We own some commercial property in Winchester, Va, and was renting it until recently, when hard economic times hit our renter.  Instead of waiting for who knows how long for a new renter, I have decided to take over the space and put in a gallery and photo studio.  Tomorrow, I will meet with a contractor and the ideas are beginning to blossom.  I am now beyond excitement about this.  Yes, I know that Winchester is a bit off of my beaten path, but I am excited about the ideas for this space.

I plan on offering rental of this fully equipped studio to other photographers.  A variety of unique and flexible rental plans will be available.  The Studio, as it will be called, will allow photographers who want to do studio work, but don't have the space or the resources to do so, to have a place to meet clients and do their studio work.  Photographers who commit to 15 or more hours a month, will be given wall space in our gallery to hang their work...making The Studio more their own for their clients.  There is about 1600 sq ft of space, which will divided into gallery space and studio space.  There will be a reception area and lounge for guests as well as an area for client consultations.  A large and comfortable dressing room with a styling area will also be available for use.

My idea behind this, is the fact that as photographers, we all know how expensive it is to set up a professional presence in the marketplace.  The name - The Studio, will allow photographers to use it as their own, and give them a way to grow their business, without spending a fortune.  Rentals will be available by membership.  Five hours per month and up will be offered.  Monthly rates will only require a 3-month minimum membership.  Longer term contracts will be available at discounted rated.  A three month period is not a huge commitment, but gives anyone enough time to see how the idea fits into their budget.  Unused hours may be rolled over to the next month to allow flexibility.  Members will be given a password to get into a Google calendar, to schedule their times,  and they will have full access to The Studio during the hours that they schedule.  This includes use of lighting, backgrounds reflectors and props.

The most exciting thing to me is to have a larger area for me to do events and special shoots that I have always wanted to do.  I realize that Winchester is a bit down the road for most of my current customers, but I hope that some of the really cool special events I will have there, will bring those folks in.  I also hope to make a whole bunch of new friends up the Winchester way.

Check out this space, as I will post pictures as I progress.  I am hoping to have this whole thing up and running within the month.  Tell all of your friends!!