Start a Photography Business in a Destination Location

  
December 01, 2009 updated 11/4/10
S. Hill

Starting a photography business in a destination location can be one of the easiest ways to get off the ground for a new portrait photographer. People flock to vacation destinations all over the globe because of their unique beauty and breathtaking backdrops. Capitalizing on the built-in tourism draw of these destinations can make a profitable portrait business and pay huge dividends over the life of the business. A new niche in portrait photography is emerging as I write this article. Are you one of the few tapping into this up-and-coming new market?

As a new photographer, just starting a photography business in portrait photography, let me ask you a question to shed some light on this amazing marketing opportunity. If you had a choice of where to get your portraits taken, in your local portrait studio or in your vacation destination which would you choose?

Your local portrait studio is the same place all of your friends and family have had their pictures taken for years, sounds pretty boring to me, because frankly it is.

Your vacation destination is where you have wanted to go for some time. You have a picture of the vacation destination in your mind. Is your picture of white sand beach in Maui, sitting next to Mayan Ruins in Mexico, the bright red arches of Arches National Park in Utah, the green foliage of California wine country, the massive columns of Greek ruins in Greece? There are niche destination photography markets all over the world just waiting to be tapped into.

People are going to have their photography done somewhere and it is not always in a portrait studio or their home town. If you start your photography business next to travelers favorite destinations, and you get your marketing just right, you can catch a steady stream of these happy vacationing customers with open wallets just waiting to spend. Vacationing customers are ecstatic when they find you, because they often had no idea it was even possible to get their photos taken in their dream destination.

I recommend getting some additional information and really assesing the tourism market in your area before starting a photography business in your destination. You can waste a lot of money very quickly on advertising and you need to set up your web presence very specifically to get them booked in. Good luck, and if you need some help, seek it out.

Go ahead, start a photography business in your home town studio; I know where I will be starting mine.

S. Hill is the head of marketing for three successful Destination Photography Businesses in Hawaii.