PART I

Doing business in Orlando, Florida is a major challenge for photographers or anyone in the creative arts. Orlando, Florida is a major international destination location. We have many visitors, whether they are individuals, small companies or large corporations, this is where they're going to have an event or function. Orlando is a tourist mecca. We have theme parks, and a high concentration of hotels and an extensive nightlife. This provides an opportunity for photographers to provide services for Advertising & Editorial, Special Events, Weddings & Anniversaries, Quincearñeras, Food, Fashion, Entertainment, Recording Artists, Public Relations Headshots or Comp Cards.

Orlando Florida appears on the surface to be a photographers dream come true. We have Trade Shows, Corporate Meetings, Golf Tournaments, Weddings, Entertainment Production and those businesses that provide support services to them. Talk to an event photographer doing business anywhere but here and they are envious of the lucky photographers that call Orlando area home. If they only knew the reality. Having been in Florida for 27 years and working here for over 30 years I have seen many changes and growth, but not always for the good.

Here in Central Florida, there are a number of schools which specialize in training individuals for the creative arts whether it be for the graphic design, photography, film production, theater, fine arts or any of the other disciplines that pertain to these categories. But when you look at photography, every school, whether it is Junior High School, High School, Community College or University, all have the normal academic courses. In addition to the regular public school system there are specialized private schools, which focus on film production, photography or any of the related arts that support these two mediums. The point I am making is that there are thousands of students graduating from these local schools almost continuously with the misconception that they have studied hard and they can be a professional photographer. The problem is the schools left out 80 percent of the information that these students will need. The schools have provided theory with practical experience that was cutting edge forty years ago. This is great intro knowledge to the Art of Photography but not the business of photography. Along with this flood of students we also have those individuals from outside the area that think there are great opportunities here.

As in any market, there is only so many dollars available and way too many individuals attempting to secure their portion. Here in the Orlando area, there are individuals that are very good photographers but their greatest asset is the fact that they understand business and know how to apply it. These individuals have been quite successful. These individuals have also been in this business for many years and generally came from another occupation. Those individuals that are new to the business generally have issues with the concept of being paid fair market value for their services. These individuals will invariably reduce their costs for services to very low levels or no level at all, free, in the attempt to survive. This produces an atmosphere of, in the minds of the clients, that there is no market value for photography services. This is only one of a set of issues that must be addressed by an individual Photographer or independent studio operator.

Several decades ago, business schools used to teach concepts of what it would take in "head of household" volume to support a particular type of business. For Photography Studios, in particular Portrait Studios, it was stated that they would require a population density of 85,000 head of households to support one STUDIO. Having been in this business for almost a half a century it is my experience this rule of thumb still applies today. Given this knowledge, if you apply this to the Orlando Regional Market with a population base of 3 million individuals or 1 million head of households, it is extrapolated that the area will support 12 Studios or photographers. Only one problem with this, in the Orlando region there are approximately nine hundred photographers listed in Web searches. For every individual on the Web there are 30 out there doing business on a part-time basis. Now you have the issue of 27,000 +/- photographers attempting to do business with 1 million individuals or business decision makers. This does not bode well for those individuals who desire to be in this business. Each has the chance to do business with 37 +/- decision makers. Using very conservative numbers, you will need to make $75,000 in sales to survive at the poverty level (after expenses are paid). That means that each client needs to spend $2000 +/- with you. Having watched the transition of individuals arriving, setting up shop, attempting to do business on a full time basis, it does not work in their favor. Their survival on average is 15 to 18 months before they leave the area or remain as part time photographers or give up all together.

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