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Photography Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Photography Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create a successful photography business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their photography business.

Sample Photography Business Plan

The following photographer business plan example includes the key components of a solid business plan, and can be used to create a wedding photography business plan, a commercial photography business plan, a portrait photography studio business plan or any other type of photography business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Pristine Portraits Photography is a professional photography studio located in The Woodlands, Texas that will provide photography services for students, graduates, families, and weddings. Owned by professional photographer Jay Jameson, his unique skill set and years of experience have allowed him to be a highly-recommended freelance photographer in the area. Jay has decided to open a retail location in order to expand his list of services and provide school portrait photos, senior graduation portraits, and business headshots. Pristine Portraits will be located in a retail strip center in The Woodlands that has high traffic exposure and is visible to families, students, and other small businesses.

Product Offering

The following are the list of services that Pristine Portraits Photography will offer:

  • School portraits
  • Senior graduation portraits
  • Family portraits
  • Wedding photography services
  • Business headshots

Customer Focus

Pristine Portrait Photography will focus on families, small businesses, and newly engaged couples residing in The Woodlands and the surrounding suburbs. They will also focus on elementary, middle, and high schools in the area to be able to provide school portraits for the students.

Management Team

Jay Jameson has been a freelance photographer for over ten years. A native of Houston, Jay found his passion for photography when he was a student at Rice University. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree, Jay began his photography career as a side job working as a wedding photographer and family portrait photographer. Jay is very skilled at creating a nice outdoor portrait using natural lighting and timing the session to be at a time of the day when the sun setting is perfect. Over the years, Jay has earned countless referrals and has expanded his services to providing business headshots and graduate senior portraits. Jay’s clients describe him as having a unique ability to capture the personality and sentiment of the individual.

Success Factors

Pristine Portraits Photography is primed for success by offering the following competitive advantages:

  • Professional and friendly photography services at affordable prices.
  • Experienced and professional owner who understands the needs for every type of client
  • Quick delivery and turnaround of all portraits
  • Digital editing software to enhance the look and style of each portrait

Financial Highlights

Pristine Portraits Photography is seeking $68,500 in debt financing to open its retail location in The Woodlands, Texas. The funding will be dedicated for leasehold improvements, working capital, marketing costs, and startup overhead expenses. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Retail location design/build: $20,000
  • Professional photography equipment: $15,000
  • Working capital: $10,000
  • Marketing: $10,000
  • 3-months worth of salaries and wages: $13,500

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Pristine Portraits Photography:

pro forma financial projections for Pristine Portraits Photography

Company Overview

Who is pristine portraits photography.

Pristine Portraits Photography is owned by skilled photographer Jay Jameson and wll be located in a retail complex in The Woodlands, Texas. Pristine Portraits provides photography services for graduates, weddings, family portraits, business headshots, and neighborhood school photos. Jay Jameson is very flexible when booking clients; he is able to travel to any destination for an outdoor portrait, schools, and weekend wedding photography sessions. Pristine Portraits will be the premier destination for any photography service in The Woodlands.

Pristine Portraits History

Jay Jameson has been a freelance photographer for over ten years. He has been very successful as a wedding photographer and family portrait photographer. Jay is very skilled at creating a nice outdoor portrait using natural lighting and timing the session to be at a time of the day when the sun setting is perfect. Over the years, Jay has earned countless referrals and has expanded his services to providing business headshots and graduate senior portraits.

Since incorporation, Pristine Portraits has achieved the following milestones:

  • Registered Pristine Portraits, LP as an entity qualified to do business in the state of Texas.
  • Signed a retail space lease for 1,200 square feet.
  • Registered the domain www.PristinePortraits.com and began the development of the website.
  • Recruited two employees to be the support staff with operating the photography business.

Pristine Portraits Photography Services

Pristine Portraits will offer the following services to its clients:

Industry Analysis

The photography industry is expected to experience steady growth over the next five years, bringing revenues to $10 billion. Demand for commercial and portraiture photography services is expected to closely follow trends in employment, disposable income and corporate profit.

Per capita disposable income is anticipated to be the primary driver of demand moving forward. As disposable income increases, more individuals and households are expected to demand industry services for portrait and special event photography.

An increase in the level of corporate profit is also anticipated to lead to greater demand from private businesses and organizations. Growth in corporate profit will be driven by continued increases in demand for goods and services. As businesses make more money, they are able to increase spending on photography services for commercial use.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Pristine Portraits will target a variety of individuals in the greater suburban city of The Woodlands, Texas. They will target all elementary, middle, and high schools to offer the school portrait services. They will also offer senior graduation portraits to high school seniors. The Woodlands is a suburban area of Houston that is home to thousands of families. Pristine Portraits will target all families living in the area for family portraits, pregnancy portraits, etc. Pristine Portraits will target newly engaged couples that are needing a photographer for their wedding day. They will also target small businesses as well to advertise their business headshot services.

The precise demographics for The Woodlands are:

Customer Segmentation

Pristine Portraits will primarily target the following customer and client profiles:

  • Schools requiring school portrait services
  • High school seniors needing senior graduation portraits
  • Small businesses
  • Newly engaged couples who require wedding photography services

Competitive Analysis

Pristine Portraits will face competition from other photography businesses with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor is below.  

Direct Competitors

Lifetouch is a national photography business that focuses on providing school portraits for elementary, middle, and high school students. The focus of Lifetouch is to provide photography services for all family events and milestones. Lifetouch has been in business for more than 80 years and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. They are built on the tradition of “Picture Day” and are mostly known for providing school portraits from preschool through high school graduation.

Lifetouch is also able to provide additional photography services through their partnership with JCPenney Portraits. They have also become a part of the Shutterfly family of brands. With the Shutterfly partnership, Lifetouch is able to increase their photography delivery through digital products.  

Olan Mills Portrait Studios is mostly known for providing family portrait services throughout the United States. Currently, all Olan Mills portrait studios can be found in JCPenney stores across the country. Their list of photography services include high-quality portrait products for the following occasions – newborn, birthday, first communion, holiday, graduation, engagement, adult and family portraits and portrait greeting cards. Olan Mills is able to provide photography through traditional print-outs or by digital albums.

Olan Mills is also a part of the Shutterfly family of brands. The partnership with Shutterfly allows customers to preserve their images with their unlimited free storage and be able to share your photos digitally.  

Mindy Harmon Photography

Mindy Harmon Photography is based in The Woodlands, Texas and provides photography services for customers from the surrounding communities of Houston, Conroe, Montgomery, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy, Humble, and Clear Lake. Mindy Harmon provides creative studio and on-location portrait work for children, families, high school seniors, maternity, models and commercial clients. Mindy Harmon was awarded Best of The Woodlands for her photography in 2013.

Competitive Advantage

Pristine Portraits will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

  • Experienced and professional business owner who understands the needs for every type of client
  • Digital software to enhance the look and style of each portrait

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Pristine Portraits Photography will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

  • High-quality portraits at unbeatable prices
  • Experienced and professional owner/photographer who understands the needs for every type of client

Promotions Strategy

Pristine Portraits will utilize traditional marketing concepts with modern promotions in order to reach a greater target audience.  

Cold Calling and Door-to-Door Business Sales Calls

Jay Jameson will be visiting schools and small businesses to explain his new company and describe the photography services he will offer. He already knows the pricing model that Olan Mills and Lifetouch offer to the schools and small businesses and he will offer his school portrait services and business headshot services at a lower price.  

Referral Program and Word-of-Mouth

Jay will also implement a referral program that will reward an existing client with a discounted photography service if they recommend a fellow business or household for any photography service. Jay is very confident in his photography skills and is certain that once his portraits receive more exposure, he’ll be able to capture more business.  

Bridal Shows and Festivals

Since a large portion of Jay’s business comes from wedding photography, Pristine Portraits will participate in advertising in bridal shows and festivals that are held annually and semi-annually in The Woodlands.  

Website & Social Media

Pristine Portraits Photography will have a professionally designed website, where new and potential clients will be able to view a list of the services, pricing menu, and ability to schedule a photography session. The website will also include client testimonials and a gallery of photos with the clients’ permission.

Pristine Portraits will also have a business Facebook and Instagram profile. Jay will post monthly or seasonal photography specials and photos from previous photo shoots with the clients’ permission.

Pricing Strategy

The pricing of Pristine Portraits Photography will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their photography services.  

Operations Plan

Pristine Portraits Photography will utilize the following operations plan.  

Operation Functions:

  • Jay Jameson, Owner, will oversee all photography services, scheduling, and marketing.
  • Two part-time hourly employees to assist with tasks at the photography studio including but not limited to: answering customer phone calls, scheduling customer photo sessions, administrative tasks such as digital photo editing, and client communication.
  • One year after opening, Jay Jameson will recruit 1 – 2 highly trained photographers to take on photography sessions as the business grows.

Milestones:

Pristine Portraits Photography will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

3/1/202X – Finalize lease agreement for small retail space

3/15/202X – Begin build out of leased space

4/1/202X – Begin cold calling and social media campaign of acquiring potential clients

5/1/202X – Final walk through and approval of retail space

5/15/202X – Grand Opening of Pristine Portraits Photography Studio

Pristine Portraits Photography will be solely owned and operated by Jay Jameson with the help of two hourly employees.  

Jay Jameson, Owner & Photographer

Financial plan, key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Pristine Portraits Photography are its array of photography services. Jay will be able to provide photography services for schools , families, businesses, and weddings. Because of seasonal photography needs, Pristine Portraits will be able to maintain a busy schedule year-round.

The cost drivers for Pristine Portraits Photography will be the employee overhead to cover the salaries of the two person support staff. Other cost drivers will be the marketing expenses, rent and utility cost, and professional photography equipment.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

  • Year 1 Number of Clients: 100
  • Annual Lease: $15,000

Financial Statements

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, free photography business plan pdf.

You can download our free photography business plan template PDF here . This is a sample photography business plan template you can use in PDF format. You can easily complete your photography business plan using our Photography Business Plan Template here .  

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