Hot take: You don’t have to have a professional studio in order to be a successful photographer. Yeah, I said it! In today’s episode, I’m sharing how I turned my living room into a photo studio, the gear you need to do the same, and how you can prioritize your safety while shooting in your home.

On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.

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Review the Show Notes: 

New Photographers, Welcome to the Industry (:45)

Where are Major Photographers Shooting? (1:15)

Your Reminder: You Don’t Need a Studio (2:53)

Your Gear List (9:39)

The Safety of a Home Studio (16:05)

Types of Shoots You Can Book (17:37)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Amazon Gear List

TECCA Confetti

Home Studio List

Review the Transcript:

One of the biggest lies in the industry is that you need a studio to be successful. And I want to debunk that, throw it in the trash and share that that’s the biggest fattest lie I’ve ever heard. And I just want to give you a little bit of grace, if you are either starting your photography business, or you are interested in making this your full time career, I want to just give you a warm hug, and welcome you to the industry and share that you have a space here, it’s yours, it’s yours for the taking, and I want to support you.

But I also want to remind you that if you feel like you are lacking, if you feel like you are not as valuable, or not as professional, because you don’t have your own photo studio, that’s a load of crap.

New Photographers, Welcome To The Industry

Okay, so I first want to share that, you know, that’s like, you know, let’s kind of like debunk that and not make that this like state of lacking, like something that we don’t have, therefore, we’re not as good. And I just want to share that because I want you to think about some of the most successful photographers that you know, the ones that are traveling the globe, photographing beautiful editorial destination weddings, the ones that are doing the high fashion shoots in LA and New York and across the globe. These photo shoots are typically taken outside or in other like studios, right?

They’re not typically taken in the photographer’s home studio. Okay, so I just want to kind of shed light on that, that that’s actually an industry standard, especially for wedding photographers, we’re going to venues, right? Family Travel, portrait photographers, we’re photographing in some of the most gorgeous landscapes outdoors, and other businesses, right in other industries, especially for content and brand photographers, we’re not typically photographing them in our home studios, we’re actually going out to do that. Okay. So before I go any further with that, I also want to share that having a studio is absolutely a beautiful thing. So I don’t want to sound hypocritical on this at all.

But I really wanted to share that if you feel like you don’t have your studio, it doesn’t mean that you’re not a photographer, okay? You do not need to jump into this business simply because that’s what everybody else is doing. Or some type of like accolade or some type of accomplishment that you have yet to reach, therefore, you’re not great.

I’m really just sharing this to you too, because I wish someone would have told like 20 year old Kiana that that that was okay, and that I will be successful, even if I don’t have my own legit brick and mortar studio. Okay. Now, I also don’t want to kind of derail the conversation because literally, this episode is all about turning your living room into your home studio.

Where Are Major Photographers Shooting?

So you may not have that brick and mortar, you may not have that downtown loft that is so desired. But you can absolutely create those types of images, and those types of experiences right in your living room. Okay, so in today’s episode, we will be diving into creating your own home studio, we’ll tackle all of the gear, all the fun stuff that you need to have in your garage just already are in a closet just ready to pop out for these studio shoots. We’re going to cover the actual income, how much it actually takes to throw this studio together. And then of course, what is your generated income? Like what what does that actually look like? And is that worth your time?

Then of course, if you’re anything like me, I love sharing way bonus things. And we’ll go over a whole bunch of mini session ideas and inspiration shoots to help get you started. Because if you’re thinking okay, wait, this may be for me. But what like what do I photograph? Like? How do I even market this? So we’ll dive into that as well. I’m so happy you’re here with this podcast, I have kind of gone in a couple of different directions.

Reminder: You Don’t Need A Studio To Be Successful

I think ultimately, I’m just so grateful to land in this space of being a photographer, being a business cheerleader, and helping you shine online. So if that means I’m popping on to these episodes to share about photography, tips and hacks and skills to share as well as introducing you to some of my biggest, biggest influencers in my real life with these connection calls. I’m just so grateful you’re here. All right, let’s get this party started.

Welcome to Quianna Marie Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins big or small by dancing in the kitchen photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase really, really big dreams. You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast.

Join me as I share with you motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections and celebrating your wins through the lens of a Fatah prefer at heart. Come join me for a dance party ready? Let’s GO!

Right when I moved into our home here in Arizona, it was on the brink of the global pandemic, everything was closing down. And to be perfectly honest, things were really scary. I didn’t know where my next paycheck was coming because I was in the midst of a refunding rescheduling. And I was just hemorrhaging money. Like it was really scary. And I didn’t know what to do. I knew that there was a knowing inside of my heart inside of my gut that everything was going to be okay. And that, you know, I am a fighter and that I would be resourceful to make some things happen. But I just wasn’t too sure what that shift was yet was I going to run back to Trader Joe’s and try to pick up a part time job was I going to become a social media manager and try to make some money on the side like I had all these ideas flooding, right? Well, I want to kind of give you a little backstory on my own my own business and my education. And I actually have a studio practice photography degree from San Jose State University back in Northern California.

And this was what I did, like I actually have a degree in studio practice photography. And I know I kind of went on this little rampage earlier about how you don’t have to have a studio to be successful. But there was a piece of my my heart and I was like, Yeah, but like, I don’t have my own studio, right. And so I think because of that I just went full force into I’m a traveling photographer, I photographed weddings, I photographed family portraits, we’re always in natural backdrops are always outside in nature. We’re always at, you know, like, really awesome parks, and you know, near streams and water and at really gorgeous destination venues. So I just kind of made it like my thing that I don’t photograph in studio, I say supernatural?

Well, because I was really tapping into my resources and thinking, What can I do? How can I make money, that’s when this idea of turning my living room into a photo studio really kicked off. I quickly started photographing headshots, I started photographing families, literally in my home. And I love this because I was able to, to book them quickly, I’d say within two to three weeks, and there was no like crazy Client Onboarding thing, I wasn’t really truly investing hours and hours as if I want a wedding for these little mini photo shoots, right. And so I’m sharing this with you simply because it’s a tool, creating a living rooms. home studio, like photo studio is something that you can do today, or maybe this weekend where you can generate some extra revenue. And I’m all about creating these toolkits, and creating accessibility to people who are like wanting to turn photography into a full time gig. And as a photographer, as a freelancer, as someone who owns their own business, we have to think on the fly. Okay, so I want to chat about exactly how much money is generated.

So before we dive into the gear, before we dive into all the details, and all the ideas, I really want to chat, that this is a great opportunity, if you were just looking to make 200 bucks extra a month, up to 2000 or more dollars a month, this is your ticket. This is your ticket to generating a little bit extra or actually replacing, let’s say your rent or your mortgage with this with this income. Right. I just think that is the coolest thing. And I just wish someone would have told me about this earlier. So that’s why I’m telling you today, and so we can figure that out. Okay, so yeah, and then I and I say just the 200 A 2k is kind of my little tagline for how much money you can generate. But typically, I was actually starting my mini sessions at 350. That’s how much I charged families to go out to Santa Cruz beach to go out here to Superstition Mountain if I’m here in Arizona. So I mean, that’s pretty much my baseline for like a 20 to 30 minute shoot. And so you can take that and you know, do with what you will and kind of adapt that to your own business and your own pricing. But I really wanted to share that it’s actually a possibility. I had a record high of making about $6,000 One month with my studio, home studio here. And that was just with about two weekends worth of work. And and I just think that’s incredible.

That would be such a substantial increase in revenue for your family, maybe just for your dog, but you get the point. Okay, so let’s go over the gear list. Okay. First and foremost, you probably already have pretty much what you need to get started today. Okay. You do not have to have the backdrop and the whole lighting situation to turn your home into a home studio. Sometimes you just need a white wall Have a plain wall I should say and maybe even your cute little living room set up or a little tiny corner in your office, for example, you don’t need to go full fledge on the backdrop, you can absolutely start hosting these mini sessions in your living room literally this weekend or sometime this week, if that’s something that you really, really want to do. Okay, so the first thing I would say that you would need if you were doing the backdrop situation is your actual backdrop. Okay, so I have purchased this one backdrop stand. And I love it because there’s actually three bars on top.

So as I started shooting more, and offering more of these mini shoots, I loved having a variety of backdrops so on that roll, so if you imagine there’s like three bars that roll down three different paper backdrops, okay, those and you know, all those, I would have a like a black or a dark gray, sometimes I’d have like a vibrant pink or something fun. And then I loved actually really, really love the kind of like ivory color instead of the stark white, because it just I don’t know, it just kind of made everything look amazing. It was so good. So I love that.

You definitely want to start with that type of like background situation. And then a couple of things that you may, you know, may need that you’re not thinking about are some of those clips. So I love those big clamps, I’m going to make sure to tag everything in the show notes. So you have them, this is great for the different papers, you can kind of clamp the roll at the top, it kind of prevents it from rolling down, as well as some masking tape, you’re going to need some tape, I am like so scrappy about this sometimes that I’ll just pull up some of my free weights that I have in the living room.

I’ll just put like a little one or two pounder at the bottom, it’s probably a tripping hazard Not gonna lie, but it does help secure it to the bottom of the floor. So it doesn’t just roll back up. Sandbags are going to be important, this is great for not only stabilizing the actual stands that your backdrops are on, but also your lights. Okay, so we’ll get into the lighting situation.

Home Studio Gear

So I actually use alien B lights, I have two that are popping one is 800, whatever watts, or just as 800 on it, whatever. And then the other one is a 400 because it’s just my living room, it doesn’t need to be that huge. With these little lights I actually use for really big receptions. So that’s something Profoto also has some incredible lights as well for the strobes, that is something that you may want to invest in. Something else that I always have on hand with me for my home studio is the like a little step, okay, because I’m sure I’m only five, three.

A lot of my clients are upwards of 5′ 9, 5 ’11, if not much taller. And so, you know, I can pop up on my couch and get good angles. But I love having just a really easy folding step that I can bounce around. And this also really helps with actually adjusting the backdrop as well. Those are pretty much some of the staples that I would use, you can absolutely use your speed lights, that’s something that can work.

A lot of times in the beginning when I first started, I used a lot of natural light, so I would just roll up the windows in my living room. As I started doing more of it, I really fell in love with actual studio lighting. And and that was just a lot of fun.

So something else to consider would be a softbox that you can put on either your alien bees or your Profoto lights, anything like that for your strobes would be amazing and add a beautiful soft effect. And yeah, and so I’m trying to think of anything else Oh and don’t forget a stool. You’re gonna need some type of like seating for your subject. I mean, I just sometimes just use the stool that I have in my kitchen counter I kind of like turn it sideways. But I don’t know there’s something really magical about those kinds of like art studio stools like those paintings tools you don’t talk about I think those are very classic and photographed really well but also to like you know investing in some funky chairs definitely hit up your local Goodwill or any of your you know, farmers markets. I mean even IKEA has some really great options that you can check out so definitely think consider something for your clients to sit on. And then of course I have to add to my list confetti, and I actually have it’s called the letters or te CC a confetti from Amazon. I’ll make sure to link those into my show notes as well.

But I have searched and searched and searched for yours the best confetti and I found it it’s just a bag from Amazon I think it’s like five or $6 it’s very affordable but what I love about this confetti is it’s actually sprinkled with circle shapes as well as little rectangle shapes. And that’s not really what it what makes it fantastic. But what I love about it is that it’s kind of the confetti is made of tissue paper and the way the like the size of the confetti and the way it just flows oats, it actually floats like it like flutters in the air. And so I just love that for photo shoots. Because I feel like it’s a little more forgiving if you miss that shot, right. Um, so it just kind of kind of floats a little bit longer in the air. And it just creates a really, really beautiful photos. So I have in the show notes, a whole list for you, it’s a whole idea list to help turn your home into a living room studio. So make sure you check that out.

And if you have any questions at all, or you’re interested in maybe, you know, purchasing some items, and you’re curious before, let me know, I would love to know that I you know, I can help you and kind of guide you in the best direction for to start like to start hosting these photoshoots that’s going to be so fun. So I would love to also share, like some mini session ideas, okay, because they feel like okay, great key. Like, I feel like I’m confident with my camera. I’ve been kind of tinkering around with the lighting, and I’m ready to start hosting. But what the heck do I do here? Like, I don’t want strangers in my home. Okay, so first and foremost, I want to share and I want to be very, very transparent about the fact that I never kind of did like an open call booking for these mini sessions. I am such a psycho when it comes to people knowing exactly where I live, who I’m welcoming into my home. And I’m very, very private in that way. And, and I know my family may laugh at me because they say, well, you’re always posting on Instagram, you’re always sharing your life story. And I am.

But I am very strategic about sharing exactly where I am, who I am, which, and you know, I don’t want anybody to know exactly where I live, right. And so I also want to share that safety and that kind of like, security with you and your clients as well. Okay, so basically, long story short, I’m not just doing like an open call, like mini session to just allow strangers into my home. I am reaching out to individuals that I know they’re my friends, they’re my neighbors, or people I trust, or I’ve at least met before, right? Someone that I can tell is someone that I would feel safe coming into my home just like a new friend would right. And so that’s kind of like the disclaimer that I’m not just letting any Joe Schmo. I’m not putting these events on Eventbrite. I’m not putting these many sessions just out in the world to see. And that’s really helped kind of filter out that I have a final say before selling that ticket. Okay, I’m not just having an open buy with my address on the internet. Nope, sorry, not happening. But anyway, that’s kind of a tangent, I just wanted to kind of share about safety. So let’s go into some ideas. Okay. So instantly, you can literally start booking these are right away, you can do quick headshots, headshots are great because everyone needs an updated headshot. Everyone needs something clean, something crisp, fresh and updated. Okay, so headshots are fun.

Consider a couple sweetheart shoots. So one thing that I really want to do, and I haven’t even advertised for it yet. But I really want to kind of recreate those Yellowstone portraits, you know, the ones that look really grainy. And it’s like either the headshots of them individually, or the couples, oh my gosh, I love those. I think they’re so timeless and so pretty. And that’s something you can do in your living room. Okay, like you don’t have to actually go out into the like wild west to capture those. They can be done beautifully with studio wedding right in your living room. So sweetheart, sessions are cute. Kids portraits are huge. So this is a great way for you to land a ton of local neighbors and other families in your community where you’re just taking classic portraits, and maybe even you’re only delivering black and white. I just think those are so beautiful. I know, one of my besties Tara Dunn hosts these in her living room, and oh my gosh, they are so beautiful. Like, her images are so moving, because I just feel like they’re black and white. They’re timeless and classic. And I get really emotional looking at some of these kids, I don’t even know who these kids are. And I’m like, Oh my gosh, like, their mother must be so proud. Or like you I can just see like, these are timeless photos that are gonna be passed on for generations. And they’re literally done in her living room like and she has a little dining room that she has configured to her studio and it’s just beautiful. Like you would never know that they were taken right there by her entry in her in her home. Right. So I think that’s beautiful kids portraits are great. It’s also a great idea to to consider some bridal portraits. Okay, so I know especially going back to 2020 2021 when so many weddings were just shoveled. A lot of My Brides were really sad, obviously, because of just the, you know, just everything going on in the world. But also like they work so hard. They were in the best shape of their life and they had to just put everything on hold. And a lot of them really wanted to start family planning. So you know, so even though they weren’t getting married, some of them started their family they started getting pregnant, you know, their bodies were changing in such a beautiful way but they really wanted to capture This like bridal look.

And so hosting bridal portraits where I actually had my brides come in, like, come into my home and photograph some really gorgeous, just timeless pieces with their veils. Some of them got a little boudoir II, right. So that’s kind of my next idea is to offer boudoir shoots in your home as well, with that classic clean backdrop is just stunning. But I just I love that that was of service to my brides that were going through this hard time. And I was able to capture them in the best light, like in that moment. Right? So but something else to think about too was like, you know, what’s going on around you? What are your clients going through? What do they need help with? Something that you can step up and provide a service that’s going to make them feel good? Okay, it’s not always about hey, how can I make more money? Like yes, ultimately, we always want to be generating income. And, you know, we didn’t pick up this business and start this hobby, just for fun, right? Like, we want to make money doing what we do. But sometimes taking a step back and kind of like reading the room, like in society in our communities, and asking, Hey, how can I help? Like, how can I make someone’s day brighter? How can I, you know, I don’t know, like create a fundraiser of some sort, like, this is your ticket, right?

Another thing that you can do to are just create really fun, creative shoots. Gosh, I follow so many girls on Instagram that I’m just so obsessed with. If you have a second, check out autumn rain on Instagram, and she is the queen of creating really fun shoots. I am obsessed with her creativity. She’s the fun one that is literally having flowers sticking out of her head. She’s turning her living room into really cute shoots, her and her husband traveled the world. And she’s just always doing really fun creative shoots, that kind of gets you out of that funk, right? I’ve done a recent episode with my friend, Jenny Chapman. And she also talks about being really creative. And just having fun pulling out personalities, not just only for yourself, but also for your clients as well. So be creative, right? This is when we can truly express ourselves as being artists. I know, as a photographer, I never really identified as an artist. But we are like we totally are here. Okay, so this is your time to shine. And if you’re kind of thinking, Well, how do I even get started with this, this is the perfect excuse to start creating really fun, creative or editorial shoots for yourself. And that’s what’s going to get noticed. And people are going to see that and think oh my gosh, that’s so cute, or Wow, that’s so beautiful or so creative or so fun. I want that, right? It just takes one or two confetti pictures for someone to slide into your DMS and say, hey, I want that, how do I sign up, right? But we’re not going to create this momentum. We’re not going to create this curiosity or these opportunities, unless we’re doing it ourselves.

Okay, so that’s like, the number one thing, like we have to put imagery out there, we have to get the universe, it’s kind of like vibing and, you know, create that energy that you want in return. Okay. And then I also want to wrap up with just the handful of really fun ideas. So I feel like you have like some great kick starters. But then I also love to share some true like tried and true mini session ideas. So I always go back to seasons, it’s if I’m ever feeling super stuck, or like, oh, like I have, like I ran out of ideas, right? I just check out the seasons. Okay, so think about that. Right? Like, how cute would it be to offer adorable Valentine’s Day shoots, right? Whether it’s for toddlers, right? Like young families and young siblings, like many session family, many sessions, or you can even do super cute Valentine’s Day shoots for teens, or for young girls or for recently engaged couples. I mean, you literally can go back through your honey book and look up all of your recent couples right over the last two to three years. You know, if you’re a wedding photographer, and wouldn’t it be so cute, let’s say to contact them sometime in January, like the first week of January and say, hey, the first week of February, right? So three, four or five weeks out from now I’m offering these sweetheart sessions, pop into my house, I’m hosting them on this day, pop in for just 15 minutes, I’ll capture your photos and then go out to dinner. Like go have a nice Valentine’s Day dinner. Right? Oh my gosh, like, you know, let’s say you send out that invite to 30 people and maybe only three or four couples actually show up. That’s a one right there.

You know, like, like, that could be an extra 500 to $1,000 that night that you’re you know generating some income for like Hello. Okay, so anyway, I get excited and I love sharing ideas. But Valentine’s Day is great cookies with Santa I know my friend Brendan was so cute photo she hosts the cutest cookies with Santa and I love this take on this because who couldn’t find a Santa right like who could find a Santa for rent unless it’s like your grandfather or your neighbor? I know they have, you know, some professional standards out there. But But you know, it’s hard to find it and he’s busy, you know, so I’m having a cute little backdrop with cookies and milk and little ones is just so adorable. Halloween, of course is so fun. I mean, you can take the fall vibe, you know, like, bring a hail bale into your home, you could, you know, take more of the spooky kind of like black backdrop. And you know, just just imagine like Halloween vibes, right? It doesn’t have to be crazy decorated, right? You don’t have to spend a lot to really, truly capture the essence of that Halloween shoot, right. But just another idea back to school is always fun, you know, little toddlers sitting on books holding an apple, I mean, as cheesy as you can get. Those are really fun and creative as well. And then just recently, we celebrated Fourth of July. So I mean, so fun, right? I mean, you literally can hang up an American flag in the backdrop. And that could be something that families would really appreciate. Right? So I’m only sharing these with you to hope, like hope that you find some inspiration in this, okay, because I believe in you, you are so incredible. You have so much to offer. And sometimes we just need these little reminders that like, Hey, we are chasing really big goals. And maybe we do you want to open up a tiny boutique photo shoot studio, or maybe a big warehouse where there’s multiple businesses in that same space. And we have our little corner for photography, right? Like, I want you to know that I see you and I believe in you. And I also have these really big goals. But I want to live today as if like nothing’s holding me back. Like everything is meant for me and it’s coming in my time. So I need these daily reminders. Therefore, I believe you do too, right, baby. So as always, I am cheering for

you. I hope you found this informative. Please, please please check out Kiana marie.com/favorites for a list of all of my favorites. So not only my photo studio, like living room gear kit will be in there as well, but also some of my other favorites that I believe you will find useful, practical, and just really fun. So I appreciate you so much. Thank you for listening. And if you could take just a couple of seconds to leave a review. I would be forever grateful. All right, well, please keep me posted on these tag me in your living room shoots. I would love to reshare them and cheer you on. As always keep on dancing, baby. Okay, love you. Bye. That’s a wrap on another episode of Kiana Murray weekly. Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at Kiana murray.com/podcast. I’d be honored if you show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app. Until next time, keep on dancing.