Instant Photography Idea

tacofries

Hello folks,

I have yet another idea that I am looking for opinions on!

I am thinking of buying a portable lab standard printer and decent camera. I can get kitted out with all equipment for about €800. I plan to take photos' of tourists /families at attractions such as the greenway in mayo,cragh patrick, santas grottos and other local attractions, then print the photo on the spot(in 60 seconds) and package it in a little mount like you get at the zoo. Photos would cost no less than €4 and no more than €5. This is due to the cost per print of €0.40 then packaging which costs €1.40.

Questions for ye guys are:

1) Would you use the service?
2) How much would you pay to have your photo taken/printed/packaged?
3) Would you rather the photo packaged in a cardboard picture frame mount, or a branded frame that opens up like a card?
4) Would you rather just take a picture, for free, yourself with your smartphone?
5) What footfall do you think I would need in order to sell in the region of 70 photos a day?
6) Any other advice/opinions?

Thanks for any and all opinions!
Taco out

jimmii

Not something I would use but you see tourists here going in for that sort of thing!

1) No
2) I guess if I was going to get it down €4/€5 wouldn't be too bad if it was packaged nicely.
3) One that opens up like a card with a picture of the location on.
4) Yes that would be the option I would go for!
5) I think it would have to be HUGE. Hard to know what % of people would be interested but I would think you would be looking at <1% in most locations I think it depends on where you are though the higher the percentage of people visiting the country the higher the percentage of people who will be interested.
6) See if you can rent the equipment and give it a trial run for 4 or 5 days I would also imagine it being tough to find anywhere with the footfall needed outside of the summer months.

Fukuyama

Surly digital cameras and Facebook have obliterated this kind of thing?

I was at the zoo a few months ago. It was busy but nobody seemed to be buying the photos they had taken by the chap on the way in.

I'd also wager that what market there is for this would be largely families with kids.

The only other people I know who are into the whole framed photograph thing are girls - normally given to one another as presents or some such on birthdays etc...

Possibly American tourists on the Cliffs of Moher?

I can't see it being popular unless you get a good location. And there arn't many on Ireland....especially on a rainy October evening.

EDIT: Good idea keeping it below the €5 mark though. I hate how people rip off tourists here sometimes.

tacofries

Dean0088 wrote: »

Surly digital cameras and Facebook have obliterated this kind of thing?

I'd also wager that what market there is for this would be largely families with kids.


Possibly American tourists on the Cliffs of Moher?

I can't see it being popular unless you get a good location. And there arn't many on Ireland....especially on a rainy October .

It would really just be for the summer months as I am in college however I would try and do events as well such as music festivals!

Croagh Patrick in Mayo gets a lot of tourists. Fair enough its usually older tourists but the older people have that bit of discretionary expenditure and they also love to show their families what they got up to on their holidays.

I also have another location in mind that has a footfall of 100, 000 a year, the majority of which is in july and august and is made up of familes and stag/hen parties! Only downside is the attraction would demand approx 20percent of revenue and thus I would need to charge a €5a photo!

Another option I am contemplating is providing the service at knock but instead of in a photo frame, the photo will come as a personalised post card with a prayer on the back. Purely taking advantage of the old holy ones like my grandmother! !!!

If I made €3500 profit in the sumner (I.e. sell 2000 photos mainly in july/august) I would be very very happy. 250 photos a week = 50 photos per day per 5 day week... Obviously due to the influence of weather sale numbers would need to be higher on certain days!

Fukuyama

tacofries wrote: »

It would really just be for the summer months as I am in college however I would try and do events as well such as music festivals!

Croagh Patrick in Mayo gets a lot of tourists. Fair enough its usually older tourists but the older people have that bit of discretionary expenditure and they also love to show their families what they got up to on their holidays.

I also have another location in mind that has a footfall of 100, 000 a year, the majority of which is in july and august and is made up of familes and stag/hen parties! Only downside is the attraction would demand approx 20percent of revenue and thus I would need to charge a €5a photo!

Another option I am contemplating is providing the service at knock but instead of in a photo frame, the photo will come as a personalised post card with a prayer on the back. Purely taking advantage of the old holy ones like my grandmother! !!!

If I made €3500 profit in the sumner (I.e. sell 2000 photos mainly in july/august) I would be very very happy. 250 photos a week = 50 photos per day per 5 day week... Obviously due to the influence of weather sale numbers would need to be higher on certain days!

I guess if you can locate yourself in an area where people will buy one on the spur of the moment...

There's a chap on Grafton street with a little leprechaun suit set up. Basically, you can stick your head through a fabric opening and have your picture taken as a leprechaun.

I passed by a few times during the good weather and he had a few tourists taking interest. So maybe something along those lines?

Also, 50 photos a day MIGHT be pushing it. These guys never seem THAT busy.

sandin

Some people will say this market is taken by camera phones, but I would counteract and say for some sections of the market it would still work.

At some attractions you will have to pay a fee.

But the general idea is good and you are going the right way of thought by realising you need several venues and several different occasions.

As well as pay per photo, you could offer to cover an event for a fee - a main birthday or other once off family event where a memento of the day is nice to have.

School events, 1st day at school, school plays etc.

Could be a nice little earner during college - I hope you are doing a business related course, if not you should be!

stcstc

how you going to show people the images?

your cost price seems a little high if your just talking about materials costs

and your capitol cost seem very low too

there are people and businesses that do this and do it well

but most of them are the owners of the centre or have paid a fee to be allowed to operate there

tacofries

stcstc wrote: »

how you going to show people the images?

your cost price seems a little high if your just talking about materials costs

and your capitol cost seem very low too

there are people and businesses that do this and do it well

but most of them are the owners of the centre or have paid a fee to be allowed to operate there

I have 2 options relating showing people images- 1 is to not show them, just print it off immediately and hope for the best. The second is to have an ipad or tablet around my neck. This method would be much more affective as when people see the photo with a few props (such as wigs and swords etc.) they will be much more likely to impulse buy, especially if they have children! This would add another €400 to the start up costs however.

Cost price is high unfortunately. This is simply due to the photo holder. If I could get that made for €0.50 I would be onto a winner as I could then charge €3 for a photo which is very reasonable. I am going to look into how much it would cost to make them myself!

If I go to the area with a footfall of 100,00 I would have to pay over a percentage of my revenue to them. I would most likely need insurance as well. Thus I am leaning towards areas that are not privately owned. This is also why I am going to get a portable printer that needs no mains power. I could operate on the quiet so to say for a few months without insurance or a trading licience untill things get up and running!

Keep the replies coming folks! Thanks!

Fukuyama

tacofries wrote: »

I have 2 options relating showing people images- 1 is to not show them, just print it off immediately and hope for the best. The second is to have an ipad or tablet around my neck. This method would be much more affective as when people see the photo with a few props (such as wigs and swords etc.) they will be much more likely to impulse buy, especially if they have children! This would add another €400 to the start up costs however.

??

Surly a laptop would be far better at this than an iPad? Also, I'm assuming you already have a laptop.

It'd work with any camera, has good battery and software would be a breeze. Hooking up to a printer would work too. HAve you looked into portable power supplies for the printer?

With an iPad you're just buying an expensive screen that doesn't do much.

You could also set the laptop to play a slideshow of previous customer photos.

Graham

I think a tablet with a good screen is a good idea, you can lift it to show people, it has built in photo-editing software. It's portable. You don't need a desk/table. It has a full day battery life.

A case with a neck strap would also keep it very secure but out of the way when you didn't need it.

Doesn't need to be a new one either, a 2nd hand one would probably be a better bet.

If you can find the right printer, you can AirPrint (or Android equivalent) without needing cables trailing anywhere.

There are a few battery operated inkjet printers on the market, not sure about photo quality ones with decent print speed though.

stcstc

tacofries wrote: »

I have 2 options relating showing people images- 1 is to not show them, just print it off immediately and hope for the best. The second is to have an ipad or tablet around my neck. This method would be much more affective as when people see the photo with a few props (such as wigs and swords etc.) they will be much more likely to impulse buy, especially if they have children! This would add another €400 to the start up costs however.

Cost price is high unfortunately. This is simply due to the photo holder. If I could get that made for €0.50 I would be onto a winner as I could then charge €3 for a photo which is very reasonable. I am going to look into how much it would cost to make them myself!

If I go to the area with a footfall of 100,00 I would have to pay over a percentage of my revenue to them. I would most likely need insurance as well. Thus I am leaning towards areas that are not privately owned. This is also why I am going to get a portable printer that needs no mains power. I could operate on the quiet so to say for a few months without insurance or a trading licience untill things get up and running!

Keep the replies coming folks! Thanks!

i think you will find you need to print, then write off ones that dont get bought

you costs are high, what i ment is you can do it for less. slip in folders you can buy for around 50 cent each

i think you are underestimating how much extra costs you will have like writing off nes or false prints etc etc

Graham

stcstc wrote: »

i think you will find you need to print, then write off ones that dont get bought

You need to work out your costs per print and your conversion rate before going down this route.

Inkjet printing and photo paper costs would soon make the project uneconomic if you only sold 1 in 10.

tacofries

stcstc wrote: »

i think you will find you need to print, then write off ones that dont get bought

you costs are high, what i ment is you can do it for less. slip in folders you can buy for around 50 cent each

I would only print it off if they wanted to buy it! I'd be using a good camera and a dye-sublimation printer so if the customer said they would buy it as long as it was off good quality then I would have no worry with wastage or change of mind!

Would you have any link to where you can buy them! I have searched and the cheapest is €1 and they're not even customised!!!

Dean0088 wrote: »

??

Surly a laptop would be far better at this than an iPad? Also, I'm assuming you already have a laptop.

I want to be fully portable. With a laptop I would need a table/stand, and as soon as this comes into it there is trading licience fee of €1500 and mandatory stall holder insurance of €280 making it way to expensive! The printer I'll be getting hangs around you neck in a carrier bag and operates of a rechargeable battery, thus I would have nothing holding me to one place!

Graham wrote: »

If you can find the right printer, you can AirPrint (or Android equivalent) without needing cables trailing anywhere.

If I didnt show the customer the phot before printing it would be realatively straightforward as I would only need 1 wire connecting the camera directly to the printer! With the tablet however things become quite a bit more complicated unfortunately!

stcstc

http://www.photovalue.com/

those guys make them, based in clodalkin

tacofries

stcstc wrote: »

http://www.photovalue.com/

those guys make them, based in clodalkin

Thanks for the link! They're the cheapest I have seen by quiet a bit, but it works out at €0.63 each and thats without any customisation! I will give them a ring Monday and see how much it would cost to get the product to suit my needs. If anyone else knows any other companies making them could you send us a link!

Red Nissan

We've all tried this, the biggest stumbling block is someone else has the 'rights' and don't take kindly to anyone trying to muscle in.

Santa grottos have traditionally been setup by a local photographer or photo studio, as are Halloween caves and anyone new to the business must be vetted. Locally, the largest retail sector threw all us Santa Photogs out and installed a free Santa and take your own picture and they also did away with the 'grotto' and Santa now is in full view in the aisles.

A mobile printing unit is almost unserviceable, the handiest idea so far is the Canon 6x4" printer that one can run on batteries and have WiFi connectivity to a Canon WiFi enabled camera ~ but that comes at a cost, approx €2,000 for the camera and another 5~800 for the WiFi and approx €120 for the printer and €300 per case of cassettes [€1.50 cost per print].

You won't cut it on an inkjet in a mobile situation, ink costs and paper make a 10x8" nearly €3 and another 60C for the folder.

I get €20 a 10x8" in a folder delivered, I need €7 for a 6x4" but that's a hard sell. Finding places to work is the hardest part and child protection laws has made it even harder again, even though I am always approaching the child's parents ~ some places just no longer allow it at all.

On any given day you'll make some money, people will buy for the 'novelty' but you'll need other income, a business it is no longer, sadly.

tacofries

Red Nissan wrote: »

A mobile printing unit is almost unserviceable,

You won't cut it on an inkjet in a mobile situation, ink costs and paper make a 10x8" nearly €3 and another 60C for the folder.


On any given day you'll make some money, people will buy for the 'novelty' but you'll need other income, a business it is no longer, sadly.

Hi Red, What do you mean by almost unserviceable? I have sourced a printer that will print a 6 x 4 in 63 seconds at 40cent each. just the folder is costing me a euro! Where do you get your folders from? I would just need to make €3500 profit in the summer and I would be extremely happy. Really just want to have my own business as well..... like really really want to be my own man!!!!

stcstc

you can get dyesub that will print 6*4 in 7 or 8 secs, anc cost price per print is around 20 cent

prob is electric

tacofries

stcstc wrote: »

you can get dyesub that will print 6*4 in 7 or 8 secs, anc cost price per print is around 20 cent

prob is electric

Your right there, just as you said they're mains powered thus stall holder insurance + trading licience fee outweigh the benefits of cheap fast prints! The equipment is up on €1200 alone without the wifi capabilites which you would need with a printer like that!

stcstc

1200 is not a lot of money thought for kits to do this

customers of mine who do event type stuff, will have 10-20 or even 30 k worth of kit in the back or van or car

Red Nissan

tacofries wrote: »

Hi Red, What do you mean by almost unserviceable? I have sourced a printer that will print a 6 x 4 in 63 seconds at 40cent each. !!

By mobile printing I meant a laptop connected to a camera connected to a printer, AND trying to move around, it's been mentioned in the thread already, I had not read down before replying.

Over the shoulder printing can work, one needs to be an octopus though and a strong man, a few folders, printing cassettes and the 'light' printer become heavy enough.

Photovalue, link provided in another post. They are excellent and to JIT and COD which is a blessing in a cash business.

I can't remember the printer we used, it was a small Canon printer with WiFi, a three pass job in an out, needs a little room to do it's thing, it can be hand portable and run on batteries and it was €30 a cassette but bought by the case of ten and I think 25 sheets. It was photo realistic and not the cheap sub dye shimmer stuff.

Fukuyama

tacofries wrote: »

I would only print it off if they wanted to buy it! I'd be using a good camera and a dye-sublimation printer so if the customer said they would buy it as long as it was off good quality then I would have no worry with wastage or change of mind!

Would you have any link to where you can buy them! I have searched and the cheapest is €1 and they're not even customised!!!

I want to be fully portable. With a laptop I would need a table/stand, and as soon as this comes into it there is trading licience fee of €1500 and mandatory stall holder insurance of €280 making it way to expensive! The printer I'll be getting hangs around you neck in a carrier bag and operates of a rechargeable battery, thus I would have nothing holding me to one place!

If I didnt show the customer the phot before printing it would be realatively straightforward as I would only need 1 wire connecting the camera directly to the printer! With the tablet however things become quite a bit more complicated unfortunately!

Ahh I see.

Better go with a tablet then. I still wouldn't recommend an iPad, however. Go to Harvey Norman and buy a decent Android one for half the price. Or better yet, go second hand.

Keep an eye out for events and maybe customise your offering to the day.

Imagine how much cash you'd of raked in at FlightFest?!! Thousands of families all waiting around, bored etc... It'd be shooting fish in a barrel.

On rainy days, see if you can get into the likes of Sea World in bray (I'm assuming it's still open). :pac:

tricky D

I was in the US recently and came across this type of setup on 2 occasions at the California Academy of Sciences and at the start of the Grand Canyon heli tour. Both charged $20 and you'd pick up your 'snap' in a custom A4 folder later at the end of your journey. There was 2 significant differences in MO. The CAS photos were optional in both taking and purchasing, but the heli tour guys took a photo of everyone just before take-off and there would be a folder for everyone on return which was optional to buy. The heli op has a few things worth noting wrt market positioning/pricing: the tour is a high cost at a min $250, is a trip of a lifetime item and over an hour long, so a marginal $20 doesn't seem like so much and with say roughly 4 tours running an hour and taking about an hour, there's plenty of time (15 mins) to print off up to 8/9 photos and slide them in the folders and mount them in the arrivals display area. Of my trip 5 out of 6 passengers bought. None in my party had planned initially to buy, but once you see the end product in your hands later, when you're buzzing off the experience, the hooks get in and the $20 comes out easily. So if you can try to get close to that type of scenario you could be in clover.

Peterdalkey

Talk to a printer, they can pretty all much offer a folded customised greeting card style holder nicely printed with appropriate grahics for the attraction. They should have die cut corner slots to hold the pic! Should be under 20c a piece at a guess!

MagicMarker

I'm amazed the most important question hasn't been asked yet.

Are you actually a photographer? Do you know how to use a DSLR properly?

Corkbah

MagicMarker wrote: »

I'm amazed the most important question hasn't been asked yet.

Are you actually a photographer? Do you know how to use a DSLR properly?

to be fair the OP never mentioned a DSLR !! (at least I dont remember them saying so)

I see several plans with your flaw OP. (yes - deliberate switch of words)

the setup is pointless unless you have clients and to be honest - you dont have clients you are hoping for after sales.

if you are at a "tourist site" - you'll more than likely be on private/OPW property ? there are tonnes of costs involved that you seem to be missing ...insurance, equipment (replacement equipment). etc

what would you do OP if the equipment is stolen ? where do you park your vehicle (guessing you'll need to use a vehicle to transport the equipment) ? what happens if the printer breaks on the Saturday of a Bank holiday .... do you plan on having a replacement ready ? (thats more costs) ... or if the camera drops accidentally ? ...or if a tourist doesn't have euro's but has dollars or yen, or bhat .... do you accept ?

Do you also intend paying the various taxes and informing revenue of your work ? (always a sore point when it comes to people thinking they have a great photography idea)

the idea would have been great in the 60/70's and 80's when it was done - there was a guy on Dublin's O'Connell Street who would take your pic and give you a ticket, you would then goto the address on the ticket and buy your image, similar things were done in other parts of the country ...however, with digital photography .... why would anyone pay for someone to take their photo ...GOD knows ...everyone is a photographer these days ...and many of them with facebook accounts are professional and making money.

OP ... if you really wanted to do this.... learn event photography , learn about photography, learn about the true costs involved and then invest and hope it works,..... but be prepared to stand for hours on end.....day in ...day out .... same place ...some days earning nothing other days earning a couple of euro, after a few months/years you'll probably make it...but in the meantime.

you do realise OP that there was cameras in the past which printed the image right there and then .... built in printers !! (instant images) ....with this in mind wonder why polaroid stopped making profits ... the market has changed - people do NOT value photography anymore.

tacofries

MagicMarker wrote: »

I'm amazed the most important question hasn't been asked yet.

Are you actually a photographer? Do you know how to use a DSLR properly?

Im not a photographer.. However all I need to be able to do is to take a good quality photo in outdoor conditions... i think!

Totally agree on really going for the impulse buy showing customers what they're getting!

Corkbah

tacofries wrote: »

Im not a photographer.. However all I need to be able to do is to take a good quality photo in outdoor conditions... i think!

Totally agree on really going for the impulse buy showing customers what they're getting!

why would people want to buy a "good" photo ? people want the best as cheap as possible .

your ability to take a photo in this situation is not really important as its the camera that would be doing most of the work.

you do need marketing skills, a personality and ability to upsell or another person to handle the printing/sales while you do the photography.

tacofries

Corkbah wrote: »

to be fair the OP never mentioned a DSLR !! (at least I dont remember them saying so)



what would you do OP if the equipment is stolen ? where do you park your vehicle (guessing you'll need to use a vehicle to transport the equipment) ? what happens if the printer breaks on the Saturday of a Bank holiday .... do you plan on having a replacement ready ? (thats more costs) ... or if the camera drops accidentally ? ...or if a tourist doesn't have euro's but has dollars or yen, or bhat .... do you accept ?

Other qustions are pretty much covered earlier on in the post! equipment would be covered on house insurance I would say as the value is under €3000 and I have an interest in printing my own photos for personal use If the printer breaks I would have to suffer the loss of business. I would be willing to take this chance at the start of the business though and not have a replacement as I couldn't afford it! Surely the vast majority of tourists are going to have euro's as they need it to get buy in Ireland anyway!! Thanks for the reply

stcstc

think you will find once you start earning money from any of the equipment on your house insurance its no longer covered

sandin

You'd swear by some of the answers here that the OP is about to open a €100k operation in the middle of a love/hate scene.

He's a student with an idea for summer work that hopefully will give him some income and learn about business.

His earnings will be well below the 10k threshold for tax, he doesn't have a family or mortgage (at least it seems that he doesn't)

Any decent entrepreneur HAS to take risks. the best time to take risks is when you don't have financial/family ties.

I say go for it - if it doesn't work, find out why and learn from it, but from your posts my guess is you are not expecting to make a fortune and its a low priced entry into operating your own business, and the learning you get from operating a business in the real world, even a small one like this, is immeasurable.