Portrait business in tourist town

Out of curiosity, have you (as a tourist) ever paid a local photographer for a portrait? I don't travel much as just a tourist, but I can't think of once in a couple or so decades when I've been tempted. I do recall being harassed by wandering street portraitists (who were also selling flowers) a few times. They wanted $25 for a 4x6, but could be talked down to $15. I never saw any of them make a sale, though I did see them pre-emptively make prints in an effort to secure a sale... and no go.

I'm sure the success of this tactic or business model will vary hugely from one location and demographic to the next. But in the absence of demand, you have to CREATE demand. And out amongst tourists, that strikes me as expensive (tiring) money to earn. So, not trying to be a wet blanket here (much), but this strikes me as a delicate proposition, profitability-wise. These days everyone travels with an OK consumer camera, and seem pretty happy to ask the waiter (whom they're tipping anyway) to try a few shots of them... you've got to really raise that bar while also keeping the price you charge totally within the impulse-purchase threshold. With travel itself becoming far more expensive of late, you'd want to think very carefully about how big a role that line of work would play in your bottom line.

The best success in the tourist photo industry by far is Disney. They have a captive audience, decent photographers, and a product that people want to buy lots of.

Now, I'm not familiar with Maine, but last time I checked they didn't have a Disney, but that's not to say there aren't local attractions that people will pay to have their picture taken at. Private attractions are the best (work out a deal with the owner), public ones are tougher, because there's always someone who will take your photo if you take theirs (for free) or as mentioned above, the waiter.

One of the tourist traps by my boyhood home used to have an old time photo shoppe. You could dress in any number of period (think 1800's) costumes (they were for the most part easy on / off ...exception was the women's clothes ;-)) They charged $15. for a single 8x10 (pre digital days) Don't know if they're still in business or not, but they seemed to do okay for themselves.

Again, it's all about creating demand and finding that niche.

Dave

Forgot one thing, Yes, Matt, I have paid a photographer for photos of my family on vacation (read DISNEY...:-) ) they have cool borders and other things that aren't available to most of us mortals!

Again it's about supply and demand!

Dave

I used one of those old west dress up photography studios 30 some years ago. They still exist several places I know. I have a feeling that a seasonal business in Maine may not have the draw to stay very active.

What I think would have the potential is a Disney Photopass style operation in the real national parks, not just the imitations at the resorts. However, so many people have their own reasonably good cameras and are willing to ask others to take their pictures, I'm not sure there's even a market there. (Not even getting into the issues of developing the concessionaire contracts and contacts). I'm sure there are some spots on the edge of a meadow or the rim of the Grand Canyon, etc., where you could stage off a little zone that wasn't full of too many people too close.

An angle to think about: Based on what one of the previous posters said about not spending that much money on an impulse buy - what if you were to market to them before they left to go on vacation, as in, make the contacts via the www and set ups times and places, etc to shoot. Many families travel distances and meet other family members for the week or weekend, and setting up a time and place to get that once-a-year portrait taken with their whole clan might be an angle to think about.

Just a thought. I love Maine. Brad

I Love Maine too would be cool to fome up with a way to live there. Running a portraitbusiness would be fun. would have to convience people to spend there money and that my portraits would look a lot better than holiday snaps. I was thinking people are more relaxed and have more time on holiday. I would target the high end market because as it was rightly said : people have digal cameras and can take a decent photo.

Hi Matthew,

You seem to be interested mostly in building a business that would put you where you want to live. There's nothing wrong with that, but I think you're going to have a hard time doing it with a camera. Even so, here are my thoughts: As alluded above, you will be able to sell your work only if you can offer the tourists something they don't already have. What do they have? They all have a digital camera that they believe is very good. They all have photographic skills that, for the most part, what they feel are adequate. They all have access to the local tourist areas. When they get home, they can all go to Target, where they can buy "high-end" portraiture. You can't expand on that. On the other hand, you can offer your local knowledge and take tourists on photographic outings, where you can teach them photography and take them to fruitful locations. THAT is what I'd try.

Hi all,

Well, here's an example where it really works.

We had a photo shoot out on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay a few months ago (four photographers, 70 Civil War re-enactors). The only way to the island is a ferry boat, either from San Francisco, or another from Sausolito. The vast majority of tourists come from the SF side.

We had a special ferry to get us all out to the island early that morning, so were there long before the tourists would typically start to arrive. While we were waiting I noticed a very large photo kiosk set up right there at the ferry boat dock, where crowds headed for the island were forced to wait for the hourly ferry. You had to walk *right* past it, from the ticket window to the dock, or going the other way from the dock to the coffee shop/restrooms/curio shop. Talk about a great place for a franchise!

The kiosk had a very big "mural" of the island at one end of the kiosk, a photo taken from a boat in the Bay, I'm sure, and posed the turistas in front of that to snap their photo. Then the folks would go off to tour the island (usually at least 2 or 3 hours). When they returned, they picked up their $20 commemorative photo (Minimum price... but I forget the size... 5x7? 8x10?).

Anyway, even on a blustery Winter day, they were doing a ton of business. When we returned in the afternoon it was raining hard, but there was still a long, long line of people waiting to pick up their pre-paid prints. I seem to recall the park service telling us there had been over 3000 visitors to the island that day (not counting us).

In this case, there's really no way to get a similar shot yourself, unless you figure out how to walk on water halfway out to the island. And, I'm sure it helps that it's tied to a very well known and historic site. Plus, it's a huge draw for foreign tourists, who I think are more inclined to have this sort of photo taken than most Americans (who, themselves, might act differently overseas).