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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Start a Digital Photography Business in Nigeria

A digital photography business is one which involves the commercial taking of pictures and photo shots for different people. Such shots could include passport photos, full length photos and portraits among others.
This business as an SME business is especially suitable for people seeking part time income such as students, workers who do not earn much or small scale businessmen looking to spread their tentacles.

For as little as N 15,000 one can start a digital photography business taking shots of people at social events such as weddings, parties, conferences among other social gatherings or in very busy places such as universities and other institutions of higher learning or in commercial areas like business districts of the Lagos metropolis (Yaba especially Tejuosho, CMS, Ikeja among others).

Equipments needed for a digital photography business include;

1. A digital Camera or maybe two or more possibly
2. A printer
3. A photo studio
4. One or two computers
5. Lighting sets
6. Other studio equipments

Note that you do not need all these to start except the digital camera which must be of good quality. You could be flexible about the business if you have little funds charging customers the fees for snapping them but going elsewhere to print your shots if you do not have the resources to start with all the equipments.

Hiring workers

As a small start up entrepreneur you could be your only employee, however if you which to combine your full time job with this business you may need to employ a clerk who of course should be trust worthy. Ideal candidates for this job would be young school leavers seeking to occupy themselves with work. Salary range could be N 10,000 to N 20,000 monthly.

Labour requirement is not stringent as a clerk who doubles as an assistant and apprentice can be employed to serve or attend to customers in your absence although more hands might become necessary as the business grows.

Challenges faced in this business

Like all businesses that run on electricity, the poor state of electricity supply is a major challenge any person thinking of doing this business will face. The use of generators is a must if you are going to run the business especially when you have many orders to contend with. Another problem might also be location as most digital photography businesses that do well are usually situated in easy to locate and accessible places where a lot of first time customers can work in for their jobs. Getting to pay rent in such places isn’t mean stuff.

Opportunities in this business

Many businesses have brands that need promotion. The digital revolution has also ensured that nobody considers using the cameras of the 1980s and 90s. People want to look better than their real selves and one way to do this is to improve on the quality of photos with hi definition digital cameras. Also there will always be the need to submit documents for official purposes hence people would naturally want to upload or print their pictures.

Learning the basics about the business

1. Ensure that you have great picture taking skills. Customers will certainly mess you up if you render them poor services.
2. Service delivery is king in this business as many obscure photography businesses are thriving thanks to the effect of word of mouth and referrals from satisfied customers.
3. Where and when to get new photo materials must be clearly noted because failure to do this might mean running behind schedule on jobs given to you.
4. You could find out more about this business when you research into the

opportunities and requirements.

In conclusion digital photography although not offering the same opportunities as more lucrative SME ventures can be a stepping stone towards other related businesses that offer bigger and more promising rewards.

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