Forty years ago this month in 1983, I started my business, originally called Freelance PhotoImages. I was fresh out of college and due to the November 1982 recession recently released from an assistant position with a well-known Newbury Street photographer. To keep up cash flow, I spent the next four months bartending, stocking shelves at Toys “R” Us, and helping out at a mom-and-pop color lab called Panna Photo which offered large format prints.
One of their clients used the lab to print tradeshow prints, and after learning I was an RIT grad, offered me a job shooting their products. While I had all the necessary camera equipment, I didn’t have the required lighting equipment needed in the days of film. At the time, the equipment cost a substantial sum which I didn’t have, but a family friend offered to loan me the money.
Yours truly in my first office circa 1983
I remember talking with my girlfriend (wife now) explaining that I was thinking of borrowing the funds, buying the lights, and going into business. I reasoned that we had very little debt, no car payments, no mortgage, and no children. What was there to lose? She agreed, and the business was born.
Above is the cover of the portfolio I used during these years when meeting with prospects. On the right is one of my first ads - I didn’t even need an area code in those days!
From day one, I decided to do only corporate work – no weddings, bar mitzvahs, or anything of that nature. I offered lifestyle, product, and architectural photography, plus executive portraiture. My marketing strategy was straightforward – offer a superior product at a fair price and deliver it on time. It worked.
That ‘s my original rate sheet on the left and my first professional job above.
A year later, after marrying Deb, we purchased the Framingham house, which had an unfinished 28’x48’ two-story garage next to it. We spent the next few years building out the garage and turning it into a first-class studio. It had 11-foot ceilings, a dressing room/bathroom, and large office/conference area on the 2nd floor. I did all the construction myself with the help of friends. I was bootstrapping and financed all construction materials from business profits as they came in.
This is my studio in-progress. It took several years but turned out to be a first class facility.
In the high-tech heyday, I was knee-deep in product photography, and the studio got a lot of use. I also did a lot of location shooting, frequently setting up in a conference room or on the production floor. Business thrived until the internet bubble burst, and it was clear that my company had to adapt. I researched moving into digital photography, which was still in its infancy, but I clearly saw the benefits. To go digital meant a $50,000.00 investment that could be obsolete in a year, given the rapid pace of technology. However, it took out the middlemen making digital film scans, and I’d have much more control.
In 2000 I took the leap when Nikon came out with its first professional DSLR. Along with it I purchased a top-of-the-line Mac laptop computer and editing software. Digital allowed me complete control from concept to deliverable – and no film lab to screw things up. I did one last job on 4 x 5 film and have never looked back.
It may not look particularly hi-tech now, but this equipment was state-of-the-art and pretty much unrivaled in the area.
At about the same time, it became increasingly clear I should specialize. So, I threw a virtual dart at the wall, and it landed on Architectural Photography. That ended up being a really good dart. Soon after, we went through another recession, which put a lot of studio/product photographers out of business. Ironically, commercial construction has a seven-year cycle - concept to occupancy. That meant many of the buildings I was shooting were completed in the peak years of the recession. Fortunately, I learned that while people were willing to forego product photography, an architect or builder would not cut corners when photographing their multi-million-dollar buildings. Even the smaller firms who were stretched thin on their projects knew they had to look like the big guys when it came to marketing, so using a good professional photographer was an expense they were willing to incur. Hence my business weathered the storm.
This is some of my earliest architectural work which served as a springboard to bigger jobs.
As my business evolved, I decided to rename it - transitioning from Freelance PhotoImages to ShupeStudios. The word Freelance didn’t have the professional connotation I wanted, and I learned there was another PhotoImages out there. The name was right when I launched the business; however, the time was right to professionalize the name while making it more personal; and I rebranded as ShupeStudios. People liked the new name, it rolls off the tongue, and is easy to remember – I’m glad I made the switch.
This is my first website and shows the new name and logo circa 2011.
In 2020, with my children out of college, we decided to downsize out of our beloved Framingham house/studio. The house was too big, and shooting primarily architectural work, the studio was not getting used. On occasion, when I do studio work, I can use other space but most of the time all concerned find it easier to shoot at the client’s location.
You may ask where I anticipate going from here. The short answer is that I love my job, so plan to keep shooting. I’m always learning, always improving, and find that staying on top of technology is fascinating. One of the few things that has not evolved in my business is my marketing strategy which is as good today as it was 40 years ago – offer a superior product at a fair price and deliver it on time.
Forty years later, and the best is yet to come. With that said, let me close with the question I always ask my clients - How can I help you today?