Feasability of selling Impossible Project 8x10 prints on the street?

[brightmatter]

Hi everyone,
I was chatting recently to a street photographer in New York who made some of his money selling passers-by 4x5 instant prints of themselves for about $20-30 per print and I've been wondering whether I should try something similar in London with Impossible 8x10 instant film. Has anyone here ever attempted something similar? Do you happen to have any tips on approaching this? Also, any advice on the most affordable way to get a decent 8x10 portrait setup (pinhole or fixed lens perhaps?) would be much appreciated! This is probably a bit of a hare-brained idea but seeing as how fascinated people are with large format cameras, it could be quite a fun way of making some extra cash.
Kind Regards,
Rowan

[Tin Can]

In 90's Chicago an old guy with 3x4 Polaroid camera and flash, Pro looking, used to hit Punk clubs. Meaning he came in, approached obvious couples of any persuasion and offered to photograph them. He kept samples in his fedora.

He became well known on the circuit, I was on, however I was not shooting. He worked midnight to 4am. I watched him sell single Polaroids for $10, 10 to 15 per visit. These were big clubs. Lot's of people. He came and went in 15 minutes and often made 2 or 3 visits to each place. Not weekends, but when professionals drink. Not for the faint of heart.

He wasted no time, was very friendly and professional. I am sure he cleared $500 on a good night.

His clients knew him, trusted him and were drunk lovers.

One day he never was seen again.

[vinny]

You might break even. I wouldn't worry about making a profit.

[BarryS]

The issue I see is the high cost of 8x10 instant film. You'd need to sell the prints at $50-$60 minimum, and that's a lot for an impulse purchase on the street. The cost of your setup would make it an uphill battle just to break even--check the prices of Polaroid 8x10 holders and processors. Alternatively, you could build an Afghan box type camera and your startup and materials costs would be very low.

[brightmatter]

You might break even. I wouldn't worry about making a profit.

The issue I see is the high cost of 8x10 instant film. You'd need to sell the prints at $50-$60 minimum, and that's a lot for an impulse purchase on the street. The cost of your setup would make it an uphill battle just to break even--check the prices of Polaroid 8x10 holders and processors. Alternatively, you could build an Afghan box type camera and your startup and materials costs would be very low.

This is exactly my thought, although I could probably get away with around £20-35, since the film is £13 per sheet. I think it all depends on demand really. I need to find an area with plenty of moneyed, inquisitive types (tourists always seem to have the cash for such things as this!) I also agree that a very simple camera with little to no movements would be the way to go. All in with one box of film I'd hope to spend around 600-800 pounds. As vinny said, I'll worry first about breaking even, then I can think about making a profit. Since I'll soon be starting university, I'm not exactly swimming in dough (!) but where there's a will there's a way!
Thanks for the words of advice guys,
Rowan

[brightmatter]

In 90's Chicago an old guy with 3x4 Polaroid camera and flash, Pro looking, used to hit Punk clubs. Meaning he came in, approached obvious couples of any persuasion and offered to photograph them. He kept samples in his fedora.

He became well known on the circuit, I was on, however I was not shooting. He worked midnight to 4am. I watched him sell single Polaroids for $10, 10 to 15 per visit. These were big clubs. Lot's of people. He came and went in 15 minutes and often made 2 or 3 visits to each place. Not weekends, but when professionals drink. Not for the faint of heart.

He wasted no time, was very friendly and professional. I am sure he cleared $500 on a good night.

His clients knew him, trusted him and were drunk lovers.

One day he never was seen again.

Sounds just like the mysterious photographer I mentioned speaking to in my initial post!

[paulr]

If you can think of some angle for the project that gets the public imagination involved, you might be able to get the film company to sponsor you.

[goamules]

Photographers with Speed Graphics used to show up at a lot of tourist bars and restaurants from the 1930s until probably the 1980s. In Mexico, they still were shooting Polaroids until the 1990s when I went down there. But that's handheld 4x5, not 8x10. Today, I have doubts:

- That was pre-internet, today everyone has gotten used to free everything on the web. The won't buy music, books, or anything without first checking to see if it's free on the web.
- Then, having a photo to remember the occasion was a rare thing. Today everyone is taking selfies and dinner plate shots with their phones.
- Having tried to sell wetplate portraits in several venues over the years, I've learned people are very reluctant to part with their money for photos. It depends on the location, but most art shows, street fairs, and historic places I've set up I get about 1 customer for every 400 lookie loos.

[brightmatter]

It depends on the location, but most art shows, street fairs, and historic places I've set up I get about 1 customer for every 400 lookie loos.

Wow, that's a lot of lookie loos for one sale! Could I ask how much you were charging for a print?

[Jim Jones]

I suspect success with such an endeavor would depend more on salesmanship than equipment or photographic ability. Even so, being able to produce sharp and well exposed portraits on the first try are important. An Afghan-style camera can be fast to operate with a string or rod determining the correct plane of focus. If the camera is free to move a few inches longitudinally. the rod can move the camera to tweak the focus. Then the photographer can step out of the picture, direct the sitter's eyes as desired, and trip the shutter with a remote release. Such equipment need not and probably should not look new out of the box. The economics of the project may be more problematic than the technique.