A shining star of central New York, Syracuse is a lovely city at the edge of a lake, with plenty of public places and private properties that look great on film! If you've been searching for unique locations to set your business apart from the rest, you may want to consider capturing its beauty on your next shoot.
Photographers love Giggster! Whether you're scouting locations for drop-dead gorgeous wedding photos or well-equipped indoor studios that you can fully customize to suit your creative vision, building your portfolio has never been this easy.
Especially if you're trying to minimize spending and maximize profit, you can't go wrong with a fun Syracuse studio from our site! We offer maximum value for the lowest prices so you can take care of your bottom line without sacrificing quality.
Looking for the best place to take your business? No matter what kind of photo shoot you have in your books, the picture-perfect Syracuse properties on the Giggster app are guaranteed to have a high visual impact!
Whether you’re a portrait photographer leading couples on a fall adventure across the city or you just scored a big commercial contract and need to brainstorm client-impressing backdrops stat, the Giggster app gives you access to every great place to take photos, like:
Take your engagement session to the next level with private access to a local museum. A shoot full of looking at paintings, sneaking kisses in the doorway, and running through hallways with historic characters is not just utterly romantic—it’s a masterclass in creative portraiture.
For your next family lifestyle shoot, commercial, or childrenswear line branding content, consider renting out a kid's play space. From a small park with outdoor attractions to indoor play areas and arcades, it could be exactly what you need to add some authenticity to your next tyke-centered shoot!
In all their vintage beauty, historic homes make the ideal backdrop for wedding 'getting ready' photos and bridal portraits, creative projects, and tasteful boudoirs. With plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces to work with, ornate railings, original furnishing, and old brick exteriors, these are sure to add tons of variety to your gallery.
Exceptional Variety & Quality: From quirky local museums to converted warehouses in the eastern suburbs, the best place for your next shoot is right around the corner. With 8 picture-perfect backdrops available for private use, we guarantee you’ll find something better than any of the public places you’re used to shooting and fighting off crowds.
Hassle-Free Booking: We know the best gift we can give you is simplicity. That’s why we’ve optimized the Giggster app for easy, transparent booking and affordable rates as low as $50/hour!
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: We know a lot goes into planning the perfect photo shoot—between balancing modeling schedules, creative visions, and weather forecasts. Our 24-hour grace period allows you to make changes as needed within 24 hours of receiving booking confirmation, so long as you book more than 48 hours before your shoot.
Platform Protections: Don’t put your business on the line! When renting out top Syracuse locations like Underground Indie Shopping + Creative Venue, all you need to do is add a protection plan to your package and our professional team will make disruption, damage, and liability concerns disappear!
The best way to avoid unexpected delays and interruptions is to plan ahead with some insider knowledge. Especially if you’re new to Syracuse, here are a few things you may want to keep in mind before taking on a new business venture:
Advantages
This city is chalked full of hiking trails and greenspaces if you want to get back to nature during the warmer months and admire everything in bloom in the park. Looking for suggestions? Plan some stops at the shores of Skaneateles Lake, Clinton Square, Thornden Park, Armory Square, and Franklin Square.
The Syracuse creative market is not oversaturated, making it easier to make your mark and connect with the ideal client.
Downtown Syracuse offers significantly more affordable amenities and services than New York City, making your visit easier on the wallet.
There's lots of delicious food on the scene, so refueling at local restaurants is a must.
Disadvantages
Public transportation is rather limited, which can be a challenge for clients/models.
Winter in Syracuse is snowy and cold. While this can make for some stunning shots, it will limit your shoot window based on comfort and natural light. On the other hand, summer promises long days and a wicked golden hour.
Crime rates are a common concern for locals so you may want to be extra careful when toting around your expensive gear!
Whether you’re interested in gorgeous New York scenery or a versatile blank slate for production, we’ve got the perfect Syracuse location for you. Here are some photographer favorites in this area of town:
Photography Studio – All You Need in One Space. What better place to shoot than a space optimized for your craft? These venues offer ample natural light and professional lighting equipment, backdrops, speakers so you can blast some tunes and get into the creative zone, and comfort stations with refreshments and other shoot supplies. Whether you’re planning holiday minis, branding shoots, or high fashion editorials, these spaces are great for collaboration.
Concert Venues – The Bar Scene. It’s a bit niche, but if you’re looking for “club vibes” at your next shoot, these venues of neon lights and smoke evoke the feeling of being lost in a crowd. This could be a perfect way to build your portfolio for the concert photography market with some epic stage shots, or it could even work for the launch of a new alcohol line or mobile bartending service’s branding shoot.
Industrial Event Spaces – Flexible and Modern. From large-scale shoots or edgy personal projects, these spaces of exposed brick and iron beams are the perfect place to play with negative space and creative lighting. Transform the space completely or work with the dramatic nature of an empty warehouse—the choice is yours.
A great location and a vision are not the only things you need to execute a flawless shoot from start to finish. For the best photos at the end of the day, take advantage of these planning tips:
Make a Vision Board – Whatever that looks like for you, finding some way to pull your thoughts together and create an overall vibe for your project is helpful in the early stages of planning, especially if you need to communicate your ideas to clients.
Find Your Models – The stars of your shoot will have a HUGE impact on the final result, so if you are shooting a subject other than your client (in the case of wedding/family photography), be sure to give yourself proper time to search for the right model. The right “look” is super important, but so is past experience and the ability to take direction.
Prep Your Equipment – Format your cards, charge your batteries, and clean your lenses. Always ensure everything is up to snuff and have spares on hand so you can keep the ball rolling if something goes awry.
Curate Your Social Media Content – Let’s be real—your work is your biggest marketing tool, so don’t be afraid to post what you’re up to. You don’t even have to wait for the final results! Behind-the-scenes clips make for great Instagram and TikTok content and help prospective clients connect with you as a creative.
Planning the perfect photo shoot can be costly, especially if you’re hiring models and have an extensive list of props and specialty equipment needed. To increase profit, you may want to consider some of these ways to reduce your cost of doing business:
Take advantage of TFP collaborations.
Sometimes there are a surprising amount of hires that go into a photo shoot. Do you need models? Florists? Fashion designers? Makeup artists? Hair stylists? If this is a passion project for you and not a paid job, there’s nothing wrong with putting some feelers out there and seeing who may want to work together to bring your vision to life. The idea here is that everybody works for free (or at a heavily reduced rate) in exchange for the photos for their own portfolios.
Don’t personally take on studio or transportation costs.
You’re running a business here! If you’ve been hired by someone to make this shoot happen, charge the client for the studio and travel fees if you’re coming from out of town. This is an industry-standard and should be expected, especially if they’ve requested something specific. Whether or not you directly pass this cost on a transparent line on the invoice or you build it into their custom quote, ensure that renting a space and getting to it doesn’t eat into your profit!
Rent higher-quality gear before upgrading.
If you’ve been thinking you could use some new equipment, or a specific lighting setup/lens could be useful for your next shoot, consider renting it. Not only will this help you to save money for the bigger purchase over a longer period of time (aka fewer impulse buys that can cause your bank account to take an unexpected hit) but it also helps ensure you make a worthwhile investment on equipment you actually like.
Need to get some creative work done in the Syracuse area? From historic homes with striking architecture to well-equipped studios in central locations, the Giggster app can connect you to the perfect location for all your photography needs.