Business / Community Service Idea

First, let me say, I am all about giving back. I donate my time to a volunteer photography organization as well as give freebies away quite often.

That being said, I have a business idea, and I wondered what other's opinions might be.

When my dad was in a nursing home for 3 years, he was very limited on where he could go/what he could do. Nursing homes often bring things IN because so many of the residents are unable to get out. This is because many are imobile. Some do not have family who is medically qualified to care for them outside the nursing home. Some do not have a way to be transported due to restrictions of wheelchairs, etc. And, the LAST thing a family wants to do, after managing to take the time and effort to take a loved one out of the nursing home, is sit at a portrait studio getting photos done. So, from there I sparked an idea...

What if I brought my portable studio to them? When do you think the last time any of the residents had photos taken with their family? When do you think the last time was that family had the opportunity to have professional portraits taken?

My plans are to contact nursing homes to see if there is an interest in this service. If there is, I could bring my studio to them. They could pre-advertise it and make it part of a "family day" or something. I could then take professional portraits (backdrops/lighting/et​c.) of the resident with their children, grandchildren, significant others, etc.

I would give a 5 x 7 copy to the resident as a gift, and offer to the family affordable packages to purchase.

Do you guys think this would fly? It's not an area I've ever seen someone else venture into...so it's unique in itself, I think.

Would love to hear your ideas/suggestions/conc​erns/etc.! Thank you!

I like it. I have an idea myself for a community service-type offering, but I'll keep it to myself until I've thought about it more. Good for you for thinking about things like that... I'm sure a lot of those people would LOVE it.

did you take pictures of your dad while he was in the nursing home?

Jimbers,

No, no formal portraits taken during the entire 3 years he was in the nursing home, though I wish I had. I fell into the category of "it was too hard to get him out (he was immobile", and even if I could have, the LAST thing I would have wanted to do was go and sit at a portrait studio.

He's gone now - 12 years. I wish I had pictures with him those last few years. They would be priceless now.

i'm not talking about professional photos, did you even take snapshots of him? perhaps more to the point, do you want people/strangers taking pictures of you when you're old and dying? if you don't hesitate at all in answering yes to those questions, then by all means, feel free to inquire about the solicitation policies at your local nursing homes.

I've considered this idea myself. I have seen it done before but I do not know the success rate. I'm guessing if nursing homes were a viable photographic market, they would already be tapped. On the other hand, it may be worth a try. If you generate interest, I'm guessing it will be from the families of the residents and not the residents in most cases.....but I'm just guessing. Give it a try and see what happens

Jimber...yes, while my father was alive I did take snapshots and video as well. The misunderstanding may be this, not all residents in a nursing home are old and dying. There are many long-term, non critical residents who reside in nursing homes for a multitude of reasons. Some of them may like their photos taken with family members - a service they don't normally have access to.

I called a nursing home near my house today, just to put a feeler out. I talked with the activities director and ran my ideas past her. She stated that this is something she feels the nursing home would be very interested in, and it is something that has never been offered to them before. She is going to talk to other administrators about the idea and we are to get back together in about a week. I think it's worth a shot to at least try it once and see how it goes. Not only would it be something nice for the residents, but it might fill a need otherwise overlooked.

Thanks for your input everyone!