Photos of children and families taken by the studio are presented in a variety of media and offered to advertising agencies, and as part owners of the copyright, customers reap a reward by sharing in the royalties.

The company has even created its owned brand name for its children's studio: Smile Kids.

Pradya Wutthithumrong, managing director of Max Fine Studio, said the concept enabled customers to use their interesting photos for unique advertising concepts.

The studio asks customers to sign a copyright agreement making them co-owners of the materials and paying them 35 per cent of the total value when the materials are sold to an agency.

"We can claim to be the first studio in Thailand to give copyright ownership to our customers," he said.

Pradya and his three partners spent Bt3 million to set up the shop in 2004. All four previously worked at Plan Publishing Co Ltd, owner of Rak Luk (Baby Love) magazine for 10 years before leaving to establish their own business.

He said they had suggested a children's studio to Plan Studio's management as a new marketing service to meet customer demand. However, as in any big organisation, new ideas were slow to materialise.

Pradya and a couple of his partners are experienced photographers. Besides taking pictures of children, they have had their general shots appear in commercial advertising, in magazines and for major events in the Kingdom.

Pradya himself was selected by the Royal Household Bureau to serve as the official photographer for all activities during the country's biggest celebration this year, the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne.

He said the children's-studio concept had originally come from South Korea. Parents there arrange a big traditional ceremony for their one-year-olds in which items like pencils and money are set down for the child to choose from. The object that the child picks up tells what it will be when it grows up, and the parents want the event captured on film for posterity.

He noted that the studio industry had a great growth potential in Thailand, with the now entrenched traditions of couples going to wedding studios to have their photos taken and families having their photos taken, particularly with the children.

Meticulously recording the growth of a family's newest generation through photography has become a favourite activity. Many parents bring their children to the studio every three months until they are three.

"Families are not reluctant to pay for their kids' photos. They're even willing to pay extra for additional shots outside the package," said Pradya, adding that his studio's photo packages started at Bt3,500, ranging all the way up to Bt33,000 for 60 shots.

He said taking such photos was not easy, because the studio specialised in children's natural behaviour, which meant focusing on the child and then waiting for just the right expression or action to occur. Families spend up to three hours with their children posing for a shoot, and it takes at least a month to process a single job in order to ensure the highest quality.

"Since you can't control their emotions, you have to treat the children as if they were your own. If you don't do that, you cannot deliver quality," he said, noting that never scolding the children was the studio's golden rule.

Pradya said he wanted to see more newcomers in the business in order to make the market more vibrant and that the industry needed more experienced photographers.

He said the studio was not a high-profit business, what with production costs eating up 65 per cent of the revenues, and had to work closely with expensive photo labs to ensure high quality.

The company's total annual revenues average Bt7 million. Of that, Bt3.7 million comes from the child shoots.

Pradya is looking for sites in Bangkok to open five new Smile Kids studio. The new studios will also expand into children's products and accessories.

To promote his business, Pradya has launched marketing campaigns in cooperation with children's magazines and other child-related businesses, and gives discount coupons.

Achara Pongvutitham

The Nation