Innovative Photography Studio Blink To Pursue Retail Expansion

A new age of photography studio experience is here — and growing. Blink Inc., the brainchild of award-winning photographer Tristan Davison, recently raised $3.6 million in Series A funding. The finance round was led by Chris Cook and partners from Riata Capital Group, Chris Hansen from Valiant Capital Partners, and David Zoba, Senior Real Estate Strategy Advisor at Gap Inc.

Founded in early 2014, the startup aims to provide a streamlined studio experience through instant scheduling as well as real-time photo delivery. With Blink, customers can book professional shoots — which range in length from 10 to 120 minutes and start at $25 — online through desktop or mobile. The result of these shoots? Hundreds of quality photographs that they can then instantly view, buy, and share via Blink’s website using their computers or smartphones.

This concept stems from Davison’s vision of making professional-level photography readily accessible to the everyday consumer. “Photo studios have been around for more than one hundred years, but at Blink Inc. we are taking a new approach,” he said in a company statement. And this new approach seems to be working in the company’s favor: while the increasing ubiquity of smartphone photography has caused a general decline in professional photography sales, what Blink’s been doing has been well received so far, as evidenced through customer testimonials as well as its successful round of financing.

Blink’s newly acquired funds are to be used for further expansion; the company is now investing in more brick-and-mortar locations throughout California, working toward its ultimate goal of running hundreds of stores worldwide. It recently opened a location in Fashion Island in Newport Beach, with another planned for Westfield Topanga in Canoga Park later this year. These will operate in addition to its two-year-old pilot location at Town Center Corte Madera in Corte Madera, as well as a store in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara. This growth is part of what Davison describes as an “ambitious expansion plan” that aims to “brin[g] professional, beautiful, and affordable photography to everyone.”

With double the stores to manage, a real-time experience to provide, and the instant results of smartphone cameras to compete with, the startup will need to make sure that it is maximizing efficiency and productivity throughout all locations. Despite this challenge, however, Blink’s success so far sends out a clear message to all current — and aspiring — retailers: the world of brick-and-mortar is far from dead yet.