Stills
Stills is a registered Scottish charity founded in 1977 operating as a centre for photography in Edinburgh, delivering gallery exhibitions, subsidised courses, Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms, a 2,000-volume lending library, equipment hire, venue hire, and the STILLSAUTOMAT photobooth.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Stills does
Stills is a registered Scottish charity (SC014136) operating as a centre for photography from a single premises at 23 Cockburn Street in Edinburgh's Old Town, established in 1977. The organisation runs three free-entry gallery exhibitions per year, alongside an events programme of artist talks, screenings, workshops, and book launches. It maintains Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms (four private suites plus one large communal darkroom), the country's only dry-to-dry colour print processing facilities, and a digital training suite with Apple iMac workstations and Adobe Creative Suite. In October 2024 it added STILLSAUTOMAT, Scotland's only analogue photobooth, funded by Project Echo.
The business spans a broad portfolio of paid services: subsidised courses and workshops, photography equipment hire (cameras, lighting, audio, video, tripods), a lending library of 2,000+ photography books (launched as a paid service in 2024 at £15 registration), tiered venue hire (£150-£600/day for gallery, production facilities, and flexible space), and a shop selling limited-edition prints, film, paper, and merchandise. Income is generated across six principal streams: facility/venue hire, equipment hire, course fees, shop sales, membership subscriptions, and grants/donations.
Revenue model is hybrid charity: earned income from individual transactions (small-ticket photobooth strips at £7, prints at £25, equipment hire at £5-£60/24 hours) is layered with recurring membership/patronage revenue (Friends £25-£75/year; Patrons £1,000-£5,000/year) and a substantial grant base from Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, and a roster of charitable foundations. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the physical venue, the stills.org website shop, Eventbrite for events, and Bloomberg Connects as a digital guide channel. The customer base is long-tail and diversified across photography enthusiasts, learners, practising photographers, arts patrons, and corporate/private event clients, with 28 staff supporting operations.
Stills firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stills
- Legal name
- Stills Ltd
- Website
- https://stills.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stills is a registered Scottish charity founded in 1977 operating as a centre for photography in Edinburgh, delivering gallery exhibitions, subsidised courses, Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms, a 2,000-volume lending library, equipment hire, venue hire, and the STILLSAUTOMAT photobooth.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stills industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photography Centre / Visual Arts Services
- NAICS
- Photographic Services (54192), Commercial Photography (541922), Photofinishing (81292), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Videography Workshops (THAJAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB), Venue & Facility Reservations (Private Rooms, Event Spaces) (HSACALAJ)
Keywords
Where Stills is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stills business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Membership and Donations: Friends membership programme with individual (£40), duo (£75), and student (£25) tiers. Patronage programme at £1,000, £3,000, and £5,000 annually. Donations accepted from £3 to £250.
- Venue and Facility Hire: Gallery hire (Half day £350, Full day £600), production facilities (Evening £250-Half day £350-Full day £550), flexible space (Evening £150-Half day £200-Full day £300). Also equipment hire and STILLSAUTOMAT photobooth sessions.
- Courses and Learning: Subsidised photography and digital media training programmes with various course offerings
- Shop and Retail: Sale of limited edition prints (£25), publications, photographic film and paper, gifts including merchandise, cyanotype products, and Kodak-branded items
- Library Services: Lending library with £15 one-off registration fee. Over 2000 books available for borrowing
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Friend Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Duo Friend Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Friend Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron (£1,000) |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron (£3,000) |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron (£5,000) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gallery Hire |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Production Facilities Hire |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Flexible Space Hire |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Profoto B10 Lighting Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Manfrotto Photography Tripod |
| Subscription | Annual | Library Registration |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | GoPro Hero 4 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fuji GFX 100s |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Friend Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Limited Edition Prints |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Stillsautomat Gift Voucher |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | STILLSAUTOMAT Photobooth |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Stills product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stills operates as a centre for photography offering free-entry gallery exhibitions (three per year), subsidised photography and digital media training courses, and access to production facilities including Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms and the only dry-to-dry colour print processing facilities in Scotland. Complementary paid services include STILLSAUTOMAT (Scotland's only analogue photobooth), equipment hire (cameras, lighting, audio, video), venue hire for private and corporate events, a lending library of 2,000+ photography books, Friends and Patrons membership programmes, and an online shop selling prints, film, paper, and merchandise.
Product overview
Stills is a centre for photography offering a comprehensive portfolio of services centred on exhibitions, education, and production facilities. The core offerings include gallery exhibitions (three per year), photography courses and learning programmes, and production facilities featuring Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms and digital labs. Additional services include equipment hire (analogue cameras, digital cameras, audio, video, and studio equipment), a lending library with over 2000 photography books, venue hire, and an events programme. Stills also operates STILLSAUTOMAT, Scotland's only analogue photobooth. The shop sells photographic film, paper, limited edition prints, publications, and gifts. Membership programmes (Friends and Patrons) provide discounts and exclusive access to facilities and events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Three gallery exhibitions per year with free entry
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Stills
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Stills technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Stills partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Detail Framing StudiominorLocal partner offering 10% discount to Stills Friends members
- Edinburgh PrintmakersminorLocal partner offering 10% discount to Stills Friends members
- The Milkman CoffeeminorLocal partner offering 10% discount when Stills Friends bring their Stills cup
- Bellfield BreweryminorLocal partner offering 20% off first online order to Stills Friends members
- Edinburgh Art FestivalminorJillian Edelstein 'Among People' exhibition part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2026, UK's largest annual festival of visual art
- HahnemuehleminorCurrent funder and supporter of Stills
- MPBminorCurrent funder and supporter of Stills
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Stills competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Photographers' Gallery: London-based photography centre with gallery exhibitions, learning programmes, and a bookshop. Directly comparable as a UK photography centre offering exhibitions, education, and community engagement in a capital-city location.
- Impressions Gallery: One of the UK's oldest independent photography galleries, focused on contemporary photography exhibitions and learning. Comparable as a charitable photography centre with a similar exhibition and education model.
- Centre for British Photography: London gallery housing the Hyman Collection, focused on British photography with exhibitions and education. Stills' former collaborator Tracy Marshall-Grant was Deputy Director, making it a closely connected operational peer.
- Edinburgh Printmakers: Edinburgh-based fine art printmaking studio and gallery with workshops, exhibitions, and membership. Direct local peer with overlapping workshop/learning and venue hire offerings; already a Stills Friends discount partner.
- Belfast Exposed Photography: Northern Ireland's premier photography gallery with darkrooms, exhibitions, learning programmes, and community engagement. Direct operational peer with same multi-service centre model in a UK regional capital.
- Photoworks: UK-wide photography development agency commissioning photographers and producing exhibitions. Stills is explicitly listed as a Photoworks delivery partner (Johny Pitts/Ampersand fellowship), making it a direct operating peer in UK photography commissioning and exhibition.
- Open Eye Gallery: Liverpool-based photography gallery dedicated to socially engaged photography with exhibitions and learning programmes. Directly comparable as a UK regional photography centre with similar charitable, educational mission.
Emerging players
- Foto8: London photography organisation running the Photo London festival, exhibitions, and HOSTING workshops. Comparable as a UK photography organisation with exhibitions and learning, though more festival/event focused than facility-based.
- Genesis Imaging: London-based digital photographic printing and imaging services for professional photographers and galleries. Comparable as a photography production services provider, though focused on commercial printing rather than open-access education.
Broad incumbents
- Royal Photographic Society: UK-wide photography membership organisation founded in 1853, with events, exhibitions, and heritage collections. Comparable as a broader photography organisation offering education and community, though serving a national rather than single-city audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stills social profiles
Digital presenceStills compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Stills financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stills leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Stills funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stills M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stills
What does Stills do?
Stills operates as a centre for photography offering free-entry gallery exhibitions (three per year), subsidised photography and digital media training courses, and access to production facilities including Scotland's largest open-access darkrooms and the only dry-to-dry colour print processing facilities in Scotland. Complementary paid services include STILLSAUTOMAT (Scotland's only analogue photobooth), equipment hire (cameras, lighting, audio, video), venue hire for private and corporate events, a lending library of 2,000+ photography books, Friends and Patrons membership programmes, and an online shop selling prints, film, paper, and merchandise.
Is Stills a public or private company?
Stills is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stills founded?
Stills was founded in 1977. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stills based?
Stills is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Stills make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership and Donations are the primary driver. The others are venue and Facility Hire, courses and Learning, shop and Retail and library Services.
Who are Stills's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Photographers' Gallery, Impressions Gallery, Centre for British Photography, Edinburgh Printmakers, Belfast Exposed Photography, Photoworks and Open Eye Gallery. Emerging players are Foto8 and Genesis Imaging. Royal Photographic Society is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Stills have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stills.
What industry is Stills in?
Stills's product category is Photography Centre / Visual Arts Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAKAD, Photography & Videography Workshops, with a secondary code of MPADAFAB, Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental. Its NAICS code is 54192 and its SIC code is 7330.