Here’s a quick guide to the questions you need to ask to make sure the studio you hire is fit for purpose.

How big is it?

Naturally, the bigger the studio, the more room you’ll have for your shoot – but the more you’ll pay.  Decide how much space you think you’ll need depending upon the subject of your shoot.  And while you’re at it, think about access – if you need to bring in anything taller or wider than a normal door, check that this is going to be possible in advance.  You won’t get that custom Harley up a flight of stairs!

Is it a professional photography studio or an empty room?

A professional studio will have several obvious advantages over an empty room!  In a photography studio there will be backdrops for you to use (at a charge) or facilities for you to hang your own; photographic lights and equipment for hire; additional changing and make-up areas.  Additionally, you’ll find that good studios tend to have high ceilings to allow for overhead lights, air conditioning, tall windows for natural light, window blinds to filter or eliminate light, and an electrical supply that has been adapted cope with the demands of all the lights and equipment required.

An empty room, however, is an empty room.   But it will be cheaper.

Where is it?

A convenient location can make all the difference, particularly if you need to assemble a cast of thousands.  Or even just a few.  If you need to bring your clients into a studio, try to find one that’s convenient to where they work in central London.  Asking your subjects to trek out to the back and beyond of nowhere, far from the reaches of public transport, doesn’t present a very professional image – and could cut down on the amount of time you’ll have available for the shoot itself.

Does it fit your image?

Image might not be important to you if the shoot will be you, a camera and a box of product.  But if you’re going to have clients, models and stylists in the studio, you will want to present a professional image.  A smart, well-designed studio will speak volumes about you as a photographer and if your client is impressed by the setting, they’ll already be predisposed to like the resulting photos.

Can you hire any additional equipment you might need?

No one wants to have to bring every single piece of equipment with them to a shoot, and even if you think you have all you need, as often as not you’ll want something else or your piece of equipment will malfunction.  So to ensure that your shoot will run smoothly no matter what, choose a studio that is already well equipped and from which you can hire anything you need.  Check the price list before you make the booking to see what they’ve got and how much it might cost.

Do they offer additional services?

On-site imaging services might prove very useful to you, especially if you want to be able to wrap things up fast.  Doing your post production on site means that your client can approve things there and then and in a high quality studio, you could have access to some serious bits of kit.  Retouching, printing, scanning and processing services will have the advantage of being under one roof – making it both convenient and economical: a one-stop shop for all your photographic needs.

Before you book

Before you make a booking with a photographic studio, work out exactly what you need to shoot in terms of subject and number of shots, how much space will be necessary and what equipment you can take with you and what you might want to hire when you’re there.  Think about the location and who needs to come with you on the shoot and work out a date that suits everybody involved.  Email your requirements to get a price on everything you need and check their availability.

When all this information is to your satisfaction, make your provisional booking, confirm it nearer to the day and then go for it.

Have a good shoot!

(c) Photo Studio London

http://www.photostudioslondon.co.uk

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A new London photo studio for hire, which is set to launch this January 2012, aims to provide a better choice for photographers, photography enthusiasts and customers by offering state-of-the-art equipment, props, backgrounds and sets.

(January 24, 2012; City of London, London, UK) – A new photo studio for hire is set to open in London this January 2012 and aims to provide a better choice for photographers, photography enthusiasts and customers by offering state-of-the-art equipment, props, sets, lighting and backgrounds.

The new photo studio hire – PHOTO STUDIO LONDON is located in the City of London, EC1 and EC2 areas, right in the heart of the City of London. The new photo studio hire in London will be within the business and creative districts of the city.

The founders of the new photo studio hire in London say that due to the limited number of choices in terms of high-end and sleek photo studios in the city, they decided to open a professional studio that will have all sorts of photography equipment for hire.

“Virtually all of the equipment that a photographer may need such as backgrounds, lighting, reflectors, tripods, umbrellas, sets and even props will be offered at the new photo studio. We aim to please our customers,” they said, adding that as part of their opening salvo, the photo equipment can be used for free with every full day studio hire.

The new London photo studio will be able to accommodate all sorts of photography – from fashion to corporate headshots to family portraits to glamour to product photography. Additionally, the studio from February 2012 will be also offering photography lessons for beginners, intermediates and advanced DSLR camera users. All the classes could be undertaken in groups or on an individual one to one basis.

The photography studio features include the following: wooden floors, wide cove (3 m wide/ 3,5 m deep/ 4m tall), white walls, high ceilings, make-up area, changing area, lounge area with the kitchen, toilet, photo retouching station and around 400 sq/ft and overall 740 sq/ft of total floor space.

The new photo studio hire in London can be found at 74 Great Eastern Street, City of London, EC2A 3JL. For more information about this new photo studio, you can contact them at info@photostudioslondon.co.uk/ Tel: 07940444641.

(c) Photo Studio London

http://www.photostudiolondon.co.uk

Tel: 07940 444 641

With more and more people now interested in photography, there now also are more and more studios, schools and even small groups that offer DSLR photography lessons. Because of the many options now available in the market in terms of DSLRs and SLRs, people are now more encouraged and inspired to take up photography. While some of these people learn photography as a hobby, many now already take it up as a new source of income. Moreover, more camera companies now offer DSLRs and other types of cameras at more affordable or competitive prices so it really is not a wonder anymore if more people now buy one or two or even a few more for themselves.

In London, more photo studios now offer DSLR photography lessons. Studios now offer these as either crash courses, weekend refreshers or even long term courses. Owners of these studios now see that because of the strong demand, they should now also offer more courses and not just limit these to beginner ones. More students are now also interested in more advanced photography lessons.

The following are the various courses usually offered in photo studios in London. Note that these DSLR photography lessons may run for a few days or weeks or even months or years. Qualifications for students are usually not that strict (especially for beginner courses) but for those interested in advanced photography lessons, better familiarity with the camera and more knowledge in terms of technical terms can be ideal.

For beginners courses, these are usually great for photography students who are either new to photography or to those who already have a little bit of knowledge about photography but need to brush up his or her skills. Beginner photography courses usually introduce the students to the do’s, don’ts, whats and hows of digital SLR photography and on certain cameras. Most, if not all, of the classes focus on big named cameras – Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Leica. If you have a camera that’s not among the more popularly known or used ones, you may want to consult the teachers or professors first. Beginner courses also teach students about digital images, manipulation of these images and other basic aspects. More often than not, beginner courses are usually held every weekend or in the evenings.

Next course is the intermediate photography course. This is great for students who feel that they have enough basic knowledge about photography and cameras but need to take it a notch higher. Ideal students of intermediate courses are also those who want to get into the photography business. Ergo, intermediate photography courses are for those who want to engage in professional photography.

Speaking of professional photography, you can also learn exciting, doable and practical techniques during intermediate courses and/or advanced courses. During these courses, you will learn about camera techniques, documentaries, photojournalism and even travel photography. These courses are usually continuous and may require students to go out and do outdoor photography. Teachers also usually require students to experiment extensively and use their creativity, skill and imagination.

Moreover, advanced photography courses are also ideal for those professional photographers who may already have several years of experience under their belt but still want to further hone their knowledge and skills. Teachers at this stage encourage students to further explore advanced creative photography. They also provide students the chance to study more challenging professional camera techniques as well as artistic photography.

Do note that in advanced courses, students are also taught photo manipulation using various software including, of course, the widely recognized and used Adobe Photoshop. Students of advanced photography courses are also taught portraiture, landscape photography, studio lighting, studio setup (just in case the students want to have one in the future) and night photography.

The aforementioned are just overviews of what to expect when you do decide to take up DSLR photography lessons in a photo studio in London. Courses will offer even more than what has been stated here. A quick reminder though – if you do choose to learn photography lessons, make sure that the studio you will enroll in is run by professionals or experts in photography. After all, photography is a special art that not a lot of teachers will be able to convey or teach to others. Also, exercise your creativity and imagination while you learn photography. Challenge yourself to come up with fabulous photos and nothing but! And make sure that you retain that passion. That will really make your experience a whole lot better.

Here are some things to consider when you are opening a new photo studio:

Let’s face it. While it’s fun to do freelance photography work and while it’s perfectly fine to just schedule photo shoots outdoors, it’s a whole new ball game if a photographer has his or her own photography studio. For many photographers, having their own photography studio will “seal the deal” – meaning it will really be a real life testament of sorts that they’re now “official photographers.” They finally have a brick and mortar studio to speak of and they can proudly say that they can be found at this certain address.

It’s really different to have your own photography studio. For one, it means more opportunities. You can most probably get more clients especially those who would require indoor photography. So that means more business. Having your own photography studio would also mean more responsibilities, though. While others may find this a bit challenging since a photography studio may require standard operating hours (no more dilly dallying allowed and you can’t just open or close your studio whenever you like it – remember, maintaining a studio also means more bills!), it can truly be exciting especially if it’s still in the early stages.

Photo Studio London - Commercial Photo Shoot

So exactly what do you need for your new photography studio? What should your studio have before you officially open for business? Here are some things to consider.

First off, you must have a good team to help you out. It’s rare to be able to successfully and efficiently run a photography studio alone. You must have assistants or partners who are as passionate about photography and about running a photography studio as you. Your team members must also be creative, responsible, has good business sense and has a pleasing personality. Remember, you and your team will be dealing with various types of people so of course it’s important to be friendly and approachable.

Secondly, decide on what type of photography studio yours will be. Will it be ceiling based or floor based? A ceiling based photography studio would require you to mount background rollers on the ceiling as well as a rail system that would allow flexible positioning of studio lights. The lights should be placed anywhere within a rectangular area. Can your studio afford space big enough for this? A floor based photography studio, on the other hand, would mean that you have to have light stands for the lights as well as background supports for the background. The supports must be very lightweight because they need to be portable.

Thirdly, do a check list on the types as well as formats of cameras that you plan to use for your new photography studio. Will you use big cameras? Or just the regular SLRs? Bigger cameras will require smaller apertures in order to gain the adequate depth of field. This means more light is required. Do you think you will encounter or need something like this?

Fourthly, decide on what types of lights you may need for your photo studio. Do you think you will need the power of sunlight? Or would you just need to stack up on various types of soft, hard or hot lights? Sunlight can be very helpful for professional photographers so check if your studio can still afford to have windows where sun rays can just stream in. This would, of course, be dependent on the size and location of your photography studio. Some photographers would still opt for outdoor shooting especially during cases whereby sunlight would be needed but there will also be a time when photographers (and their models, actually) would need to do things indoors but with the help of sunbeams. As for artificial lights, check if you have strobe systems, hot lights and the like. Most serious studio photographers have about 2000 watt-seconds which is already good for 4×5 photography requirements.

Fifthly, prepare various choices for background. The basic one is seamless paper and this usually comes in rolls – 53 inches, 107 inches and 140 inches (width). Seamless paper is what studio photographers use when it comes to portrait requirements. Most studio photographer buy white seamless paper but some also buy black and grey.

These are just 5 things to consider when you do decide to open your new photography studio. There are other technical stuff to think of but one thing that you must always bear in mind is that you must provide a safe, clean, well equipped (at least with the basics) photography studio. Not only will you have a great time working in it but your clients will, too.

(c) Photo Studio London

http://www.photostudioslondon.co.uk

Tel: 07940 444 641

Welcome To The New Photo Studio in London, EC2! We are planning to open the photography studio in January 2012, where you will be able to hire the spase for photo shoots and hire professional equipment. For more information just keep coming back and you will see that we are working hard to make sure we are ready to go in a relatively short time. For more information about the studio hire contact us at info@photostudioslondon.co.uk