Your portfolio is probably the most important thing to get right. However you present it, it should showcase the best of your talents, even as a musician, your image is just as important as your music! So when it comes to having these pictures taken, you need to be in the right environment where you have the right lighting and backdrop to what you had in mind. So as a creative, there will possibly be times where you’ll have to hire a photography studio, but how do you choose the best one to fit in with your budget? James Broome, professional photographer & studio owner gives us his insight of a using and choosing a studio.
What are the benefits of using a studio?
Whether you’re a model simply wanting some high end fashion portraits of yourself or you are starting a brand and are looking for the best images of your newly developed product, by using a professional studio you can ensure the highest quality of your finished product. There are of course pros and cons to shooting both indoors and outdoors but the main benefit of shooting in a studio is the ability to control ambient light levels. Our studio can either be poured with directional natural light from the huge roller shutter, which is great for shooting naturally lit portraits with a fast lens ensuring a great background blur, or it can be completely blacked out which is great for creating moody styles of photography using anything from a single light setup to an 8 light setup with any number of reflectors. For me, the greatest part of studio photography is that the finished product can be as dull or as creative as the person shooting it . . . The only limit to studio photography is the imagination of the photographer!
What questions should you ask when approaching a studio?
The questions I would be asking when approaching a studio would be:
• What facilities does the studio have?
• Is there free parking outside the studio?
• Does the studio have natural light and if so, can it be completely blacked out?
• What backgrounds and lighting equipment is available
However I’m a photographer 🙂 So if I were a customer looking to have some fashion portraits taken, I would be asking the following:
• The price?
• Does it include copies of the edited images in digital format in hi-resolution? (Remember – as with many things in life ‘you get what you pay for’ – expect to pay circa £500 for a good photographer for the day.)
• How experienced is the photographer?
• Is a fashion stylist included in the price and whether or not he/she will be present during the whole shoot?
• Is a makeup artist included in the price?
• Does the studio provide clothing or should the model bring it?
• Is there somewhere to get changed?
• Is there tea and coffee making facilities? (Brews during a fashion shoot are a must :-))
In my studio, the client is always number one. Now, that doesn’t mean we will shoot any old thing just to keep them happy – we often need to give advice and guidance to achieve the high images that expected of us. We advise on various aspects of the shoot from the mood, the lighting style, the models, the props, the clothes, the background and pretty much everything else you can think of that needed to get great results. We like to be totally prepared for each and every shoot so it is often needed to have in depth discussions over the phone to discuss ideas before the shoot and if needed purchase any props beforehand. On arrival at the studio before any shooting starts we like to hold a small briefing session with the MUA, the stylist, the model and client . . . ensuring we’re all on the same page! However we get there, we always want to please to client!
One final note:
Whether you are choosing a new accountant or web designer to work with, Fashion Rider always recommends you do your research and consider all your options.
If you’re still unsure, don’t forget Fashion Rider is here to help. Please don’t hesitate in getting in contact and let us take the stress out of it for you. Also if there are any different areas we can help in just let us know.
0161 3008 794
What is your experience of hiring a studio?
