Studio for hire
Hiring a studio when it’s needed can save you a packet when it comes to overheads on a job
Owning a studio is a big commitment. While a space all of your own may give you the flexibility of not working to time constraints and the familiarity of knowing your surroundings absolutely, the costs can be crippling. The price of owning a studio in central London is currently hovering somewhere between stupid and absurd, and many big-name professionals are selling up and using the many excellent rental studios that are out there instead.
However, as Ben Morris, owner of one such excellent rental studio, points out, the benefits can be more than fiscal. “It’s great to turn up for a shoot and know that your space is going to be clean and tidy, freshly painted and ready to go,” he says. Morris’ aptly named Pleasant Studios takes care of most photographers’ requests for equipment hire, lighting, digital kit and so on, so all a client has to do is turn up with their ideas. “And at the end of the day there are no worries about cleaning up either,” he says. “It’s a case of finishing the shoot and going home”.
This is sounding better all the time. But surely sharing a space with all manner of other users takes some of the personality out it? Can renting a photographic workspace ever provide the kind of continuity that owning a studio can? Morris says yes. "Our regular users have their preferred breakfast and magazines here waiting for them on the morning of the shoot. Often we have to take care of set builds for clients coming from overseas, and maintain the communication and progress of the build over email with images and video, so they know everything's in top shape for when they arrive in the UK.”
It costs from £90 +VAT per day to hire a space at Pleasant Studios, but what Morris and his team are trying to say is that, for your money, you get a lot more than four white walls and a lot of air. Most studios will take care of extras such as lighting and equipment hire for you. Many even have assistants and digital operators, as well as relationships with model agencies.
Urban Photography, situated in London’s East End, goes one step further, having all this plus affiliations with an image library. “We can cater for any type of photography, really, but we have a reputation for male and female glamour,” Urban’s owner Jonathon Bayley explains. “Owning an image library as well, we have a good eye on what is wanted in the market at the moment. If a call comes into the office requesting a certain type of picture, we’ve even been known to stick our heads around the studio door and ask if the photographer wants to shoot it at the end of their session.”
Helping hands like this are just another example of how the expertise that you hire along with a studio can help to make your life easier and, at the end of the day, boost those profits. Thinking along the same lines, Urban also runs courses for those just starting out in professional photography, or who want to learn new techniques. “Many people come to us and are frightened to step away form basic lighting set-ups,” Bayley continues. “Using a couple of softboxes is fine, but it’s not exactly edgy. We can show people how to use all kinds of lighting accessories and be brave with shadows and harder light.”
Perhaps the most famous studio in the UK is London’s Holborn Studios – famously described by the late Helmut Newton as “the Abbey Road of photographic studios”. Consisting of 18 individual studio spaces and a wealth of expertise and equipment, Holborn Studios represents the crème de la crème of studio hire facilities, and has been around for an impressive 28 years. While undeniably at the top-end of the studio hire spectrum, Holborn Studios has some truly unique facilities including spaces big enough to drive into, making it a popular location for wild animal shoots.
Holborn Studios’ Vince McCartney acknowledges that diversity is a strength in today’s market. “Photographers have become GPs again and not specialists,” he comments. “Whenever they get a job that requires a good studio, hire one for goodness sake.” But what should the novice look for in a studio? McCartney advises making a preliminary recce: “Always go and see the studio before you make a booking. Look for access limitations and inspect the equipment.”
According to Adrian Pini, who opened his London studio earlier this year, feeling comfortable is also important. “If a new photographer was looking for a studio, I’d advise them not to necessarily go and look for the biggest, most expensive studio they can find. An outfit that can offer the equipment that’s needed for the job and some hands-on advice is far more valuable.” McCartney echoes this advice: “Hire exactly the size and type of studio that the job requires, or that makes you feel comfortable.”
Finding the right studio for hire can be difficult, but it’s worth persevering. Strike up a good relationship with a studio owner, and it can become your home from home. Use resources like Pro to see who near you is advertising (pages 102-104 of this issue should help), and do a quick Google search too. The excellent www.studiohire.com is also well worth a look.
