Finding Your Photo Zen – Renting a Commercial Photography Studio (Alter Ego Studio – Las Vegas)

There are a number of reasons why you might be reading this post, however assuming you have at least a minimal interest in studio photography its probably because the thought of a ‘professional’ shoot excites you. I am however betting that a lot of people reading this have never made the leap into a full blown studio session, and that probably the majority of readers who have did so through a workshop or paid lesson rather than under their own steam.

Photographers found the thought of shooting in a studio exciting but have until recently never been brave enough to actually try. Fear of failure is a common paralysis experienced by photographers and primarily results from expectation and self pressure.

I am sure that most of you have found yourself in situations where friends or family have asked if you could take a few ‘snaps’ at that all-important family occasion. No matter how much they reassure you that all they really want are a few nice pictures, its not too long before tension and (a lot of Photoshop) set in.

So its easy to see why, no matter how much we want to do it, the thought of putting ourselves in a high expectation situation such as a studio shoot is enough to ensure we never actually do it. Having brooded over this for years, I’m here to tell you that no matter how formidable it seems, organizing and executing your own studio session is affordable, very achievable and probably one of the best opportunities you have for taking your photographic skills to the next level.

Benefits – Why You Should Rent a Studio

The main advantage of shooting in a studio is of course the ability to control and shape the quality of light. Shooting under studio lighting also has the pleasant side effect of making pretty much any camera capable of rendering sharp, well detailed images. All of this control and quality comes at a price, usually a fairly hefty price, so renting a studio space is a great way to gain experience without the financial pain of buying your own equipment. Studio rentals can be incredibly good value with a half day session costing as little as $75 per hour…not bad for one of the best photography investments you can make.

Hints for Renting a Studio Space

Whilst finding a studio should be relatively easy (usually it only requires a simple Internet search), there are a few things to be aware of before making a booking:
•Rates – Rates can vary greatly from studio to studio however so can the amount of time included, so it’s worth double checking especially when charges are listed by fractions of a day.
•Size – Studios come in a range of sizes and again this can have a bearing on hire charges, as a rule bigger spaces are better as they offer a greater array of creative options.
•Hidden Charges – Beware of hidden fees, examples include the use of consumables such as backdrop paper and parking which can make a big difference in terms of total rental cost.
•Overtime – Most studios will charge a premium for overtime and its important to be aware of these before booking. Plan your shoot carefully to avoid any overruns and nasty surprises.
•Equipment Hire – Whilst most studios include equipment hire within the total rate, some can apply additional charges so double check to see what is and isn’t included.
•Assistant/Tutoring – Some studios offer the use of an assistant in addition to hire of the studio space, this can be a great way to learn how to use available equipment and make the most of the session time. Sometimes the presence of a stranger can add pressure to the situation so don’t be afraid to go it alone
if you prefer
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Royalties rear their Ugly head again.

Sites like YouTube and Vimeo have changed everything for photographers, in particular, wedding photographers.  While its great when a client posts their wedding video for the world to see, it can create a nightmare for photographers that use unlicensed music, as Joe Simon found out after he put together the video for Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo.

As reported by ABC, Simon was threatened with a lawsuit and settled out of court after the video featuring Cold Play’s “Fix You” went viral.  The rest of the report goes on to talk about the licencing issues with small independent photographers/artists and recording artists.

We here at the studio have struggled with this issue ourselves.  We have looked for royalty free music that our clients want to hear with little success.  We see unlicensed music used all the time by photographers trying to appease their clients.  So that brought up a great questions.  Do we as photographers and videographers, who try to protect our rights get compensation for our craft have a moral obligation to pay for licencing of music, even if it will never be posted publicly?

Storage an Issue?

Long have photographers dealt with the issue of archiving their images. The subject is now even more prevalent with the deluge of digital images that are now produced. In the professional arena, which is the one most directly affected by the storage issue, we are faced with producing giant images that take many megabytes to store. As we cannot sacrifice image quality and editing compression, we must look at the storage options instead. Of course, the makers of storage, WD, Seagate and the like, are keeping up but unfortunately we are producing images in the thousands and must have them at the touch of a button for our returning and new clients. I would ask my colleagues in the commercial photography/videography field to engage in this conversation and tell us what options they have explored and employed…

Alter Ego Studio – Las Vegas – Commercial Photography, Video Production and Photo Studio Rental

Shooting Video – Rigs, Production and the future.

The lines are getting just a bit more blurry for the stil photographer and budding video shooter.  More and more in the field we are seeing the 5D Mark II and D7000 being employed for on the fly video.  The savey shooter can actually double book a commercial job and produce wonderful results in both arenas.  Of course, the problem now is the deluge of rigs and accessories that are supposed to aid in video but don’t.  The single most mentioned problem we hear in the field is the issue of focussing.  We would love to know what tech our colleagues have seen just outside the bubble to address this issue…?

 

Alter Ego Studio – Las Vegas – Commercial Photography, Video Production and Photo Studio Rental