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theres a goth weekend in whitby yearly tho ud need google it iv not been
Hi,
I'm tending not to use studios anymore due to the cost and now hire models to work directly from their home.
I have a shared investment in portable studio lighting, and each shoot pays a liitle more off on the investment, the other benefit to doing this is that you will get different backgrounds and surroundings in which to shoot in.
However in the past I have used WPS (which is another story), Ariane (very good studio), But if i needed to recommend anywhere a studio I would have a choice of three, firstly Pathway in Chester as their hire cost is not too high and it's fairly local to me second would be Yorkshire Studios in Keighley, great studio, loads of space with wicked lights, but quite a challenge to get there as there is no main motorway routes near Keighley, and another is Bodyline in Long Eaton near Nottingham, Lee has several fixed sets including a full wet set which is quite impressive.
I have not done a group shoot for years, as I just won't get any of the results I want, so its usually one to one or with a photographer mate or sometimes my brother.
Most of the pictures in my portfolio were done in a studio, it's only some of the later ones which are results of a home shoot. The one of Sam and the Vin Deisel Moment was done on her leather sofa using one light source with a barn door to selectively light her top half, which is another reason why I'm beginning to favour using my own lights as you are more likely to experiment and grow as a photographer.
Unfortunately due to work and family commitments I don't have the time to edit and post photos on epz as I would like, but I hope to get some more of ny home shoot material on soon.
Alister
I agree with Alister - the only group shoots I've done have been lighting workshops, where you get such a short window of opportunity in which to get any shots, and they all end up being very similar to the other togs shots at the event.
Whilst I don't shoot at the model's houses, I either hire a village hall or find a suitable location to shoot.
You end up with a set of unique shots, a better relationship with the model, and a much better experience that will move your photography and lighting knowlefge forward a lot quicker than a group shoot.
Hi Andrew,
You have a great port by the way,
Funnily you mentioned about hiring a village hall, my brother has mentioned this as we now have the lights and a backdrop, but I'm just not sure how easy it would be to do, and also would there be any objections for it to be used for taking pictures of nude models, just interested in your experience?
Alister
Hi Alister,
first thing I found about hiring local halls, is to shop around a bit. I found that hall hire charges range from £6-20/hour, so worth researching.
Most halls also vary - some have stages for productions, kitchens, hallways, bathrooms and storage rooms etc, which can have tremendous potential for certain shots.
With regard to objections about the nature of the shoot, when asked, I always say fashion, which is fundamentally the truth in my case, although some fashions are created to show varying degrees of nudity.
I just don't know whether they would hire or not, if you were honest in saying that you were shooting nudes. It depends on the individual hirer, and how open minded they are.
I always lock the doors once all collaborating members have arrived, to stop any unwanted intrusions or interuptions.
I also state when asked, that the shoot is for my personal portfolio, which is still also true, but if the hirers think you're doing something for commercial purposes, they will possibly hike up the hire rates.
HTH 
Hi Ivan,
Both of these look great, but then i've not been to any yet - Both in London / not leicester :-(
www.londonspeedlitescene.co.uk http://www.meetup.com/London-Portrait-Club/
I'm very much hoping to be able to share images of a dreadlocks model in a few days.
Cheers,
Stuart
I just remembered this Ivan -
Photographers, Models & Creatives Group
It used to be called Alternative Photographers & Models Group.
Though this is based in north London, it might be worth contacting them, to find out about similar groups in your area.
Blue Carrot Studios in Nottingham advertise themselves as Alternative and Fetish studios, I looked at them last year when I was looking for a interesting venue to shoot a Dark Fusion dance group
They have (had) models on their books that you could hire at the same time as the studio, I believe some of them were also TFP as well
I'm not sure if they are still going as the web site seems to be down at the moment
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