The first studio session feels intimidating before you arrive. Once you’re there for 10 minutes, it’s just a room with lights and stands. This post is what we wish someone had told us before our first one.
What a studio actually is
Our studio at 13 Av. Gaston Diderich is one big room — about 60 square meters, white walls, two windows we can blackout, a few backdrops, a rack of strobes and modifiers, a tethering station, and a coffee machine. That’s it. There is no secret. The expensive part is the equipment, not the space.
What happens in the first 5 minutes
You arrive. We let you put your stuff down. We point at the espresso machine. We ask what you want to shoot today, and we mean it — even if your answer is “I don’t know, I just want to try.”
Then we ask three questions:
- What’s the mood? Bright and clean, or moody and contrasty? Pick one. You can change later.
- Subject? A model, an object, a self-portrait. All fine. Models can be booked separately.
- What gear are you using? Whatever you have. Phone camera works too.
Based on those answers we set up the first lighting position with you — not for you. You touch the stands, you adjust the position, you fire the test shot.
What to bring
- Your camera with the lens you actually like. One lens is enough.
- Spare battery and a memory card with space. People always forget the second card.
- A laptop if you tether (optional — we have one available).
- Clothes you can move in. You’ll be crouching, reaching, repositioning.
- An idea of one photo you’d love to make. Even if it’s a reference from Instagram. We’d rather copy something well than improvise badly.
What you do NOT need to bring
- Strobes, modifiers, light stands, backdrops — all here.
- A model — bookable separately or bring a friend.
- Tripod — usually not needed for studio strobe work.
- Editing software — we’ll send RAW files; you process at home.
The five most common first-time mistakes
1. Underexposing the background. A black background needs intent. If it’s accidental black, the photo looks flat. Always meter your background separately.
2. Putting the key light too close to the camera. Flat light. Move the key 45 degrees off-axis, watch the photo go from “snapshot” to “portrait.”
3. Forgetting about the eyes. The eyes need a catch-light. Without it, the model looks dead. Make sure something reflective is in the eye line.
4. Shooting wide open at f/1.4. Razor-thin focus, half the face out. Stop down to f/4 at least for the first hour.
5. Not pausing. First-time photographers fire 200 frames in 30 minutes. Slow down. Look at the back of the camera every 5 frames. Adjust. Better 30 great frames than 200 OK ones.
What 90 minutes will get you
Realistic outcome from your first 90-minute studio session: three to five frames you actually want to share. That’s it. That’s a successful session. If you walk out with 20 you’d post — you got lucky.
Members get studio access included (Premium: 2h/mo) or at member rate (Standard: 2-for-1, Basic: 10% off). Non-members rent at standard rate.