Structural Anatomy of Professional Photography Studios

A photo studio is a space wherein professional photo shoots take place. Most are equipped with backdrops, professional shooting lights, grips and mounts.

A studio may have more than one shooting space. Based on requirement the photographer can choose a space and the client’s art director can decide the creative approach for the shoot. The photos need to mainly carry his camera and lens kit on the day of shoot, unless he is hiring that as well. Some studios have experienced in-house photographers. A typical photography shooting space consists of an expansive room with white bare walls. Ideally, the floor should be concrete and painted with industrial grade white paint. As most of the equipment is electrical, carpets and rugs are avoided in the floor space. Some studios are just warehouses. In there, fabric or acrylic backdrops are set up. The studio should not have a problem of outside lights slithering inside through windows, doors or crevices. This can affect lighting conditions severely and spoil the output.

Three umbrella lights or soft boxes can easily fit into a professional studio space. This is the average requirement light source, which create the continuous lighting ‘temperature’ for product shoots. You can adjust height of the lamp, tilt and swivel the light stands accordingly to your shot. Flash or strobe lights are activated with the remote. You can synchronize this with the shots with the configuration of the shutter button. This is all due to the IR sensor and the connectivity with wireless strobes. There are ring flashes available too which can put around the lens.

Studios will also be equipped with lots of extra lights, batteries, light tents, light stands, tripods, ladders, fans, extension chords and plug points for your use. There are also sturdy trusses (metal frames) in studios to suspend lights from above as well. Depending on the scale of the studio the number and the size will differ.

A stage area or raised platform may also exist in some shoot floors. Others will have acrylic or fabric backdrop suspended from trusses above and which can roll down and spread out across the floor. Studios may or may not supply reflectors, cutters, gel papers, butter papers, thermocol sheets, white balance card etc. These will also be charged in the total studio package.

It is always necessary for the client to visit the studio for race or do a virtual tour before the actual shoot. If he already works for the studio or owns it, then things are a lot easier. A good working environment is very important to deliver quality output. There can be no compromise with regard to the ambience, the facilities and the equipment at hand. To pull off a successful photo shoot studio conveniences are essential. It is important to have all the best resources to complement one’s talent. A proper studio with a professional set up and assistant / attendants can add a lot of production value.

In addition, apart from studio spaces, there are also photography firms that call themselves photography studios. This is another word for a photography agency as well. Therefore, while booking a studio shoot floor one must be sure of what one is booking.

Understanding Commercial Photography Studio Management Software

In today’s fast paced world commercial photography studio management software has become a necessity for the professional photographers. Since most professional photographers own proprietary firms with a small staff, they frequently face the problem of resources while delivering the final photos to the client.

Although innovations in the photography industry have reduced the work burden, there is still scope for improvement. Some innovations such as the Photoshop software and other photo editing software have made the work of creation quite easy. The launch of commercial photography studio management software has enabled the photographers to streamline their business operations in a professional way. This software helps in the management of data of different clients and saves valuable time. Nowadays a number of companies have launched studio management software. While considering such software, make sure that it has the following features.

The first one is the contact and calendaring tools. For any business to flourish marketing and lead generation are important. It is essential to properly manage all the contacts to get a leap ahead of the competition. For instance, most of the commercial photography studio software programs offer a system for input of leads and their classification. Some also allow scheduling for follow ups and other advanced features. Any software, which can seamlessly combine the calendar tool along with the scheduling tool, will boost the efficiency of the business.

The inclusion of finance tools is also important as most photographers are engrossed in the art of taking photographs and most of the times ignore the financial aspects of the work. Any business in which the financial domain is not properly checked or is ignored then surely the business will be doomed. Any studio management software should offer a set of specific finance tools, which allow tracking of all the financial data. Some of the essential tools include basic accounting tools to track revenue and expense, along with other tools for creating invoices and receipts. Some studio management software also includes the ability to make detailed proposals and financial estimates for the prospective clients.

Another important feature of this type of software is project and client management facility. It is a known fact that most of the financially successful photographers are not that good in terms of photography skills and most of the highly skilled photographers are not financially successful. The reason for this is that financially successful photographer managed his finances well, while the highly skilled photographer may not be able to manage his finances. The client and project management feature of the studio management software allows the skilled photographer to concentrate on the art of photography leaving the work of client and finance management with the software.  

Some studio management software allows photo and gallery storage. Some online software platforms such as Flickr and Shutterbug allow photographers to create photo galleries and store photos. Other photography studio management software not only allows the creation and storage of galleries but also allow sharing with clients. Other tools to look for in any studio management software include financial record, lead tracking, lead generation tools, web site builders and referral tools.