I am one of those photographers who has always said that they don’t need a studio. However, now that I actually have a studio I’ll admit: it sure is nice to have one!

Whether it is a wedding, assignment, commercial work, or a portrait, most of my jobs are on location and will probably continue to be. But as my business has grown and evolved I increasingly have a need for a professional space; a place for the occasional meeting and a controlled environment for portraits and head shots. Fortunately, my friends at The Herald of Randolph had such a space available to create a studio.

A basement wouldn’t be my first choice for a studio location (short ceilings are less than ideal, and then there is the creepy factor). The Herald’s basement is unique with a 9’ ceiling in the studio area, as well as some decent natural light. That being said, the condition of the basement (which formerly housed a printing press) was far from inviting. But with some fresh paint, elbow grease, and new lighting gear, it didn’t take long to make it into a usable space - dare I say, even a nice space and not at all creepy. I’m looking forward to not only utilizing the space professionally, but also potentially as a collaborative space with other creatives (stay tuned on that).

Here are some of the before images (I took these almost as an after thought on my phone)…

Some of the progress along the way...

And the finished product...

I need to find some better subjects...

There are still a few items to finish up and some longer term projects for the basement, but it is fully operational and I’ll have an open house Friday, April 13th from 5-8pm and Saturday, April 14th from 10am-1pm (enter at the parking lot side door at the back of The Herald) if you want to check it out. I’ll have some snacks and beverages as well as a photo booth set up on Friday and as a bonus, The Three Bean is having a dinner Friday night from about 6-9pm with live music. If you can’t make it those days, but would like to see my studio send me a message and we can set something up.