Hey Richard that sounds like a really useful space. I've rented a number of studios in my time and here's what I'd love to see. I do have a small studio on top of my house, but if I need to shoot full length, or need some more space for light control, I'll rent a studio. Now! Look at the back of my car. This is the typical kit *I have to take* to a typical rental studio, because they either don't have it, I can't tell for sure if they have it, it doesn't work properly, or they've never heard of it. I've even turned up to a very well known studio and been told "our grey background has gone missing - sorry". On this trip, I even took my own mains power. In the back of the car is:-
View attachment 246391
C-stand and boom
3 heavyweight stands on wheels
More stands
Sand bags
Floor stand (low level)
Gooseneck clamps
4xSuperclamps
3xLencarta Superfast 600J heads
1xLencarta Safari 600J head
1xAD200
4xNikon SB900
1x Falconeyes 1600TDX LED Fresnel spotlight
2x Paterson daylight E27 LED lamps and holders.
1xKlarus LED torch
Many AA and AAA and 18650 batteries
Various good quality incandescent bulbs (more for location shoots - amazing how many rental locations with vintage sets have lamps with crappy curly florescent bulbs in them)
2x27x120cm strip boxes with grids
1x120cm octa with grid
1x60x90cm softbox with grid
24" beauty dish with grid
More grids
Snoot
Reflectors and holders
Flags
Projection attachment with gobos
Venetian blinds on a telescopic boom arm and supports/counterweights
Cinefoil
6x2m black muslin cloth (mainly to control stray light)
Other fabrics
Gels - lots of gels
A4 black card
2xSilver brollies
2xFog machine
Fog chiller
Air mover
Oil
Water/glycerine spray
Towels
Bottled water
straws
Gaffer tape (matt)
scissors
Hacksaw
Screwdriver
Light meter
Laptop
Now some of this is peculiar to what I shoot and I wouldn't expect a studio to have all of the stuff above, but I would expect at least 4 working heads of around 600J. IGBT controlled heads for preference with a short flash duration, and working trigger sets - avoid flaky battery powered receivers! Heavyweight stands on wheels, a floor stand, and a solid boom arm with sandbags; a large octa with a <4cm grid. At least 2 matching stripboxes with <4cm grids. A beauty dish with a grid, standard reflectors with grids, snoots etc. A working fog machine of at least 1kW with dense fog fluid in it, and a remote. An air mover (not an office fan) - a floor dryer or workshop dust extractor works really well. Backgrounds - 3m+ wide x 6m+ long paper or vinyl. 50% grey as a minimum, and add black and white rolls too if you can. Power sockets (!)
Whatever kit you do have though - list it meticulously on your website - with exact model numbers and sizes etc. Sometimes I turn up at a studio and they do have half the kit I have brought with me - but it was impossible to tell what they had from their website which often says things like "More Bowens heads than you can carry" - which I have to interpret as "3 old Gemini heads" or "6 x studio heads" or "2 x softbox" - which means I have to bring mine as I can't tell whether these are suitable, or whether the modelling lights work (handy for motion blur), or if the triggers are reliable. As soon as something stops working - remove it from the list. Put the last update time and date next to the list so people can tell you maintain it.
Also, resist the urge to paint it all white! I know it looks nice, but it's a pain in the butt for light control. Dark grey with one white and maybe one black wall is good, with a black floor. Make sure you can achieve photo darkness - I see so many studios advertising "natural light" like it's a feature. As this light is somewhat random in nature (will it be harsh and bright, or diffused and soft?) I never
plan to use it. If it shows up and is cool, I might make some kind of impromptu use of it but if you're planning a shoot based on the sun showing up through the studio window in the UK - I hope you like disappointment, and throwing money away
Blackout blinds are essential to any studio if you want to use long exposures for intentional blur. I do this a lot.
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A changing screen or room with makeup station for the model to get ready in is essential. Plastic floor covers and a shower will enable body painting. Controllable heating/ventilation, and a streaming music service are all good things to have too. A full length mirror on a stand lets the model see their pose, and a large monitor and laptop to tether to, allows everyone to see the shots. An attractive chair, stool, and other props can be useful too.
Lastly, make sure you have lots of images of the space on your website, from all angles at sensible fields of view (24 to 35mm is good). When I'm looking for a studio, I'm really not interested in seeing hundreds of images people shot there - I want to see well lit shots of the space, and the equipment. If your studio is not on the ground floor, explain how the space is accessed. Explain in detail how the parking works. If I can't get my car near the door, I'm not coming
In terms of price for that space, made light-tight with just some backgrounds and power, I'd pay £15 p/h or £100/day. Fully equipped - around £30p/h or £200/day, but if I can't guarantee your kit exists, works and see exactly what it is, I have to treat the studio as just a space with a background, and spend a day packing :-/
I hope that helps - and good luck with your new venture !