What to bring to a photo studio: the checklist

The classic: it is nine in the morning, you are in a rented studio, the model is in make-up, and you realise your spare battery is still on the charger at home. A rented studio costs money by the hour, so every fifteen minutes you lose fetching or improvising is time you simply pay for. This list is here to stop that.

What does the studio already have?

Do not start with packing. Start with the studio page. What comes with the rental varies a lot between studios, and your whole packing list depends on it.

A few examples from the site. At Studio Scheef in The Hague the rental includes a basic lighting setup, a white backdrop, wifi, coffee and tea. House of Kefi in Delft lists coffee, tea, wifi, a clothing rack, a steamer and props. And at Kudo Media in Groningen you rent the photo studio with flashes, continuous light, modifiers, stands and a tether screen.

Those are three very different packing lists. At Kudo you can walk in with a camera and a laptop. Elsewhere you drag half a lighting kit along. If it is not on the page, ask. Also read what is usually included when you rent a studio.

Camera and storage

• Camera bodies, and a second body if you have one.
• Lenses for the shoot, plus the one lens you think you will not need.
• Batteries: all charged, plus spares. Count on more than usual, especially when you shoot tethered or film.
• Memory cards, formatted. And a few extra.
• A tether cable of the right length and a spare. Those cables always fail at the worst moment.
• Laptop and charger, and an external drive for a backup during the day.

Light and grip

If lighting is included, check which system it is and whether your own triggers work with it. Nothing is more annoying than a studio full of flashes from a brand your transmitter will not talk to.

• A trigger that matches the studio flashes, or your own flashes if there are none.
• Reflector and a black flag to take light away.
• A-clamps and gaffer tape. Always.
• Extension cord and a power strip.

Backdrop and set

A white backdrop or cyc is often there. Other paper colours, textures or specific props you usually bring yourself. Ask whether you can tape or paint on the floor and what it costs if a cyc needs repainting. Some studios ask for shoe covers on a white or green floor, so bring overshoes or clean socks.

For people in front of the camera

• Make-up kit, or check whether the studio has a make-up spot with good light.
• Steamer or iron (sometimes already there, as at House of Kefi).
• Clothing rack and hangers if the studio has none.
• Pins, clips and tape to fit clothes.
• Water, food, and something warm to wear between takes.

For products

With product photography it is the small things you forget: tack putty to keep products upright, gloves against fingerprints, a microfibre cloth, a blower for dust, and a few spare units of the product if you can. More in product photography in a rented studio.

Practical

• The booking confirmation and the studio's phone number.
• Know how you get in: which door, which floor, is there a lift.
• Parking or loading: read the studio page. Many list whether you can load at the door and whether parking is free.
• A shot list, printed or on your phone, so you are not deciding what to make on the day itself.
• Time for setup and teardown. That usually comes out of your rental time.

What do you check the night before?

The night before: all batteries on the charger, cards empty, bag packed by the door. Sounds obvious, and yet that is exactly what goes wrong. A calm start is half the shoot. How to plan the day itself is in planning your shoot day.