Lisa Shin
www.lisashin.com

Still life photographer Lisa Shin prefers to shoot at Noho Productions’ studio in New York’s East Village. “I like the staff—they’re very professional and attentive to your needs,” she says. “They recently created a new pricing structure that includes the studio, equipment, digital station and even a digital tech for one flat rate. They also cater to the needs of still-life photographers by stocking Sinar view cameras with compatible digital systems and backgrounds for smaller sets that most portrait studios don’t have. One thing they do differently from other studios is they put your name on the door; you feel at home but you still have your privacy.”



Nick Hayes
www.hayeshayes.com

A fashion and advertising photographer in New York, Nick Hayes’ favorite studio is Siren, in Los Angeles, where he does about a third of his work. “During a shoot, we saw a great chest of drawers in a dressing room and the studio manager allowed us to use it as a prop. You wouldn’t expect them to allow a model to lie across an expensive piece of furniture, but they did,” he recalls. “There’s a family feel. Everyone knows everyone.” Hayes adds, “It’s also really relaxing; they’ve got communal rooms, lounging areas and gardens all over the place; one of the makeup rooms is so nice that we even used it for a shoot.”



Blake Little
www.blakelittle.com

A Los Angeles celebrity and commercial photographer, Blake Little opts for the two Los Angeles locations of Smashbox Studios in West Hollywood and Culver City. “It’s relaxing and it’s very private,” Little says. “In general, you’re not on top of other people, especially at Culver City, and famous people usually want privacy. When I’m shooting someone prominent, it’s nice to have good service, including the food and coffee.” He adds, “It’s easy to rent from them, in advance or even at the last minute. They can usually get equipment pretty quickly—within a few hours—and having several locations helps because they can get things from their other studios.”



Ondrea Barbe
www.ondreabarbe.com

Ondrea Barbe loves to shoot beauty and celebrities for editorial and advertising at Shoot Digital in Manhattan’s East Village. “If there’s an [image] processing issue, they resolve it quickly: there’s never a time when you’re not understood.” she says. “I also do my retouching there and I don’t have to worry about their expertise, professionalism and consistency. Everything—my equipment, grip, lighting and retouching—is all under one roof, which makes things easy. The studio can also bring in assistants for me really quickly if I need them.” Barbe adds, “They always do great things. Once they brought me peanut butter cookies and lemonade on a shoot, when I’d asked for it as a joke.”



Michael McKoveck
www.michaelmckoveck.com

New York still life photographer Michael McKoveck has been using Fast Ashleys Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, since 2006. “They have four studios of different sizes and are very knowledgeable. Any time I need anything, it’s right there; they’re very quick and thorough. It’s very easy to get to—it’s pretty much right over the [Williamsburg] bridge, so it’s not a hassle to get people or deliveries there,” he relates. “It’s not pristine, but it’s painted white where it needs to be.” McKoveck adds, “They have a ping-pong table that’s great to use if you want to relax a bit.”