Photography Studio Hire East London | Dry Hire
Interior of the Motherlight dry hire photography studio in Shoreditch

Studio dry hire

Book the room and bring your own crew.

Dry hire of our Shoreditch photography studio, minutes from Old Street. You get daylight or full blackout, a kitchen, changing facilities, private restrooms and a goods lift, and you bring your own crew. Lighting and grip can be added on top.

Shoreditch, London N1Daylight or blackoutGoods lift and parkingBring your own crew
Studio backdrop wall with paper rolls ready for a shoot
Kitchen and breakout space inside the Motherlight studio hire
Bright white photography studio with natural daylight in Shoreditch
Candlelit event space set up inside the Motherlight studio in Shoreditch

The space

A room for the shoot, the casting or the fitting.

The studio is minutes from Old Street, which matters more than it sounds when a crew of eight and a rail of samples have to arrive by nine. There is a goods lift and parking on site.

It takes editorials, ecommerce, commercials, castings, fittings and meetings. Kitchen, breakout area, private restrooms and changing facilities are all here, so a long day stays a comfortable one.

The equipment list is available on top of the room if you want to travel light. Everything else is yours to run how you like.

On site

What comes with the room

Daylight and blackout

Big windows when you want them, full blackout when you do not.

Kitchen and breakout

Somewhere for the crew to sit, eat and regroup between setups.

Changing and private WC

Proper facilities for talent, not a corner behind a rail.

Goods lift and parking

Load in without carrying a rail up three flights of stairs.

Wooden panel backdrop hire in London at Motherlight Studios, dark stained wood on castors
White panelled backdrop hire in London at Motherlight Studios, with paper backdrop rolls above
Model in a teal knit dress shot against a panelled wall backdrop hired from Motherlight Studios
Styled shoot against a rustic wood panel wall backdrop hired from Motherlight Studios
Walnut slatted wood backdrop on castors under the paper backdrop rolls at Motherlight Studios
AI generated visualisation of a podcast set styled with armchairs, microphones and a coffee table against the real slatted wood backdrop

Backdrop hire

Wooden panel backdrops for hire in London.

A real stained or painted wood panel, not a printed vinyl standing in for one. We keep a rotating range on castors, from a weathered dark stain to a crisp white panelled wall, ready to wheel in front of a set in minutes.

Backdrops are available to hire as an add-on to a dry hire booking alongside the Colorama paper and styling kit, so a shoot can move between a seamless background and a textured one without losing the day to a changeover.

Need something specific? We run an in-house carpentry service for bespoke set builds, so a backdrop or a prop built to your brief is made on site rather than sourced and hoped for.

The furnished set shown here is an AI generated visualisation on our real slatted wood backdrop, to give a sense of what a dressed set could look like.

5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine black and white editorial portrait shot at Motherlight Studios
5Eleven Magazine logo
Photographer
Edwin S Freyer
Styling
Tasha Arguile
Makeup
Anna Inglis Hall at Stella Creative Artists using Haus Labs
Hair
Michela Olivieri at Caren Agency using Blu & Green
Socials
Boram Lee Freyer
Hair assistant
Kathy Jung
Studio
Motherlight Studios
Models
Stevie Sims, Lily Nova, Cora Corré, Mayowa, Lucan Gillespie, Delfina Morbelli, Edwina Preston
Gü yuzu dessert in a glass ramekin surrounded by cut yuzu
Gü mango and passion fruit dessert in a glass ramekin with cut fruit
Gü strawberry and raspberry dessert in a glass ramekin with berries
Gü raspberry dessert with a crumble topping in a glass ramekin
Gü logo Agent at Large logo
Photographer
Barry Makariou
Production
Agent at Large
Assistants
Madison Blackwood, Emily Mills
Designers
Derek&Eric
Styling
Nicolas Ghirlando
Studio
Motherlight Studios
Props
CMStudio
Post
Curious Prods
Faith Love Hope editorial: pinstripe blazer with a folded white collar, black and white
Faith Love Hope editorial: floral silk scarf portrait, black and white
Faith Love Hope editorial: shaggy cream coat and skirt against a dark backdrop
Faith Love Hope editorial: sequinned trousers in motion blur, black and white
Faith Love Hope editorial: white roll-neck dress against a dark backdrop
Faith Love Hope magazine logo
Photographer
Matthew Minton
Styling
Sophie Ozra Cloarec
MUA
James Butterfield
Hair
Masaki Kameda
Photography assistant
Tyler Matthias
Model
Noa Samassa
Studio
Motherlight Studios
Graphic design
Dora Kwiatkowska
Editor in chief
Sandy Kirik
Lonestar Daughters floral shirt with logo tote bag and blue star cap
Lonestar Daughters floral jacket and shorts with lace trim and embroidered star, detail
Lonestar Daughters floral jacket and lace-trim shorts, full length with a grocery bag
Lonestar Daughters floral jacket and straw bucket hat portrait with celery
Lonestar Daughters logo
Client
Lonestar Daughters
Collections
SS26 & AW26
Photographer
Phoebe Nightingale
HMUA
Carrie McDonald
Gordon Stabbins portrait of a model in a white blouse and silver sculptural earring
Gordon Stabbins menswear shot: green overcoat, wide trousers and umbrella on a mottled backdrop
Gordon Stabbins shot: leopard print strapless dress and black boots against white drapes
Gordon Stabbins portrait: tweed suit with flower brooches, seated in an armchair
Gordon Stabbins Photography logo
Photographer
Gordon Stabbins
Stylists
Ezekiel Sokan & Lucy Lee
HMUAs
Saffron Maltby & Elena Diaz
Production
Motherlight Studios
Assistant
Milie Dulieu

Studio hire

What people ask before booking

How much does photography studio hire cost in London?

It depends on the day. A half day casting and a full day ecommerce shoot with a crew of eight need very different things from the room, so we quote per booking rather than publish a single rate. Tell us the date and what you are shooting and we will come back with a figure.

What does dry hire actually include?

Dry hire means the room and its facilities: the shooting space, daylight or blackout, kitchen, breakout area, changing facilities and private restrooms, plus the goods lift and parking. Crew, lighting and grip are not included, though lighting can be added from our studio equipment hire list.

Where is the studio and how do I get there?

Studio 15, Shoreditch Park Studios, 49-50 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED. It is a few minutes from Old Street and Hoxton stations, with parking and a goods lift on site so a rail of samples does not have to go up three flights of stairs.

Can I bring my own crew and equipment?

Yes. That is what dry hire is for. Bring your photographer, stylist, hair and makeup and your own lighting if you prefer to work with kit you know.

Floor plan

Know the room before you book it.

Dimensions, the kitchen, storage, stairs to the mezzanine and the WC, all laid out so you can plan a set build or a floor plan of your own before the day.

Main studio
13.22 m deep by 10.08 m along the wall to the stairs, about 133 m² of open floor
Light
Six windows for natural light, or full blackout
Entrance
0.95 m wide by 1.90 m high, so plan large set pieces around it
On the floor
Kitchen with sink, hob and oven, a 2.80 by 2.45 m storage room, mezzanine and WC
Booking
Half day covers up to 5 hours, full day up to 10 hours
Included
8 C-stands, 8 poly boards, reflectors, boom arm, Colorama stand, steamer, plinths and backdrops. Colorama paper is £40 per use plus VAT
Motherlight studio floor plan showing the main studio, kitchen, storage and stairs to the mezzanine and WC

Keep reading

Not sure where to start?

Tell us about your next shoot

Fill out this short form so we can understand your requirements. One of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, message us on WhatsApp for a quick response. You will always speak to a real human!

  • Step 1

    Tell us what you are shooting

    Six quick questions about the work, the timing and how much of it you want us to run.

  • Step 2

    We come back with a number

    A realistic price and approach for your actual shoot, rather than a plan you have to fit into.

  • Step 3

    Pick a time to talk

    Fifteen minutes with the team who would run the day, at a time that suits you.

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