PHOTO STUDIO RENTAL FAQ
Most studios are priced around $75 per hour, we offer rates that are much less - so please keep that in mind as we want to provide the best of both worlds :)
Question: Does a photographer come with the studio rental?
Answer: No. However, we do offer photography services - just go to our Photography Services page to learn more.
Question: Can I come and tour the studio?
Answer: You can take a quick peek at the studio right when we open for our “core hours” at 6pm on weeknights and noon on weekends. We never really know when the studio will be free for tour as many times reservations are made online only hours beforehand. Additionally, we are not on site during weekday daytimes unless someone has booked a shoot. If you come at 6pm on weeknights or noon on weekends, the studio might be booked, but the photographer who rented the studio will be loading in and not actively shooting and you can take a quick look around. We tried to showcase the studio the best we could in the photo gallery on the photo studio rental page - hopefully you can get a good idea of the studio.
Question: What is the cancellation policy?
Answer: For a weeknight/weekend reservation, you can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours prior to your appointment time and receive a full refund. This can be done via the link on your confirmation email or in the online scheduler. There is no credit or refund given for cancellations inside of 24 hours prior to your appointment start time as that spot on the reservation calendar is effectively consumed as most anyone who was looking to book the studio saw that it was already booked and won’t be checking again. For a weekday daytime session, since we are resourcing staff and scheduling the studio just for your shoot, you will only receive a 50% refund. The remaining funds will go to pay the employee who was relying on those hours.
Question: Do you provide assistance in the studio?
Answer: We will handle all of the setting up and changing of the seamless backgrounds and also are more than happy to show you the basic functions of the lighting equipment. The artistic use of light, your camera settings, and returning the studio to the way it was when you arrived are your responsibility. We will help return equipment to its standard positions and help you of course :) However, if you leave the studio in such disarray as to cause another customer who booked behind you a late start or our staff spending more than 10 minutes cleaning up the studio, you may be charged a $25-$50 fee. If you need a photo assistant, or a photography coach please give us a ring well ahead of time and we may be able to provide a solution.
*If you need a photographer for your shoot, check out our photographer services page and we can get you what you need!
Question: I am shooting video, is Waveform the right studio to do video?
Answer: While it is not uncommon for customers to shoot video in our photo studio and we do stock video/green seamless paper, it is not a proper video studio and we don’t market it as such. We do not provide proper video lights, so you will need to bring those as all we have is studio strobes for still photography. If you are recording audio, it is best to schedule a weekday daytime where you will be the only customers in the facility and can control the sound better. However, rain can be heard very clearly by condenser mics and if it is super hot or cold outside, the HVAC will have to be turned off while recording audio which may make it a touch uncomfortable in the studio.
Question: Is there natural light in the studio?
Answer: Our studio does not have any natural light and is designed for flash strobes only. You can bring in constant lights however if you wish.
Question: Do you allow minors in the studio?
Answer: No. If your shoot includes minors, we may make a “pre-approved” exception if a parent is present and willing to validate their information and to sign a legal hold-harmless agreement - please call us prior to booking any appointment where a minor is present. We might not be able to accommodate your shoot depending on the situation.
Question: What size seamless paper do you carry, how much can I use and what is the cost?
Answer: We carry 7ft wide rolls of seamless paper (except for white, we carry 9ft wide rolls as well for shoots with 2+ people in the same shot or a larger product). If you need a certain color in 9ft wide, you are more than welcome to bring your own and use our rigging. You can see the exact colors of what we carry in the photo gallery on the photo studio page. For each shoot, the initial 4 feet that is dirtied up is given to you as part of the studio rental. Any seamless paper that is dirtied up (consumed) beyond the initial 4 feet is charged to you at $5 per 4 feet (which is less than cost). If no seamless is dirtied up, we do not consider it consumed and there is no charge.
Question: Can I come early to prepare for a shoot? Also, what time do I need to exit the studio after a shoot?
Answer: In order to keep our prices low, we do not put buffers into the schedule. The start time of your reservation marks the earliest you can arrive for your shoot and enter the studio. The vanity is located in the studio, so that policy applies to make up artists and models as well. Similarly, you are expected to start packing up about 10min from your scheduled end time so that you are leaving the studio at your end time with the studio returned to the state it was given to you. We could put in buffers, but we don't want to charge higher rates. Plus, the customers after you want to start on time just like you did :)
Question: What props do you have in the studio?
Answer: We have a few seating props…you can see those in the photo gallery on the photo studio rental page. You are more than welcome to bring your own - they just need to fit through a regular sized door.
Question: Do you have any customer agreement or release forms I will need to sign?
Answer: Yes. The booking customer will need to sign a customer agreement and every person being photographed will need to sign a hold-harmless agreement. The studio rental agreement is a basic agreement where the booking customer agrees to the rules of the studio and agrees to basic and common sense things like our minors policy or the you broke it / you bought it policy and so forth. The model hold-harmless agreement is basically the inverse of a model release…it says that Waveform is not associated with these images or their use in any fashion. You can see theses agreements by clicking here.
Question: I keep calling you and getting a voicemail message…are you there?
Answer: Since our studios are booked online, our staff only being onsite during core hours (nights/weekends), and hopefully the answer to most every question can be found on our website, there is no business phone in the facility. If you call and get our voicemail, please leave a message or send us an email using the contact form below. We will get back with you as quickly as possible :) We could hire a person to answer a phone throughout the day and evening, but that would drive up the price we charge for using the studio and we are trying our best to provide the absolute best rates without sacrificing quality.
Question: I have more than one model for my shoot, where can they all do makeup and hair?
Answer: We only have one makeup and hair station. It is best if you stagger your models entry times so when one finishes and goes to shoot, the next model can prepare. During the weekday daytime hours, we can set up two more stations by our large windows at the front of the facility.
Question: Where do I park and will someone meet me when I arrive to the facility?
Answer: Waveform has its own parking lot in front of the facility and it is about 3 feet from the front door. The facility is very easy to navigate and our staff will greet you by the front door.
Question: Why do I have to pay with a credit card to make a reservation and why don’t you take cash?
Answer: By not taking cash and having all reservations paid for in advance, our staff can concentrate on providing a clean and safe environment for our customers. It also affords them the time to help customers who are unfamiliar with the studio setup, learn the equipment, and make sure everybody gets off to a good start. From other perspectives, not taking cash lowers the risk of robbery and helps us keep our prices low in a variety of ways.
*If your shoot includes animals of any kind, large objects, motorcycles, or any other non portrait/table-top product item - please contact us prior to booking as we want to make sure our studio is a good fit for your needs.
ADDRESS/DIRECTIONS
8204 N Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX 78753
Building A
Driving: From 183, go north approx. 1/4 mile and turn left into Waveform's parking lot which is directly across from Texaco.