Once the main shell was constructed, and the floor was down, it was time to make some sets for the photography studio. One of the most enjoyable sets to build was the Art Deco set. This was the only part of the studio that needed plastering. So we mounted the plasterboard upright which gave us 8 feet high of plastered wall to work with. We also attached a dado rail and skirting board. The rail then separated the painted and wallpapered areas. A large selection of props including a pineapple chandelier, folding screen, shell chair, plants etc, and you get an incredibly nice backdrop for the studios projects.
Another set was a 50's diner and salon area. Very simple painted wall in the rear, with a simple set of props. This Includes one of my favorite props we have. A vintage hairdryer (in working order) we think the dryer is actually 30's, but fits well on the 50's area. A very cool corner of the studio, and one that I always thought would be much more popular than it actually is.
We also have a large selection of outfits for the subjects that Betty has collected over the years. The good thing about collecting things like this over time, is that every single item was a bargain. This does take up a large area of the studio, so we created a large curtained off area, to create a very nice dressing room.
The most used area of the studio is the backdrop wall. With 3 colors to chose from, pink, black, and white. Most of the shoots that are done, are on one or more of these drops. They are 9 feet wide, and pull down to also become the floor. We actually had this mounted in our home before Betty decided to move the studio from our house to the current location.
Here are a handful of more pictures of the studio, and gym area, that have been taken lately. Including the ongoing set project of the English country garden, including role swing. Also, I did mention in thy e previous blog, that we left a gap above the steel beams and the floor boards. This was to accommodate various Arial equipment of already established classes that Kate had built in her old location.
Thank you for the interest and time. Any questions I will be happy to answer. As I said before in the last post. All of this work was done after working a full time job, and on a very tight budget. You really would be amazed how cheap we managed to do all of the work. It was extremely tiring, but massively rewarding. Unfortunately it has all been shut for quite a time now due to the current circumstances, and it is very worrying. But worrying does not help, so we take each day as it comes, and listen out to all government advise. Stay safe.
You've put in a fair old amount of work here man! Great effort. A bit sad that it's all closed up but things will improve over time and it'll be pumping again. I hope you guys are as well as can be and things start picking up again soon, for all of us!
Thanks mate. It was a bit of an effort. The government have looked after small businesses like us very well so far. I just hope the road from now, until, “back to normal” isn’t too long now.
It's so difficult...Was just talking to one of my brothers in Europe who got some great government assistance, then the next person doesn't and they struggle. It's the same here. Faith and I have reduced incomes but have no government assistance, don't qualify for it. We froze our home loan though. Had no choice.
I agree, let's hope normal comes back soon, however I'm afraid it may not...For quite some time. Are you working at all?
It’s similar here. There is a cut off point for financial assistance, so there can be a £1 earning difference between getting help and not. Everybody that is employed gets 80% of their wage, up to £2500 gbp per month. The self employed deal sounds the same, but isn’t really. As we both own companies, We only end up with 30% of my earnings between the 2 of us. However, at this studio the government have paid 6 months rent upfront for us, and they have made it illegal to evict anybody for missing rent payments. I have also been offered an interest free loan with zero payments for 1 year if we need it. So i do think that the government really have done as much as they can in helping as many people possible. Although I have no doubt they can’t help everybody, and some will really struggle.
It sounds quite similar to here actually.
I'll admit that I think our government has done a reasonable job here. Sure, they will be judged with hindsight and I'm sure with clarity of vision on the whole picture they will be criticized but in the heat of the moment I think they did ok. Time will tell.
We have many now starting to complain that there extra money will stop and they won't be able to afford to live...I mean people who were on unemployment benefits already, long-term unemployed...They had their payments doubled...Makes no sense as they never lost in one in the first place...Now they are whinging that their payments will drop back. Idiots.