You could be forgiven for missing the place at twilight - we were in search of Fridays Studio for the launch of the Hasselblad H6D camera…the ironic thing was it was on a Monday.
No matter, the Fridays Studio is the newest venture of Ian and Erick Regnard, the two brothers famed for their underwater work with large format cameras. I think that the fact that they used large format cameras is diagnostic - there was a definite sees of space and magnitude about the studio.
It is a work in progress - at present there is one wall completed of what ultimately will be a three-dimensional infinity cyclorama. The fact that the building that houses the studio was an industrial warehouse and garage before means that there is a very large open interior with a very high ceiling. They have taken full advantage of this to make an infinity scoop that can accomodate a great deal of vertical activity - the tallest samba headdress will still not break the background. Impressive!
The studio also uses a central divider to create a natural light studio behind the main floor, and again it is larger than many other full studios combined. There is a dressing and facilities room under construction as well.
But the thing that impressed me was a full-sized sea container parked at the side of the wall. It’s a 20 footer, and what is really impressive is that it is NEW - not some old rusty bucket. It provides the lock-up security for studio gear. I was envious of the infinity wall at the start but I got even more jealous when I saw that container. At least I think it is a container…it might be their camera case for when they travel. I must look again and see if it has a shoulder strap.
I did suggest that they paint their front window up as a Bayer-pattern sensor…or at least use the squares to make a giant McBeth colour card but they started to get nervous and edge for the door so I left it. Another time, perhaps…
I wonder if there is a cure for studio envy?
