The first studio wasn’t even mine, it was a studio of a fashion Photographer I met in the middle 80s. His studio was in a combination office and apartment building. He lived in the apartment above, but the office was separate from the studio.
The next studio was when I went to Seattle Central Community College for their commercial photography program in the late 80s. The first year was tungsten and the end of the year was low powered Norman power pack strobes. The next year, we got the Norman 2000ws power packs strobes. I used a Sinar F1 4″x5“, Mamiya RB67 Pro S and a Minolta X-570 35mm in the 2nd year and didn’t use the 35mm too long since it’s sync got burned out by the old Norman power pack.
A classmate offered his apartment basement studio and I did a few shoots there. Believe I used his medium format camera, but it’s been so long ago I really can’t recall. Also, around this time I shot at another friend’s house for a few shoots.
Met a photographer at an ASMP meeting, and he allowed me to use his studio for a little while. I recall he had a Dyna-Lite M500xl that seemed to have a short issue and I kept getting little static shocks from the power pack.
I stated shooting in my models homes in 1992 first lit with 2 500w tungsten outdoor lights that I put together and later a homemade 1500w 3 tungsten bulbs light that I called the danger light because it got really hot and smelled funny when it was on. I used it for a good deal of years before I retired it.
In the beginning of 1998 I wanted to get Comet strobes, but they were way beyond my means, so I got a cute little Dyna-Lite M1000xl strobe power pack with a 1015 flash head instead. Once again, did many shoots in my models homes.
1999 moved to Seattle and did my best to use my new apartment as a studio as well as around the apartment.
2001 a new apartment and hopes that my bedroom at the time could be a great studio.
2002 yet another apartment and hopes for a studio too. I took a few shots but no where for what might be called studio work. I also shot outside the apartment as well. Updated to digital at the end of 2004 during this time.
2008 my old friend Chuckie Bear, aka Bloodengle, offered me the chance to share in with his group studio, but it had a few issues. No ideal heat and a number of the suicide windows didn’t close that let all the cold in. I would have loved the place because it was the famous 619 building, and it had a lot of character and great shooting locations.
I opted for the OK Hotel for their basement Studios. The last shoot I did there was in June when it started to get too hot. I noticed an open studio with the photographer using an air conditioner, and we did get free electricity there, but the air conditioner was pricey, so I never invested in one.
A few months later I moved to Off Broadway Studios, and it rented by the hour and I paid for 18hrs installment. The studio offered Bowen monolights, octo boxes, a cyc wall, painted brick wall, metal door and some other areas. It had an area where the model could do their hair and makeup. I learned a lot from the experience of having this studio because I had never worked with monolights or PocketWizard before. Used the studio to the beginning of 2009, but because of the financial crash, I couldn’t afford the studio. Still, the owner gave me a few months because I was such a good renter and didn’t damage the lighting equipment.
Around the end of 2009 I made friends with a nearby clothing store and that relationship helped to get access to an office and back room of her 2010 store where I did a few shoots.
In 2010 my old 619 studio partner, Chuckie Bear aka Bloodengle, offered a shoot at his studio with a Modelmayhem model Deena Sullivan, and I was able to utilize the studio in the way I really desired.
2022 and recently have been shooting events with Gothic Pride Seattle and my new setup and teardown studio is at Café Racer.
George Vernon 