Our Studio
Den Helder Studio - A bit about our pride and joy.
Why Den Helder...
Den Helder Ltd is named after a Dutch naval base my mother was born on many years ago. We named the company in tribute to this.
So tell us a bit about this studio...
Our studio used to be a large double garage down our shared private driveway, separated from our house by about 10m, with its own front entrance. We had it made to building standards to create our own studio here of 25m2, with 3m high ceilings across most of the floor space, with background paper rollers, built into the ceiling cavity.
The studio was renovated extensively and redecorated with new flooring in early 2023 and then completely kitted out with new professional photography and videography kit.
The studio has wall mounted boom arms, to hold lighting securely off the floor. We use professional Godox Wistro flash units, from 200w up to 600w and Aputure lights and lighting modifiers amongst other equipment. We also use Aputure professional continous lighting equipment where needed. Especially if pets are sensitive to flash.
The flash units are fully battery powered, so there are no cables trailing on the floor for little paws to get caught in and there are usually no lights on the floor for anyone to trip up on unless we absolutely have to. We also use these lights on location when needed. We use the flash unit for 99% of our pet portrait work in the studio.
Its a modern and comfortable space inside and toilet facilties are found on the ground floor of our property a few steps away, which are modern and always clean and available.
When photographing dogs/pets we ensure there is a bowl of water and we always keep little treats to hand if required ;)
What equipment do you use?
We use professional Sony mirrorless cameras, with a full range of Sony G Master lenses, both in the studio and on location. All our editing is carried out on M1 and M1 Max Apple computers, attached to large colour corrected screens and we have a dedicated, fully equipped editing suite .
** We do not leave any lighting or camera equipment in our studio overnight or when we arent working in the studio. This is stored in a dedicated secure facility.
So is the studio compliant with the law?
Yes of course... the studio is fully compliant with fire safety including fire exits, signage and fire extinguishers as well as fire alarms for example. These are regulary certified as required by law, by a fire safety company.
Of course we also have all our equipment electrical tested every year as well and onsite we also hold a full first aid kit, just in case.
Den Helder Ltd is a limited company by liabilty and holds £2million in full public and product liability insurance, which is displayed in the studio on the wall as per company law. This insurance also covers us on location or wherever our employees are operating with our equipment on work for Den Helder Ltd.
Where do I find you?
We are based in the village of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire. Just a few minutes drive from the M1, Junction 6 and the M25, Junction 20. Onced you have booked we will send you a full address and postcode
Can we park at the Studio?
Yes there is parking for one car outside the studio for loading and unloading and plenty of parking available just a few metres away.
I'm a photographer/youtuber, can I hire the studio?
Yes we do hire out the studio to properly vetted individuals for use in photography/videography, filming for youtube and media work although you must bring your own camera and lighting equipment. Lighting modifiers can be rented out for a small charge and the boom arms attached to the wall and stands are available. The studio has also been corrected for sound travel with various soundproofing on the ceilings and walls. We can also have a chroma key background for filming. Contact us on here for more information.