The first question I ask when I'm planning a shoot isn't lighting or wardrobe. It's how many hours to put on the booking form. Get this wrong and you either pay for empty time or you're packing down while your subject is still asking for one more frame.

Most studios sell three blocks. Hourly, half-day (usually four hours), and full-day (eight to ten hours, sometimes twelve). The math looks obvious on the listing page. Half-day per hour is cheaper than hourly. Full-day per hour is cheaper than half-day. So bigger is better, right?

Not in my experience. I've over-booked twice this year and walked out two hours early both times. That's money I'm not getting back.

Here's how I actually decide now.

The honest comparison

Numbers are from studios I've personally booked through Creative Studio Hire in the last twelve months. They're not made up and they're not averages.

Block	Typical hours	What I paid (example)	Per hour	Best for
Hourly	1 to 3	£75/hr in Manchester (small daylight room)	£75	Headshots, single look, short interview
Half-day	4	£260 in East London (mid-size with cyc)	£65	Lookbook, 2 to 3 looks, podcast video
Full-day	8	$680 in East LA (large infinity wall, two rooms)	$85	Campaign, multi-talent, ecommerce volume

You'll notice the LA full-day has a higher per-hour rate than the London half-day. That's because the LA space is roughly three times the size and comes with a kitchen, makeup room, and a freight lift. Bigger box, bigger bill, even on the longer block. The per-hour math people quote on Reddit assumes all studios are the same. They aren't.

When hourly is the right call

I book hourly when I'm doing a single thing and I'm honest with myself about pack-down time. Headshots for a corporate client is two hours. I show up at 9, the talent arrives at 9:15, we shoot from 9:30 to 10:30, and I'm out by 11. That second hour isn't wasted because I'm using it to pack down and not leaving the space worse than I found it.

The trap is treating hourly like it's only for the camera time. If you book one hour to shoot one hour, you're stressed before you've taken a single frame. Always pad. My rule is whatever I think I need plus 30 minutes minimum for setup and pack-down.

Hourly also makes sense for something I've never tried before. If I'm testing a new lighting setup or seeing how a studio actually feels in person, two hours costs less than committing to four and discovering the cyc has a chip in it.

When half-day starts paying for itself

Once I've got more than one look, half-day takes over. Four hours is enough for two or three outfit changes, hair touch-ups, and a coffee break that I actually take instead of skipping.

The London cyc I mentioned (£260 for four hours) was for an athleisure lookbook with one model and three outfits. We shot 60 frames per look, broke for lunch, and were out the door at the four-hour mark with about 12 minutes to spare. Hourly at the same studio would have cost £80 per hour, so £320 for the same four hours. Half-day saved me £60 and the panic of clock-watching.

Half-day is also the right shape for a video podcast or interview series. You need time to set up two cameras, mic everyone, do a sound check, run the conversation, and tear down. Trying to cram all of that into two hours is how you end up with audio levels you fix in post for the rest of your life.

When to stop pretending and book the full day

Full-day is where I see the most over-booking. People book eight hours because the math says it's the cheapest per-hour rate, then walk out at hour five. I've done it. The full-day discount only matters if you actually use the time.

I book full-day when one of three things is true. There's a multi-talent shoot with hair and makeup involved, because just getting everyone ready eats two hours before a camera fires. There's an ecommerce shoot with more than 40 SKUs, because product setup is its own job. Or it's a campaign with a director, an agency person, two assistants, and a client who wants to be there for half of it (and that half always becomes the full day).

The LA shoot I priced above was an ecommerce job with 60 SKUs across two product categories. Eight hours, two assistants, a steady stream of styled shots. We finished at hour seven and a half. Full-day was correct because hourly would have been roughly $120 per hour at that studio and we would have hit the cap on our budget by lunch.

The mistake I keep seeing

People book based on the per-hour rate alone and ignore the actual schedule. The cheapest per-hour block is whatever you fully use. An eight-hour day at $85 an hour that you finish in five is $680 for what could have been a $400 half-day. A two-hour booking at £75 that turns into four hours of going over time is £300 plus a stressed-out studio owner.

The question to ask isn't 'what's the cheapest block on the price list?' It's 'how long will I actually be here, including setup, breaks, and pack-down?'

What to budget for that isn't on the listing

This is the part most people forget when they're comparing studios. The hourly rate is rarely the full cost of the day.

Crew food. Even a small crew needs lunch on a four-hour shoot. Budget £30 to £50 in the UK, $50 to $80 in the US. The studio I used in Manchester had a Pret two doors down and that saved me about 25 minutes.
Parking or congestion charges. The East London studio is inside the ULEZ. That's £12.50 a day before I've even set foot in the building. I forgot that on my first booking and it stung.
Gear rental. If the studio doesn't have the modifier or backdrop you need, you're either paying their day rate for it or hauling your own.
Cleaning fees. Some studios charge if you make a mess on the cyc or sweep. Read the booking terms before you start spraying anything.

None of these are deal breakers. They just turn a £260 half-day into a £340 day once everything is accounted for, and that's what you should compare across studios, not the headline rate.

One more thing about cancellations

Most studios I've booked have a 48-hour or 72-hour cancellation window. If your shoot might move (because the talent is on a different schedule, or the agency hasn't approved the shot list, or the weather matters for a daylight studio), book a smaller block first and extend on the day if you need to. Most studios are happy to add an hour if the room is free. Almost none will refund you for the four hours you didn't use.

Frequently asked questions

Is half-day always cheaper than hourly?

Per hour, almost always yes. In total, only if you actually fill the four hours. I've seen photographers book a half-day for a one-hour headshot session because the per-hour rate looked better on paper, then sit around for three hours feeling guilty about it. If you're going to be done in 90 minutes, book two hourly and walk away.

How much extra time should I add for setup and pack-down?

Honestly, more than I used to. I now add 30 minutes for a simple setup (one light, one backdrop) and a full hour for anything with a cyc, multiple lights, or a video rig. Studios that charge hourly will charge you for time spent loading in and out, so factor that in.

Can I get a discount if I book multiple days?

Sometimes. The bigger studios in London and LA will negotiate on three or more consecutive days, especially mid-week. The smaller ones rarely will because they're already pricing close to break-even. Ask, but don't expect it. The best discount I've ever got was 15 percent on a four-day block in Manchester, and I had to pay upfront.

What happens if I run over my booked time?

Depends on the studio. A few I've used charge double for the overrun, which is brutal but fair. Most charge the standard hourly rate prorated to the nearest 15 or 30 minutes. One studio in Brooklyn billed me for a full hour because I walked out at the 12-minute mark. Read the terms.

Are weekend bookings more expensive?

Often, yes, especially Saturdays in big cities. The London cyc I keep using charges 20 percent more on Saturdays. Sundays are sometimes the same as weekdays because they're less in demand. If you can shoot Tuesday or Wednesday, do it. The studios are emptier and the staff is less rushed.

Should I tip the studio assistant?

Not common in the UK, more common in the US for full-day shoots if the assistant has gone above and beyond. I usually buy them lunch instead, which everyone seems to appreciate more than cash.

The bottom line

Pick the block that matches the time you'll actually use, not the one with the lowest per-hour number. Pad for setup, pad for pack-down, pad for the inevitable thing that goes wrong. And if you're not sure, go smaller. Almost every studio I've worked with will let you extend on the day if the room is free. Very few will refund you for hours you booked and didn't need.

If you want to compare blocks across studios in your city, the listings on Creative Studio Hire show the hourly, half-day, and full-day rates side by side, so you can do the math before you message anyone.