Methodology · Updated June 2026

How the Photoshoot Cost Calculator Works

Name: London photo studio hire rates (2026)
Creator: Mariya Harley
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The calculator estimates a London shoot with one transparent formula and real, dated inputs. This page documents every number so you can check the working.

The formula

Total = (hourly rate × hours) + (extra looks × £100) + (studio £/hr × hours) + makeup

Hourly rate — defaults to Mariya Harley's published rates: fashion & personal branding £300/hour, wedding £350/hour; brand/commercial is set per brief. The rate includes one full look and 10 retouched photos. The field is editable, so you can model any photographer's rate.
Extra looks — each additional look beyond the first is £100. Lingerie/underwear looks are excluded and quoted separately.
Studio hire — real per-hour rates published by six London studios (table and areas on the studio price guide): Soif £35/hr (Hackney E8), KITSCH from ~£80/day (Tottenham N15), 69 Drops ~£59–94/hr (Whitechapel E1), Arch ~£60/hr (Camberwell SE5), tyx ~£72/hr (Holloway N7). Collected from each studio's own price pages, June 2026; most exclude VAT.
Makeup & hair — optional (off by default). London MUA range £200–£550 per shoot depending on the artist; the calculator's mid option (£250) reflects the typical mid-market booking.

Honest assumptions (what this is and isn't)

Outputs are an estimate range (−5% / +10%), not a quote — final pricing depends on usage rights, brief complexity and dates.
Studio prices change; figures carry a collection date (June 2026) and we re-check them quarterly. Always confirm with the studio.
Makeup is shown as a range because artist pricing genuinely varies — we don't invent a false single number.
No retainer, travel, location-permit or casting costs are modelled — those are shoot-specific.

Sources

Photographer rate, looks and retouching policy — Mariya Harley's own published pricing (services).
Studio rates — each studio's published rate page: 69 Drops Studios, Soif Studios, Street Studios, Arch Photo Studio, tyx Studios, KITSCH Studio (June 2026).
Market context for hourly/day-rate ranges — public London studio-hire listings (Tagvenue, studio sites), 2026.

Open the calculator