Choosing a Photo Studio in London, where to start?

So, I'm looking for a photo studio near me.

I need a professional set up, a choice of Colorama backgrounds, enough space to comfortably fit several rails of clothing, in this case children's bridesmaid dresses which are pretty voluminous and take up loads of space, ideally a clothing steamer, space to shoot 6 models comfortably, an infinity cove would be great, but also chill out space for several sets of parents who are chaperoning.

This shouldn't be too hard to find right? This is London after all. 

Naturally I'm not after a high street shop which is just one room, I need a proper, full scale studio!

Then, maybe I'm being picky here but I don't want somewhere with loads of stairs,  I have cumbersome equipment to carry, parking has to be directly outside as I'm coming with everything in a van on my own.

I'm based in South London and every suitable studios seems to be in East London!

But I'm really lucky to have found Simulacra Studio in Sydenham.

They have 2 great studios with an infinity cove, green screen and plenty of Colorama to choose from, as well as a large lounge and kitchen so all the parents have a place to hang out, drink coffee and chat while the kids are on set. There's even a fun wooden swing that everyone loves.

They also offer inclusive equipment, so it turned out I don't need to bring in my clothing steamer, or rails, or lighting and grips even - they supply all of this inclusively.

There's parking right outside in the loading bay, it's all ground floor so no stairs (hooray) and the second studio doubles as a styling area which helps enormously. 

So, is there a photo studio near me? 

Well it depends where you live of course!

But if you're in need of professional, versatile photo and film studios in South London then try Simulacra Studio, SE26.

Luckily they're also right opposite a B&Q, Secrefix and a giant Sainsbury's (free parking all day for the chaperones). 

I ended up buying a few last minute props from the homewares department including fake plants, flowers,  a big rug and velvet cushions when we spontaneously decided to use Simulacra Studio's green velvet sofa to create a bit of a last minute lounge look for a couple of shots.

The last thing to mention is the wonderful, friendly staff, who couldn't do enough for us. Not only did they provide a surprise breakfast with fresh bread and croissants, cereal and juice for the kids and endless tea and coffee for the crew, they absolutely did everything to ensure my shoot was a success and everyone was happy.

It takes a lot of management to host stressed out photographers, assistants, stylists, parents and kids but Simulacra Studio's staff were unflappable and really brought an element of hospitality to shooting in a professional photo studio.

Thank you to all the team and I'll definitely be back.

If you're looking for a photo studio in South London then do check them out.