'There is a studio that rents out, but he seems to think photographers are millionaire playboys, judging by his prices' Well, jordy, you can look at my thread above for tips on getting models, but re the studio, here's what I reckon. First, you have to realise that lights, generators, premises, etc, cost a LOT of money. That's why studio rental is expensive. It always has been, always will be. But apart from that, if your home/apartment/whatever is out of the question, why not shoot on location? I don't know where you live, but even the north pole has great scenery. If you live in the city, use urban scenes. There are always back streets and deserted lots you can use. Shoot everything at f1.4 if necessary and throw it all out of focus. Or take a bus outside the city. Locations galore out there. Sunlight is free and afternoon sunlight is the best light you'll ever get. Hell, half my life has been spent trying to reproduce afternoon sunlight in the studio with flash. LOL. Ask the local cafe/bar/art store if you can shoot on their premises. Offer them a print for the window. What I'm saying is, it can be done with a bit of thought. Look at the magazines and see the locations they use. Sure, some are done in the Bahamas or in Donald Trump's penthouse, but there are plenty of shoots done in grungy old places. I live in milan (although I'm scottish), and believe me, milan is one huge car-lot. But you can always find a location somewhere. If it comes to the worst, you can do tightly-cropped head-shots in the street and show as little background as possible. I can tell you this though. All professional photographers have the same problem and they're so used to it that they can find a good location in a tin can if they have to. This idea that they fly you to exotic locations is true up to a point, but what happens when you go to the carribean and it's monsoon season? (Don't laugh - it DOES happen). You have to do the shoot no matter what and you've only got 3 days. So if you can't step outside because of tornadoes or floods, you just have to do it in the hotel/bar/nearest toilet. That's life. And location finding is a good art to learn. mac