Wicker Park Photo Studios

Wicker Park Photo Studios rents two natural-light photo studios by the hour on the third floor of the historic Flatiron Arts Building in Chicago’s Wicker Park. The studios are run by Alexa Viscius, a Chicago photographer, art director and designer whose clients, according to her site, include Nike, Pitchfork, The New York Times and Coachella. A passenger elevator serving both studios is available around the clock.

Studios

• Studio North: 1,000 square feet with white walls, hardwood floors and a 7-by-9-foot north-facing window that gives soft, even light all day, with optional blackout curtains. It has a 10-by-8-foot hand-painted rotating wall, a mid-century lounge area and a large selection of designer chairs.
• Studio South: 850 square feet with white walls, white wood floors and a wall of south-facing windows that bring direct sunlight from early morning through golden hour, plus a large hand-painted movable wall, a lounge space and designer chairs.

Included equipment

Rentals include Matthews C-stands, apple boxes, sandbags, a steamer, a full-length mirror, a folding table and a Bluetooth speaker. Studio North adds an 80-by-80-inch V-flat, a mini fridge and high-speed WiFi; Studio South adds an Alien Bee strobe with a beauty dish and a 650-watt Mole-Richardson Fresnel. Hand-painted canvas backdrops and 9-foot Savage seamless rolls can be added.

Booking, memberships and residency

The studios are booked online by the hour. Monthly memberships are offered for photographers who shoot regularly, and an artist-in-residence program gives one photographer 15 hours of free studio time each month. Paid and free street parking is nearby.