References for Athena Studio

Clara Sinclair

This was my first time working at Athena Studio, and indeed meeting Ayla too! Ayla is absolutely lovely, made me a cuppa on arrival, showed me around and said to give a shout if I needed anything else on the shoot. The studio/house is spacious and lots of interesting areas to get a variety of looks, Ayla also has two cats (one is a kitten and ADORABLE) so that was also a huge bonus!! Can't wait to shoot there again in the future, highly recommended.

Nicole Rayner

I worked here recently whilst staying with Ayla. Wow! What a fantastic place and studio. I really enjoyed modelling here and I can't wait to work here more in the future! Such a great and versatile space with everything you need to create incredible images!

Highly recommended

dirk glassly

My first shoot at Athena Studio was with Ayla (who I have worked with elsewhere many times before) and on a dull January day. More than just a studio it is a really charming location with a lot of character and huge range of shooting opportunities - our four hours were nowhere near enough to even begin to explore all the potential. There is off-street parking in the driveway. As a great fan of natural light photography I was very pleased that this is a very bright location and even on this dull day we were able to shoot for four hours without using the high quality lighting gear that is available at Athena. The rooms we used include two large bedrooms and the lounge, and the decor and furnishings throughout are very tasteful and work well. The studio room also has ample natural light including a large skylight, and a number of props and features that offer something different. Ayla is the perfect studio host, very friendly and welcoming, highly knowledgeable about the whole process of image creation, and she creates a warm and relaxed creative atmosphere where photography is a real pleasure. Athena is a really great location /studio and I totally recommend it to all photographers. I will definitely be back soon.

Mark Antony Photography

This was my second visit to Ayla’s fabulous home studio and it is an absolute gem of a location. On this occasion I was shooting with Ayla and Nicole Rayner.

This place is full of character and wonderful features so the opportunities it creates with all the rooms available to work with are endless. All the rooms are a good size allowing for so many different styles to shoot. On top of that there is a great studio setup downstairs kitted out with various backdrops and a good selection of quality lighting equipment. The studio also has ample spaces to shoot with natural light which I absolutely love. As always Ayla was the perfect host. When I arrived for the shoot I had some ideas of what I wanted to shoot however the more I explored this place the more inspiration it created, especially with all the little nooks and crannies allowing for some unique shots. The only downside side in my mind was that we eventually ran out of time. I will definitely be booking more time at this studio as there is so much more I would like to shoot here.

Athena Studio comes highly recommended from me.

Thank you Ayla

DenBPhotography

Ayla contacted me suggesting a shoot at her new home studio, which looked great. It certainly lives up to the potential suggested in these images! There are several rooms and areas with great character allowing a huge range of styles. The studio is really well equipped and the opportunities for natural light photography are excellent too! After 4 hours we had barely scratched the surface of what we could do in the studio and it looks like there are lots of outdoor locations very nearby as well!

Well worth a visit!

APS Phototography

What a great location Ayla has here, considering it was a gray wet day outside we produced some fabulous images.

The rooms all suit different styles and look forward to returning again to shoot some other ideas

Thanks Ayla

Andy

Stuart P

I was excited to shoot with Ayla at her new home studio and wasn't disappointed. It's a beautiful house with style and character. There are a range of rooms with great natural light, even on a grey December day. It also benefits from a studio area with backdrops and lights that Ayla was very helpful in setting up. Athena is a great place to shoot and Ayla's experience as a model and photographer makes it a wonderful experience. 4 hours wasn't enough to explore everything the studio had to offer, so I hope to visit again soon.

Mark Antony Photography

My first visit to Athena Studio. Wow what a great location to shoot at. Working with Ayla hosting a group workshop she was holding we shot in three of the many rooms available. This included using the landing, one of the bedrooms and the studio area downstairs which is kitted out with various lighting equipment and backgrounds. With the number of different rooms available it really does have great potential for creating many different ideas, styles and images. Ayla had previously shown me some images of the place before my visit and it exceeded all expectations. I will definitely be returning as there is so many options to shoot with.

Definitely recommend from me.

Thanks Ayla.

Mark.

NikT

Ayla's home also doubles as Athena Studio. I booked a shoot well in advance with Ayla here, expecting to only use the location with natural light as this is what I am normally accustomed to. But on shoot day, Ayla convinced me to try some of the extra lights that are available. It certainly resulted in superior sets of images and broadened my horizons to the benefits of studio lights. Ayla assisted with setup and she also knows what works best where. Just ideal for a relative newbie to studio kit like me :-)

Athena is a beautiful roomy building with so many opportunities for shooting that you will not be able to exhaust the possibilities even if you took 2 or more bookings here. In my four hours I had so many ideas and we didn't even get around to doing half of them. There are amazing props, professional lighting, lots to inspire and you get an expert model with vast wardrobe at your disposal too. What more could you ask for?

I would highly recommend you book a shoot with Ayla here. It's a fantastic combo and you won't regret it.

Jon Downs

wowser - what an amazing shoot I had with Ayla at the beautiful Athena Studio near Stowmarket.

the studio is very impressive with loads of shooting opportunities and variations on looks and styles of shoot.

Ayla and I got loads of gorgeous pics here.

The studio is the best of both worlds - natural light opportunities exist in abundance and also studio lighting is available.

Ayla has done a fantastic job with the studio and I would use the studio again at the drop of a hat! :) :) :)

Highly recommended!!!!!!!!

Ultimate Look

I've been looking forward to shooting at Ayla's new home studio for a few weeks and once I arrived I wasn't disappointed.

I found the house easily and was immediately made to feel welcome.

Ayla gave me a tour of all the places available to shoot and there were so many I knew I'd never be able to use them all in the four hours I'd booked.

I opted to use some areas that had fantastic natural light but will definitely be back to try the studio area another time.

I found Ayla to be a marvellous host and model with nothing being to much trouble for her and the four hours just seemed to fly by, I feel I've come away with some great images and am so pleased I booked.

I can't recommend the studio or in fact Ayla enough, if you want to shoot at a great location with a very talented model I'd definitely say this is the place for you.

Simon Carter

Athena is Ayla's beautiful new home studio in the Suffolk countryside.

It's a characterful home with loads of interesting features, nooks and crannies and an abundance of natural light. We spent 4 hours shooting there and barely scratched the surface of what the place has to offer.

There's also a large open studio space with backdrops and a set of high quality studio lights - Lencarta Superfasts. We hardly made any use of those facilities as there was so much other stuff to explore.

Ayla's easygoing nature means that no request was too much trouble - totally recommended!

Nick Halling

I believe I was the first to shoot with Ayla at her new home and studio.

There is an abundance of natural light throughout her very large house with loads of shooting space there ready to exploit.

Also if need be there is strobe lighting and backdrops if you wish to use them.

I will definitely shoot there again in the future.

Recommended.