References for Basford Hurst Cottage Photography Location

Michael J Photography

I had my first shoot at this fantastic venue on Thursday. Zara Fox and I were very warmly welcomed by the owners Leanne and Simon as we entered the premises. Leanne very kindly showed us around the various rooms just before our shoot was due to commence. All of the rooms are beautiful with vast potential for great images. We had a four shoot there and really only scratched the surface of possibilities There is a vast outside area which unfortunately we couldn't use on this day due to the weather. As I'm certain I will return I hope the weather is kinder next time and I can hopefully put it to use. The property also has yet to realise it's full potential as there is an outhouse which is a work in progress right now.

All in all a very highly recommended shoot venue.

A big thank you to Leanne and Simon for letting us shoot at your fabulous cottage.

Michael J

Zara Fox

I had the pleasure of shooting at this stunning location with Michael J.

The location is stunning! And the rooms are huge, perfect for natural light shots (when the sun decides to stay in one place!) or there is also the option of flash.

From what I have seen off the back of camera, Mike and I have achieved some gorgeous images.

Upon arrival Leanne greeted us and showed us around.

We were however left to get to work - knowing Leanne was nearby to help with anything if required.

The outdoor space is fabulous. Unfortunately for us April showers did not allow us to use it but I will most definitely be back to take advantage of it!

The dressing room is lovely - even a box of little choc bars which were appreciated but also dangerous! 🤣

Thank you so much Leanne & Simon ☺️

I could not recommend this studio enough.

Thanks

Zara x

Paul GH Photography

I recently had the privilege of having, not one, but 2 shoots at the awesome Basford Hurst Cottage Studio. Day 1 with Carla Monaco and Artemis Fauna followed by a second day with Artemis on her own. Two great shoots. There is so much potential; at the studio that we could have spent several days there. We didn't have time to explore the gardens but there is so much potential there as well. This is an exciting place.

The owners, Leanne and Simon, are lovely people and made us all very welcome. Leanne helped throughout the shoots ensuring that we had everything we needed for a successful day.

Looking forward to going back.

Thank you Leanne and Simon.

xxx

Owen Lloyd

What a day we had at Basford Hurst Cottage! This was my first time shooting at Basford, with Nicole and there are so many rooms, of all shapes and sizes, with amazing bold features, it's going to keep me busy for months!

Leanne has really thought through what will work for a shoot, so the shooting rooms are not cluttered with unnecessary furniture or items that break the timeless nature of the place.

This place has an amazing variety of rooms and features, from the iron spiral staircase, the impressive dining room with bold paneling, stupendous table and fireplace; the Enormous Room (!) with its lovely timber floor, the intimate piano room, bathroom, and not one but two great looking bedrooms with plenty of room to rig lights and get some distance from the camera.

Almost all of the rooms have south-facing windows too, so if you are blessed with sunlight for your shoot, the enormous paneled windows make for some gorgeous light patterns in the rooms, across the floors, walls, and stairs. The frosted glass in the bathroom turns the sunlight into a glorious glow behind the feature roll-top bath.

And that's just the inside! There's private woodland, a stream with a bridge, and various outbuildings and I know it's going to get even better as Leanne and Simon move forward with their extension and renovation plans!

Leanne was on-hand throughout the day to help out and our whole visit was really well facilitated from the start: from booking and directions to unloading and loading the car, and moving furniture :)

If you're looking for a venue with classic looks, and a variety of features, that looks amazing in natural light and presents amazing opportunities for creative lighting too then this is the place for you! Leanne and Simon are also just lovely to work with and our shoot was a great success!

ChrisB1

I had my first shoot at Basford Hurst Cottage Studio yesterday. It is an amazing house, and I must say I was very impressed with the place. Leanne and Simon have done a great job of turning their house into a lovely place to to shoot in. There are so many different rooms, each offering something different to capture some great images. There is plenty of natural light, and there are flash units and triggers to use. I could of spent all week there and still find a new idea to come up with.

Leanne and Simon were very welcoming and friendly. I arrived a little early and was made a coffee and given a tour of the place on arrival.

I would highly recommend booking this place for shooting at. I will be returning for more shoots in the near future.

Thank you for a great day Leanne. I'll definitly be back to shoot again.

AF photography

Amazing first shoot at Basford House! Leanne & Simon are super hosts! Very welcoming and helpful.

The location itself is stunning too! So many area's to shoot in with excellent natural light.

Would love to shoot there again very soon!

Ivory Flame

First time working at Basford and glad to say I have multiple other dates booked in, I look forward to being back at this inspiring venue.

Leanne and Simon are so welcoming, friendly and easy going. The model room is comfortable and plush, with thoughtful touches, great space and facilities for make-up, hair and wardrobe.

And the house is fantastic with such an array of interesting light, moody corners, vast rooms and fascinating nooks. Very excited for the possibilities for creating here! It's clearly somewhere you can return to again and again with so many options and different moods to capture.

Glad to have it not far from me and I'm looking forward to more shoots there 😊

JD tuition

I had the immense pleasure of shooting images for two forthcoming events, with two different models.

The house is absolutely lovely, with so many different spaces to shoot in, and wonderful natural light. Leanne and Simon are welcoming and courteous hosts, and I don't expect to run out of ideas for a long time to come. There are almost limitless possibilities.

Natural light works incredibly well, although on a dull day you may want to make sure that you shoot with wide-aperture lenses and high ISO, but then you have immense freedom. However, if you want to use artificial light, there are a number of flash units and modifiers around, and these allow a further range of effects: you can even combine the two.

An important thing about the studio name: 'Cottage' is a word that suggests a small space, and is thus misleading. All the rooms are larger than you need for making pictures: there is even reasonable space in the models' changing room (if you are allowed to enter by your chosen model: I was, happily).

All in all, a wonderful place to shoot pictures - and I haven't begun to explore the outdoor possibilities. I'll be back, both for workshops, and for personal photography.

David Lowe Photography

I had a great time at Basford Hurst Cottage working the wonderful Artemis Fauna.

Great venue with large rooms giving lots of space to move around with large windows for soft natural light. Other areas include a super bathroom, spiral stair case and a small but very interesting undecorated area with a dilapidated feel.

Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, I was unable to try the outside area but it looks very enticing and I will be back to try it out.

The studio owner is very accommodating and helpful making sure both Sarah and myself had all we needed to make the session a success.

Super place, I fully recommend it.

David.

Carla Monaco

I recently had the privilege of being one of the first people to shoot and host an event at this amazing location with my dear model friend 'Artemis Fauna'.

I stayed for 2 nights and worked 1 full day with Artemis on duo bookings and then Artemis stayed on and shot for some solo sessions when I went to my next job.

Basford House it's self is incredible location, a big country mansion with lots of it's own history which add to the atmosphere with the stunning features of the house.

The light is amazing, as well as so many options in shooting areas which are endless.

Great facilities for both photographer and models, which will make you feel comfortable and relaxed when shooting.

Leanne and her partner Simon are amazing people who welcomed us in to there home with such warmth and care, I can not thank them enough for such a lovely experience. They went out of there way to make me and Artemis and the photographers feel at home and welcome and it's was much appreciated.

I will for sure be going back and recommending Basford to everyone!!

Highly recommended from me :)

See you next time.

Carla x

Gary Stuart

I had the honour of being part of the first duo at Basford Hurst. This was with Artemis Fauna and Carla Monaco.

And before the doors where officially open.

This place is awesome. The Natural light is fantastic and all the rooms are wonderful.

They have studio lighting but is wasn't needed at all - the light is that good.

Every room we worked in is stunning

And as for the staircase- its sublime.

Leanne the hoist/owner is lovely, very friendly and knowledgeable and being a model herself has set up the cottage and grounds perfectly.

I can't wait to work there again- two shoots already booked and there will be plenty more I'm sure.

Well done Leanne in creating this wonderful place.

Artemis Fauna

I recently had the pleasure of working at Basford Hurst studio over the space of THREE days!! If I hadn't been so under pressure with my crazy life right now I could have easily filled up even more than that as everyone was so keen to book! :D

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Basford Hurst's first duo event too with myself and Carla Monaco.

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From the moment our toes touched the driveway we were made to feel so welcome! Nothing was too much trouble and both Leanne and Simon honestly became friends within hours of meeting them both! Mustn't forget the gorgeous Noodle too! ♥

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We had a mixture of light over the three days, I saw sunshine and showers but even on the dullest of weather days there was beautiful natural light everywhere- didn't have to use the studio equipment once!

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Three days and I only really scratched the surface of what Basford Hurst has to offer. I'm excited at the prospect of moving further up North and Basford Hurst being much more local to me...maybe! We shall see...

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Warm robes (I had my own with me but never used it) amazing mirrors on the changing room, beautiful shooting space- incredible hosts and I was there before the official opening so I CAN'T WAIT to see the studio grow, progress and get more established with all the exciting things they have lined up.

Thank you so much for having me, hope to see you all again soon :)

NeilH

I asked Leanne if I could do a shoot on this day expecting to be turned down and told to wait until it officially opens in April... but to my surprise Leanne said yes.

So with lots of excitement and certain amount of trepidation I set off on a snowy day to first Stoke to pick up my model for the day my friend and fellow Team_NiNe cohort Nicole Rayner and we then set off to Basford Hurst Cottage.

We had a warm welcome from Leanne and her partner Simon and we were duly shown around this wonderful space which has so many wonderful places to shoot.

I feel privileged to be one of the first to do a photoshoot here with Nicole, and Leanne bringing coffee and biscuits and holding reflectors for us. We got some amazing images which I can't wait to edit and show off.

Nicole has added a glowing reference below so all I can say is I highly recommend Basford Hurst Cottage and can't wait to go back.

Nicole Rayner

I am SO INCREDIBLY HONOURED to be writing the first reference for this AMAZING SPACE! WOW! I was blown away!

The owners, Leanne and Simon, are absolute professionals. Which I think is already very clear! Not only that they are super warm and welcoming! Leanne was on hand throughout the entire shoot for anything from reflector holding, coffee making, stand moving to snake-wrangling ! Leanne’s modelling experience is obvious, as are her skills, creative energy and beautiful attention to detail as they can all so clearly be seen in the fine touches and perfect presentation of the space. And her entire approach to running the atudio!

The space they run is warm (in temperature as well as welcome) not once throughout the shoot did I feel cold and that was with a blanket of snow covering the VAST grounds outside! May seem like an obvious detail, but this is a big space, many of the rooms have high vast ceilings and it was a pleasure o be able to model with ease and comfort!

The space offers SO MANY beautiful and unique shooting opportunities! This was an incredible 4 hour shoot and the striking light pouring through the decodant windows really dictated where

we shot, but the space has so many interesting and unusual nooks and crannies giving opportunities seldom found elsewhere. I feel as if we barely scraped the surface of what is possible even just in the indoor areas of the ‘cottage’, (more like Tardis) and I can't wait to get back and explore more.

Plus it was a rare joy to find the models so well cared-for, with cosy dressing gowns cheerful company and every detail thought of should one forget something!

And if ALL OF THAT wasn’t enough - the cherry on the cake for me has to be the Studio Mascot NOODLE - THE MOST PRECIOUS model I have ever had the HONOUR of duoing with! Thank you so much!

I think it is very clear that I would recommend Basford-Hurst cottage in a heartbeat and I feel so privileged to be the first to experience this phonomanal sace! I am so excited to go back and find more of what they have to offer! See you soon! i