General FAQs
What is SONNE?
SONNE is a creative studio and agency in downtown Baltimore that has 2 main goals:
Produce custom, high-quality, affordable, and ethnically diverse marketing content for businesses and brands.
Provide an eccentric, clean, and well-equipped studio experience for photographers, videographers, models, and makeup artists to utilize for themselves or their clients at an affordable hourly rate.
What are your normal hours of operation?
Sunday: 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Monday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday: CLOSED
Note: Please call ahead regarding after-hours or before-hours bookings
I’m trying to book, but the booking page isn’t allowing me to. Why is this happening?
Every week from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown, we disable all of our booking pages and purchasing links in observance of the Sabbath. You can usually check back in with us on Saturday nights or Sundays to make your booking.
What Props do you have?
You can view our current collection of props here!
Are there any Restrictions on what I can shoot at sonne?
Yes, just a few. We do not allow smoking, weapons, drugs, alcohol for persons under 21, boudoir/bikini photography, shirtless, nude, or partial nude photography in Sonne.
Are there any hidden costs or fees?
All of our standard photography and video equipment comes included with your rental at no additional cost. We do have Aputure lights available to rent at an additional fee.
There is a $15 fee for each roll of seamless paper and a $5 fee for every foot that needs trimming after use. If you don’t use any paper, or if the paper only touches the ground and doesn’t get dirty, there is no charge.
Prop access is granted at a flat rate of $35.
If your shoot runs into overtime, those hours are billed at the same rate per hour as your original booking.
If the studio requires significant cleaning after your booking, a cleaning fee of $60 may be added.
Any other prices you may be curious about can be found here.
What equipment do you have at the studio for me to use?
You can see the most extensive list of the equipment and tools that we keep in stock here.
What colors of seamless paper do you keep in stock?
We guarantee white and grey seamless paper rolls at all times. We stock a supply of other color options but specific colors outside of those 3 are not guaranteed and your choice will be subject to our current stock at the time.
If you would like us to reserve a specific color of paper for you ahead of your shoot, we can do that for a $15 fee.
There is a $15 fee for each foot of seamless paper that needs trimming after use. If you don’t use any paper, or if the paper only touches the ground and doesn’t get dirty, there is no charge.
Any paper that is reserved for your booking will go back into our inventory of available paper after your booking ends.
We have a very large volume of bookings per week so our seamless inventory is constantly changing. Even if we have a certain color in stock the day before your booking, it may be gone by the time you arrive. Since we cannot 100% guarantee specific colors without the service fee, we do not provide information on the current stock.
What is your RESCHEDULING/cancellation policy?
We require payment up front to book the studio. Unfortunately, we do not issue refunds for cancellations in most cases. Cancellations made within 24 hours of the booking are subject to a $35 cancellation fee. Bookings start at the time of the reservation.
All rescheduled appointments made 24 hours or fewer before the originally scheduled time will be subject to a $35 rescheduling fee and must be made in writing or confirmed by phone before the time of booking to be honored.
If you arrive late and need to extend your booking past the scheduled end time, that will count as overtime and will be billed at the pro-rated amount.
During what hours am I able to shoot?
The studios are open for bookings from 8AM to 10PM Sunday through Thursday, and 8AM to 4PM on Friday. We are closed on Saturdays. We can be open for bookings earlier and later than those times only with prior approval and you will be billed a 10% premium per hour. Please contact us ahead of time if you wish to book the studio outside of our normal business hours.
Can I bring outside equipment?
You may bring whatever equipment you would like into the studio, including rented equipment from other studios and rental houses. We do not charge for any outside equipment brought to Sonne.
Where can I park?
There is an attached parking garage called 30 Light St, or street parking available nearby during the week. There is also free street parking in the neighborhood on Sundays. Please arrive early to allow time to find parking.
WHY DO YOU NEED MY ID TO BOOK?
We do this for the safety and security of both our staff and the people booking. In cases of fraud, or if something breaks, or if there are any legal/payment issues, a state issued ID is a surefire way to prove someone’s identity. These are issues that are very hard to deal with when people use nicknames or aliases, which are extremely common in this particular field of work.
Where can I order food?
One of the best parts about Baltimore is the food! Our clients typically use Doordash or Grubhub.com to have food delivered.
Can I book for just 1 hour?
Yes! All 5 of our studios allow for a booking minimum of 1 hour.
I want to shoot video - do you have video lights?
Yes, we have several options! Please see our full list of equipment in stock here.