Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I GET TO THE STUDIO?

The address is:
OCEAN STUDIO BERLIN
Grünberger Str. 48B, 10245 Berlin
2nd courtyard to the left, staircase 3, 4th floor

By public transport: Get off at Warschauerstraße (U1 & S3, S5, S7, S9) or Frankfurter Tor (U5). From there it is only a step away or take the M10 to Grünbergerstrasse. Between the antique store and the hairdresser is the Grünberger Höfe.

By car: with a little luck, we have client parking available in the yard. Ring the bell labelled: “Fotostudio” to get access.

We also have wheelchair friendly elevator access – Please call on arrival, if you need our manually operated elevator.

ACTUAL HYGIENE MEASURES
The studio is over 120sqm and offers the possibility to keep a distance of 2m, open the windows on both sides and even offer a separate room for changing outfits. In addition, we work with appointments only and have a small team, which means that usually only the photographer and the model are present at the shoots. In case of cold symptoms before the shooting date, we can postpone the shooting.

HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR A PHOTO SHOOTING?
It is worthwhile to exercise in the days before the shooting, then you will also sleep better. Even a few regular push-ups, some exercises for the back or yoga will help with balanced shoulder & body posture. With all that exercise, plenty of water is always a good idea too, as is some lip balm. Take care of your face with some moisturizer, so that any dry spots will look smoother. Eyeglass wearers may clean their lenses before the shoot. Professional beard and facial hair care, e.g. at a Turkish barbershop, is also a good idea for the shooting.

WHICH OUTFITS ARE SUITABLE?
Please bring freshly cleaned tops and/or jackets on hangers. Please also check to see if any undergarments may be showing through the fabric. The light in the studio is bright and could shine through thin materials. For this case, it is recommended to work tone on tone to avoid strong contrasts. In my experience, monochromatic fabrics e.g. in green, blue, gray, pale pink or beige work better than wild patterns. But a special garment like a leather jacket or an elegant outfit that you only wear in very few occasions is also never wrong.

Shirts or blouses with stand-up collars also work very well. Surely you can mix in a lumberjack shirt, t-shirt or top with ruffles from time to time. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable in the clothes and we have a small selection of at least 5 different tops at the shoot. If you don’t necessarily want to emphasize your muscles, the sleeves may quietly cover the upper arm.

DO I NEED MAKE-UP?
Men usually don’t need any extra makeup or powder. However, they should make sure that their facial skin is soft and smooth. The lips may also be prepared with balm. The beard should be trimmed and in case of doubt it, is worthwhile to bring a shaving kit, because sometimes the beard on the neck looks better if the hair growth is removed there to emphasize the chin area.

Women are well advised for most business portraits with a simple day make up, slightly emphasized eyes and soft lipstick. There is the option to have makeup done directly in the studio by our fabulous makeup artist if desired. Please let us know at least 10 days before the shooting and we will check availability with our favorite Hair & Make-Up Artists.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THE HAIR?
Professional hair styling definitely contributes to the overall positive impression. If you don’t have a chance to get your hair cut before the shoot, wash your hair the night before and use your usual hair care products. For dry hair, it helps to apply argan oil to the hair after washing. For long hair: please bring braid holders or hair clips. This way we can start the shoot with down hair and finish with braid or up hair, for example.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE SHOOTING?
Arrive first! At the beginning we can get to know each other and discuss the planned shootings and your personal goals. I will accompany you through the shooting as a coach and advisor and give tips on outfit selection, acting for the camera and mimic expression. We take our time to put you in the right light with individual shots. We will look at the images taken during the shoot to have direct feedback and refine the results.

HOW DOES THE IMAGE SELECTION HAPPEN?
After the shoot you will receive an email with the link to your personal preview gallery with the pre-selected images from the shoot. In this gallery you can sort and select your favorites that best fit your goals. Using the color markers and the comment section of the gallery, you can also select the appropriate final images that will be edited and delivered as jpg – ready for use.

WHAT DOES THE IMAGE EDITING INCLUDE?
Image editing is an important part of the work to a photographer. This is where the final style is developed from the raw image data: Brightness, colorfulness, contrast and saturation are manually adjusted. Temporary skin blemishes are retouched and slight shadows, e.g. under the eyes, are lightened or pieces of hair are reduced to create a bit more clarity. The final retouching is usually completed after 5 working days.

After consultation, a differente style of retouching, e.g. exchanging background is also possible. For this, the charge will be agreed upon depending on the amount of work involved.

HOW DO I GET THE PROCESSED IMAGES?
You will receive the edited images digitally for download. In your personal image folder you will find your final edited images in .jpg format in two versions a) low resolution and optimized for web and monitor display b) full resolution data e.g. for printing. For personal wall or album prints I recommend high quality online photo labs like Saal Digital or Whitewall.

WHICH USAGE RIGHTS DO I HAVE?
The final images include all personal rights of use for an unlimited period of time. You can use the pictures on your website, in your social media accounts or in connection with articles about your person.

An extended/ commercial license is necessary if you need the photos for paid reach PR, promotional use or plan to share them with other entities for example model agencies. Please ask for the usage rights you’ll need, I am happy to explain more about my options and include the one suitable for you in my written offer / invoice.

WHY NAME THE PHOTOGRAPHER?
Naming the photographer is not only legally required, but also established. If you write a book, record an album or create a professional photographs – you have perfected your craft to make a living from your art, have a family and live a healthy live. The best marketing for an artist is, of course, not to need any marketing at all except the name of the artist on the final work. The correct copyright information would be: “photo: Alexander Klebe”

PRIVACY
The privacy of my clients is very important to me. I will not publish the photographs taken without your written consent. Here is more information about my privacy policy.

CANCELLATION
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please let me know as soon as possible. Since I usually plan the available appointments with a solid preparation time of 2-4 weeks, I can rarely give these appointments to other clients in case of short term cancellations, which is why a cancellation fee is necessary.

HOW CAN I PAY?
Payment is made by invoice.