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[Yueri]

Hello people who know a lot about photography as opposite to me XD

Ive come here completely clueless o.o i dont take care of any of the pictures that I have ( my boyfriend is my photographer) but some dasy ago I talked to a friend, she was showing me some really studio pics of her.

Then she tells me its not really a studio, she made like a small one at home got some fabric and lights and stuff. But the pictures look really cool

So i want to know, what do I need (and then what do I do ) to have a lil home studio? I mean, what kind of fabric do I get or where do I put the lights or stuff?

Please help T.T

Overall thankyous in advance n.n

[Efecss]

Originally Posted by Yueri

So i want to know, what do I need (and then what do I do ) to have a lil home studio? I mean, what kind of fabric do I get or where do I put the lights or stuff?

Please help T.T

Overall thankyous in advance n.n

Home studios are as simple or as complex as you want.

background. You can get background paper, which is like a huge, limp posterboard roll, about 10 feet long, and unrolls about 150 feet. It comes in many colors. Ofcourse, the best thing for it would be to get a special stand for it. But, holding it up with 2x4s and something solid in the middle, like a pull curtain, would be fine. Or, just unroll it, cut it to what length you want, and tape it to the wall.

Fabric. I would suggest something like a light blue, or something pastel. White would be an almost no-no, since it reflect light back. I got some cheap acid green material, which is 10 feet wide, and was only $3.00 a yard once at Wal-Mart. Ofcourse, you can sew some short widths together, and try and workt he seam out.

Also in fabric, make sure you know how long you want. You basically want to have enough fabric to go from the edge of the ceiling, down to the floor, and out about four feet.

Lighting. This is a tricky one. You can get some pretty good professional protable lighting off of ebay, or at yardsales. But, if you can get these clamp lights, which is basically a lamp socket with a toggle switch, a long cord, and a wire squeeze clamp attached, with a directional dish for pointing the light at what you want. I got three, and I paid like about $6 to $9 each. And regular house lights are not the best for this. They can be used, but I boughtm yself some specially made lights for this. They are chemically treated to produce a pure white light. They are called Fotoflood lights. And they look almost like regular light bulbs. They have a short life span, but are studio quality. Just don't touch them directly with your bare hands.

Now, they can mount on the backs of chairs, but you'll wnat to use something taller than a coat stand. You may even want to put some hooks in your ceiling to mount them.

I got a peice of PVC pipe, wedged it in, and mounted them on. I had to tape the clamps together, but it worked.

I hope this helps a bit.

[natsukoarts]

yes, we like the clamp lights!

[Yueri]

Efecss thank you so much!! I thought no one would reply. Thanks for telling me about the fabric, I was totally gonna buy white XD and Ill check out more about the Fotofloods and stands n.n If you come up with any more ideas be sure to tell me!!! n.n

Thanks again!

[Efecss]

Originally Posted by Yueri

Efecss thank you so much!! I thought no one would reply. Thanks for telling me about the fabric, I was totally gonna buy white XD and Ill check out more about the Fotofloods and stands n.n If you come up with any more ideas be sure to tell me!!! n.n

Thanks again!

Well, you have the basics, and unless you plan a career in modeling, this is what you ned.

Unless you want to go into reflectors. Which can either be a white peice of poseterboard, or a cardbord with tin foil over it.

But, for the camera, I would really suggst to get a UV filter to getout the harshness that ultra violet light will cause.

Other than that, its up to you.

[Ami Yuy]

Awesome stuff, Efecss. I've been wanting to set-up one of my own when I get the chance and figured this is the kind of stuff I'd need, but it's cool to be verified. ^^

[Yueri]

Forgive my ignorance, but.......

Where do you put reflectors??

[Efecss]

Something else you can use for background is draipery.

Originally Posted by Ami Yuy

Awesome stuff, Efecss. I've been wanting to set-up one of my own when I get the chance and figured this is the kind of stuff I'd need, but it's cool to be verified. ^^

I've seen small home studios, and I've been on Hollywood sound stages, so I'm glad to share what needs to be shared.

Anothing thing to think about is air movers. I am currently trying to make some wind machines with home fans, and make a cowl (Like on a jet fighter exhause) to direct the flow to like somone's hair. Ofcourse, using a leaf blower is just as fine. But I would suggest really cleaning it out beforehand.

(I did set up a mini studio in my hotel room form TimeCon back in 89. WIsh I could do it again for other cons. )

Originally Posted by Yueri

Forgive my ignorance, but.......

Where do you put reflectors??

Basically what it sounds like. It mainly reflects light. Like if you hve heavey shadows on someone's face, and can't angle light from above to get them out, you just set up a reflector to bounce light up, or to the side, to fill in those places.

There are lights called "kickers" which are basically lights that are at ankle level and you "kick" them around to where you want them.

There are professional reflectors which are circular, and fold up. But they are over $50. But they have a white/silver side to reflect pure sunlight. And the other is golden to make a sunset like effect.

Now, also for lighting, I would look into diffusion skrims. Basically like covers for the lights that go on the cowls, and kind of spread the light around and not make them as bright. But, you may want to wait to figure what you really want, later.

I hope I'm not getting too technical for you.

And most of this I have to admit, I have only done with my action figures, props, and for stop motion animation.

[staereo]

hmmm..

Just curious what kind of camera youre using?

I'd like to know before I make a reply thats unhelpful.

[AgentSakur9]

Don't forget Ventilation... Most studio lights (whether you're using Pros or Homemaders) tend to increase the temperature of the room. You can use electric fans and what not... to cool the model. You don't want make up and stuff to melt off either!

Also you can use fans to create different looks as well.

[photoguy47]

Go to Home Depot and get a few worklights......usually 2 lights on a stand......mine are switchable, so i can go 250, 500, 750 or 1000 w......

a lot of experimenting.

I use black cloth. you can get it at any fabric store. If your handy with a sewing machine, run 3 strips of cloth together about 20 to 30 feet long........experiment, experiment, experiment.

have fun

[Efecss]

Originally Posted by AgentSakur9

Don't forget Ventilation... Most studio lights (whether you're using Pros or Homemaders) tend to increase the temperature of the room. You can use electric fans and what not... to cool the model. You don't want make up and stuff to melt off either!

Also you can use fans to create different looks as well.

Ah, good point. But, I usually do mine t night, so its pretty cool anyway.

But still, cross venting is still good. You know, open a window, set a couple of fans in the doorway and let the air flow blow out the heat through the window. Because you might circulate the heat around the room.

Originally Posted by photoguy47

Go to Home Depot and get a few worklights......usually 2 lights on a stand......mine are switchable, so i can go 250, 500, 750 or 1000 w......

a lot of experimenting.

Are you taling about the haleogen lights? Because I tried it once, an found the haleogen to be kind of harsh. But, still, with the right filter....

And yes, experiment, experiment, experiment. If you find these lights too much, you can still use them for other opportunities.

[Tyrus]

I would recommed going to your local bookstore and browsing through the photo technique books. You should be able to find several good sources on lighting, and the better ones will have examples with charts showing how they set up lighting for different shots. Then experiment on your own. Unless you have a photographer handy that can teach you experimentation is the best way to learn.

You don't need fancy studio lights, any of the ones listed here will work, though strobes are nice if you can find a decent used set. If you use more than one light though, try and use the same kind. Different lights have different temperatures, which means that on film they will have different color casts. If your whole photo has a blue cast its easy to fix later but if its mixed its a lot more difficult. Keep in mind over head lights too, try not to shoot under florescents.

Also, be careful if you use hot lights. Not to scare you, but the brighter fotoflood bulbs run really hot, so I try and keep a small household fire extinguisher handy when I use them. I've never needed it, and hopefully never will you, but if a light gets knocked over or too close to a backdrop they can start a fire very quickly. Always better safe then sorry.

[deleriumx]

Seamless background paper is not that expensive and looks MUCH better than fabric. fabric will always be wrinkled no matter what you do and wrinkles detract from the subject. try www.adorama.com and you can get a roll for less than 20 bucks. they come in many colors too.

Lighting books can be helpful, but they can also be discouraging when using home made lights. Many of them will deal with equipment you dont own making the techniques near useless. Some of them will have diagrams showing their lighting set up which make LOOK helpful.. but if you take a closer look at them they will mention, for example "This setup was created using a large softbox on a boom arm and a strip light behind the model" Things like this are nearly impossible to achieve without the right equipment. So a lot of those books really wont help the casual photographer

Try to find a book on how light works rather than specific lighting set ups. i think it will help you a bit more. otherwise you will be reading about light ratios, light modifiers and other such things that home made lights can't achieve easily.
Also checking out different lighting styles would be good. (such as Butterfly, Rembrandt, or Loop lighting) http://www.studiolighting.net/portrait-lighting-styles/ this site can help a little but finding a book with visual examples will help tremendously.

[Ami Yuy]

Originally Posted by deleriumx

Seamless background paper is not that expensive and looks MUCH better than fabric. fabric will always be wrinkled no matter what you do and wrinkles detract from the subject. try www.adorama.com and you can get a roll for less than 20 bucks. they come in many colors too.

Thanks for the link. I was wondering where to get some of that, and it being so cheap is nice too. Although, the support for the paper seems to be a bit more expensive (cheapest I found as $60) but it's a start at least. ^_^