Christian Photographers Community

Just thought that we could discuss what's needed to set up our own portrait studio from scratch.

Let's discuss it.

Good idea, pat!

I'm very interested in this!

I got a few portraits that I took in my studio that I will get ready and explain what I did to get the results.  And it is all under $100.00.

Yes, I'm looking forward to this.

And with the Canadian dollar going up in value, that's only $120.00 Canadian now

Really interested in seeing this, Soni.

My studio is all from scratch just odds and ends and its portable as I have nowhere to keep it permately This sounds interesting indeed... I need to hang out here awhile and pick up all the tricks I can get some better pictures! I love Sonyas Photography I think she was born with the talent and skills to take them! My daughter is standing here agreeing with me.

Hi Tracy...  Yep!  We would all agree with you about Soni's photography!  We all love looking at what she does.

But we'll feel the same with yours too I'm sure.

Pat

Thanks! 

I am going to get some pictures taken today.  I'll see if I can get enough time to upload them by tonight.

Good Afternoon all,

Just stopped in and I see this thread is right up my alley.

Getting ready to leave for work, but will be back.

Talk soon. 

John Lambiase (TurboTech)

www.gloryshot.com

  ahhhhhhhhhh

ok..I didn't have time to get this done yesterday.  I ended it up having a very busy day.  How does that happen..hehehe.. I have a photo shoot tomorrow so I will get some shots then. 

Here's a good link:

Photo Softbox

Pat, I looked at the first page and bookmarked it.  It's late tonight, and my eyes are crossing

Well brothers and sisters in the Lord, this really IS up my alley!  I have been teaching portrait photography for about 20 years and have assisted in setting up numerous portrait studios.  In that 20 years, I've seen some pretty bad images, mainly because the lighting was not set up correctly.  If you have a digital camera, you can use tungsten lights in your studio, just make sure you set the white balance correctly.  Tungsten lights are also known as 'hot lights'  because they get VERY HOT.  Heat is not exactly a portrait photographers best friend.  This is why most professional portrait photographers use flash units.  I counted how many I own just last week.  22 of them!  The only 'problem' with them is they can get expensive, and you will need a flash meter to meter them.  In my opinion and in order to REALLY do a decent job, you will need a minimum of three lights, four would even be better, and five would be outstanding. 

HOW TO SET UP A THREE LIGHT STUDIO - Place your main light beside your subject.  Then rotate, raise or lower, move forward or backward the light while you look at the subjects face and watch the shadows cast by it.  Once you have pleasing shadows, move a reflector in on the opposite side of the main light.  The reflector will bounce some of the stray light back onto the shadow side of the subject.  A hair light above and slightly behind the subject will keep his or her hair from blending into the background and will add sparkle, shine and seperation.  A background light aimed directly at the background (it will be hidden by the subjects body) will keep the background well lit and interesting instead of a big dark blob of nothingness behind the subject. 

Ben

I just bought myself some alien bees for my studio and some reflectors with stands.  I also got a softbox and a honeycome backlight thing.  A friend of mine helped me select most this stuff out. Now all I need to do is figure out how to use it all.

Sonja,

Ask away, I'm all ears!

Ben

Ben, this is wonderful!  I know that we'll all benefit from your expertise.

If you wish, you can put some examples in the Gallery and then post the medium-sized photo here right in the topic to illustrate your lesson.

If you need help with that, just holler.

Pat,

I would love to post some examples, but I feel the proper way to do this would be to start at the beginning.  I would need to get someone in to my camera room, and do about a dozen shots showing the various lights and what they do to the subject.  I did this years ago, but I'm not sure where the images are now.  Is there some way to show mulitple images at the same time for comparison?

Ben

I just figured out how to set my white balance manually.  talk about a chore. 

I have been practicing with the alien bees and am getting there.  Takes lots of practice.

Here is my studio!   

That looks fun Soni.

Soni,

WOW, looks good!  If this arrangement is semi-permanent, Bogan makes an inexpensive background system that would eliminate your two background stands.  It uses steel brackets that you screw to the wall.  There are plastic chains that you pull to raise or lower the backgrounds.  Later if you want to convert the room back to its original usage, the screw holes could be easily repaired with spackling compound.  It appears your walls are white.  For the fill light I would turn the flash unit around backward and fire it into the back wall.  That will give you very soft lighting which is what the fill light should be, soft, non-specular and broad.  Again, if this room is a semi-permanent camera room, I would attach the unit to the wall.  That would eliminate yet another stand.  I am a firm believer in less is more.  The less stuff you have on the floor the less chance you have to trip on it, the less chance your customers have to trip on it, and the more chance you have to concentrate on getting a really good image, and the more you can sell the image for and the more money you will earn to buy more equipment!  Another good thing about attaching your fill light to the wall and leaving it alone is that will be one thing less to meter every time you go to shoot.

Ben

Thanks ben, that may be awhile before I do all that.  I did plan on some wall brackets and stuff, but that will all come later when I know it is something that I can do for awhile.

humm my set up is far from professional, but it works.

I went to the craft store and got some foam boards, and bought some fabrics and then i went to a home improvment store and got an indoor outdoor light that construction workers use that is 2 500 watts, thats 1000 watts. I simply nail, tape, stick the fabric to my wall and shoot away. lol.

set of 3 travelites, stands, umbrella, medium soft box, small soft box, grid spots, and a background set up...  probably $2,500 by the time you're done...

I'll tell you guys the grand total when I splurge on it on the end of this year 

Quote from: plamlam on October 20, 2005, 11:13:06 AM
set of 3 travelites, stands, umbrella, medium soft box, small soft box, grid spots, and a background set up...  probably $2,500 by the time you're done...

I'll tell you guys the grand total when I splurge on it on the end of this year 

Wow!  Sounds great!  Hope you let us all see a photo too!

Quote from: plamlam on October 20, 2005, 11:13:06 AM
set of 3 travelites, stands, umbrella, medium soft box, small soft box, grid spots, and a background set up...  probably $2,500 by the time you're done...

I'll tell you guys the grand total when I splurge on it on the end of this year 

It's actually the set-up I used a year ago when I was still finishing up my BFA at Columbia.  Love it...  All my studio shots on my website are from that type of set up.  Great for table top and does a decent job at portraits but I wouldn't push my luck too much on large group shots...  Probably need 2 Travelite 750's, 2 large softboxes or umbrellas and at least a 350 in the back if you want to white out the background.  Not to mention a BIG BIG set up :-P

Oh yea, light meter is also a must have in the studio!  Thankfully I already own one