# Suggestions for Permanent Warehouse Studio?



## apeek22 (Dec 13, 2010)

Hey all. 

Hopefully an easy question. I am looking for suggestions for the mini "photo studio" I am planning to create in the warehouse where I currently work. 

I take *very few* of the photographs that are on my companies website for our products. I am slowly trying to take over doing the photographs as they are usually awful.

So I plan on building a permanent studio setup in some spare space we have. 

Basically all of our "stock" photos require a white background (which I currently photoshop...way too time consuming). 

So the requirements are just a white background and durable, as we do photography heavy large products such as transmission jacks or generators.


*Need suggestions to complete the plan.*
Paint background wall white.
Paint Table/Top white same color as wall.
Over-expose background with lighting


I am working on a very limited budget, but am leaning towards purchasing seamless white paper.

*We sell lower end lighting kits that I have an unlimited supply to use*...lol

Suggestions?


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## Big Mike (Dec 13, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.

If you are looking for products shots on a clean white background, I think you are on the right idea with the seamless background, but I'm not sure that paper is going to be the best option for heavy equipment.  The down side is that paper gets ripped really easily, but the benefit is that you can just roll out more (and buy more when needed).

Another alternative, would be to build a seamless background.  Basically, you create a smooth radius between the floor & the wall.  It could be done with thin plywood, or some sort of hard board that will flex.  This would certainly be more durable than paper, but depending on your situation, you may have a hard time keeping it clean.

To shoot a proper 'bright field' shot, you will want separate background lights.  In other words, have a couple lights that just light up the background.  Then use separate lights to actually light your subject (and the floor area around your product).  

THIS is the 'go-to' tutorial for shooting on white seamless.


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## gsgary (Dec 13, 2010)

Build a small infinity cove Photography Coves - Covelock Infinity Coves
if it gets dirty just re paint it


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## KmH (Dec 13, 2010)

What Mike described - is also called a sweep Cyclorama.


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## SPStudio (Dec 16, 2010)

If you need some paint let me know, i have just started "Suffolk Photo Studio". This is a Warehouse studio. We have built a curve with some wood and handy plastering work. The paint on the floor however keep chipped and we paid to have some produced so that we can wash it scrape and high heels wont crack it. http://www.suffolkphotostudio.co.uk

We can order some more paint from the supplier.


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## apeek22 (Dec 20, 2010)

Thanks for the help everyone. 

Great write up you linked to Big Mike! Helped a tons. 

I started the project first with painting the floor and background white. I am going to test to see if I need white paper. 

Will be purchasing the white tile board this week for the product stand. This will be placed on top of a 4x8 sheet of white painted MDF that we had laying around. 

Will post pictures later of the setup! Don't be too harsh!


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## apeek22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey all, finally got a chance to take a break from product images and got a few shots of the studio and a quick image I took this morning. Absolutely no editing at all!

Any suggestions are welcomed. I still need to figure out how to get the immediate foreground completely white < preferably >without editing.

Specs on equipment.
Nikon D3000 with stock 18-55mm lense

-2 Our in house brand Stillshot.2 150Watt/second flash softboxes
-1 stillshot.2 160watt.second flash for above the board in the background(somewhat redundant)
-2 Stillshot.2 240 watt softboxes for product lighting.

Luckily all the lights were "free" to use as they were returns for whatever reason. Retail on the lighting setup would run~$400 from us.


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## apeek22 (Jan 5, 2011)




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## Big Mike (Jan 5, 2011)

You are getting too many shadows, IMO.  I'm especially concerned about the shadows coming forward, as that doesn't look too good.  Try aiming your background lights at just the background so that they don't spill onto the subject.  It might also help if you can use something (GOBO) to 'go between' the background lights and the subject.  You could even clip something to the sides of those softboxes.  

For the main/fill lights, maybe get them closer to the subject and closer to the camera axis.  You probably aren't looking for artistic lighting here, you just want to light the object evenly.  If you are trying to show texture, that might be different.

You might also try top down lighting.  That would throw any shadows down, minimizing them and giving the object a more natural look/feel.


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## lisa_13 (Jan 5, 2011)

when i shoot products i have a softbox directly above, a beauty dish on the right of the object faced to the left and angled a bit down, and a white piece of foam core on the left for a reflector. i shoot on a piece of white plexi so there is a light underneath as well to eliminate shadow and brighten the white, but see how you do without it, and with another light on the background. i don't know how big your objects are that you're shooting, but get the lights as close as you can to the object.


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## apeek22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Thank you for the suggestions, I will change the strobe setup to try to keep from creating a shadow on the front of the product. Thanks for the suggestions!


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