# Your Studio Set Up..POST HERE



## tmjjk (Jul 4, 2012)

Schwetty just posted an image of his studio and gave me this idea.  I was hoping you would all post an image of your hardware/lighting set ups to give us noobs an idea.  I use natural light because I love the look and I do not know how to work lighting... I am reading and reseaching on how to set it up and what I need.  Soooo I was hoping a few of you would post some behind the scenes images and then a resulting image you created with that set up.  Thank you... I truly hope some of you participate, I'm hoping it will be a great learning experience for us visual learners.


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## Big Mike (Jul 4, 2012)

Here is a view of a small basement studio area that I had set up for a while.  Background is a sheet of white vinyl, plus a sheet of white wall board for the floor.
There are four lights, two are for the background (attached to the wall on either side), then I have a light in the softbox (main light) and a light in the umbrella (fill light).






And some shots...


















The space is about 12-14 feet wide, good enough for kids or small groups, but not good for more than 3-4 people.  The ceiling is low, so it doesn't work well for standing adults (can't get the light high enough).  The good thing about this space, is that it is open for the whole width of my house/basement.  Probably 40-50 feet long...so I could back up if I wanted to shoot with longer lenses etc.  

If anyone is planning on setting up their own studio space, width and ceiling height are rather important factors....but they usually get compromised because houses aren't made with photography in mind


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## ghache (Jul 4, 2012)

This is some shot i took when i first moved into my studio. i recently moved into this studio and didn't shoot that much in it since its beautiful outside.
sorry for the crappy phone. its a 2 storie building, about 1600 sq ft per floor + a rooftop. photos where taken on floor 2. floor 1 is pretty similar.

this is the main shooting area. wall mounted background system. could be larger, but its long enough. i have about 40 feet long of shooting space. enought to rock 70-200 on a crop sensor.


as for lighting, i use, mostly 1 to 4 strobes with large softbox, grids, beauty dish. reflectors, a ringflash.





this is when you turn around. bathroom area, 







this is another area, it was kinda a mess as this was the first day i moved in there.











here is some images i shot in there.

you cant see it with the camera phone pictures but this place has alot of natural light coming in.

natural light.










in the bathroom.






on the green couch placed next to the wood fireplace.






same spot








in the hallway









here i used one of the wall and some old furniture.






using a white backdrop






on the rooftop








using bathroom again.






using the floor.







using the floor and a blackbackground in the long shooting area.


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## YoungPhotoGirl (Jul 4, 2012)

Can't wait to upgrade  But I love this at the moment. Totally different area for Indoors Boudoir/Glamour


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## tmjjk (Jul 4, 2012)

Wow .. Thank you both!! This is great info, and great images! I really hope I can figure this out.  I depend on weather conditions way too much.  I would love to "get" this.  There are so many options for lighting.  Thank you for participating.


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## tmjjk (Jul 5, 2012)

I am clueless here so please forgive me for the ignorant questions, but researching on google has been overwhelming.  How do you ensure your different lighting is the same "temperature"?  How do I know what type of lights I will need?  I would like to set up my indoor studio for babies and children.  I cannot rely on the weather for too much longer and I need to prepare myself for indoors.  Do any of you recommend a kit set up?  I do not have a great deal of funds to experiment with.  I could budget around $300.  If its something that will absolutely work I could probably risk $500.  Please and thank you for anymore help... and Mike that boy is such a cutey!! Nice captures!


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## Big Mike (Jul 5, 2012)

Light 'temperature' refers to the color of the light.  For example, the light from a regular tungsten light bulb, is a different color than light from a fluorescent light or an LED light.  It's also different from mid-day sunlight, which is different from early/late sunlight which is different from cloudy or shady light etc.  

With our digital cameras, we can counteract the color tint from the light source by choosing the correct White Balance setting.  The Auto setting often does a good job, but the real trick to ensuring you get good WB, is either to set a custom WB (with a color neutral target) or by shooting in RAW format and adjusting it on the computer during the post processing stage.

So after that quick review....it's important to know that different light sources have different light temperatures (color).  We can match our camera to fit the type of lights we're using....but it becomes a real problem if we have different types of light.  For example, if you have two lights, one is tungsten and one is LED, they will be different colors.  And if you set your WB for one type, the other will show a color cast in the photo.  If you set it to an average, likely both with give a color cast.
So the solution is to always try to use the same type of lights (same color temp).  

So for your studio, make sure to get the same type of lighting...I'd recommend flash/strobe type lights.  They (should be) about the same color temp and using flash/strobe is best for shooting people anyway.



> Do any of you recommend a kit set up? I do not have a great deal of funds to experiment with. I could budget around $300. If its something that will absolutely work I could probably risk $500.


Most of the kits that I see people asking about...are very cheap.  Cheaply made and under powered.  They will likely crap out on you, or you will find they just don't work well enough for what you need...or you will just outgrow them and have to buy something better anyway.  So in other words, it's probably best to buy something of better quality, which will save you money in the long run.

A common 'entry level' studio strobe brand is Alien Bee.  Many people use them, most of those tend to really like them.  But there are many people who thing they aren't so great.  I use them, an have been happy with them...but I might go with a different brand, if I had to do it all over again.  
Another good 'entry level' strobe brand is Flashpoint.
Also look at Calumet.

Those are all what we call 'mono-lights', which means that each light plugs into a wall and works independently.  Another type of studio strobe lighting is called 'Pack & Head' systems.  With these, you get a power pack (connected to power), but then each light just connects to the pack.  If you need a lot of lighting power, this system might end up being cheaper in the long run, but would likely cost more up-front.

So, as you will see...$300 won't get you very far with decent quality lights.  That might get you one light, with stand and accessories like an umbrella etc.  You could probably get 2-3 lights, with accessories for around $500....but you'd be getting lower level accessories.  That might be OK for you, but again, you may find that you have to upgrade in the future.

There should be plenty of old threads around here, that can help you decide what you want or need.  You may also see the advice to start with one light.  I think that is good advice.  It will allow you to learn about using light, without the complication of multiple lights.  In the end, you'll likely want 4 lights.


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## tmjjk (Jul 5, 2012)

Thank you so much Mike!!!  That was extremely helpful!  I will do some more reading HERE before I make any decisions.  I totally understand the different lighting temps, I just remember a youtube video that the photographer was measuring the light sources somehow.  I think I need to just do it and I will figure it out.  Thank you... off to do some more reading


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