Building a studio

I am in the process of designing a studio that I will be building on

my home property and was wondering if anyone could give me some

pointers on things to put on my wish list for the studio. For

example, ceiling height, windows vs. no windows, lighting etc.

Thank you!

One of the best spaces I've ever worked in was a friend's barn-type structure that he used to practice his high-wire acts. Right now I'm using a 12' x 24' makeshift space, basically a garage, and it's tough sometimes. I'd have built a bigger space years ago, but every year for the past five we've been supposed to relocate and something's fallen through.

Anyhow, the barn I borrowed was about 24' x 30' with a 12' deep loft over the entrance. The peak of the roof was about 15' high, and the structure looked surprisingly small from outside, not that big. It was fully finished inside.

My friend let me borrow the space whenever I needed it, and it came in handy several times. The open area was wide enough to shoot sideways in, and if I needed a super-long throw I could back up way under the loft and have the entire 30' length of the structure to work with (I only needed that once). The loft came in handy many times, as well, especially when a rug importer needed what was basically a big copy job on some rugs, and all I needed to do was set up the lights at 45 degree angles, pile up the rugs,shoot from the loft, and pull the top one off to expose the one beneath it for each shot. Shooting down also came in handy to get interesting looks for fashion shots.

As for windows, it would take lots more space than I have here to explain what I would like if I were building my ideal studio, just suffice it to say that I'd have some that could be totally blacked out and modified several different ways. You might consider a big double sliding-glass door on the north side with a big white surfaced reflector up where it can catch some sun and reflect it back through the door. Anything that can give you a different, good look in your photographs will distinguish your work from everybody else's.

My minimum specs would be 15' wide and 30' long with 10' ceilings and a garage door for loading big items. My current 12' width barely accommodates the 9' backdrops, and I'm always shooting backed up against the door when shooting full-length. 30' would be really nice.

Best of luck with the project. -Bill C.

I have a space in the Bonus Room of my house that I am using. The ceiling is vaulted with a skylight, and there are 2 windows in the room so I get more than enough light. I really don't want to complain about the space, but I am beginning to think that there is too much light. From noon until 2pm, the light shining through the skylight reflects across the room in a rectangular shape with the passing of the sun. On the other hand, it is nice to be able to use the natural light at the proper time. <P>

I think the ideal space would have a vaulted or cathedral ceiling, 30' square, with window light facing north. I'd skip on the skylight unless you have a way to block it. I have to wait until the sun goes down in order to experiment with the strobes.