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First Studio Setup...Q's


threedogmoon

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Hello all!

 

I am in the process of setting up my first studio, and I have a few Q's. I want to go fairly cheap ($500 or

less) and fast!

 

Up until now I shoot mostly 400 and 3200 speed Black and white print film. I use natural light with a 50mm/1.4

and a 28mm/2.8. I want to set up a studio in my spare room and concentrate specifically on shooting against

Black and White backgrounds. I was thinking to continue using minimal equipment and just use incandescent

lighting, but I don't think that would yield very good results. Any suggestions on background materials and/or

lighting will be appreciated. I will have folks either standing or sitting on a stool/sofa. I'm not sure if

there are background materials that I could drape over the sofa, or whether I"d be better off hanging fabric.

 

Here's a few samples of where I'm at so far with my work: threedogmoon.com

 

Thanks!

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Hey Anthony, good luck with your studio!

 

For material, i like to use black velvet, it gives a rich black background. Your lighting setup is more complex since you want to go on the low side. The problem with incandescent lights is that they get hot and that could be a problem with people getting their portraits done, since you want to go with natural lights i would go the fluorescent route then...

 

thanks

 

Pascal

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Hi Anthony,

 

If you are doing it on the cheap...(and I know how that is starting out) Get some umbrellas (ones that you can

remove the cover and shoot though) and camera flashes (not sure if you are shooting Nikon or Canon) Visit

strobist.blogspot.com to learn how to use the off camera flashes. I would check ebay or whatever to see if you

can get used flashes. Used stands and a westcott backdrop will set you right. Get a mottled blue gray one and

then buy a white bed sheet as another backdrop. check craigslist too... usually can find some cheap deals there

too...

 

That is how I would do it for around $500...

 

Good luck,

 

Will Rutledge

 

Shoot me an email if you have any questions on this.

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You probably need to get yourself a 2 preferably 3 continuous light kit. They sell them at places like this: http://www.adorama.com/Catalog.tpl?page=il_refine_search . If you are just starting out with studio lighting, it is better to stick with continuous lights until you get the hang of it.

 

Since you are just shooting B&W it does not matter what film you use, but if you ever want to switch to color then you are going to have to purchase Tungsten film, which is not easy to find these days. That should leave you with about $250 to $300 in which you can invest in stands to hold-up the lights and background and other things such as reflectors and GOBOs(go betweens).

 

You might be able to find some plastic tubing at the hardware store, or you can buy an entire background kit, stands and all. You might also need a Light Tent to block out the reflections in your room, or you can make one yourself.

 

Gaffer tape comes in handy, or you can buy some expensive clamps to hold your reflectors up. A nice flat even table will definately come in handy. It doesn't have to be fancy, as long as it is level. A tripod and cable release for your camera are very very important.

 

Let's see now did I leave something out ? Oh yeah, a nice Fan if you dont have any air-conditioning, because those lights can get really hot and plenty of electrical extension cables.

 

One more thing Paper, You are going to need at least 2 rolls of seamless paper one white and one black. Be careful with these because they are not exactly cheap. If you have any money left you might be able to invest in a light meter which comes in handy when you are trying to separate the background from the foreground without blowing things up.

 

Trying to learn Studio lighting with film is a challenge, even with digital it is a challenge so be ready to be dissapointed. Just try to keep very meticulous notes is my advice.

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If you will continue shooting black and white film, the choice of background color isn't as important as the texture and shade (light/dark). The possibilities are endless--you can use whatever you can find any way you can imagine. Muslin, linen, canvas--it's all good in b&w. For pure untextured black or white, just use lightweight material in large sheets, like styrofoam insulation panels. Paint one side black, and one white and you're in business. The make good reflectors when not in service as backgrounds.

 

Incandescent lights may be a problem if you use ordinary household bulbs, since they tend to be very warm toned and will bias the way your film renders skin. You can filter for this to some extent, but a better (low cost) solution would be to invest in some tungsten hot lights and stands. You'll be working with a brighter light source, and within a more useful color range, typically about 3400K.

 

You can make lots of cool studio contraptions out of inexpensive material like PVC pipe, paint, sheer fabric, alimuinum foil, and foamcore board. Good project ideas abound for such things--check out www.diyphotography.net for ideas.

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"I will have folks either standing or sitting on a stool/sofa. I'm not sure if there are background materials that I could

drape over the sofa, or whether I"d be better off hanging fabric."

 

why do you want to drape background materials over the sofa? Is that to hide it while they are taking pictures on the

stool, or while they are sitting/standing on the sofa? are you trying to get a 'floating' effect, where everything besides

the subject is pure white or black and they are sitting on "nothing"?

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Thanks for all the input guys...I think I've settled on a few items to start:

 

$500 probably won't cut it...

 

To answer Darrell. my room is approx 17x15. There is a large Futon Sofa with no armrests against the 17 foot wall that can serve for sitting or reclined shots, and it can be moved and replaced with a stool or we can just do standing shots. Along either side of the futon, I am conspiring to place these cool bogen autopoles I found with the background coming down and over the sofa. This way I can leave the backgrounds in place without having to move stands around. The room doubles as a music space and has guitars/drums and stuff around.

 

I think I'll go with the Bogen Autopoles because they seem very sturdy and there would be less on the floor to trip over and I can leave them in place.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/560207-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_432_3_7BSET_432_3_7B_Deluxe_Autopole_2_.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/95211-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_2961D_Complete_Deluxe_AutoPole_2_Expan.html

 

I assume that the drives are for muslin paper rolls.

 

As for backgrounds I am leaning towards black velour:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/41815-REG/Photek_B_8010_Velour_Fabric_Background_in_a_Bag_.html

 

And White Muslin:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/161714-REG/Delta_01278_10x20_Muslin_Background_.html

 

Let me know if anyone has any advice on brands, etc... Thanks again for the intense amount of info.

 

As for lighting, I think I'd like to go with 2 continuous sources that are dimmable, and will try to find ones like

Will Rutledge suggested.

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Ok guys, I read a bunch from google, no need to go through the softbox vs. umbrella thing here! I think that 2 softboxes and a focusable light is probably what I'll go with. I will only be using them in the studio, so portability is not an issue. Maybe even one softbox and one umbrella. I will only be taking photos of 1-2 people at a time, so if there are any suggestions on sizes or brands for these three lights, that would be helpful.
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