Basic questions about building a studio

[alexandre_vaz]

Hi all.

 

I'm sure this is not an interesting question for most of you, and I did

searched this forum before posting this question, but I'm afraid most things

are very specific toward particular equipments and techniques, so please be

patient and bare with me.

 

I've been shooting professionally for almost ten years, but I never did studio

work. Recently an opportunity came up and I'm considering putting up a small

studio for portraits. Most likely I will have something between 4x6m and 6x8m

room (and I want to be able to shoot groups up to 4 or 5 persons (mostly

families).

 

I'll be shooting digital 30D and 5D, and budget is a big concern.

As far as I could understand I will need tree heads, (maybe just two in the

beginning), but I have no idea about ideal softbox/umbrella setups.

Do you think I should get on umbrella and one softbox to start? How big?

What about the power of the strobes?

Which brand would you recommend as being decent but affordable?

 

Thanks in advance

Cheers

Alex.

[james_nealy]

Alex,

 

I would consider the alien bee lights. I love them for portrait lighting. You can adjust the power on the modeling lamp to reflect what the strobe will look like (what you see is what you get). They are relativeley inexpensive. You can get a package of four lights for $1700.00. Also I would recomend a softbox for your main light, a shoot through umbrella for fill, another softbox (strip) for your hair light and a scoop for the background light. Check the alien bee site, they have packages and lots of ideas for the lighting you are talking about. Good Luck!

[alexandre_vaz]

Thanks a lot James. I will check their website.

 

Other opinions are welcome.

[tobiasfeltus]

Alex,

 

I think it really has to do with what you intend to do. from your current experience you will

know what light you work with well, and what kind of space. electronic flash should just

be a simulation of location light, plus some control. 4x6m is barely enough distance to do

a single full body comfortably, especially if you have backgrounds or props. ceiling height

also makes a huge difference to your control of the light. I have seen people like my friend

Cioffi (http://www.ferdinandocioffi.com/) shoot everything with one light, he uses an old

Monolite 1000 with a 1m softbox and several layers of trace in front of it. For the past

year I have been using a couple of Metz 45s on stands, a brolly and a piece of blackwrap,

since one of my old bowens popped last Feb, and i have been moving around a lot. But

don't try to cut costs, as the cheaper solution will cost you more stress... i have suffered a

lot of stress because of using cheap or old lighting kit.

 

t

 

www.tobiasfeltus.com

[alexandre_vaz]

Thanks T. I guess you're right, 4x6 ain't enough for small groups... I will definitely need a bigger place...

 

Also, I understand that there isn't one single answer to make standard portraits, but I wanted to know which is the most often used setup.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

[dave404]

I also vote for the Alien Bees. I have 2 B800s and 1 B400 and I also have 2 SP studio units. I wish I had all B800s. Alien Bees have a lot of attachments and you can buy other 3rd party accessories like softboxes that will fit them. With my hybrid arrangement I have trouble with compatibility. Buy them as a set and you can save some money. I slowly expanded my set piecemeal and paid more.

 

The B800 puts out a lot of light in my small "studio" a/k/a the basement but it can be adjusted down pretty low. Extra light is useful when you put on gel filters. For radio triggers I have been using the Chinese versions found on ebay, they work pretty good for the cheap price.

 

With just two lights you can do a lot by using a bookend made of white foam core. I tried to synchronize to my Canon flashes but never made it work. I planned on using them as hair/accent lights. My old Vivitar did work but I bought extra lights anyway.

 

You should consider buying some backgrounds, or even making them yourself. Some 8 foot rolls of white and black seamless are a good idea.

[alexandre_vaz]

Thanks David, I do plan on buying/making backgrounds.

 

Cheers.

 

a.