Portrait Tents

[lottie_hope]

I thought it might be fun to offer fast fun portraits at my kids' school summer fair, (outside) and then set up again in October, probably in the school hall so they can have photos taken in their Halloween costumes.

 

I have zero experience with the pop up portrait tents, but I'm imagining thats the way to go, for speed and space requirements.

 

Does anyone with experience have a recommendation on a good pop up tent? And would the same one be useable outdoors as well as inside, or does leaky daylight cause messy results if I were to use this in the playground during the day?

 

Any suggestions gratefully received - Thank you!

 

Lottie

[Jochen_S]

No personal experience. Red flag in my head: A bunch of kids demands a lot of static and general safety precautions plus liability insurance coverage...

Dunno what kind of lights you have and how much power you could get outdoors. The tents l know seem to benefit from getting pegged to the ground and require extra lines (AKA tripping hazards) to withstand wind. Dealing with kids I 'd love to avoid light stands.

How do you plan the outdoor use? As a white diffusor or to cast shade?

I 'd contact manufacturers for specs. While sufficiently sturdy tents surely exist, I wouldn't be eager to haul them or set them up.

[rodeo_joe1]

Not done this in a tent, but I've set up a photo 'booth' at wedding receptions. With 3 speedlights, two in softboxes on stands as left-right clamshell lighting, and the other to blow out a white cloth backdrop.

 

Unavoidably, there were kids at the events. Not much hassle keeping them clear of the lighting stands - they're boisterous, not stupid. The only issue I had was a family who wanted to get their money's worth (despite it being free to guests) by trying to squeeze all 5 of their kids onto two chairs set out for singles and couples. Needless to say I ran out of backdrop and had to white out the BG in post. Hopefully that won't be an issue for you.

 

Just be strict with the little angels - gentle but firm!

[JDMvW]

I was always intrigued with Irving Penn's traveling studio (Ethnographic Studies | The Art Institute of Chicago)

The Portable Tent Studio 1967–71: Dahomey, Nepal, Cameroon, New Guinea, and Morocco

Penn continued his annual trips for Vogue magazine on assignments that often required his crew to travel for a month or longer. The research and planning for these projects usually began more than a year in advance. Penn describes the portable studio tent that made such projects possible:

 

We found several aluminum modular systems of pipes and chose one that did the job for us. A tentmaker built the skin for our aluminum skeleton with a system of guy ropes for fixing it against the wind, and he made us a white plastic oversheet as a parasol. Two windows were installed opposite the open side to release any dangerous air pressure that might build up in a storm. The construction made, we set up the tent-studio inside our New York studio, recording each step in a series of photographs and putting the pictures in a notebook we would take with us. There were several dry runs to work out the bugs and to gain speed in handling. The whole construction was carefully planned to pack into several pieces that could be carried on top of a Jeep or small truck

 

This is in the category of more than you wanted to know, but (with some imagination) you can adapt it to bedsheets and plastic tubing...

[Niels - NHSN]

Penn’s tent in action.