Setting up a simple home photography studio can be a very rewarding endeavor for any photographer. Whether you're a professional portraitist or a product designer looking to shoot, a home studio gives you the opportunity to work, and most importantly, learn and experiment. Let's take a look at a few basic things you need to set up a home photography studio.
Room.
First of all, you need free space - the more the better. If it is possible to free one of the rooms or at least part of it from furniture and other things as much as possible, do it.
Ideally, it would be great to completely empty the room before filling it with photo equipment. AT real life this is unlikely, there are a lot of things in the house besides a photo studio, so you have to put up with crowding.
In a room, you will need tight control of the lighting conditions at any time of the day or night. Natural lighting can certainly come in handy, but make sure to close the windows tightly, completely blocking out any natural light that can ruin the light picture.
Another thing to keep in mind is the temperature. Especially if you are going to work all the time and keep the equipment in the studio. For example, in the summer, a room can heat up by itself from the sun and working lighting equipment to very high temperatures, which is not very good for photographic equipment. In addition, models sweating from the heat or shivering from the cold are not the best subject for shooting. Therefore, think about maintaining an optimal climate and temperature in the room.
And the last thing you should also think about is soundproofing. If you are going to shoot only photos, then this will not bother you much, but if you are planning a video, then you should think about how much extraneous sounds can interfere with you, for example, the noise from a busy road outside the window. In this case, it is worth considering investing in some soundproofing.
Backdrop (background).
Every good studio has a few backdrops against which pictures are taken. You'd be wise to ditch the expensive "professional" backs you may have seen in hardware stores in favor of something simpler. You need something with a dense, uniform color and an inconspicuous texture.
Backs are usually made from a variety of materials, including cotton, canvas, vinyl, and plain paper. The easiest and cheapest choice for a backdrop is plain paper, especially when found in large rolls.
But if you want to get a more professional studio and get better results, it's still worth spending the money and picking up an inexpensive backdrop material from a photo store or having it made to order.
However, for starters, for the first experiments, a simple white sheet or a roll of wrapping paper is quite suitable, with which you can build something similar to the photo below.
Light
Light is the most complex and expensive part of the studio. The choice of studio light is not an easy task and is the subject of a separate discussion.
In short, there are two types of light. Permanent and impulsive. The permanent one is cheaper, but generates a lot of heat in the studio and is not as versatile as the pulsed one. With pulsed light you get much more power, very good quality light and much more possibilities. But it also costs significantly more.
To get started, you can purchase a simple inexpensive studio lighting kit. But for a good result, be prepared to fork out a decent amount in the future. And no matter how much you would like to save money, it is better to immediately buy an inexpensive set of pulsed light with two or three flashes and not a constant one. For a small home studio, this will be enough to get excellent results in various situations, and over time you can expand the kit.
Umbrellas and softboxes.
Looking at different lighting kits, you can start to toss between what is best for your studio - an umbrella or a softbox. Unfortunately, there is no exact answer, since both have their pros and cons. At the same time, both perform their task - softening the light.
Umbrellas are usually cheaper and more versatile. They often come with a reflective surface that allows you to control the light output - you can make the most of the light by bouncing or dim it by removing the reflector and shining the light directly through the material of the umbrella. Umbrellas spread light over a fairly large area and they work well in large rooms or when photographing a group of people. In addition, umbrellas are more mobile than soft boxes, they are faster to assemble and install.
Most professional photographers work with umbrellas and softboxes at the same time to achieve the best results. But if your budget is limited, then an umbrella is a great choice to start with.
Entourage and costumes.
What people often don't think about is a lot of crazy and at first glance completely unnecessary accessories and other junk. Creating a portrait is insanely boring for most people, so using costumes for dressing up and anything that can make shooting fun and enjoyable and get models excited can be quite relevant.
So it will be useful to keep in the studio all sorts of nonsense like stupid sunglasses, wigs, toy jewelry and other nonsense that will allow you to "stir up" the most notorious clients - from clerks to children, causing a smile, good mood and relaxed state.
The main thing is to make the person relax. A photograph of a person with a tense face “like a passport” will always lose to a photograph taken in a relaxed atmosphere.
Photo accessories.
Do not forget about the specific and often necessary equipment for the studio. It can be a refrigerator and a plasma TV or a laptop, but first of all think about the most necessary things. For example, you will definitely need a tripod or even two. You may need remotes or cables to remote control the camera.
If you use flashes, consider wireless controllers for them. Do not forget that a small stepladder can be very useful to choose a specific angle or hang a backdrop. And also a mirror, for those who, at the last moment before shooting, decide to check how it looks.
And further. Treat your spending wisely and try to be aware of your goals. Otherwise, creating a home studio can milk you a lot of money, some of which you will spend on expensive, but not needed or rarely used things. Therefore, always think carefully about what will be useful for you and what is not. Perhaps an inexpensive constant light is also suitable for your specific purposes, so there is no need to invest in a pulsed one, etc.
Well, the main thing. Don't be afraid to learn and experiment - shoot more, try new approaches, and you'll see for yourself what you need the most. Remember, a home studio is only the first step in getting your hands on the basics of working in a studio. And then you either start to improve your own studio or find the right professional one.
For shooting at home, you can really come in handy with a home mini photo studio. This is a great item that will be very useful for any photographer, beginner or more advanced, to capture all sorts of small things, food, when you are shooting in macro mode. Having learned the cost of such a photo studio in a store, you are unlikely to want to buy it, but after analyzing the macro box itself, you can make it yourself.
Necessary materials
Here is a list of materials you will need to create a macro box:
1) Box. The box can be absolutely any size, the main thing is to take one that would be more convenient for you to work with, and also think about the size of the things that you want to photograph in it. Such cardboard box you can simply ask in one of the grocery stores, or find a box left over from purchased office equipment at home. If you try very hard, you can make it yourself, not from cardboard, but from chipboard, it will be more reliable and last longer.
2) Textile. It can be any fabric. In the example, plain white fabric was used, which can be purchased at any needlework store.
3) Adhesive tape. Adhesive tape, or adhesive tape, is needed if you want to try taking pictures with different backgrounds, so you can always replace the fabric with another one, if your plans do not include all possible experiments with backgrounds, then you can fix the fabric on something stronger, for example, on furniture clips, or glue.
4) Glue. Glue will be needed in order to glue the bottom of the box.
5) Paper. This sheet will be located on the back of the box in a semicircle and will serve as the main background. The paper should be relatively thick, but not so thick that wrinkles and cracks appear when bent. You can buy several sheets at once, in different colors in a regular art store.
6) Lighting. For the normal operation of your photo studio, you need to organize proper lighting for it. Without it, you won't get the image you want. As a lighting device, a table lamp with a daylight bulb is suitable.
7) Other materials. For work you will need scissors, a ruler and a pencil.
Macrobox manufacturing process
Now that you have everything necessary materials, you can get to work.
Step 1. Take a box, a pencil and a ruler. Mark points on the box with a pencil, which will become its borders, then draw lines with a ruler. The boundaries are marked.
Step 2 Cut out the excess, strictly following the marked lines, so that you get a box with windows. Leave one side intact - this is the bottom of the box.
Step 3 Take the paper prepared for the background and fit it to the size of the box, insert it inside the box and secure it. Remember, the length of the paper must be greater than the height of the macrobox.
Step 4 Take your fabric and cut out rectangles to cover the windows in your photo box. Stick this fabric with adhesive tape. Your task is to cover three side holes and one top hole with a cloth.
Ready!
Well, congratulations, your photo box for subject and macro photography is ready. Take pictures to your heart's content.
The process of working with macrobox.
There are many options for how to work with a product photo box. If you have unwanted shadows, illuminate with an additional flashlight from the right side. If you want to get a vignetting effect, place the lens in the box as far as possible. You can always come up with something new, play with lighting and backgrounds.
If you sell small-sized goods through an online store, there is an operational need to upload pictures of a new product.
Quality product photos are important!
Folding mini photo studio (photobox), cheap and prompt help to online stores
As you know, the buyer, visiting online stores and looking at the product of interest to him, gets the first impression based on what he sees. An image is the only way to visually understand and evaluate quality.
How to take high-quality product photos for an online store?
For many start-up entrepreneurs, this situation is a significant problem - there is no own specialized photo studio, and paying for the services of a professional photographer is an expensive task, and besides, it is not a quick process.
The way out of this situation is quite simple, for such shooting you need a design that would allow you to take into account three components - a white uniform background, a properly lit place and a camera.
The design of the simplest mini photo studio is in front of you:
You can play with colors:
The background for various goods can be not only white, but sometimes yellow, blue or green, which can make the background more compatible or contrasting. For these purposes, the author of the invented studio provided a set of background sheets in the package.
You do not need additional spotlights or .
The built-in self-contained LED lamp allows you to take pictures anywhere, all you need is a 9-volt battery.
? Definitely yes! The author of a mini photo studio created an actual product to help small start-up companies. It is a necessary and easy-to-understand commodity. A similar design or purchase a ready-made mini photo studio.
Photographers now have a very large selection of accessories for shooting. Especially when it comes to lighting or other elements for a desktop portable studio, which will provide a wide range of functionality for product photography. Now you can find various diffusers, reflectors and backgrounds. However, most accessories have a serious drawback. They are very bulky. Their cost is also high. Many shooting accessories can be made independently from improvised materials. You can organize a mini studio almost anywhere in a short time.
Your own solutions will be tailored to your personal needs and you don't have to be an engineer to design and create a light modifier or background. Everything is very simple. The main thing when shooting small subjects is the ability to redirect and change the light.
A simple studio on your desk can be done very quickly at minimal cost. For work, you will need what is in almost any home, and if something is not there, then you can buy it at the nearest hardware or stationery store. The main elements of the studio will be paper and adhesive tape.
You can change the setting to suit your needs and get different effects. In the event that you want to create a permanent studio that will work for a long time, then this option will not be the best.
Required materials and fixtures
- Thick black cardboard. It is needed for the base, so its density will affect stability
- White and colored paper or cardboard
- Duct tape
- For foundation wooden plank or another object that will lift the subject a little higher than the level of the table and will look good in the photo
- Additionally, paper may be required as alternative backgrounds or light modifiers
Construction assembly
The whole assembly process consists in gluing the necessary elements. You need to rely on the diagram. She is very simple. It is important to ensure that the height of all sheets is the same.
This is what the assembled structure looks like:
She doesn't look too professional, but that's not important for a temporary studio. The main thing is that she will do her job in the best possible way. No stranger will see her, and the result will not give out that everything was done for a penny.
How to install
When shooting in a studio, whatever they are, the main thing is to properly control the light and be able to change it. You can work with any kind of light source. This form of mini-studio will allow you to get good results with flash and natural light. Still, it's best to use a single directional light source.
The main subject is lit from the front. Since the side panels are black, they will handle reflections very well. The band of light will be narrow and will not fill the object from all sides. This will give volume. The contrast will also increase.
The side panels can be deployed wider or shifted to your liking. This will change the resulting effect. Always keep an eye on the background. Sidebars should not cast a shadow on it. This will be very noticeable in the picture and ruin it. Almost any shadow will create an unpleasant gradient.
Given that the main subject is small and very close to the background, they will have the same exposure in most cases. Try using a different background color.
Especially carefully you need to build a composition. Due to the fact that the background is narrow, the corners may fall into the frame. It shouldn't be.
Use of reflectors
When shooting with natural light, the light will most likely come from above. Because of this, deep dark shadows can appear. A small reflector will help correct this phenomenon. It must be placed in front of the subject, but in such a way that it does not fall into the frame. By changing the angle of inclination, you can achieve the optimal result. You don't have to buy a reflector, although you can find a small 12-inch one for a decent price. The reflector itself is made from ordinary baking foil.
The reflector can also be installed at the rear. This will soften the shadows that are too hard, hiding the details of the receding parts of the object. White cardboard can be used as a reflector. It is easy to install vertically.
Transformations
The design of our mini-studio is very simple and compact, but it is also quite flexible. You can make any changes in minutes. You can change the following:
Side part color
Black panels can be replaced with any color that will be in harmony with the main subject. In addition to color, you can change the material, for example, cover the walls with foil. With this configuration, the shadows will be filled with light and the subject will be more detailed, but will lose depth and volume. You can use different material and color on different sides. White paper will create a less intense shadow filling effect.
Backlight
If you used thick cardboard for the base, then you can cut out the central part from the back panel, glue it with translucent paper (a thin sheet of A4 or tissue paper will do) and install a light source behind the hole. The paper will act as a diffuser. In this case, you will get excellent backlighting.
Thanks to the backlight, the contrast will be greatly enhanced. This can be used for creative effect or to compensate for deep shadows by applying reflectors.
Various backgrounds
The background color can be changed depending on the plot or creative idea. It doesn't have to be limited to plain paper. You can use fabric, wallpaper or even wood. All this will create a unique look and opens up great opportunities for creativity.
Studio dimensions
We have now described a small setup that is suitable for shooting various subjects, such as Cell phones, tablets, jewelry and bijouterie, toys, figurines, etc. However, nothing prevents you from taking large sheets of cardboard, for example, from a TV box or a refrigerator, and making a studio that will allow you to shoot large household appliances, interior elements, musical instruments or even people.
Afterword
Such a mini-studio is not a quality workspace that will last a long time. It is needed in order to quickly fulfill a sudden order or just to practice working with light. For beginners, this option will be ideal as they won't need to invest a lot of money, but they will be able to try out different shooting and lighting techniques to decide what style to work with next and what equipment to invest in.
Also, a portable studio made from improvised materials is very light. You can take it with you to nature or to a customer who needs to shoot his product, but in the case of commercial use, make sure that your homemade design looks decent and does not spoil your credibility as a photographer and a serious business partner.
Based on materials from the site:
Equipping a photo studio is a basic issue for any novice photographer. Having created the necessary conditions photography, the master of photography will be able to receive clear, high-quality frames, significantly increasing the capabilities of his photographic equipment. However, it is necessary to decide not only on light sources, but also on additional accessories: tripods, backgrounds, nozzles, etc. Of course, in some cases, an ID photo kit, for example, may include only one flash and a reflector. But how to organize a deployed complex?
A ready-made photo studio in the form of arranged, carefully selected sets will help to acquaint you with the art of photography. technical equipment ready for operation. The Photoshance online store will help you choose a high-quality lighting kit for a photo studio from FST, Grifon and other popular manufacturers to solve specific problems.
Why is it smarter to buy ready-made photo studios?
Given the huge variety of professional equipment in the field of photo and video shooting, in order to form a kit, you must have certain experience and professional knowledge. What can you get by deciding to purchase ready-made kits for photo studios?
1. Willingness to perform tasks. The set includes everything you need to start shooting: stands, sets of lights for a mini photo studio and a large-scale platform, soft boxes, attachments, cables, etc.
2. Compatibility of all elements. Remember, it is enough to make a mistake in one component, and you will not be able to fully use the flash and camera control, purchased light shaping attachments may not fit the source
lighting, and reflectors will not perform their functions. Ready-made kits for a photo studio will save you from such problems.
3. Variation of choice. Do you need an ID photo kit, product lighting or compact standalone equipment? Choose a fully formed version and get to work.
4. Budget savings. Buying a ready-made kit will cost less than buying all the equipment separately.
Choose for yourself which ready studio buy based on current needs and budget. But remember that after gaining initial experience, you can easily add and upgrade the kit according to your decision.
What is included?
A ready-made studio solution from Photoshance can save you from thoughtless financial expenses and unjustified investments. In our catalog you will find the most demanded complexes, from simple sets for photos for documents, to equipment for shooting video clips and films. These typically include a studio flash, pulsed or constant light sources, reflectors, equipment stands, brackets and mounts, and self-contained power supplies (if provided).
Contact our operators for advice on choosing photographic equipment!
