New studio... small budget... help

Terisa

I've been taking pictures for years outside and on location with small slave flash units, but I want to begin to build a small studio inside. Problem #1 I have a VERY small budget to begin with. Problem #2 I know NOTHING about indoor studio lighting. I have searched through books, magazines, internet info and ebay hoping to learn... the more I learn, the less I seem to know.

Those of you who have studios. If you lost your studio tomorrow, and had to begin again with a very small budget where would you start?

Thanks so much for your help!

ziggy53

There is much more to a "studio" than lights, light stands, lighting modifiers, backgrounds, props, etc., ...but those things are indeed expensive.

What sort of studio do you want to set up?

What space do you have set aside for the studio?

If it's for portraiture, how many individuals are you planning to shoot at a time?

Any groups?

What poses? What views? (Head shot, head and shoulders, 3/4 length, ...?

It it's for products, what types?

Anything else you can relate about your plans, please let us know.

Terisa

The studio is mainly for portraits. My 1st love is shooting outside, but I need a place to shoot during the winter and bad weather days. The space is in my home for now. It's only about 15 feet x 17 feet.

At the same time, I need the equipment to be somewhat portable if necessary for larger group shots at indoor weddings.

Thanks so much for your help

ziggy53

The equipment i would recommend are fairly well discussed in this thread:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=123598

Mainly I recommend at least 2 monolights, 2 stands and umbrellas for each. It is beneficial to also have a couple of speedlights to use for hair/rim light and background illumination.

These Adorama kits are a good start for the monolights:

http://www.adorama.com/FP620APWK.html

While not enough to compete with sunlight, they should be fine for most indoor and controlled lighting situations. Add the speedlights on their own stands with modifiers and a background with a background stand system and you are on your way. A flash meter would be very handy to have as well and speeds setup.

Art Scott

Do you won it or will you be renting the space?

If you own then a 10-12 foot long wall painted black or med. dark grey (thunder grey) to the floor and across the floor for at least 10 feet would be a very inexpensive and creative backdrop......add 1 or 2 of these gel holders for coloring the background and you can have an almost unlimited amount of creative colored back drops....with 2 back lights you can actually cover the whole back drop so none of the original black or grey shows.
Another possibility is the use of digital backgound (you can get ~~1K for around $50 here on ebay ......somes with tutes on how to use them with out a chroma key backgrounds....using black or white .......

As to lighting.....I would go with Vivitar 285HV fllashes and used Quantum battery packs and cables off ebay....the battery packs can be rebuilt by someone like ALL PACK BATTERY for under $50 (last years prices)....of course I would find a local company if possible so I did not have to pay shipping.
Light stands....I really recommend C-Stands complete (century stand complete includes: base, adjustable riser and boom with all connecting hardware)...these run from $149-200 on ebay....also recommended by Joe McNally in the HotShoe Diaries.......they are a stand that comes with a boom arm which is very useful in getting light exactly where it is needed.

umbrellas are realativly inexpensive....I like wescott or Paul C Buff's Parabolic Light Modification system. Start with the White Umbrella (shoot thru) then add a black reflective back and you have a very large softbox......

If your going studio flashes over hotshoe flashes...I highly recommend Alien Bees by Paul C Buff....I am sure adoramas flash points are really good lights but I have to condiser customer service and what it will cost me to have a light rebuilt in the future and that is why I recommend Paul C Buff's lighting whether Alien Bees or the White Lightning line....the company is in Nashville Tn.......customer service is extremely good and friendly....at least has been my experience for the past 20+ years.

Terisa

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. I will do some homework on them all.

Thanks!

sparky675

Terisa wrote:

I've been taking pictures for years outside and on location with small slave flash units, but I want to begin to build a small studio inside. Problem #1 I have a VERY small budget to begin with. Problem #2 I know NOTHING about indoor studio lighting. I have searched through books, magazines, internet info and ebay hoping to learn... the more I learn, the less I seem to know.

Those of you who have studios. If you lost your studio tomorrow, and had to begin again with a very small budget where would you start?

Thanks so much for your help!

i just am getting set up for strobe work, go to strobist.com read about using strobes in strobist 101, might help how you go from here ,, good luck