Studio question

the5schlueters

What color do you guys recommend I paint the walls in my studio? Black, White or gray? we are in the painting process and I just cant figure out what color would be best......

Thanks.

DavidTO

I've moved your thread from Dgrin Forum Support to the Technique Forum.

pathfinder

I have seen studios with all their walls white, or grey, or black. So there you are....

The answer is it really depends on what you are going to do in your studio.

Are you going to be actually shooting and including your walls? Then either white or grey can work, and you can control their brightness by how you light them with auxiliary lighting. White, in particular, can be lit with colored lights, and you can then have any color background you want. The downside, is that white walls reflect light, and you have to be more careful about your flash spill.

If you know you want a black background , then black will work, and it will NOT reflect any light back onto your subjects from your flashes as well.

I have been in studios that were as black as a coal mine, and the portraits shot there looked very nice, but I would find it a dark, depressing place to work.

I think more folks choose medium grey.

Let"s see what some other readers say.

Art Scott

as pathfinder stated it really depends on you....personally, depending on the size of the studio I would consider 2 different colors and this really depends on the walls...I would split the room into and paint the walls and 1/2 the floor to match the walls....that way the 2 most used colors for backdrops would be permanent and very large to accompany a large group of people.
I like black...and since it does not reflect light (at least the mat black ) it hold the color from gelled lights and white will give off softer subdued colors and medium (Thunder) grey gives off medium toned colors with the grey still showing...it really comes down to what you like / dislike ... I still use my blk backdrop more and use gels for different colors, by doing that you can have an almost infinite array of backgrounds for your clients at a very small cost (especially if you buy whole gels and cut them yourself).

the5schlueters

Ok think I am gonna go with black. seems to have the most options and it don't reflect light. I have a white backdrop so there is my white.

Nikolai

the5schlueters wrote: »

Ok think I am gonna go with black. seems to have the most options and it don't reflect light. I have a white backdrop so there is my white.

In fact, it is black and gray you can turn into any color by the gelled lights. White is much more difficult to change that way...
The goal #1 in any studio shoot is a stray light control. Black and gray are fine in that respect. White - not so much.
Good luck!

the5schlueters

boy black paint is not so easy to find lol. been looking all morning and wow. mite have to go gray. I cant paint it flat because its not washable so I gotta go satin and no one seems to carry the base to make me 5 gallons of black paint (at a reasonable price). but they did tell me that I can get 5 or 4 gallons of flat and mix in 1 gallon of satin and that would make it washable. Im trying to keep this as informative as possible in case some else has this same issue lol. The price difference between flat and satin is almost double.

Dan7312

When you buy room paint how do you know what the color actually is, in terms of what cast it might give to reflected lighting? For example I think a lot of white interior paint has a extra blue in it to make appear to be white in typical interior lighting. What I'm saying is the interior paint you buy at the hardware store is not made with photographic studio usage in mind.

Are there paints made for studios that insure a neutral cast to reflected light or do you just grab a can of gray and handle whatever color cast it might add to you lighting?

I'm just curious though... I know the one "white" room I have isn't white at all, in terms of the cast it adds to the light it reflects off my flash.

the5schlueters wrote: »

boy black paint is not so easy to find lol. been looking all morning and wow. mite have to go gray. I cant paint it flat because its not washable so I gotta go satin and no one seems to carry the base to make me 5 gallons of black paint (at a reasonable price). but they did tell me that I can get 5 or 4 gallons of flat and mix in 1 gallon of satin and that would make it washable. Im trying to keep this as informative as possible in case some else has this same issue lol. The price difference between flat and satin is almost double.

the5schlueters

In the television studios I have worked in it seems like everything is painted black except the set. I am either going with black or 30% gray. I figure you balance off the gray so if there is a reflection from it then it should not cause a problem. But black seem to be full proof because there is no light reflection from it. But in that aspect the black paint is harder to find at the local hardware stores (lowes ect.) They have it by the gallon @ 29$ a gallon and that adds up quick. flat paint is 44$ for 5 gallons. Walmart does not have the base to mix 5 gallons of black either. I am gonna have my paint mixed off this North sea 90-60 made by wilsonart laminate. its a gray that seems to match the balance cards. So correct me if I am wrong but if I am balancing off that color the reflections from it should not cause any problems.

Nikolai

The color of paint you see in the Home Depot, OSH, Lowe's, etc. is "adjusted" by the color of their lighting, which is typically fluorescent (3800K), which is why different than flash (5500K). I wouldn't trust my own eyes (which auto adjust to any ambient light) and went "by the numbers".

the5schlueters

Nikolai wrote: »

The color of paint you see in the Home Depot, OSH, Lowe's, etc. is "adjusted" by the color of their lighting, which is typically fluorescent (3800K), which is why different than flash (5500K). I wouldn't trust my own eyes (which auto adjust to any ambient light) and went "by the numbers".

Good point! The numbers dont lie. where can I get the numbers?

Nikolai

the5schlueters wrote: »

Good point! The numbers dont lie. where can I get the numbers?

I presume each paint should have some hard figures (Pantone?) to define what actual color it is supposed to be, otherwise it would be a total mess. Unfortunately I'm not at all experienced in that area. Hopefully some other dgrinners are...

the5schlueters

I just went with black. found a flat washable black for 10$ a gallon at walmart.

Nikolai

the5schlueters wrote: »

I just went with black. found a flat washable black for 10$ a gallon at walmart.

Congrats! Don't forget to share before/after shots!

the5schlueters

Will do!!! gonna take some pics of the studio build. Man allot of work lol. the building had to be completely renovated. But I cant beat the rent lol.