How to Set Up a Photography Studio
If you're planning to make fashion, food or portrait photography your business, you'll need to have access to a well-equipped studio. You can rent or purchase an existing studio, fully stocked with equipment or bare, or, with a little bit of effort, you can convert a room in your home to function as a professional studio space. Whichever option you choose, here is a list of things you will need to know to set up your photography studio space.
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Things You'll Need
- Diffusers
- Professional quality camera
- Photography lights
- Seating or table
- Reflectors
- Lenses
- Gray cards or flash gauges
- Soft box
- Snoot
- Backdrops
- Hanging rack
- Lighting stands and tripods
- Tents
Instructions
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Choose a location. The idea photography studio will be large, sunny, close to pedestrian or drive-by traffic and have several electrical outlets. Since it is possible to recreate the effect of natural lighting with studio lights, the studio does not really have to be sunny, but it's nice to be able to shoot in sunlight when you want to. There should be enough room for all of your studio equipment, backdrops and props, as well as photo subjects and the photographer. You don't want wires crisscrossing the floors; tape them to the floor or hang them for safety.
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Stock your studio. A versatile and successful photography studio needs, at minimum, professional quality photography lights, reflectors, diffusers, lenses and filters, gray cards or flash gauges, a soft box, snoots, backdrops, hanging rack, lighting stands, tripods and tents.
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Arrange your studio. Suspend a 3/4 inch piece of PVC pipe from the ceiling to create a your backdrop hanging rack. Use clamps or duct tape to attach the backdrops to it.
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Pick up a couple of clamp on light bulb holders with reflectors from the hardware store. Attach these to an old microphone stand, or create a lighting source by attaching lengths of PVC piping vertically to a heavy foot base and clamping the light holders onto the piping. To make the lighting adjustable, place a slightly wider length of PVC on the outside of the first pipe, and use a clamp to hold it in place when it's lifted.
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Put a sign in your window if you're planning on doing portrait photography. Put an ad online and in the yellow pages whether you're doing portrait or commercial photography, and send out a mailing with your rates and qualifications. Be sure to mention your fabulous, well-equipped studio!
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Tips & Warnings
Always keep an eye on your lights when they are turned on. They can become very hot and start smoking. If this happens, turn the lights off immediately and give them time to cool down before turning them back on.
Resources
- Photo Credit morguefile.com
