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SETTING THE SCENE
BUILDING A BACKDROP
MASTER YOUR LIGHTING
ESSENTIAL EXTRAS
So, you've decided to take the leap and set up a dedicated home photography studio for your work nice!
Whether you're a portrait photographer, product photographer or blogger, having your own home photography studio provides plenty of benefits. Most importantly, it's an easily accessible space for you to not just practise your craft, but also to make money.
But there's so much to consider; more so than when you're just shooting on location:
What sort of space do you need?
How much space?
How are you going to light it?
It's no small commitment, so make sure you ask yourself all of the right questions about what kind of home photography studio is right for you before you go gutting your basement or spare room.
Here are just some of the things that you'll need to consider when setting up your home photography studio.
SETTING THE SCENE
The first - and arguably most important - thing you have to think about is where your home photography studio is going to go, and your style of photography will likely dictate this.
One of the best options is an unused spare room. By utilising available space, you can avoid any expensive and unnecessary building work that comes with renovating somewhere like a garage into a functional workspace. When you have an entire room as your playground, you have the freedom to set it up the way you want. You won't have to keep moving furniture around or re-set your equipment each time you want to shoot.
It doesn't need to be a big room, but there are a few fundamental things it needs for you to be able to make the most out of it.
First, it needs to be big enough for your setup.
Think about all the tools you use in your shoot, your camera, lights and anything else that may be specific to your genre of photography: a backdrop? Props? Whilst shots like corporate headshots are unlikely to need any props at all, for genres such as boudoir photography, props play a huge part in establishing the narrative.
Professional boudoir photographer, Emma Joanne, of Shotgun Weddings says in an interview with Amateur Photographer: I like to bring props into play like a telephone, hairbrush or lipstick. They help to provide a distraction for the model and can take the emphasis away from any features that they aren't comfortable exposing.
Unless you're working in a basement, it's also likely that natural light will impact your studio in some way. Using black material, on windows, or under door frames will absorb the light and will stop it from reflecting off the walls of your studio. However, eliminating natural light may not be necessary for your shoot, as some photographers prefer to let it influence their work due to its naturally flattering nature the choice is yours!
It's all about assessing the purpose of your studio, and there are many more considerations when you're accommodating for people other than yourself. If you're shooting full-body portraits or groups, it may seem obvious, but you're going to need more room than if you're shooting just headshots because you're going to need to be able to have more distance between you, your lights and your subject.
Alternatively, if you were planning to shoot macro subjects in your home photography studio, this will take up far less space.
And once you know your space, you need to know how you're going to present it. Sometimes this might involve completely revamping your room; professional wedding photographer, Elizabeth Messina, who uses her home as the backdrop for most of her shoots, redesigned part of her home after losing it in a fire. She told Rangefinder: This new space had to be extremely functional so that I could produce photo shoots and work on post-production, as well as be cosy and accessible for our day-to-day life. I think the aesthetics of a space affect the way you feel: I wanted to feel happy and peaceful.
View this post on Instagram
just love this light .
A post shared by elizabeth messina (@elizabethmessina) on Oct 13, 2018 at 5:08pm PDT
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This requires a lot of time and money to achieve though, with re-decoration, new furniture and much more, but it's by no means impossible to create a suitable home photography studio on a tighter budget. But even the smallest of changes can make a world of difference for you, your subjects and ultimately, the final results! Especially if you're not going to be using a backdrop, a lick of paint definitely wouldn't go amiss, or maybe a selection of chairs for your model? If you're shooting people, whether it be headshots, fashion or newborns it's important to ensure your subjects feel comfortable in the shooting environment, which in turn helps build rapport between you and your subject and results in better, more natural images.
The one luxury you don't have with a home photography studio is that you need to pick your gear to suit your space and not the other way around. Whilst you have control over where in your home your studio is going to be located, there's certainly less control over the specifics; it's possible you're going to be working in a room - or even part of a room - rather than a full studio built to purpose.
Depending on the kit you need, remember that one day you may be required by a client to work outside of your home photography studio. If you can, choose equipment that suits your needs and your space at home, whilst also having the ability to take it out on location, then you'll save a lot of money and hassle in the long run.
BUILDING A BACKDROP
Every photo needs a scene that's set just as much by what is in the background of the image as it is styling. For product photography, this background will usually be
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