Advice needed, Setting up a 50sq mt studio

HoppyUK said:
:thumbs:

Cheap and easy way to get different lighting effects is with shoot-through, white and silver umbrellas :)
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Ok my first shoot in my bedroom with just one light/umbrella

Georgie_zpsf124fd82.jpg


A few others were over overexposed as some how moved from f8 to f5.6 on the camera, butterfingers :bonk:

Sorry to post that pix in here just showing off a little ;-)
 
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Hell on earth said:
My kit turned up yesterday, next day delivery thanks to Jon (Bayrunner) looks fine and well built, not had a real chance to play yet
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Pleased to help Helen - You've thought about it and worked well within your budget, but should have some money left over to develop the kit as you go along.
 
Things have changed completely over the last couple of weeks but hopfully for the better.

The people that owned the building where my studio would be got greedy and thought they had me over a barrel and wanted more money with sudden "extras"
VAT and service charges, thinking I had no where else, which I had not, I would just pay, luckily I had not yet signed the contract but was thinking I can't do it and was going forget it for awhile

By chance and good luck one of my local shops owners offered me the back of her shop, a room 5m x 4m, 3m hight not that big but it also has a 8m x 5m private court yard + a small office/changing room, small kitchen, shower room and toilet and it's just 2 minutes walk from my home

It needs a bit of work as not been used for a long while but I move in on the 1st of July :):):)

I'm glad now I held back on the amount of lighing and stuff I was going to buy, still need more but as things have changed will need re-thinking

I'm really excited about the court yard, high walls, two sides brick and 1 side white, thinking of a retractable canopy, thinking of lots of things :lol:
If only we had a summer :(

H

I forgot to say, her shop is a beauty/nail parlor, so hopfuly will get some of the ladies wanting photos, also next door in a per-school nursery, while I'm not a pro and not a buisness, opportunities are there for me to grow as a tog.
 
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Glad it's worked out better for you Helen, and it would appear the other people who were trying to rip you off have done you a favour, as it sounds like your now in a prime location, surrounded by potential clients, and only a few minutes from home, good luck with the new venture :)
 
TG. said:
Glad it's worked out better for you Helen, and it would appear the other people who were trying to rip you off have done you a favour, as it sounds like your now in a prime location, surrounded by potential clients, and only a few minutes from home, good luck with the new venture :)
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Thanks honey, it's just luck (good for a change)
once it's cleaned up and fitted out I'll post some photos in a couple of weeks.

H
 
Talk about falling on your feet :thumbs:
 
Hell on earth said:
Thanks Richard x
Lots and lots of hard work to do or I'll be falling on my A*** ... bum lol

H
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Sounds like quite a nice/fun environment to work in/near too, apart from business potential.

4x4m is big enough, but only just. If you want to have really good lighting control, then consider how you paint it. The ideal is black, though that would be a bit gloomy, or neutral grey.

Best of all would be white, with long black drapes that you can slide across. That keeps the studio bright and pleasant, you can use the walls to bounce off to produce a huge softbox effect, then pull the drapes over to kill spill and give really tight lighting control.
 
HoppyUK said:
Sounds like quite a nice/fun environment to work in/near too, apart from business potential.

4x4m is big enough, but only just. If you want to have really good lighting control, then consider how you paint it. The ideal is black, though that would be a bit gloomy, or neutral grey.

Best of all would be white, with long black drapes that you can slide across. That keeps the studio bright and pleasant, you can use the walls to bounce off to produce a huge softbox effect, then pull the drapes over to kill spill and give really tight lighting control.
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It is in fact 5m long after checking today, still a bit short, could go longer if diagonal maybe 6 meters, I was going to have wall fixed backdrops but now I will go with stands to move around.

It will be white, getting... as you say... draps and poly boards.

As it's in the back, there is no real ambient light to worry about.

Thanks again for your advice Richard

H
 
You knew you held back on gear purchase for a reason..... And there it is!

What you have will still be applicable in the smaller space. I totally agree with Hoppy- white with black drapes to control light, then you can liven it up or calm it down as you wish.

And with a beauty parlour and a nursery school very close, if you want to start earning you are in a superb location for a steady stream of potential business...... Great!
 
Bayrunner said:
You knew you held back on gear purchase for a reason..... And there it is!

What you have will still be applicable in the smaller space. I totally agree with Hoppy- white with black drapes to control light, then you can liven it up or calm it down as you wish.

And with a beauty parlour and a nursery school very close, if you want to start earning you are in a superb location for a steady stream of potential business...... Great!
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Well I'm not getting carried away with turning it in to a full fledged buisness, times are hard as everyone knows but..

I do have a few ideas to promote one or myself, like doing a free event type shoot, 1 set-up, 1 photo low-res (facebook) for the nursery or others.

1 free photo low-res for the customers of the beauty/nail salon.

There is also a local fete coming up is September where a lot of the small local buisnesses have a stall, in the street and park, lots of arts and crafts and a Dog Show.
If there is any chance the weather will be ok (unlikely) maybe do an event shoot.

But we will see...

Thanks Jon
H
 
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I thought maybe, some of you would like to see now it's going, the place was a real mess so I've done a lot in just over a week

Sign is up, will do a better one in time
shopsign_zpsf0be2fc9.jpg


New wall and door way I built myself
Frontnewwall_zpsb121c8cf.jpg


Inside, about 6m for me to the far wall
inside_zps308cb47b.jpg


Leading to the back where there is a small office, then a hallway with toliet and small kitchen leading to the court yard
inside2_zpsc48a45b0.jpg


Office
office_zpsfe537f3b.jpg


Back court yard, I've cleaned it up today, as you see it was a mess

Courtyardmess_zpsf0446cd8.jpg
 
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Wow I just got my first portrait booking for next week :clap:
 
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Court yard starting to look better

yard_zps9d952d2a.jpg
 
:thumbs:
 
It's coming along nicely Helen :)
 
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