Another budget garage studio

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urbanx

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So like most hobbyists on here I’m all too familiar with the phrase “ooh, you’ve e got a big camera, you must take some photo’s of my kids”. After all of the swearing had died down I thought maybe I should knock up a studio in the garage.

I worked out some costs: £1,800 on Bowens soft boxes, similar amount on backdrop lighting, £500 for back drops. £1,000 for painting / flooring. £500 on alarm system. I even worked out how I would cover the costs, and invoiced the wife £400 for the test shoot I was planning.

When I returned from A&E, minus a lens I had a re-think on the budget. Considering I don’t really like portrait photography I decided to have a look at the cheaper options which have been suggested on this very forum.

Day 1: (Actually I had spent about a week tidying before this)
Day1.jpg


Day 2: White muslin hung from a curtain pole – Muslin £15, pole £5.
Day2.jpg


No matter how much I tried, it would not go flat.
Fed up of “Ironing the walls again Li” comments from neighbours I gave up, with this for background: :shake:
Day2Portrait.jpg


I know. If it’s that distracting with my beautiful face, think what it’ll look like with some ugly kids.
So off to Homebase I trot. I find some white laminated hardboard which looks perfect. It comes in sheets 1.2m x 2.4m which the staff assured me id larger than a child.

“Excellent, I’ll take two, that’s the floor sorted as well, can you give me a hand out with them?”
“Where’s your van then mate?” asks the homebase man
“Over here, it’s a Celica...err..high cube?” I tried to reply convincingly.
Floorincar.jpg


I take it easy most of the way home, only stopping at the Mc Donald’s car park to shout at the local youths congregating around a Corsa, which they seem to have made themselves. I don’t think any of them ever expected a white middle class man to pull up shouting “Oi Bruv, check out dis spoiler! Sick innit?” :razz:

I get back making sure they hadn’t followed me, and nailed my board to the wall.
Day4.jpg


Next day I cut myself a bit for a floor. Although the wall sheet has bent into a bit of a cove, there is a join. I’m sure by the time I’ve lit it enough to be burnt out, it’ll be easily cloned out in PP.
Day5.jpg
 
I add the some black muslin on curtain pole to the side and have a bit of a clear out just in time for the Interfit kit to arrive.
Day6.jpg


Right first go, and shot on remote so isn’t that sharp, but it’s def getting towards what I was hoping for.
Day6Portrait.jpg


I’ll be adding bits and bob’s though out next week, so watch this space. I definitely need more lighting dedicated to the backdrop if anyone has any recommendations?
 
Kerioak said:
I discovered at our Sussex shoot the other day that masking tape over the join helps reduce the post processing, though white electrical tape might be better if not too shiny but I did not have any of that.
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Great thinking! White 'leccy tape on it's way!
 
Looking good Li :D
 
Ha ha, was just literally sending you the link!
 
ideally for high key work personally, id use 4 lights and at least 8 foot of material.
I know you havent finished, but definetly getting there! and always avoid muslin for backdrops, horrible stuff lol
 
adam-gardner said:
ideally for high key work personally, id use 4 lights and at least 8 foot of material.
I know you havent finished, but definetly getting there! and always avoid muslin for backdrops, horrible stuff lol
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Any recommendations for the next two then?

I was surprised by the colour of 3200k lights too TBH. Definitely need something cooler for backdrop! Although I'll be trying all my WB pre-sets, as well as setting some customs tomorrow night!
 
i use softboxes, at 250w either side and aimed just towards the backdrop and 2 more softboxes ( bigger) at least 8 feet away from the others. and they dont need to be anything special. Personally i just got ones on ebay for £400, and they worked really well.
il message you some of my images
 
The backdrop etc is the stuff which you shoot against in any studio and a studio is just a room when all said and done. When I did my studio conversion I spent a couple of thousand pounds putting a floor in, walls, paint work, replacing the up and over door etc etc. But these don't actually affect the finished look they just look better for customers etc and make it a better environment.

The white board does not look very wide and placing two next to each other could give you some extra PP, tape may help but it will be a case of experimentation.
 
The background needs to be wider (unless you can use a 200mm lens from a very long way away) because your subjects need to be further from it.

The poor definition is caused by lens flare, partly from overexposure of the background and partly from using shoot through umbrellas, which push light straight towards the lens. You need either softboxes or reflective umbrellas instead. Maybe camera shake and/or subject movement too, inevitable when using continuous lighting.

And flash would be a far better choice than continuous lighting.
 
Cheers for the link Adam, couldn't reply, but very impressive site.

Again, I need heaps of practice with flash! As much as I try and bounce it, I always overcook it and end up with burnt out, shiny models!

Steep learning curves ahead :)
 
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easy when you know how ;) practice makes perfect!
keep going and you will get there, where abouts are you
 
Funnily enough I was only thinking the other day that now I've sold my car, the garage is free and more importantly, empty. I shall be keeping tabs on this thread to see how you get on. Looks like a great start.
I've only done a little studio work on a night school course but we too always got the best results from flash rather than continous light.

Good luck. :thumbs:
 
I'm in Cambridge Adam.

agree it does need to be alot wider
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But the Homebase man assured me it would be wider than a child! :razz:

Yeah, I'll be doubling it up when I have to shoot a band!
 
Not sure if there is anything in here that will help but this was my thread : Link

My advice is to plan it thoroughly first and even use the space as a studio first THEN decide on where to locate things etc.

In a studio with a wall like this one at the end you can use a long aluminium or steel pole as a backdrop support too which helps. Also putting poles along the ceiling about an inch from the ceiling allows things to be hung from it such as products for product photography of lights for the backdrop etc.

Make sure you have plenty of sockets and space for a table of shelves too.
 
Not sure if there is anything in here that will help but this was my thread : Link
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Very good read! You've got a gem there - although you have spent over 30 times what I have so far! One problem I having which I should have mentioned is that I'm renting this garage, So lining walls, or anything that permanant etc. will be a complete waste of money.

So why bother? If you don't mind me asking....
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Not at all, ask away :) When I find myself not liking something I really try it to find out why I think I don't like it.

My biggest phobias are drowning, and being underground - I now often pop manholes and drop in to the sewer system beneath my city in the middle of the night to crawl through the pitch black tunnels, up to my neck in it - check my avatar! I believe you should make yourself uncomfortable at least once a day.
 
Another great Studio Garage thread - I do like the curtains, may well copy that. Now all I need is to get that garage empty and decide what to put on the bare concrete floor - I was thinking of wood laminate
 
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