'Fun' Studio Project

[Joshua James]

I do weddings by trade, although I do do some studio work (Families, kids, couples) on a small scale to fill in around gaps in the diary. I very much consider this 'Work' photography and I have got pretty bored of shooting in the studio.....

BUT

I've just moved house and I have a garage space I can use to create a small studio at home. I like this idea for two reasons;
1. I can practice set ups at home which I can then repeat in the 'business' studio space I hire when shooting paying clients - this might make me enjoy the studio more as I can be a little more creative without the time constraints of shooting 'on the meter'.
2. As its cost neutral I can use it for personal projects when I don't need the space or gear I normally have in the hired studio. This means I can crack on with a headshot project I have been thinking about etc.

The space I have is by no means massive - its a long narrow garage with a pretty low ceiling but I've worked in smaller spaces before so i am pretty sure I can make the most of it.

So guys - first things first - Any suggestions to get me going? The plan so far is;
1. Stud wall to cover garage door with brackets for paper brackgound to be attached. Will also probably wallpaper this to use as an alternate background choice.
2. Walls painted black / dark grey to help with the spill. Despite the temperature issues from not insulating I am tempted to leave the walls as brick as another background texture.
3. I have a tonne of laminate flooring I can use in here so will probably run that through.
4. Adding sockets at celing height to avoid cable drama.

Lighting wise I have three studio heads I can use. the ceiling has a sort of rail I can use if I can fashion a suitable fixture to secure one of my heads to it. I am in two minds about putting a second rail up too or just playing around with stand positions. The only issue there will be the trip hazard and space issue.

Any suggestions?

 

[Sharky]

Only thing that i would suggest (and it's guesswork without knowing the exact space) is to not use a stud wall. Instead, use heavy / thick black curtains or fabric to cover the existing garage door and use backdrop supports in the ceiling instead. It'll give you more flexibility, draw the curtains back and you can open up the door and it's less restrictive if you needed convert the space back quickly. I'd also be tempted to put more backdrop supports at the non door end which means you could shoot from outside back through the open garage door (weather permitting) and really get some distance between your shooting position, the subject and the background.

Also consider setting up mini areas along each wall, for example a 2m length of bare brick, 2m of a wallpaper, 2m length of grey wall. It'll give you lots of flexibility. If you're worried about controlling the light just add more fabric or curtains that can be pulled back to hide or reveal what is behind.