Home studio?

Bigger is easier, but you can manage fine with that size, a lot of people turn out good work in smaller spaces,

The size affects the range of shots you can take, and when size is limited it can limit the creativity - but as long as you don't try to be too ambitious it will be OK.

With such a low ceiling, I strongly advise you to paint it black so that you don't get unwanted light bouncing from it, and you should avoid white walls too.
 
It's really all a compromise.
The perfect studio, from a lighting point of view, is 100% black everything - but it's a depressing place to be...

I feel that the best compromise for a lot of people is a black ceiling with grey walls, and have some black drapes that you can cover the walls up with when necessary.

Size is also very relevant. If your studio was an aircraft hanger it wouldn't matter in the least what colour/shade the walls and ceiling were - in a small space it's vitally important
 
Thanks Gary,
Previously, I have hired out my local village hall, so no problem with bounced light. I think I will paint the ceiling black and use panels as you suggest.
Great info, thanks again
 
Personally i'd stay away from black paint in the studio. Whilst Garry is 100% correct that you will get some light bounce, many times this bounce adds to the image - it will act as a fill light to add some softness between light/dark areas since its going to lose a lot of intensity on the travel+bounce.

Since its a small studio you're not going to have space to have setups with many lights so this 'bounce' light might work in your favour

I would rig up a couple of flashes/softbox - try it out and then see if its worth painting the room black :)
 
Kurt.Paris said:
Personally i'd stay away from black paint in the studio. Whilst Garry is 100% correct that you will get some light bounce, many times this bounce adds to the image - it will act as a fill light to add some softness between light/dark areas since its going to lose a lot of intensity on the travel+bounce.

Since its a small studio you're not going to have space to have setups with many lights so this 'bounce' light might work in your favour

I would rig up a couple of flashes/softbox - try it out and then see if its worth painting the room black :)
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But the bounce from white walls or ceilings is uncontrolled - yes, sometimes it may help, most of the time is will have the opposite effect and if the studio is white there is pretty much nothing you can do to make sure it only happens when you want it to...

With a black or dark studio, you can introduce a reflector if you want some bounced light - at least it will then be under your own control
 
If I was building a custom garage studio (unlikely ;)) it would have white walls, but full length black curtains on long rails all round, with breaks in them to allow variable amounts of white to be used. Ceiling would be white and have split black roller screens to do the same thing.

Having worked in a studio like that, the difference the curtains/screen make, and the control it gives, is nothing short of dramatic.
 
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I plan on getting some panels for the wall areas, white, black and possibly mid grey, doing the same for the cieling is more difficult but not impossible.

It's feasible to have the lighting mounted so that it is easily moved, so would a solution be to have one end with a black ceiling and one end with white?
 
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