Mini studio?

Will James

Will James

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Will
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Hi all,

I'm looking to improve my photographs that I submit for my Photo52 project (I'm a newbie).

I was wondering how to do more professional-looking photo's where they have a clean white/black background and sometimes reflections of the object in the foreground? Is it that a lot of people have mini-studios they have created in a room at home or is it a photoshop trick?

I'm also curious as to what DIY methods I can do to improve lighting on objects/subjects at home....is there a common light that people get such as a LED strip or strobe light etc? I'm having trouble with lighting at home because I don't have a tripod yet and the lights in each room aren't giving the clean bright light that I'm looking for, so my images are suffering!

Sorry if I haven't explained this post very well, here's the type of photograph's I'm referring to. I'd love to know how these have been done and what lighting can be used to get the same effect:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennysarmy/5414179614/

The second picture on this post:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=3344480&postcount=8

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=3347746&postcount=18

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=3379160&postcount=71
 
Free bump.
I've considered buying the £40 tabletop studio you can easily find on amazon and eBay. But I'm not sure if they are any good or if I'd get similar or better results from building my own tabletop studio. Or whether I should save up a bit and get some more expensive gear.
Any advice in this would be great.
 
Have a look at Steve's flickrstream, he uses very simple equipment and posts the set-up shots so you can see how he achieves the end result.
 
Most of the shots you've listed are fairly easy to achieve. You can pick up rolls of 1m wide paper for about £5 (£2.99 in our local Range). Just roll them out and put a gentle curve up as it rises. I use my dining room table with the paper going over the back of a chair.

After that it's flashguns and modifying the output somehow. In the first shot I'd suggest it's snooted using a roll of paper/card around the flashgun to make it more directional. Others are softened, possibly with tissue paper, or some form of diffuser.
 
Alastair said:
Have a look at Steve's flickrstream, he uses very simple equipment and posts the set-up shots so you can see how he achieves the end result.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this Alastair, what a helpful photostream! It's given me lots of ideas so I will try some out soon :D

Byker28i said:
Most of the shots you've listed are fairly easy to achieve. You can pick up rolls of 1m wide paper for about £5 (£2.99 in our local Range). Just roll them out and put a gentle curve up as it rises. I use my dining room table with the paper going over the back of a chair.

After that it's flashguns and modifying the output somehow. In the first shot I'd suggest it's snooted using a roll of paper/card around the flashgun to make it more directional. Others are softened, possibly with tissue paper, or some form of diffuser.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Byker, by having a gentle curve up as it rises does this give the effect that there are no corners or edges between a vertical and horizontal space (i.e. wall and floor). I'll try it out! I can see what you mean about the first shot - I guess they just used black card as the background? As for the lighting, I don't have any flashguns but Steve (linked above) seems to use energy saving CFL bulbs which seem to give off a brilliant bright white light.
 
Will.. remember that as long as you use the same type of bulb for every light you're using, then the colour of the light is irrelevant if you shoot RAW and correct the white balance afterwards. If you've got three tungsten light sources that are bright enough to suit your purpose then you don't need to switch them to CFL tubes.

Your biggest problem in using desklamps, etc will be the lack of a tripod. That's pretty much essential for tabletop work unless you start to use more intense light sources, e.g. flashguns. When Steve is using CFL lamps his exposures are around 1/8th second. Far too slow to handhold.

Even using flashguns I almost always have the camera tripod mounted.
 
Alastair...again, thanks for the help - much appreciated.

I didn't think about that - even if I shoot in JPEG could I adjust the colour of the light with photoshop? This might be a silly question but what exactly is a tungsten light source?

I understand what you mean about a tripod, I will be buying one within the next week so that will no longer be an issue :D Haven't got any flashguns but I'm sure I can get some decent light sources (once I understand what each of them are).

Will.
 
Will James said:
I didn't think about that - even if I shoot in JPEG could I adjust the colour of the light with photoshop? This might be a silly question but what exactly is a tungsten light source?
Click to expand...

If you don't mind a silly answer - link.

Much easier to correct white balance with a raw. With a jpg the best you can do is correct for the tint.
 
Haha thanks - I would've done that myself but was replying on my mobile lol....
 
I've just invested in a site light @ 500w, only £30 so its an affordable option to get some even light.

The draw back is that its hard work to get consistent results as apposed to 'proper' studio lights, you have to work harder to control the light. They get warm too.

Have a look at using DIY photography, handy for dipping your toe in the studio water. If it doesn't work, you've only lost a cereal packet and some tape! ;)
 
Rokkin said:
I've just invested in a site light @ 500w, only £30 so its an affordable option to get some even light.

The draw back is that its hard work to get consistent results as apposed to 'proper' studio lights, you have to work harder to control the light. They get warm too.

Have a look at using DIY photography, handy for dipping your toe in the studio water. If it doesn't work, you've only lost a cereal packet and some tape! ;)
Click to expand...

Hi Rokkin,

Thank you for your advice. What do you mean it's hard work to get consistent results and you have to work harder? Do you mean when trying to get a good exposure you need to work harder at the camera settings?

That website looks good, thanks :D That's exactly what I want to do - give it a try and if it doesn't really appeal to me in the end I haven't lost a great deal of investment :thumbs:
 
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