product and portrait studio

rjbell

rjbell

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Robert
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I'm moving to massive new house that i'm excited about, and one room is going to be a studio for product shot, for my ebay store, although i will use it for pleasure to shooting family portraits. I've never done any studio shooting and at the moment using the product shots provided by the supplier, which aren't very good. Problem is i don't know where to start. I bought some strobist setup for the house i'm in now thinking it would save space but its still to big and never been used. With a studio am i better off with constant studio lighting? Also the backdrops are cotton and are a waste of time. Can you buy a 3 x roll roller system that i can attach to the roof with black/white/grey vinyl backdrops?

Update- I should have looked a bit harder i've found some. Recommendations for backdrop vinyl?
 
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There are some real experts on the gear here so ill leave it to them mostly. But here's some things to think about.

You need to appreciate that lighting small things requires different setups to lighting big things, for products will a product table be the right size?

Much more important than the lights are the modifiers, what you buy and how you use them is what defines the photograph rather than whether you buy the cheapest Lencarta or the most expensive pro foto.

My personal view is that people photography is best done outside a studio setting, but it depends on what you want to achieve. Props and posers and their storage might be more of a headache than a background system.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll have loads of fun figuring it all out.
 
I'm sorry i should have mentioned i have a little product tent for the small items this is for full body shots of adult and children's clothing.
 
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rjbell said:
I'm sorry i should have mentioned i have a little product tent for the small items this is for full body shots of adult and children's clothing.
Click to expand...

So you want a basic portrait set up? Lots of threads on that, such as this one http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=455817

My advice is to start simple, but with an eye on the future as your skill and ambitions grow. That is, with one studio head, three brollies, reflector, stand and trigger etc. Cheap, and very low risk.

That is actually more capable and versatile than you might think. Learn how light works without the complication and confusion that multiple heads can bring. Then buy another head or two, probably a flash meter, when you know more about exactly what you need, and the best modifiers for the type of work and results you're after. If you splash out now on perhaps three heads and a few softboxes, you will almost certainly end up with stuff you don't use or is not ideal. A lot of this is personal, depending on your subjects and style, and the space available.

On a budget, Lencarta. A bit more to spend, Elinchrom. If you're minted, Profoto.
 
Bowens are also good lights for portrait shoots mine have been right work horses
 
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