Using a shed as a studio

GreenNinja67

GreenNinja67

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Terry
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Morning all,

I'm currently in the process of insulating and boarding my shed to become a workshop / studio and was wondering if I'll be able to have the room for both.

It's a 20' x 10' apex shed. height to eaves is 6'6" rising to 7'10" at the inside apex.
I really want to separate the workshop from the studio by building a stud wall in the middle and painting the studio section mid grey to help with unwanted reflected light.

My question is would a space measuring just under 10' x 10' be enough for portraits of single subjects or couples with a twin set of Lencarta Smartflash 2 200w/s lamps? (1 softbox and 1 brolly)

Would it be best to shelve the stud wall idea to allow me more distance between the camera and the subject?

Any advice much appreciated before I go and buy something I'm possibly not going to be able to use.

Terry.
 
10 x 10 is a big enough space for headshots etc cant see it being a problem tbh obv depends on you camera/lens situation though
 
D700 with 85 f1.8 for head shots.
80-200 f2.8 for close in work (if I'm able to focus that closely).
35-70 f2.8 for slightly wider perspective.

Thanks Owen.

Good to know I can at least get something going. Been a long winter planning this and can't wait to take the plunge mate.
 
I'd stay with the 20x10... having a larger seperation zone between subject & background will enable more creative decisions...
I have 15 x 10 & find I'm always at the 15 end of it - lol

If you want to install a partition / stud wall why not make it a movable wall>?
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Morning all,

I'm currently in the process of insulating and boarding my shed to become a workshop / studio and was wondering if I'll be able to have the room for both.

It's a 20' x 10' apex shed. height to eaves is 6'6" rising to 7'10" at the inside apex.
I really want to separate the workshop from the studio by building a stud wall in the middle and painting the studio section mid grey to help with unwanted reflected light.

My question is would a space measuring just under 10' x 10' be enough for portraits of single subjects or couples with a twin set of Lencarta Smartflash 2 200w/s lamps? (1 softbox and 1 brolly)

Would it be best to shelve the stud wall idea to allow me more distance between the camera and the subject?

Any advice much appreciated before I go and buy something I'm possibly not going to be able to use.

Terry.
Click to expand...

In 10'x10' I'd have to get creative to do more than headshots.
If you can arrange the space so that the studio end occupies 10x10 but you can shoot from the other end of the shed it'll give you a lot more scope.
Wall mounted lights may give you a little bit more room to play with.
 
juggler said:
In 10'x10' I'd have to get creative to do more than headshots.
If you can arrange the space so that the studio end occupies 10x10 but you can shoot from the other end of the shed it'll give you a lot more scope.
Wall mounted lights may give you a little bit more room to play with.
Click to expand...

This :agree:

And as the walls will be close and act as reflectors, either paint them black (which is awful) or buy some thick black curtains to draw across to help control the light :)

You can always stand in the garden 30' away and shoot through the open door :D

Dave
 
GreenNinja67 said:
not taking the mick
Click to expand...

Hard to believe that from another TP member :D You've lots to learn there then lol

The more space behind your subject the more control options you have, and shooting headshots above 85mm is more flattering too - so maybe 30 ft is a bit excessive, but there's a reason most studios are BIG :)

You can certainly get away with what you're suggesting in that space, but its not going to be as easy or flexible

Dave
 
Cheers Dave,

Always wanted to try this (hence the plan for the shed) but never done any portraiture apart from weddings and muck abouts with off camera flash and reflectors so yes I do have a steep learning curve ahead of me.

Many thanks for the explanations all.
 
Can you not practice in a suitable room in the house first? If you have a bedroom or something similarly sized to your proposed studio you can see what space you have to play with for lens coverage and moving the models away from the background. If you don't have a room small enough then try rigging up a sheet or backdrop to take the room down to that size and see how you get on. Alternatively use a bigger room but set out your 10ft on the floor behind you with a chair or something solid and see how you get on. You'll then be able to take steps back as you feel necessary and then you should eventually find out what distance gives you the best results. It will ultimately be cheaper and more satisfying to find a suitable distance this way before spending money!
 
@sunnyside_up 's bts shots might be helpful in showing you how much space she needs to accomplish a given shot, have a trawl through her flickr feed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bbpicturemaker/
but Beth is unusually good at controlling light in a small space.

I find small spaces tricky but enjoy the challenge. I needed something like 10ft x 6ft for my avatar selfie and my camera was up against a wall in that one.
There's a thread of mine around here somewhere with a pullback.. that needed about 10ft x 15ft but more space would have made getting behind lights easier.

DG Phototraining said:
maybe 30 ft is a bit excessive, but there's a reason most studios are BIG :)
Click to expand...

I know I use more space than most but I sometimes struggle in a (borrowed) infinity cove 5m wide, 4m high and 9m deep.

Peter B said:
Can you not practice in a suitable room in the house first? If you have a bedroom or something similarly sized to your proposed studio you can see what space you have to play with for lens coverage and moving the models away from the background. If you don't have a room small enough then try rigging up a sheet or backdrop to take the room down to that size and see how you get on. Alternatively use a bigger room but set out your 10ft on the floor behind you with a chair or something solid and see how you get on. You'll then be able to take steps back as you feel necessary and then you should eventually find out what distance gives you the best results. It will ultimately be cheaper and more satisfying to find a suitable distance this way before spending money!
Click to expand...

A very good idea. Or hire a studio space. Or put a background up in a village hall.
 
In a nutshell..

Bigger is always better, in the sense that
1. Bigger is always easier, regardless of subject
2. Bigger is sometimes essential, for example if you want to be able to light creatively then you need space to place the lights where they need to go, and not place them where they can go - which is why having any kind of fixed light positions can never do more than create bland lighting, Also, bigger subjects (full person shots, groups) need both more space and more ceiling height.

BUT if you work within the limitations of what you have, and don't try to do things that the space doesn't allow you to do well, there's no reason why the limited space should affect the quality of your work
 
juggler said:
@sunnyside_up 's bts shots might be helpful in showing you how much space she needs to accomplish a given shot, have a trawl through her flickr feed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bbpicturemaker/
but Beth is unusually good at controlling light in a small space.
Click to expand...
Thanks dude, but shhhhhh... I'm trying to convince the husband I need a bigger lounge ;)

Bigger is always better as has been said, But I have learned to work with what I have and know my limitations. I know I can't do big dancey jumpy stuff (unless they are incredibly little people). I have worked out a few lighting setups that give enough variety that work for my space, and I stick with them.
 
Thanks again all.

I shall read up and look at the suggested sites.
It'll be a while til I can afford to finish the shed and buy the lights but enthusiasm is a terrible thing.

Terry.
 
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