Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

My self made portrait studio..
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Techniques
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:51 pm    Post subject: My self made portrait studio.. Reply with quote
I was almost sick after I added the cost up of a home studio. Thousands of dollars in lights, backdrops, reflectors, soft boxes, remote flashes, etc. etc..

Well, I decided to see what I could do for around $20 instead...

I had 3ft of open space in the garage, that would have to do for space. Could have used any room in the house just as easily.

I had a trouble light I used under my car already so That was a start. I needed better lighting so I bought a $7.95 clamp-on light and blew another $5 on a compact flourescent bulb. A custom backdrop came off the local walmart clearance rack, another $9 for a black kingsize sheet.

Click images for the larger versions..

Me shot by myself in my custom studio with a D90, 50mm F2 Nikkor manual focus lens, camera on a tripod using the self timer and two "garage" lights.



Picture of the studio (and a whole bunch of other stuff).. This wasn't rocket science and it was REALLY cheap for the results..

Custom lighting in the lower left and upper right of the picture..



PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You got pretty good result! Congrats!


PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very good home made kit is often the way to go.
I have never thought fluorescent lights were the way to go. You can see some of characteristic washed out colour they often reproduce and film users shooting colour will find them pretty well imposable to use. Even the so called daylight bulbs give mixed results and of course they just lack any real power.
For any basic light set up you do need three light sources and a range of ways of directing it, controling it and generally modifing it.
Best home option is a ‘Job lot’ of old flash units, loads of home made light modifiers, reflectors, flags and snoots and a willing model or shop dummy to practice lighting set ups with.
Never try the work light option. It is the quickest way to burn down your house but can be good for keeping you warm during the winter!


PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rob Leslie wrote:
Never try the work light option. It is the quickest way to burn down your house but can be good for keeping you warm during the winter!


The compact flourescents make essentially no heat. I realize this is the 90% solution but for a million parents that can't afford a pro setting for their kids, this is something they can do for almost nothing and get decent results. I was forced to take a lot more pictures after my wife saw this one...

I also shot all of them in RAW so color cast/white balance was easily changed. I was also using one warm and one cool bulb trying to get an "evening glow" look going. It thrilled my wife and believe me THAT was worth the $20..

This was also my very first "portrait". I have a box of old hotshoe flashes and half a dozen IR remote triggers. I've used them a lot for still life and such, I'll now be dragging them out for people pictures. I actually had some fun too (just don't let my wife find out) so I'll be experimenting some more. I just won't spend any money to do it.. (-:}

Film? What's that??? (-:}


PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Arlon wrote:
Film? What's that??? (-:}


Nice one.

The kids may be OK but watch out for the wife!
Photographing the wife is always a bad idea. This is how it goes.
Because your wife probably knows you better than you know yourself she will see that you are worried and that you’re not too sure what you are doing.
As your loving partner she will try to help giving you some words of comfort and some advice.
Because she knows little about photography or what you are trying to do you will become a bit annoyed at her or worse condescending.
She will pick up on this and she will becoming annoyed that you are annoyed at her. Can you see where this is heading?

Keep your photos of the wife to the bedroom where she knows what she is doing and you are the one eager to please!


PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
LOL, that sounds like a good plan Rob.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice results!


PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good results! Smile I like when you aknowledge that you don't need mega$$$ to take good pictures! Smile

Mind that fluorescents come in different "flavours" though, single spectrum and full spectrum or "full colour" types... The difference is actually HUGE for photographic purposes.

One type has almost all its light energy centered on one to three very tight "peaks" in the colour-band depending on the gas and the anode /cathode, and the "full colour" or "full spectrum" versions have a lot smoother energy/frequency plot. The difference is in how bright different colours will be (as in dark / bright, not colour density or saturation...).

If a normal fluorescent has a peak in one specific wavelength, one specific colour (at that wavelength) will be captured as "brighter" by the camera (and your eyes too...). Sometimes this can give surprising effects. Smile Full colour lighting will give you smoother photo's, that's the easy way to say it.
The difference is also very easy to see if you look at a colour-checker-board (gretag or other) and move it from under one lamp to the other.

Never mind my tech-rant if you don't want to, but buy "full colour" lamps for your fixtures.... The cost is very low, and you will notice the difference...! Smile


PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excellent result for twenty bucks - nobody could guess it cost as little as that.
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Techniques
Page 1 of 1