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Photo Lighting Kits, New & UsedWe feature new and used photography lighting kits and equipment for every photographers need. Including indoors, outdoor portrait, wedding and events, sports and action photography and product photographers. We're always on the look out for the best prices on every kind of kit from Alien Bees, to the new, cool burning Compact Fluorescent studio lighting. Meanwhile, we know to get the maximum use out of your equipment you'll need some instruction. We've combed the web looking for honest, to the point & helpful tutorials to build your photography business. This Months Featured Article: Photo
Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio INTRODUCTION Studio portraiture is very specialized and has always been the "elite" photographer's playground. While it is true that high end studio photography requires a great amount of study, practice and mentoring; it is also equally true that an interested amateur with some decent equipment can take very nice family and portrait photos with some practice. BASIC STUDIO EQUIPMENT You are going to need a few key elements for some basic studio photography. First is some studio lighting. Three strobe lights will likely give you as much studio lighting as you will need to get by in most lighting situations. Some studio setups have as many as 6 lights, reflectors and various diffusers and use high end 600-800 Watt per Second strobes that cost thousands of dollars. Don't worry! You can likely find a good starter set with 300-350 WPS lights in places like eBay, Henry's or your local camera store. You should prepare to spend in the neighbourhood of about $1000.00 to get strobes, stands, soft boxes, umbrellas and maybe a reflector. You can also consider a wireless strobe trigger although you can likely get away with the cord that will come with the lights. Most "package" systems come with a carrying case as well so the will save your equipment from any damage. Next item(s) will be backdrops. You may want to consider a number of things. Good quality Muslin backdrops can be found for very reasonable money on eBay. I buy all my backdrops from eBay vendors. Like anything, make sure you check the seller rating and their eBay store to make sure they are reputable. You may also want to consider a backdrop stand. That will assist in properly hanging your backdrops in almost any location. Questions you need to ask yourself are 1. How many colours do you want? 2. How large do you need (will you be doing large group photos)? 3. How much space do you have to use to set them up? 4. Do you need a backdrop hanger? Now that you have some of your basic information, you will need to select colors for your backdrops. A nice standard grey, blue and maybe a brown/red base backdrop will usually be enough to get you going. You also need to know the size. 9x6 is a good standard muslin used for portraits however if you can get a good deal, go for 10 x 10 and that way you can have some extra backdrop to use for full body shots and even enough for some small group shots. Backdrops of that size are generally around $100 each however, you can often find great deals on eBay if you are patient. SETTING UP THE STUDIO Now that you have the gear, it's time to decide how to set up your studio. Hopefully you have already found yourself some room in your house that you can use as a "studio only" location. If not, you can go "mobile" with most equipment and set up wherever there is room. Ideally you would like to have a room that has a good amount of ceiling space, enough room to set up your subject and light. A room or area 15x15 is a good starting point but you may have some limitations for larger groups. If you are mostly doing your pets, family and other small subjects and groups this should suffice. If you have the ability to set aside your "stage" and keep it set up, the best thing to do is to set your backdrops up against one wall and your lighting off to the side. Your lighting needs will vary from shot to shot so it is best to just have the lights on their stands set to the lowest point on the light stand. When you know what type of lighting you are going to need, you pull your lights as needed and set them up (with a soft box, umbrella...). IN SHORT Studio shooting can be a lot of fun. It makes for really great home done family portraits and can even make you a couple dollars. Once you start feeling comfortable taking portraits, why not start doing some friends portraits? After some practice, some study and some experience with various portrait styles; you will start to see some great results and will be the envy of all your friends! Mike Cheliak
is the founder of Mike's Commando Guide where you can learn to get
the most out of your digital photography experience and truly shoot
like a pro. Sign up for our free newsletter at: Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Cheliak
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