Equip a Professional Photography Studio
This guide will walk you through the equipment you will need to create a professional photography studio, as well as technical details on how to set up the studio for operation. This article article assumes that you already know about photography and have a professional quality camera with the features required to support a professional grade studio.
Steps
- Get a good room. The room should be bare and white. Ideally, the floor should be concrete and painted with an industrial grade white paint. Avoid carpet, floor padding, or rugs; much of the equipment is electrical, and this could cause a fire hazard.
- Work on the proper lighting.
- Lighting is the most important part of photography. First make sure that your studio will not allow any outside light sources to creep in. For most photography, a small crack under a door won't be a problem, but even that can ruin certain types of shots.
- Three umbrella lights are sufficient for any size studio. These are spotlights that actually face away from your subject, and point at a large white umbrella which reflects and diffuses the light evenly. They will provide a constant light source to create the lighting "temperature" for your shoots. They are each mounted on a tripod that allows them to swivel, tilt, be moved around the studio, and adjust the height of the lamp.
- Flash or strobe lights remain off until activated, and then flash once as you take the picture. They can be mounted to your camera or placed around the room and activated by remote. For a professional studio, you should have three umbrella strobe lights (separate from the previously mentioned three umbrella lights), one flash which can be mounted to the top of your camera, and one ring flash which can be mounted around the lens. The "satellite Strobes" should be configured to flash when the shutter button on your camera is pushed, (so that they flash when you take the picture) via wireless remote. All professional grade cameras made within the last few years will have a wireless IR sensor that will allow you to configure wireless strobes to operate this way. The top-mounted and lens-mounted flashes can be plugged into your camera via a cord, since they are mounted to the camera itself. Make sure to configure the cord so that it does not get in the shot. You will rarely be using all of these lights at once, but should have them in order to create the perfect lighting.
- Have a lot of extra bulbs and batteries for all of your lights and other equipment handy at all times.
- Have platforms to use. Stages are any platform that can be used to stand, sit, lean, or place things on. Have as many different stages as possible. Flat wooden crates with no seams or edges work best, and should be spray-painted black. It is good to have sturdy, solidly-built stages that can take a bit of weight and also have a bit of weight to them. It is best if one side is left open so you can use them for storage for things such as backdrops and other soft props.
- Have tripods. One tall and one short tripod are enough to allow you any shooting angle. Get tripods that allow full tilt, rotation, height adjustment, and are light but sturdy.
- Get solid sturdy trusses that can handle the weight of your lights. Trusses are metal frame structures that allow you to hang lights from them, hang backdrops from them, and will be an important factor in changing the look of your studio. The size and number should depend on the size of your studio. Some trusses are available that are adjustable in size. Try to have at least three trusses.
- Have one or two ladders handy. You will need them to hang backdrops from high trusses, and to mount lights on the trusses as well. If your lighting tripods are not tall enough to get the lighting you desire, you may have to set the lighting tripod on a stage to give it extra height, and you will need a ladder to be able to adjust the lights. It is much more convenient having a ladder permanently stationed at each lighting tripod, rather than having to move the ladder back and forth between the lights. This will annoy clients, models, hair stylists, make-up artists, wardrobe specialists, and other staff who are paying for their time by the hour.
- Gels are thin, tinted, pieces of see-through plastic that vary in color. They are placed over light sources to change the lighting in the room. To simulate a sunset, you may have a yellow-gelled light one foot off the ground, an orange-gelled light {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} off the ground, and a red-gelled light {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} off the ground. Get as many gels as you can of all colors. These are the best way to create subtle and dramatic lighting effects.
- Be prepared to measure the light. Light meters are used to measure the "temperature" of the light in the room. It is integral to proper lighting.
- Get the white balance card (WBC) and color palette. The White Balance Card (WBC) will have several shades of white as well as a black & white checker pattern so you can adjust your camera's settings to the lighting, as well as adjust proper focus settings. The color palette is used in conjunction with the light meter to create the desired colored lighting in the studio. Many good color palettes also include a selection of matching gels.
- Have a way to operate equipment remotely. The remote shutter button is a device used to remotely activate the shutter and take pictures without touching the camera itself. This is important if your camera is mounted on a tripod and must not be moved between shots. Wireless remotes are the best, as this prevents you from straying too far while holding the remote and pulling your camera by the cord.
- Have memory cards and film. Most professionals use Digital SLR cameras, which require memory cards. Have either multiple cards, or upload them to another electronic device. ie: laptop, desktop etc . If using film, make sure to label each roll carefully, and have proper storage in a cool, dry place.
- Use fans. All of this lighting and equipment will produce a lot of heat. Take into account the fact that you want all of the outside light sources blocked, and you are probably not going to be in a well-ventilated area. Have at least five fans blowing away from your subject and dissipating the heat as best as possible. Fans can also be used to create dramatic effects with fabrics, clothing, and hair.
- Have a lot of extension cords to plug in all of your equipment. Get power strips that have fuses and surge protection. Label them, and do not plug one power strip into another power strip. Use on power strip for all your fans, one for your umbrella lights, one for your strobe lights, etc. This way, an electrical problem is easily identified, and there is not too much power being drawn from any single socket. If your studio does not have an ample power supply for all your equipment, you will need a separate battery back-up or amp.
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