Do you have a studio? Care to share set up technique and equipment?

nikonusersince2007 · Dec 15, 2011

I am looking into studio equipment best designed for photographing babies and children.
I have heard good things about the Alien Bee brand, but know nothing more like specific equipment they offer that would be best for baby/child portraits. I am open to hearing about all brands and your experience(s).
*If you have a picture of your studio/studio setup or a diagram of your studio space and equipment set up-I would LOVE to see it.

The space I will be utilizing is approx 16ftx20ft with white 8ft. ceiling, dark brown walls on all sides, with 1 window 6ftx6ft and 1 window 4ftx4ft (1 window on the north side of the room and 1 on the south side (very little light comes through either window due to shade on the outside of the windows-so not sure if utilizing window light simutaniously with studio light would be an option, furthermore not sure if it is best to NEVER combine natural light with studio light due to the different color hues these two light sources provide when used together.

Thanks

Big Mike · Dec 15, 2011

Alien Bees (and the parent company Paul C. Buff) are rather polarizing. It's a very popular brand, there is no doubting that. Plenty of pros use them and even more amateurs. Their good reputation stems mostly from their entry level price and great customer service.
They certainly aren't perfect though. The units themselves, are made of hard plastic, not metal like most lights. That makes them light, but a bit cheap feeling.
A bigger issue is that they can tend to exhibit a color shift, especially at lower power levels. This isn't an issue for many people who use them, but it certainly would be an issue for those who are sticklers for accuracy. They have the 'Einstein' strobe, which supposedly fixes that problem and has a bunch of other cool features, it's a good deal more expensive though.

I use them, and they have been good for me. I don't have a problem recommending them, but I'd also suggest looking around at what else you can get in that price range. For example, Elinchrom D-Lites are similarly priced. Also check out the Flashpoint brand at Adorama, or the house brand from Calumet.

A typical 'portrait' studio kit is 4 light. One for a main/key, one for fill, then two for either background, hair, accent, kicker etc.
You will need light stands (or some method of mounting). You will need modifiers; softbox, umbrella, grids/snoot/barn doors etc. Maybe you'll want wireless triggers.
You may want a backdrop stand and backdrops. Plenty of options there. The list goes on and on. You can get by and learn with minimal equipment, but you'll eventually find you need something else....so I'd suggest not going crazy and buying everything, but wait until you find a need for something first.

You are correct that you usually don't want to mix studio strobe/flash with natural light because of the color difference. So you may want to make sure that you can fully cover those windows...but they may make for great light sources...at certain times.

Here is a shot of my little home studio area.

Big Mike · Dec 15, 2011

I forgot to mention power. When choosing studio strobes, you'll be looking at different models with different power ratings. If they have listed their rating correctly, it will be in Watt seconds (Ws). You'd be surprised how many are listed incorrectly.

Either way, that is a rating of the power output. For a small studio, you don't really need a lot of power. 150 Ws per light, would probably be plenty. But the thing is that you can turn the power down, you can't go above it's maximum...so many people will buy something with more power, just in case they need it. Something with 300+ Ws or 600+ Ws.
I have two B800 (320 Ws) units and two B400 (160 Ws) units.

MLeeK · Dec 15, 2011

It would help to know what kind of budget you are starting with here too. Mike's advice is right on the money on this one. It's also a pretty good investment when you are just starting out. There are options and there are ways to setup without 4 starting out. 4 is best, 3 is great, 2 is good and 1 will work...
You don't mention if you have a speedlight to also use with this setup.

In fact for newborns I rarely use more than 2 lights and often one or one and a reflector. If your windows are north facing that is ideal and you may well be able to utilize them very much in newborn work. Children I can get away with 2 lights. If they are toddlers or runners and hard to corral one HUGE, GIANT, MONSTER softbox is kind of nice to have because they can run around and your light source is able to cover giant areas. They are also pretty darned expensive!

I definitely would want some black out drapes that I could pull over them. My whole north wall of my space is windows and I am either using them fully, or covering them fully.

Mike's power setup would be exactly the way I'd order an initial setup too. Here's my advice on power: Buy the highest wattage light you can afford to buy for your main light. You cannot squeeze more out of a weak light, but you can dial down a light that is too powerful (within it's abilities.) Your background/hair and accent lights can be in the 150WPS range. If you are never going to take these lights on location or never going to shoot a large family, never going to go outside that small studio they could probably all be 150WPS and you'd never feel a pinch. I used to say I'd never need... but then I discovered that never usually comes and I do need it.

Mike-I am wanting to pick your brain on that einstein unit... I'll start a thread for it though!

nikonusersince2007 · Dec 15, 2011

Big Mike- Can you please describe to me what equipment and power output you have shown in this picture of your home studio?

nikonusersince2007 · Dec 15, 2011

Big Mike- Can you please describe to me what equipment and power output you have shown in this picture of your home studio?

Big Mike said:
Alien Bees (and the parent company Paul C. Buff) are rather polarizing. It's a very popular brand, there is no doubting that. Plenty of pros use them and even more amateurs. Their good reputation stems mostly from their entry level price and great customer service.
They certainly aren't perfect though. The units themselves, are made of hard plastic, not metal like most lights. That makes them light, but a bit cheap feeling.
A bigger issue is that they can tend to exhibit a color shift, especially at lower power levels. This isn't an issue for many people who use them, but it certainly would be an issue for those who are sticklers for accuracy. They have the 'Einstein' strobe, which supposedly fixes that problem and has a bunch of other cool features, it's a good deal more expensive though.

I use them, and they have been good for me. I don't have a problem recommending them, but I'd also suggest looking around at what else you can get in that price range. For example, Elinchrom D-Lites are similarly priced. Also check out the Flashpoint brand at Adorama, or the house brand from Calumet.

A typical 'portrait' studio kit is 4 light. One for a main/key, one for fill, then two for either background, hair, accent, kicker etc.
You will need light stands (or some method of mounting). You will need modifiers; softbox, umbrella, grids/snoot/barn doors etc. Maybe you'll want wireless triggers.
You may want a backdrop stand and backdrops. Plenty of options there. The list goes on and on. You can get by and learn with minimal equipment, but you'll eventually find you need something else....so I'd suggest not going crazy and buying everything, but wait until you find a need for something first.

You are correct that you usually don't want to mix studio strobe/flash with natural light because of the color difference. So you may want to make sure that you can fully cover those windows...but they may make for great light sources...at certain times.

Here is a shot of my little home studio area.

Big Mike · Dec 15, 2011

OK.
On the left side I have a B800 light (320Ws) (yellow) on a heavy duty stand, with a 30"x40" softbox attached. This is my main light.
On the right side, I have another B800 (320Ws) (behind the umbrella), on a light duty stand. Light is shooting into the umbrella and reflecting out. This is my fill light (I would likely more it more into the middle, but out of the way, when shooting.
On the side walls, on either side, I have a B400 (160Ws each) (black), mounted with 'super clamps' and aimed down at the background. (to get a white background, you have to light it separately from your subject).
The background lights (as well as the one in the umbrella) have the standard 7" reflector on them. I usually use light stands for the background lights, but since I had this set up for a while, it was better to have them mounted to the wall, as the stands take up a lot of floor space.

The background stand is a set of Manfrotto Auto-poles. They have legs (cost extra) so they could be free standing, but the beauty of auto-poles is that they use tension to mount tightly between floor & ceiling. The can also be mounted wall to wall, allowing you to clamp lights to them in a horizontal line.
The cross bar is a two piece bar, held up with hooks and clamped to the auto-poles with 'super clamps'. The backdrop itself is white vinyl and there is a sheet of fiber board on the floor, to extend the studio area.

More Forrest ~ Mike Hodson Photography
The 2001 Vancouver Olympics ~ Mike Hodson Photography
Merry Christmas ~ Mike Hodson Photography
Forrest Turns One ~ Mike Hodson Photography

nikonusersince2007 · Dec 15, 2011

Thanks for sharing and explaining. I have a few more questions regarding your setup, if you don't mind:

-B800 and B400 lights are those Alien Bee B800 and B400, if not what does the "B" stand for? Just curious.
-What settings do you set your lights at when using a white backdrop?
-Do you do a custom WB to ensure your backdrop is "true" white? What tool/equipment do you use to achieve your custom WB?
-I see you have a window above your backdrop stand, do you cover that window to prevent light from coming in?

-I never thought of placing fiber board on the floor under the backdrop/floordrop-is this to prevent a rippled look caused if you were to lay floordrop directly over carpet without the fiber board?

Thanks for sharing!

Big Mike said:
OK.
On the left side I have a B800 light (320Ws) (yellow) on a heavy duty stand, with a 30"x40" softbox attached. This is my main light.
On the right side, I have another B800 (320Ws) (behind the umbrella), on a light duty stand. Light is shooting into the umbrella and reflecting out. This is my fill light (I would likely more it more into the middle, but out of the way, when shooting.
On the side walls, on either side, I have a B400 (160Ws each) (black), mounted with 'super clamps' and aimed down at the background. (to get a white background, you have to light it separately from your subject).
The background lights (as well as the one in the umbrella) have the standard 7" reflector on them. I usually use light stands for the background lights, but since I had this set up for a while, it was better to have them mounted to the wall, as the stands take up a lot of floor space.

The background stand is a set of Manfrotto Auto-poles. They have legs (cost extra) so they could be free standing, but the beauty of auto-poles is that they use tension to mount tightly between floor & ceiling. The can also be mounted wall to wall, allowing you to clamp lights to them in a horizontal line.
The cross bar is a two piece bar, held up with hooks and clamped to the auto-poles with 'super clamps'. The backdrop itself is white vinyl and there is a sheet of fiber board on the floor, to extend the studio area.

More Forrest ~ Mike Hodson Photography
The 2001 Vancouver Olympics ~ Mike Hodson Photography
Merry Christmas ~ Mike Hodson Photography
Forrest Turns One ~ Mike Hodson Photography

Big Mike · Dec 16, 2011

-B800 and B400 lights are those Alien Bee B800 and B400, if not what does the "B" stand for? Just curious.

Yes, those are the Alien Bee model names.

What settings do you set your lights at when using a white backdrop?

It depends. The exposure is a result of the aperture, the ISO and the strobe power settings and strobe distance. (the shutter speed doesn't really play a part in exposure from a flash).
I have my main light & fill light, set to a power that will give me the exposure I want, for the ISO & Aperture that I've set on the camera. Usually ISO 100 and F8 to F11.
For the white backdrop, I have the background light set to give me about two stops more light reflecting off the background....or just at the point where the background is almost blown out (right edge of the histogram).
If I had to guess what the power settings were on the lights....I'd guess that the main light was around 1/4 to 1/2 power, the fill light was around 1/8 to 1/4 and the background lights were probably around 1/8 to 1/2.
I wasn't using any of the lights at full power (or minimum power).

-Do you do a custom WB to ensure your backdrop is "true" white? What tool/equipment do you use to achieve your custom WB?

When I've got my thinking cap on, I might set a custom WB, or at least take a shot of a grey card. But usually I don't. I just set the WB in post and apply it to all the images in the set.

I see you have a window above your backdrop stand, do you cover that window to prevent light from coming in?

Yes, do have that window block up. I must have done that not long after that photo above. Although, it really wasn't much of an issue. That window is right at ground level and faces the neighboring house. So it doesn't bring in a lot of light. Certainly not enough to affect the exposure of the photo (provided I'm shooting at a high shutter speed). But it might cause lens flare, as it would be in direct sight of the lens (even if the lens is pointed down to the 'set'.

-I never thought of placing fiber board on the floor under the backdrop/floordrop-is this to prevent a rippled look caused if you were to lay floordrop directly over carpet without the fiber board?

Partially yes. I use it to extend the white 'floor' of the set, so that I don't have to rely on my subject to sit/stand in one spot. Kids like to run around, and my vinyl backdrop isn't long enough. Also, it's a harder, more stable surface for kids to play on. They do tend to wrinkle up the seamless if they are just walking/playing on it.

Another reason why I wanted more space on the floor area, is that I don't want the background lights to be hitting the subject (if I can help it). In other words, I need some room for the background lights, behind the subject.

I'm also thinking of getting a sheet of glossy white 'bathroom' board. That way, I can get a floor reflection of the subject. An alternative would be a clear plexiglass sheet, with the white backdrop under it.

Here is the 'go to' example of how to shoot on white seamless. I've moved the blog –> zackarias.com/blog » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space

Diddy2theJJ · Dec 16, 2011

I was actually going to post a similar thread to this so thanks for posting!

I have a small studio as well, am will be moving into a larger studio in a couple of months and am looking to upgrade my lighting. Right now I'm using one D-Lite 4 (400w/s) for my key and two 75 w/s Square Perfect lights for the white background. I haven't been using any fill light as I've been going for more of a contrasty look, but wI would like to have one available to me for future shoots. My two 75 w/s lights have worked fine so far, but I'm really limited to what I can put on them for light modifiers because they are so cheaply built.

I've been looking at the new Elinchrom lights with the skyport setup. It would be so nice to be able to change the light output right from the on-camera transmitter instead of having to go to each light and adjust them. I'm just curious how much power to go with. Do I really need 4 400w/s lights for a studio setup? Could my two background lights be less, maybe the 2 200w/s and then the key and fill be the 400 w/s? Would I ever need a 600 w/s in studio or is that mainly for outdoor shooting with a batter and trying to overpower the sun?

Thanks,

- diddy

2WheelPhoto · Dec 16, 2011

Mike thanks for sharing the pics and info

Big Mike · Dec 16, 2011

I've been looking at the new Elinchrom lights with the skyport setup. It would be so nice to be able to change the light output right from the on-camera transmitter instead of having to go to each light and adjust them. I'm just curious how much power to go with. Do I really need 4 400w/s lights for a studio setup? Could my two background lights be less, maybe the 2 200w/s and then the key and fill be the 400 w/s? Would I ever need a 600 w/s in studio or is that mainly for outdoor shooting with a batter and trying to overpower the sun?

Well, if you want to shoot with the light 20 feet away, and you need to shoot at F22 for the DOF, then you will need a lot of power.

zimm7zimm · Dec 16, 2011

Just one little thing of info for you. You should never set your camera on Auto White Balance when using strobes. So I would go into the custom settings of your camera and set the white balance at either 4800k or 5200k. Then use a color card or gray card as suggested above.

BTW I've been using white lightning and alien beens for years, they are great! Very affordable esp compared to what most of my professional friends use (ie profoto). You'll love them.

Also, one little side note. An 8' ceiling height is pushing it and might be a little low for anything other than kids and babies. If you get into shooting adults, having an 8' ceiling will limit your lighting options somewhat.

goodluck

Big Mike · Dec 16, 2011

Just one little thing of info for you. You should never set your camera on Auto White Balance when using strobes. So I would go into the custom settings of your camera and set the white balance at either 4800k or 5200k. Then use a color card or gray card as suggested above.

I actually leave my WB on auto most of the time. It's usually pretty accurate when shooting with strobes, especially when the background is mostly white. Of course, I shoot in RAW and tweak it if needed....but it's usually very close to accurate.
I don't think that AWB inadequacies has anything to do with strobes, it has to do with what you're shooting. If I was shooting on a blue background, the AWB would likely be fooled and give an inaccurate WB.

Welcome to the forum, b.t.w.