essentials for studio set up?

[mattfoley]

HELLO ALL,
I'M A TOTAL BEGINNER, ABOUT TO PLUNGE INTO PHOTOGRAPHY- BOTH IN A STUDIO SETTING AND OUTDOORS. I EXPECT TO BE TAKING PRIMARILY PORTRAIT SHOTS- CLOSE UPS AND FULL BODY SHOTS. I WILL PROBABLY TAKE A CRASH COURSE TO GET THE BASICS DOWN. FOR NOW, IM TRYING TO FIND OUT ALL THE ESSENTIALS I NEED- CAMERA TYPE, LIGHTING & ACCESORIES, BACKDROPS..EVEN LOOKING TO GET A BLUE SCREEN. NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF BUDGET I'LL NEED TO GET THIS GOING.
THANKS FOR ANY FEEDBACK! :hail:

 

[93rdcurrent]

You might want to start by finding the CAPLOCKS button on your computer and turn it off... it makes it look like your yelling (let me apologize for starting out by demonstrating some computer etiquette).

Why do you need all the equipment now? Should you take some photography classes and see if it's something you'll enjoy or whether or not your any good at it? Not trying to be rude but getting all the best equipment and computer software isn't necessarily going to make you any good at photography.

Second consideration is budget. How much do you have because you could easily spend $10k for the essentials for a portrait studio. I mean lighting and backdrops, etc.

 

[EOS_JD]

I ust replied to your other post too.

As a learner you need to start slowly. Buy a camera and a lens and practice. Learn how to use your camera first and foremost.

As Jack says, your budget needs to be healthy. To start with (starting from scratch) I'd guess around $4k-$5 would be a reasonable starting point but you could easily spend $10k+ depending on what you require.

So start slowly. Learn to use the camera then expand as your knowledge grows.

 

[mattfoley]

Thanks for the response. I didn't want to go on with too many details in my first post. I will probably not be the one taking the photos from the start. We will hire someone to shoot using equipment that we buy (they don't have much equip.) this will happen while i take a formal course, study and practice. If that goes well, I may take over.
For now, I've been asked to come up with a list of equipment that could be needed for a studio portrait shoot, even if we are not sure it's absolutely neccesary. So the names or types of equipment & accessories would be helpful (types of lighting, lenses, backdrops...). recommendations on a decent DSLR camera as well..
We can spend up to $10k

 

[Big Mike]

I recommend education before buying equipment.

 

[93rdcurrent]

Thanks for the response. I didn't want to go on with too many details in my first post. I will probably not be the one taking the photos from the start. We will hire someone to shoot using equipment that we buy (they don't have much equip.) this will happen while i take a formal course, study and practice. If that goes well, I may take over.
For now, I've been asked to come up with a list of equipment that could be needed for a studio portrait shoot, even if we are not sure it's absolutely neccesary. So the names or types of equipment & accessories would be helpful (types of lighting, lenses, backdrops...). recommendations on a decent DSLR camera as well..
We can spend up to $10k

Makes a little more sense now.

Camera: What level of quality do you need when you're done. Do you need to make anything billboard sized is go up to 24x36" sizes? I have the Nikon D40x and it is a low-end professional or high-end amature level camera. It works great for me and at 10.2 mp it works wonders. As a kit it came with a 18-55mm lens and you can add a 70-200mm VR (shake resistant) lens for about $250 more. The whole thing coast me about $1k when I through in 2 UV filters (to protect lenses), a polarized filter, a good camera bag (wishing I had gone bigger already), a cleaning kit, and a 4GB sdcard (for storing images in the camera while shooting).

Software: You have several choices here but most people will go with Adboe Photoshop CS3. I use it and I love it! Still working on my skills here though. One thing to keep in mind is that for a few hundred dollars more you can get the CS3 suite. That includes Adobe Illustrator and In Design I think. I think you can get all three for a range between $950-1,250. If you are purchasing it through school you may get an education discount (FYI).

Lighting: You will need to ask other members on here about lighting. I haven't made it that far yet.