Home Studio Questions

kathy65 · Nov 3, 2015

I just started a couple months ago doing some photography of my new grandson, and some family pictures for friends. Of course I used just natural light. Now that it is getting cold where I live, I would like to get a few back drops and use in my garage.
I don't want to spend alot if money, I would rather improvise things for now. I have read alot on the Web on what to use for various things that don't cost an arm and a leg.
Any suggestions on lighting, backdrops that are neutral? Anyone else have a garage they use for photos?

FotosbyMike · Nov 3, 2015

It is hard to help without a real number of budget or camera and lens details, spending a lot for some is $100 and to others it is $1,000. If you are on the lower end of the budget start with hanging different colored bed sheets, canvas tarps, fabric, shower/window curtains, and/or fleece blankets from eye hooks from the garage ceiling. For lights I highly recommend strobes like the Paul C Buff AlienBees B400 or B800, this is because you will need a lot of continuous light for portraits. You will need at least 2 lights to light the subject and light the background.

Just remember improvising on something will cost more down the road.

tirediron · Nov 3, 2015

As Mike mentioned, real budget numbers willr result in better advice, but it doesn't need to be a lot. $500 will get you a nice little home studio. Start with a roll of Savage Thunder Grey seamless paper for the backdrop, and this set of lights, along with a large reflector will be a GREAT starting point. You can go cheaper; you can use an old sheet for a backdrop and $49 MIC monolights or even cheaper continuous lighting, but chances are, you will become frustrated quickly. Even if $500 is a little outside the budge, save up and spend enough to get you started on the right foot. Gear does make a difference, to a point, and entry-level is where it makes the most difference, especially in stuff like this.

Designer · Nov 3, 2015

kathy65 said:
I just started a couple months ago doing some photography of my new grandson, and some family pictures for friends. Of course I used just natural light. Now that it is getting cold where I live, I would like to get a few back drops and use in my garage.
I don't want to spend alot if money, I would rather improvise things for now. I have read alot on the Web on what to use for various things that don't cost an arm and a leg.
Any suggestions on lighting, backdrops that are neutral? Anyone else have a garage they use for photos?

No, I don't use my garage for photos.

Almost any plain surface (like a wall) will work. If your garage is unfinished, just finish one wall for the background.

You can find low-cost strobe lights at Adorama Flashpoint Budget Flash

You'll need a light stand and some type of modifier for each strobe.

Depending on how many lights you buy, (three?) this is about as cheap as you can get.

Designer · Nov 3, 2015

IIRC, my roll of paper (109" wide) was around $55 plus shipping. The backdrop stand was additional, of course.

Derrel · Nov 3, 2015

Really good suggestions in post #3...Thunder Gray paper is a very useful shade, and the Flashpoint 320M monolight set with two umbrellas and two light stands is a good start. I've recommended the Flashpoint 320M monolights for several years because they cost so little, yet give more power output than lights that cost $149 and $179 more.

Jim Walczak · Nov 9, 2015

As always, these are just my own opinions and in this case I'd add the addendum that I'm NOT a portrait photographer...I don't really like "people" to begin with, so it's not something I've pursued to any serious extent (beyond a few images for my portfolio).

That said, my dirt cheap budget method was to get some inexpensive used hot shoe flashes with a few of those el' cheapo wireless remotes...I have a hot shoe trasmitter and 4 flash triggers. I mount the flashes to old tripods, but you can damn near use anything really...I've used an old mic stand on occasion! LOL! For a background I actually have a home made drop cloth...basically ran out to the local fabric store, picked up a few yards of the cheapest white cotton fabric I could find and...yea...I tie-dyed it! I used a .99¢ box of black Ritt fabric dye and a whole bunch of rubber bands. Total cost was around $100. I did go back later and bought a couple of cheapy flash heads (with small soft boxes) off Ebay, but those were likewise around $50 each or something...not a huge investment at all.

Again, I'm NOT a portrait photographer...just not my interest at all, however I'd like to think I got pretty decent results with only a VERY modest investment...

For my use and the rather minimal investment, my cheapy setup did the job pretty well. The nice thing about the backdrop coming out gray is that using a simple color filter over one of the flashes, I was able to give the shot a different look using the same backdrop. Unless you're planning to do this as some sort of professional or semi-pro gig, I honestly wouldn't sink a ton of cash into it...you can do quite a bit with just the basics.

Again just my own opinions...please use them for what they're worth!