Studio Room

[OscarWilde]

Just a question about studio shooting.

I have a room i was hoping to use for some studio shooing but im wondering how much room size matters. If the ceilings are only like 7 feet, will that cause issues with lighting?

How much space should i have on each side of the backdrop.. If it is nearly wall to wall will that cause issues?

Thanks!!

 

[o hey tyler]

Just a question about studio shooting.

I have a room i was hoping to use for some studio shooing but im wondering how much room size matters. If the ceilings are only like 7 feet, will that cause issues with lighting?

How much space should i have on each side of the backdrop.. If it is nearly wall to wall will that cause issues?

Thanks!!

7 feet will not cut it unless you only do newborns. Ideally you want between 16 and 20 feet IMHO.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I have a small space in my basement and it's a challenge but its possible to accept the limitations and still get some good sessions. You can surely do more than newborns with that ceiling height and studio lighting.

 

[Derrel]

Low ceilings are a major PITA to work around; they force you to use smaller light modifiers than in a high-ceilinged room. SMALLER modifiers help...no 60-inch umbrellas!!! More like 30-inch umbrellas.

Light modifiers like umbrella boxes from Lastolite, or softboxes with gridded fronts, are handy too. In a low-ceiling room, a shoot-through umbrella or standard reflecting umbrella often blasts spill light all over the ceiling, and thus, all over the set. Because of that, the "enclosed umbrella box" type umbrellas are handier than standard "open" designs. Same with soft boxes--they keep the light going mostly straight ahead.

 

[katerolla]

 

[1000_Islander]

While lots of space for a studio is nice to have it is not necessary to create wonderful portraits. I have a home basement studio which is quite small, with a ceiling of just over 7ft, and the width and depth are close to that! I use a 2x3ft softbox and an umbrella primarily although I have a 4-light Speedotron setup. I really dislike 'blobs' for hairlighting so use a reflector panel above the subject to provide a subtle, effective hair light.
Yes, I have to make compromises, and no I can't shoot tall persons unless they are sitting (I have a bar-stool for that), and I can shoot couples.
Knowing that light falls off exponentially and positioning your main light close to the subject you can maintain a shadow free backdrop.

BTW, excellent Adorama lighting video in above posting!

 

[KmH]

"Necessity is the mother of invention."

Use what space you have. The more you know about lighting and doing photography the better.

 

[OscarWilde]

Thanks all Going to see what happens! Thanks for that video katerolla; it was fantastic and really helpful!

I guess I'll just have to make due with what I have... its not like I can (without remodeling my entire house...) make the ceilings higher!

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, low ceilings are a major PITA, but so is lack of width and/or length. I have rarely (if ever) shot a standing adult in my home studio (or in a client's home)...it has always been kids or adults sitting on the floor with their kids/pets. So the low ceilings haven't been too much of a problem (still a PITA though).

The issue is usually width and length. If you don't have enough width, you are limited in how you can pose a group and getting your backdrop to cover your whole background is an issue. (I've had to fix this in post, way too many times). Length is also a problem. If you can't back up, you end up shooting too close to your subject and having to use too wide of a focal length. This again makes it hard to keep your backdrop behind your subjects...not to mention the wide angle distortion.

When you are placing your lighting, your background and your subjects, you often want space between the subjects and the background, either so you can light it or so that you can keep light off of it. This shrinks the space you have between the camera and the subjects, going back to the wide angle problem.

If you are trying to shoot dark field or low key type shots, it gets harder in a small room because the light bounced off the walls/ceiling etc.

Knowing your stuff and being creative, will allow you to work in just about any space you have to...but a small studio space does compound the issues you might have.