The perfect studio

[FKP007]

Ok i want to know from people if they had 200msquared of floor space to create their perfect studio what would it include. I'm looking at portrait fashion family photography along with a training and teaching space. Would love to know what you would have. Budget is not an issue at this moment in time, assume you had a plenty to spend.

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[Designer]

I've not built one, but my friend did. He had built a large metal building (industrial style) that is absolutely HUGE! I am guessing it is about 60 feet wide by maybe 120 feet long. He has enough space to have several sets set up, without having to dismantle and set up all the time. The first part is the reception and office area, that is maybe 1/4 of the total space. He also has some outdoor setups near the building. His method was to get away from the city to obtain cheap land, and built what most would consider an agricultural type of building to get the most space for the least cost.

 

[tirediron]

Do you really mean 200 m sq, or do you actually mean 200 sq m? There's a pretty big difference. Assuming the latter, since that seems a little more reasonable, it would depend in large part on the shape, but if we again assume a 40x50, almost square rectangle, I would have a white cyclo wall in one corner and a grey in another. I would have a 4'h x 4'w "balcony" along one long wall, and in between the cyclo walls, I would have a seamless paper station. Along the other long wall I would have various backgrounds (brick, industrial, etc).

 

[FKP007]

Sorry yes 200sqm lol.
Why a grey and white wall? A white wall could be made grey fairly easily just be subject to background distance and light fall off.

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[Derrel]

White can be made gray easily on a background...but when white paint it comes right up underneath the feet, then it is white...so every single shot requires masking and knocking out the backdrop...a gray cyclorama wall could easily serve as a super-easy green screen substitute for group photos. Gray is so easy to select and knock-out that, if you have this massive space, a white cyclorama and a gray one would really be sweet! A white wall is a wall, but a cyclorama is not a wall, it's something else.

I would have some white board/teaching area with a projection screen, digital projector, laptop on stand setup, desk for presenter, desks or tables for students. Rolling cart with computer for tethered shooting. Rolling refreshment stand for beverages, glasses, drinking cups, coffee carafes, tea dispensers, ice bucket, cooler (poly, like Coleman or Thermos brand for canned beverages), napkin/silverware/plate setup.

Tons of lighting gear...boom stands, counterweights, plenty of honeycomb grids for parabolic reflectors, mylar diffusers for the parabolics + grids. V-flats and reflector boards, but also a good supply of nice panels (scrims) and fabrics. The usual assortment of other modifiers. Plenty of lights with 50-degree reflectors, 110 degree, etc. About eight lights I guess.

I would put in a very nice "kitchen" with an island, sink, refrigerator,stove/range/cabinets for not only making coffee and snacks, but also for using in shoots as a kitchen set. Reception area, waiting area. Restrooms. Dressing rooms. Makeup stations. A person could easily sink wayyyyy too much money into this.

 

[FKP007]

Thanks for taking the time to respond in such detail it's much appreciated. I totally agree with all of the above, many of your suggestions also made my list of things I would want. Ideally I would like a dedicated wall with grey and white painted as this would serve me well for the type of Portraiture I do. A wide range of vinyl flooring from distressed wood panels to laminate sections which could be changed up as needed. Also I would have a dedicated area with a more traditional backdrop stand for my oliphant drop along with other more fine art drops. I think having two cyclo would take up a lot of the space as I also want to get in a dedicated viewing room and reveal wall with the big projection screen, a lounge area, reception space, changing facilities and a dedicated editing suit and office. Would be good to have a kitchen bar area also. I need to draw up some plans as essentially this space is ready to purpose built to my specs. Just need to decide on how big everything would need of be.

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[Derrel]

As a practical matter, I think having your most-used backdrops on an electrically powered background system is very handy. Having white, gray, black, and perhaps a mottled, swirly Old Masters "type" of backdrop on a multi-roller system might be handy. It eliminates floor-mounted stands, and tremendously speeds up raising and lowering of backdrops. If you've ever worked in a studio with this type of electrically controlled backdrop system, you'll know it's really nice to be able to hit a switch and have one backdrop raised and another lowered in less than 15 seconds.

But everybody has different ideas; the above is more fixed, so the background cannot be moved around or one end swung closer or farther. But it does allow fast, one-person handling of the backgrounds for situations where that type or color of background will be okay if it just drops down from the wall or ceiling from one, fixed location.

So many ways to do things! I've worked with motorized backdrops, and they really do eliminate a lot of the headaches associated with changes...no hassles, no stands, no swapping out...just click...brrrrrrrr...UP! and click...brrrrrrr....DOWN!

 

[FKP007]

This sounds like a good idea indeed a motorised system with the black white and grey would be ideal. I think I would have however the fine art canvas drops on a regular stand and switch them up as and when I need, as I can imagine these drops would need to be moved all over the studio as part of themed sets and props etc. I also tend to use all sorts of backdrops for shoots including old curtains etc so an area for all that to go one would be good. I could see the motorised system in the middle of a long wall and in one corner a white infinity and the other the backdrop stand. Basically all the shooting areas along one wall / corner area. They could be partitioned further using various flats I suppose.

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[Derrel]

Yeah, I've seen some of your behind the scenes shots from a shoot of yours. You would definitely want the freedom to just suspend various fabrics, muslins, canvases, etc.. from a conventional crossbar and stands or crossbar and J-hooks, etc.. There are a LOT of neat things a person could put into an ideal or 'perfect' studio. So,so,so many things. Some of them factory made, others custom designed. Seems like there was a thread here on this 3,4 years ago. "Designing the ideal studio" perhaps? Something like that.

There is a tool I have used in the past...not sure what it is called...I call it a half-clamshell reflector...Photogenic and Speedotron both make one of these for their systems. Basically, it is a HALF of a flashtube protector...it bayonets on to the flash head, and allows only one half of the flashtube to be exposed, so the flash can be mounted so that one-half of the tube fires bare-bulb, but the other side is solid metal, and protects from flare and blowback toward the lens.

It is sort of like the "hanging shop light" type of clamshell...it allows you to put a light behind a set or subject, and the light is very small, but throws a broad, bare-tube pattern. This works great with the long, big flashtubes in Photogenic and Speedotron brand flashes. Speedotron Products Accessories

Speedotrron calls this the white background reflector part 14257, or the anodized aluminum background reflector, part # 14528.

 

[Designer]

I enjoy designing stuff, and one very valuable concept in designing is to go through all the actions you normally would do in a typical day's shooting. While you are going through this in your head, you should be making notes as to what kind of equipment you would use, how much space it takes, what kind of utilities are needed, etc.

Here's a very abbreviated example:

Model shoot. Camera on the camera stand; three light stands in front; two for the background; how wide is the background?; how tall?; what is going to be the floor, the props, the costume?; am I going to tether to my laptop? if so, I'll need another stand on wheels for that, etc. etc. You keep going like that, and every time you think of something you jot it down in your notes. Eventually, you will have some idea of how much space you need, what all is in it, and that should include everything, including the trash bin and coat hooks. That is the type of information you give to your architect.

 

[FKP007]

Thanks for that. This process I have started and have pages of notes. It's quite a big thing and need to ensure I've not missed anything or done too much. I want the flexibility and option to grow withing the space, offer training, bring in specialist to deliver course along with possibly moving into more commercial fashion. I will stick up a list of stuff on here soon would be good to get some feedback on my selections.

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[pixmedic]

nude supermodels

 

[Derrel]

Have you considered the equipment storage area, with lockable areas and some type of "secure" storage area, so that things do not just walk off ?

 

[FKP007]

Sure have. Will post list tomorrow

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[The_Traveler]

Do you really mean 200 m sq, or do you actually mean 200 sq m? There's a pretty big difference. Assuming the latter, since that seems a little more reasonable, it would depend in large part on the shape, but if we again assume a 40x50, almost square rectangle, I would have a white cyclo wall in one corner and a grey in another. I would have a 4'h x 4'w "balcony" along one long wall, and in between the cyclo walls, I would have a seamless paper station. Along the other long wall I would have various backgrounds (brick, industrial, etc).

50 x 40 = 2000 sq meters.
That's big