I’ve always wanted a studio but have always put it off just cause they usually involve in me opening my wallet and handing it over to someone else. But my spending spree habit couldn’t be held back any longer. I’ll go in great detail on how you can make a proper home studio on a small budget that will make you look like you know what you are doing. Luckily with the help of my parents who live overseas, I was able to get some very cheap lighting props, but I’ll talk about that later on.

Why do you need a studio?

I’ll be using my studio mainly to shoot portraiture, models and what not. Will also be using it to shoot larger items. I use my home made lightbox for smaller items. Portraiture has definitely caught my eye, but I’ve only done a couple of shoots, so I am hoping this studio will open doors for me. If you now know what you will be using your studio for and can rationalise investing your money into it, then keep reading.

What’s your budget?

Simply put, my budget was as little as possible. The worst part of all this that will make you sweat blood are the lights. However there are two options, cheap but huge sacrifices or expensive with awesome bonuses. Either way, they will make you cringe and your wallet will bite your fingers off. After that you are going to be very surprised at how much a roll of paper will cost you, but don’t worry it’s nothing major. Other than that, the rest of the equipment you will need are relatively cheap and very affordable.

There are a lot of good guides on a very popular search engine called “Google” on how to make your own studio on the cheap. Most of the time, I found the studios looking very amateurish and a lot of compromise had to be made. If you are like me and hate cloning things out all day long on Photoshop, you have to pay attention to your backdrop material. If you use cheap fabric and what not, you will most likely get creases, folds and etc. Sure the proper stuff costs a bit more but it will go a very long way.

First things to buy

Hopefully you have a DSLR. If you like Nikon (like I do), go for at least D80/D90, they have a built in commander mode which can trigger Nikon speedlights wirelessly without any extra accessories. Sorry Canon users, you guys are stuck with having to buy very expensive wireless triggers (or cheap eBay brands) or wired setups. Truth be told this is why I like Nikon, they have the advantage with their lightning systems (CLS), but I don’t usually like comparing brands cause they are all good within their own rights (except Sony.. bleh).

In all seriousness, first thing you need to get are lights. More specifically speedlights (flash guns). There are other options such as proper studio strobes but they are probably not within your budget. Two options here, you can get fully manual cheap flashlights such as the vivitars, sunpaks, old nikons etc. Other option is proper speedlights. Personally I use an SB-900 and a very cheap no brand strobe (not worth mentioning). I’ll be getting more SB-600s though. To make your studio worthwhile, you need to get at least two lights. One for background lighting and one as the main light. You can get away with one light but it’ll crate complications.

First option is cheap but there are cons.

• Messy: If you want to trigger them off camera, it needs to be wired using pc sync cables
• Money: If you wanted to trigger them wirelessly, you need to buy some wireless triggers (Cactus V4 or YongNuo and etc)
• Limitations: You are limited to 1/200th or 1/250th shutter speed depending on your camera. Any higher and you will get shutter creep which is where the bottom or top of your image is darker than the rest. However some cameras that has electronic shutters can use very high shutter speeds like Nikon D40 and D70, certainly not the D80 and D90.
• PRO: One pro would be that these triggers has a longer reach and can get past through obstructions since they transmit through radio.

If only I could afford half the amount of lights this guy has on a stick... Joe McNally probably has a room full of SB-800s

Second option involves you in breaking a bank.
Lets first talk about the brands. As I said before Nikon has the biggest advantage here that will get your flash off the camera quicker and cheaper. By no means I am bad mouthing Canon here (I want a 5dmk2). Nikon has a system called CLS (Creative Lighting System). This system allows cameras that has a built in commander mode (D80/D90 and up), to use its pop-up flash to trigger Nikon speedlights (SB-600, SB-800, SB-900). “WHA?! THAT’S AMAZING! ” Hold your horses, it only gets better. You are not going to be limited at 1/200th or 1/250th depending on your camera., you can get much higher speeds. You can control the power of your speedlight on your camera’s menu, you can also control the power of each group if you have lots of speedlight units.If you are lazy, you can even use TTL which is pretty much AUTO for your flash. Without going into great detail of how it works, the camera takes the proper measurements and sends it to the speedlight unit and the unit adjusts the power needed based on the information and fires a flash. The information is sent through the unit using the pop-up flash by flashing little signals, call it Morse Code if you will. There is one limitation though, if you are outside on broad daylight, the units may not pick up the signal, and if the camera is infront of the flash, then obviously the flash’s sensor can’t see the signal.

Unfortunately Canon do not have this luxury. Canon users must use ST-E2 transmitter or use wireless triggers (Pocket Wizards/Cactus/etc). However if you can afford to buy a lot of flash guns, you can use one of the units as a master flash which is the same as Nikon’s commander mode. But it’s a waste of a speedlight in my opinion. However I’ve heard the new Canon EOS 7D has a built in commander mode. About time they caught up with Nikon.

Next thing to buy: Props

Light stands, umbrellas and umbrella mounts. These are the essentials and they cost almost nothing. If you look at the right places, you’ll be able to find descent light stands (3m minimum) for about AU$30-40. Umbrella mounts goes on the light stand and they cost around $10-20 each. The umbrellas won’t cost you much at all on eBay and local shops.

There are two types of umbrellas that you need to know. Shoot-through and Reflective. Shoot-through umbrellas are made of white translucent fabric. Reflective umbrellas have a black coat on the outside and silver lining on the underside. Why do you need umbrellas you ask? Well it’s part of making a small light source into a bigger light source. But most importantly they act as diffusers. Umbrellas spreads out the light and gives a nicer and gentler(sp?) light. This way you won’t get harsh solid shadows. Shoot through umbrellas diffuses the light much more than reflective.

Reflector in the action. Instead of using another light source, use the existing light and reflect it onto your subject to fill in the shadows.

Reflectors are also a very good thing to have, buy one of those 5 in 1 things off eBay for about $30-35. If you don’t have many flashes like me, you can reflect your light sources onto the subject to fill in those nasty shadows.

Last thing to buy: Backdrop

You may or may not want a backdrop. I went with the seamless paper setup just because I know I’ll be using it a lot. I also needed the rolls so I can do full body shots. However, you should be fine with using fabric materials for a backdrop. Sure it might look a bit amateurish and may increase time in photoshop, but the price difference is significant. If you have the cash to spare on the proper stuff (about $300-400 for the seamless paper 3×11m and stands), then by all means go for it. You are going to need to justify your purchase though, if you are going to be doing a lot more outdoor shoots, then this backdrop will be a huge waste.

It’s a lot to take in, but take your time with it. Get the parts individually and don’t rush it. On my previous post, I emphasised on how important lighting is in photography and it makes sense to spend more on lighting gear than your bodies/lenses.
Quick financial advice: If photography is a hobby for you, I would strongly advice you not to go into debt. Whatever it is, whether it’s interest free, no repayments and etc, no matter how attractive the deal is, don’t go into debt for a hobby. Most amateurs are just that, amateurs, maybe in one year time your life gets so busy that you won’t have enough time for photography anymore. Your gear has been replaced by newer technologies but you are still paying off your debt. You are better of saving up your money and pay in full. If your life goes into a different direction, you can sell your equipment easily. On that note, make sure you spend more on lighting gear and lenses. Bodies depreciate like crazy where lighting and lenses lasts forever and ever and retain their value.

Get shooting,
Michael.

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