Studio

Anybody wishing to enter the world of professional photography will most likely have to take a studio portrait at some point. Although I have access to a fully kitted studio, I'd like to talk about home-studios, and cheap alternatives.

Depending on what you are doing, home studios can be made with household items, or with a little investment, a cheap set-up can result in a very professional look. My Fiancé purchased an amateur studio lighting set from Amazon for around £300, expensive still, but on the grand scheme of things that is dirt cheap.

The set included 3 flash lights (with continuous light), 3 flimsy light stands, soft boxes, honeycomb diffusers, barn doors, coloured overlays and a flash syncing device. I brought one of the lights off of her with each of the attachments for £100. I then went out and brought 2 meters of plain black fabric from my local sewing shop for around £15,  I then purchased an extendable net curtain rod and some plastic picture hooks, costing about £5.

So for £120 I now had a studio set up. I hammered the picture hooks into the ceiling, suspended the net curtain rod from them using string, then when I need the backdrop up I just peg the material to the rod.

This studio, although very cheap, gives a professional result and with a little editing, would be indistinguishable from a professional set-up.

If you do not have the money for this kind of set-up which frankly I wouldn't have been able to afford if it wasn't for student loans, then there are alternatives. My external flash is a cheap knock-off version of a Nikon Speedlite, costing £45. I also brought a universal external flash soft box for £10. The flash came with a tripod attachment, and some feet. With a flash sync, this external flash could be used as a studio flash, and yield great results. Especially in a small studio.

When photographing still life or smaller subject, homemade mini-studios can be made using little more than a towel and a lamp of some description, look around, you would be surprised what will work.

So that is the 'studio' covered, but what about shooting? I like to believe that we are not bound by rules, but with a little knowledge and some logic, there are common 'rules' that yield great results. With one light, it is easy to get a two toned image using light and dark, split across the face or at an angle, these shots can be very moody, especially in black and white. Just experiment.

Also, try to get catch-lights. Catch-lights, essentially, are reflections of the studio lighting in the subjects eyes; they make the subjects appear more genuine and heart-felt.  They always work with black and white images. If you are struggling to achieve catch-lights, they can always be added during post-production, but it looks more natural to get them in-camera.

This shot (above) is of my fiancé, it was a tricky one to get the catch-lights. After a long time messing with exposure and light positions, we 'collectively' decided her eyes were not shiny enough to reflect the light, so I held a lit incense stick underneath her eyes until they began to water and took the shot. Some might say cruel, I say determined.

To complete the shot I added an identical layer to Photoshop and added a blur filter to soften the skin. Then, using layers, I removed the blur from the eyes, to make them pop, and to create a fake shallow depth of field.

Keep Shooting and Experiment!

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