Studio Portraits

Anouilh

Today I met a lady who is promoting Family Studio Portraiture. The display is viewable at the entrance to Tesco in Dundrum Shopping Centre.
The high-key photos are quite attractive and there is a concession rate available this week.

It set me thinking about the equipment one might need to set up a basic studio system at home.
A backdrop and some lights might do the trick?

Paulw

Anouilh wrote: »

A backdrop and some lights might do the trick?

Yep, that's all you need. Keep it simple.

smelltheglove

Yeah thats all you need, myself and Paul have done a bit lately renting a room and using my equipment and dodgykeepers lights.

I bought 2 150w lights, one softbox, one shoot through umbrella, I also have paper backdrops and background support. Here is a sample of one I took in my kitchen last week.

derokid

deadly kitchen - "half naked rock chick!!!"... Jesus I'd hate to see the living room... god knows whats goin on in the bedrooms....

seriously though good pic

sineadw

You can go as simple or as complicated as you like really. In college we have a boom arm, 2x1500 and 2x1000 lights, snoots and barn doors, softboxes of all different shapes and sizes, a sun lamp, a fresnel spot and loads of other bits and bobs. Great craic altogether if you want to be a bit more dynamic with studio lights. You don't necessarily need any of them though, apart I think from a softbox and a few reflectors as STG said.

Oh and a decent external light meter.

Paulw

sineadw wrote: »

You can go as simple or as complicated as you like really.

Oh and a decent external light meter.

I've never actually used a light meter. I normally just make a judgement and then adjust.

A recent shot with just two lights and a simple white background (thanks STG, and DK)



But, you can go as simple as a single light and a background, or as complex as you want.

sineadw

Each to their own I guess. I'd be using a meter a lot though, especially if its a more complicated set up.

Paulw

sineadw wrote: »

Each to their own I guess. I'd be using a meter a lot though, especially if its a more complicated set up.

Probably good. It's another item I can never work out. :rolleyes: I'm sure it's simple enough to use.

smelltheglove

derokid wrote: »

deadly kitchen - "half naked rock chick!!!"... Jesus I'd hate to see the living room... god knows whats goin on in the bedrooms....

seriously though good pic

lol, my husband is looking forward to Saturday, a girly photoshoot night in with 4 models.... I second what Paul says, I never use a lightmeter, apart fromt he shoot we did with dodgy I always go by my eye. I will of course add to my collection whenever money allows, more recently I got transmitters to go with my flashes to work on outdoor shots, there is always something else to get, I'd be interested in getting more lights for backlights and gel colours eventually also but one thing at a time and that.

kensutz

I use a meter when doing studio work. It's a great tool for dealing with multiple lights.

sineadw

kensutz wrote: »

I use a meter when doing studio work. It's a great tool for dealing with multiple lights.

And very easy to use Paul - just point and shoot

sineadw

Meters also are invaluable when blowing out the backdrop - a lesson I learned (with Thonda) the hard way a while back. I now meter 9 spots across the backdrop and make sure I'm at least 2 stops over the key light on all, and checking for overspill. Otherwise it can take a bloody age in PP.

ThOnda

I've got into the situation, that I had to really carefully measure the light to get the correct balance among background, main, fill and hair light. But it is worth it. Takes only few seconds...
There is a polystyrene head in the studio, so I put it on a stand and check and adjust the lights. I've found also need for portable shades to block individual lights - the barn doors were not enough.
Well, high key is fun, you need lots of light or tripod and patient model

CabanSail

I can feel a Studio Meet coming on ......

oshead

Over the summer I setup a seamless white system in my home.

The backdrop is a 13' x 7' roll of lino painted matt white on the back. On the floor is a 4' x 4' sheet of perspex I picked up in B&Q. The underside is painted white on that too. The strobes to the left and right are Canon 580EX II and 430EX flashes. They are triggered using Elinchrom Skyports. I have since got a pair of Elinchrom Bx500 Ri's. The frame for the back drop is from an old Gazebo I had. Here's a quick shot of the basic setup.



Here are some images all taken with Canon Speedlites.
This is a before and after PP comparison. The lights were not powerful enough to give me a completely 255 white without upping the ISO. It takes literally 1 minute to blow the highlights out using a 10% dodge brush in Photoshop.



Ideally you'd want to be using a light meter for all off camera flash. It makes your job so much easier when you are trying to get proper seperation of background to subject. For this you need at least 1.5 to 2 stops of light. This is'nt easy to achieve over a smaller distance. If not done correctly, the light from the bg will wrap around the subject. That's fine if it's the look you're after. But for me here, it wasn't, so I set the bg spill to about 2 stops lower by the time it gets to the back of the subject.

You can do this without a meter if you don't have one. Setup the lights to fill the bg. You don't need to blow the bg out. Just fill the white matt surface with nice bright white. Chimping the back of the camera should show all the data in the top 20% of the histogram. When happy with the coverage of light, take a photo of your hand where the back of the subjects head should be while facing the bg about 7-9 feet away. Your hand will be exposed by aprox 2 stops lower. If not, adjust flash power and subject distance accordingly.

This is not all together the most accurate method for measuring the light, but good enough to get you in the ball park without a handheld meter. Once there, If you need to, write the settings down. Setting up in future with the same gear will be a breeze.



The perspex really does a great job of visually grounding the subject and keeping her from straying from the general area. I can turn the perspex over to give me a matt finish on the ground rather than reflections.







The biggest problem I had with this setup was the power of the flashes. To get enough light from the Speedlites with the diffusers on, I had to shoot at ISO 400 which is not ideal. So I've recently upgraded to a couple of 500w/s BxRi's from Elinchrom though, havn't had much of a chance to use them. I will over the next while I hope.

smelltheglove

David I love your set up, I remember seeing this somewhere else before, maybe PI but I love it, perspex is a big one on my list now and to Anouilh I do believe looking at this the lino gives a much better effect than the paper, but I need mine to be mobile and light enough for me to carry, although I will look more into this.

David does the lino get damaged easily?

oshead

Rachel, I posted most of this info on PI a few months back. The lino dosn't really get damaged. The biggest problem with it is its weight. So it's not portable.

But why would you need it to be portable? Most peoples homes wouldn't have the room to setup adequately for this or something similar. If you want to do this portable, from all accounts the Lastolite Hi-lite is your only man. I think Cambo gueno and Borderfox both have this.

smelltheglove

I go out to many peoples houses doing family portrait sessions. my background support if 8ft so i get a 9ft paper roll and cut it down to size, fits in the car nicely and generally when I go into peoples homes I find it easy enough to fit, although I always ask first on space available and the option of moving things arounf to make it fit.

I havent tried the lastolite backdrop yet, I will look into it though when funds are available. Im not sure of its measurements though, if it would be wide enough, I will look into it though.

oshead

They do a 7’ X 8’ one I think.

Hugh_C

Anouilh wrote: »

A backdrop and some lights might do the trick?

A backdrop and some lights for sure, but that's only half the battle.

Over the last year or so I've photographed lots of people in a studio setting, some experienced, most inexperienced and to be honest, directing them is probably much harder than having confidence in your gear.

Just my 2c.

Fionn

Anouilh wrote: »

It set me thinking about the equipment one might need to set up a basic studio system at home.
A backdrop and some lights might do the trick?

definately need a light meter.
it's a essential to be able to measure and control the light falling on your subject and the same on the background, i got a second hand studio setup and the background stand i have is way too big for any room in my house tho! it's ten foot long so usually i'm using it with the middle portion taken out, I've recently got a chroma backdrop and am going to experiment with that soon and see how that goes, i'm leaning towards maybe getting rid of the bigger backdrop situation and maybe looking at the lastolite solutions they look pretty good.

democrates

Ordered the lastolite hi-lite 6'x7' from warehouseexpress but then they wouldn't ship it since it's over 1.5m. Someone said it's a curse to fold up, I'm taking that seriously after a belt in the lip from a reflector that we're supposed to fold into three springy hoops. No photo of the ensuing gnashfest is the real killer.

That's a great setup oshead, vinyl made for a floor has to be far more durable than skimpy vinyl marked up for photographers. I have to confess I still have some on my kitchen floor, came with a 10 year guarantee in 92 and still perfect. I'm so impressed with your imaginative solution I'm going to shamelessly copy it for the home studio and the lastolite can wait. Have a bunch of furniture to get rid of first though, I hate being a pack rat seriously what was I thinking getting a telephone table in 2006. Although it could be a prop in some shot, someday...

Valentia

I'd have to stick my spake in for the light meter. I would say it is essential and learning how to use it to balance your lights properly is very important. Like everything else it is not quite as simple as it sounds to get that professionsl look It really should be a flash metre that will measure ambient and flash light. It's then you can have real fun.

It's possible to get basic shots without one but lighting a person is easy. Using the light to paint is where the skill is.

Doing a course/seminar on lighting is well worth it.

Valentia

David, those umprellas look black?

If so it would be worth getting a couple of white ones that you can bounce off or shoot through. Shooting through will give a very very slightly harsher light (which I like because it highlights a person's features a bit more) and it also increases the range of the flash.

oshead

They are removable Danny.
I usually use them shoot through. I had them this way to stop the spill of light to the subject. Infact I even added some silver foil to the inside of them to increase the relative power of the flash to the bg.

Valentia

Deadly!

Slav

In a home studio setup the most limiting factor is space IMO.

In my setup I have a backdrop stand, 3 strobes with reflectors and 3 different size softboxes, a screen holder. Hi-key portraits are generally OK as you normally will get good results with only two (or even just one) light sources in front of the model. Still if you are shooting a white skin blond model you might want an additional back light to burn the background but that can be fixed later in PP. Everything else (when you use your lights as the drawing tools and not just to flood the scene) will require more serious trade-offs. You'll be limited at where you can place your light sources and most likely you'll be forced to use a wider angle lens (even with the 80mm on Mamiya 645 I usually have no space between the tripod and the wall). Low ceilings are not great for studio either.

Flashmeter and spotmeter are must for me when shooting Astia but for digital they are invaluable as well. Analysing the scene by test shoots is not as easy as with the spotmeter and is too time consuming.

Saying that, home studio is still a great fun! It's challenging but it encourages you to be creative.

Paulw

I guess from this thread, I need to learn how to use a light meter.

Anouilh

Many thanks for all the ideas.

I have a plan for next year, if time and energy allow...
To join the Dublin Camera Club and use the fabulous studio at the top of the building to make some flower studies.
Has anybody used it for this?

Studio work is usually associated with models, but the possibilities are infinite.

In passing, has anybody else seen the photos at the Tesco entrance in Dundrum. The poses were lively and well composed I thought, with a good sense of fun.

Muhozol

David, your shooting space looks impressive as my living room studio is much more cluttered and lower I guess. Sample photos are awesome, too. Must try some of your ideas .
BTW one of my umbrellas is a gold/silver zebra giving a nice warm touch to skin tones.

Valentia

Paulw wrote: »

I guess from this thread, I need to learn how to use a light meter.

Honestly Paul, with a small bit of training (maybe a lighting dvd, you will immediately see a big difference and variety to your shots.

Paulw

Always something new to learn. That's the joy of boards, and photography.

Borderfox

The Lastolite Hi-lite is excellent, I have the 6x7 foot one and it fits into every house I have been. The main advantage with the hi-lite is because its backlit the subject can back right up to it and you can fit in a much smaller space than conventional backdrops. I use two lights (one in the highlight and one on front) and a reflector to balance the front. I use a lightmeter to set-up and on to shooting. It gets easier to fold up the more you do it.

ant_moore123

Anouilh wrote: »

Today I met a lady who is promoting Family Studio Portraiture. The display is viewable at the entrance to Tesco in Dundrum Shopping Centre.
The high-key photos are quite attractive and there is a concession rate available this week.

It set me thinking about the equipment one might need to set up a basic studio system at home.
A backdrop and some lights might do the trick?

I seen this lady tonight the company is Venture

We got a voucher for a family portrait last christmas, we only got round to getting it done last month the voucher gave us a framed 8 x 10 or we could use the voucher for the sum of £155(we got it done in the North) towards something else.

Anyway we got the photos done and to be honest i did really like them but the cost of the photo's are astronomical, just one as an example is 3 framed 7 x 5's were on special @ £295 i think they were ment to be near £500 or something, they even try the hard sell on you and offering direct debit options

It got me thinking how much would a normal photographer with his own studio be charging for family portraits of the same nature?

squareballoon

The prices of family portraiture can be so different from one to the next. I've always heard that Venture give great photos that people love but often come away feeling that they've spent more than they wanted to. I think the hard sell is a little too hard for a lot of people.

I shoot in people houses as well as a home studio that we have but we don't use lights (apart from when the light is really poor and I have to improvise with my flash or rented lights (Cine Electric in Ardmore Studios are terrific for renting lights from, so helpful). I'm not a big fan of high key so wouldn't be that into the lasolite illuminated backdrop but I would like to invest in a good light and softbox for low light situations.

democrates

I may come off like a cheapskate here but one of the things that appeals about high key is lower ink usage...

Borderfox

I shoot in peoples houses with the hi-lite and shoot two different price plans, one with a small outlay and prices per print and one where they buy all the shots digitally, I certainly wouldnt subscribe to Ventures policies and apparent hard sell actions. I get everything printed off-site so dont worry about ink usage.

hmboards

oshead wrote: »

On the floor is a 4' x 4' sheet of perspex I picked up in B&Q. The underside is painted white on that too.

This works very well - love the reflections from the floor. There is a lot of talk online of people using white "tile board" for this, but that seems to be a US product. What sort of paint did you use on the perspex ? I recently bought a lastolite hilite but the train isn't reflective.

smelltheglove

Borderfox wrote: »

I shoot in peoples houses with the hi-lite and shoot two different price plans, one with a small outlay and prices per print and one where they buy all the shots digitally, I certainly wouldnt subscribe to Ventures policies and apparent hard sell actions. I get everything printed off-site so dont worry about ink usage.

I do the exact same thing to be honest, most go for the digital plus a photobook, many add in a canvas also. When my clients purchase the canvas and the digital images they also get the canvas for less since they have already paid for the shot.

oinkely

Hi Oshead,

i have a quick question for you. Looking at your set up there can you tell me do you use any light to the front of the subject? it appears that the two umbrella'd lights are lighting the background? I really like the results you are getting there and would like to try the high key look some time.

cheers

Valentia

I was afraid to ask earlier but have plucked up the courage, Rachel, in post #3, is the model naked from the waist down? It's weird looking.

ant_moore123

Anybody have any experience with this set? http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-interfit-int182-ex150-mark-ii-two-head-kit/p1025920

Would it be a good set for starting off?

rymus

Jesus wept..

I think I just gawked into my cup of tea.

DaireQuinlan

ant_moore123 wrote: »

Anybody have any experience with this set? http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-interfit-int182-ex150-mark-ii-two-head-kit/p1025920

Would it be a good set for starting off?

rymus wrote: »

Jesus wept..

I think I just gawked into my cup of tea.

You're right, the Interfit INT182 EX150 Mark III Two Head Kit is a much better deal.

Oh wait ... the MODEL ...

Click Clicky

smelltheglove wrote: »

I havent tried the lastolite backdrop yet, I will look into it though when funds are available. Im not sure of its measurements though, if it would be wide enough, I will look into it though.

I've the 6x7 one and it's absolutely superb. Once it's up, it takes up very little space, but for folding it, you need a LOT of space. I have a very large living room and still have to be careful not to knock anything over when folding it up. Folding it is a skill. The official way is the 'pringle' method, but there's a much easier way - fold it over on itself 3 times in the same direction. Voila!

I never bother with a light meter when using it, and the background PP afterwards is zero.

You're welcome to borrow it if you want to have a play around before you buy. It's not cheap, so you need to be sure.

Also, it makes a superb giant softbox for group shots!

oshead

oinkely wrote: »

Hi Oshead,

i have a quick question for you. Looking at your set up there can you tell me do you use any light to the front of the subject? it appears that the two umbrella'd lights are lighting the background? I really like the results you are getting there and would like to try the high key look some time.

cheers

That photo was for illustrative purposes really. I could have gone with one light for the bg and another for the front. For the ones of my girl, if i can remember correctly, I had... Hang on, I have strobist info in my flickr. Here it is. BG lit with 580EX II and 430EX both on full power, Jessica lit with MT-24 EX Twin Lite on full power with shoot through umberella high and on her left. Silver reflector to her right.

Borderfox

Hi-Lite for a product shoot

aido182

Hi. Im just wondering if there is any way to come close to that hi key effect without studio lighting. All i have so far is a 430ex flash. Could it be achieved in a bright room or a sun room for example?

Thanks all

edit: Beautiful photos STG and oshead

xshayx

D-Lite4 (softboxes) one into into Lastolite HiLite, one high infront.
Still have to steal Davids idea of the perspex for this Sarah was standing on the
back of a laminated poster