Gosnap Photography Forums Tutorials Reviews Photos: Home Studio Set-up

Home Studio Set-up
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Shaun on 19 March, 2008 09:58:00
 
Here I will explain and describe my home studio setup. all of my portrait shots
were taken with this home studio, so if your trying to find out how it performs,
check out my gallery, however thats limited by my skill, better examples to look
at may be Si's work or some of Claire's. their setups are slightly different.
Below is a shot of my home studio:
My Equipment
Home Studio Set  - Interfit EX150
Home Studio Set  - Interfit EX150
The Interfit ex150 kit comes with        two 150 watt/sec flash heads, two
lighting stands, a 60x60cm softbox, a        white translucent umbrella, power
cables and sync cord. I have 2 of these kits so the equipment is doubled up. If
you are worried about the power from a 150w head, don't be, I use them on half
power the majority of the time.
1) 100% re-charge ready light
2) Infra red cell and flash receptor
3) Mains Plug and Fuse Holder (6.3 amp)
4) On/Off Power
5) Modelling lap control. Position I = Full power. Middle = Off. Position II =
Proportional mode.
6) Test button
7) Sync lead connection between camera and flash head (connect to PC sync
socket or a hotshoe adapter on your camera)
KARLite Large Heavy Duty Black/White Background
Cover is removable and washable and is an      elasticated fit over the base
which also doubles up as a diffuser. I'l warn you that the advertising for this
product is so poor. The sample pics they use are terrible in my opinion, and i
bet they lose a whole bunch of customers this way. I assure you that it performs
alot better than what they show.
Above: Example of what can be achieved.
Interfit IR Flash Transmitter
The IRX fits into the camera hotshoe, and emits      a   wide infrared beam
which will trigger any infrared sensitive flash unit,      so eliminating the
need for a sync   cord between the camera and flash unit      and any worries
about sync voltages on DSLR's.
Lens?
I cant recommend the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM highly enough. Its a
cracking lens and produces sharp and detailed results. However, you do need a
little space to play with. IdeallyI have double doors that open up into my
living room, this gives me the requires space. If you are really limited on
space, i would go no higher than a 30mm.
I also have the EF 50 mm f/1.8II which is a great little lense and produces
sharp results, considering you can pick it up for around £50 if you look in the
right places.
Video tour:
Setup and Settings
First of all, I am going to say don't just copy what write here... Experiment!
thats the fun in it and you will get better results.
The lights that illuminate the front of the subject want to be around 4ft away
from them and the bottom edge of the softbox at around chin height pointing down
at a 45degree angle. have the lights at the back the same hight too, but
experiment at which angle you tilt them.
Something to Remember:
Make sure your subject isn't sat to near the vertical bit of the backdrop, as
this will result on the rear lights flooding on to them causing a horrible misty
effect like the below. If you sit them away from it and your still getting this
misty effect, chances are the flash is too powerful, so just turn it down.
above: Sat to near the backdrop/flash too powerful
I shoot most of the time with my lights on half power. with these settings:
Again, experiment with your settings to achieve different results!
Below is a diagram of my home studio setup:
Now, im not saying this is the only way to setup a home studio, far from it...
but this is one successful way of doing so, without going bankrupt! Please post
your comments and questions and I will eagerly get back to you. Hope this
helped.
Read members reviews on this kit here