{"id":79218,"date":"2022-01-13T15:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T20:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=79218"},"modified":"2022-01-13T15:59:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T20:59:03","slug":"home-photography-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/home-photography-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Building a Home Photography Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you like to take studio portraits but don\u2019t have thousands of dollars to invest on renting a professional studio, this article is for you. As you will see, you can set up a home photography studio quickly and easily without depleting your photo gear bank account. I\u2019ll show you how using a few behind-the-scenes photos that were taken in my house.<\/p>\n

High-Key Portrait\/Constant Lights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The opening photo for this article shows my set-up for this high-key photograph. It\u2019s basically a shadowless portrait, which was my goal in making this picture.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s my lighting setup for the shot. To eliminate the shadows, I used three Westcott Spider Lights (constant lights) in Westcott Soft Boxes, and also used a Westcott Eye Lighter unit.\u00a0For the same soft and flattering lighting effect, I\u2019d recommend using the smaller, lighter and more compact Westcott uLite LED 2-Light Collapsible Softbox Kit<\/a> and adding a third light.\u00a0The Westcott Eye Lighter<\/a>, if positioned correctly under the subject\u2019s face, does a great job of filling in the shadows under the eyes. It\u2019s one of my favorite studio photography accessories.<\/p>\n

The white background was one of the key elements to the success of this high-key portrait. I used a Westcott soft-cloth white background<\/a> mounted on a Westcott background stand<\/a>. The model\u2019s white dress also added to the feeling of the high-key portrait.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice that my camera is attached to my laptop with a Tether Tools cable<\/a>. When I am doing a studio portrait, seeing a larger image on my laptop is an advantage so I can check details.<\/p>\n

Low-Key Portrait\/Constant Lights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a behind-the-scenes photo of my same basic constant light setup \u2014 minus the Westcott Eye Lighter. I’m using only one light to create the shadows and switching the background to a soft-cloth Westcott Black Background<\/a>. My goal here was to create a more dramatic mood.\u00a0Here\u2019s the low-key image created in the same home studio setting.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the one-light setup that I used for my low-key image.\u00a0My point in sharing these two portraits (high-key and low-key) is to illustrate how the background and lighting can dramatically change the mood and feeling of a home studio portrait. This is because the mood of an image always matters most.<\/p>\n

Speedlight Portrait<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a photo of the same model from the opening example in this article. This portrait was taken in a natural home setting with a Canon Speedlite<\/a> and a Westcott Rapid Box.<\/a> I find this is the fastest and easiest setup for taking home speedlight photos.<\/p>\n

I include this example here to illustrate how you can take your home studio \u201con the road,\u201d and make portraits, quickly and easily on location, in the homes of friends and clients.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Rick Sammon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here, too, I used only one light. But the key to the success of this in-home portrait is that I balanced the light from the speedlight to the available light. Here\u2019s how I did it:<\/p>\n