Creating Your Own In Home Portrait Studio
By Amy Renfrey

Portrait photography can be quite a lucrative small business, especially when savings can be found by setting a studio up within your own home. Apart from the appropriate camera equipment, which I will review shortly, there is a minimal amount of other equipment required, and all of it is available through the internet or mail order sources. A quick search done through the internet will reveal numerous discount and retail outlets.

First and foremost is the camera equipment and lighting units; which can include wireless flash units along with a transmitter for the camera. While this may not seem like a necessary expense for a home studio; outdoor and mobile photography sessions will be required of most professional portrait photographers, so for financial practicality the most universal equipment should be purchased.

The model and manufacturer of the camera is a personal preference, but most photographers today rely on digital cameras. There are a wide range of DSLR cameras with fully manual modes and file saving settings that allow complete control of the image. Many cameras will even allow a USB connection to a display or monitor that will permit a portrait studio client to review every image taken instantly.

One word of note for any digital or portrait photography – for complete control of the image the camera must be able to save the images in the RAW format. If the JPG setting is used the camera will make adjustments and modifications to the image to accommodate the format and some features of an image can be lost.

Lighting for a home portrait studio can be done in an “economy” mode, with adjustable floods purchased at local hardware stores, but as I stated before it is a good idea to research lights that can be used as wireless slaves through a transmitter attached to the camera. Light stands will be required for any lighting units and these also do not need to be an expensive investment, rather a sturdy unit of variable height settings. Finally where lighting is concerned, any high quality digital camera will also feature a built-in flash which can be used to complete any other lighting needs within the studio or out in the field.

A final requirement for any portrait studio is a series of backdrops or screens to make the subject really stand out. The standard size of a backdrop is ten feet. These are traditionally made from seamless and crease free papers. The traditional colors for backdrops are pure white and pure black, but are also available with pre-printed scenes or other colors. The backdrop will also need a stand, and usually these are inexpensive and Ill made, with some servings as both a screen mount and a lighting unit mount. Some studios use lighting umbrellas to reflect on their subject, and it is always recommended to invest only in “eclipse”’ style umbrellas to prevent light flares.

 

By Amy Renfrey

www.Digital PhotographySuccess.com