Twitter February 8, 2009 12 Comments

Shooting in small spaces

A few days ago James Andrews (@theNetImp) sent me a tweet about his small studio space. He suggested that I should make a video about shooting in small spaces. So I asked how many of my twitter followers had a studio smaller than 20×20. The response was overwhelming. So I asked them to send me links and photos so I could see these spaces. I’ve posted a few below.

I will be making a video about shooting in small spaces, but I’d like you to help me create it. I’d like you to answer a few questions:

How large is your studio or space (conference rooms, etc., count)
What specific issues are you seeing?
Do you have any tips or tricks you are willing to share?
What equipment are you using?
What have you been able to accomplish in your studio?

You can answer these questions by using the comments section below or just sending me a note on twitter (@jmarkwallace). I’d love to see the results of your work, so if you have work you’re proud of post a link in the comments section below.

Here are a few of the small spaces that I’ve seen so far.

Studio space of John Milleker @JohnMilleker

Mark Howells-Mead’s space @mhm72

The very nice small studio of Marc Landry @FastTimesInc

Ingrid’s closet studio @ingridspangler

Studio/Home theater built by James @jamesbdotcom

It’s not a laundry room, it’s a studio! (Don’t miss the video)
From the mind of Nathanael Gassett @NathanaelG

397 square feet of awesomeness via @adrienbisson

Elvis would be proud! Ryan Chahanovich’s studio @ryanchahanovich

Harley Pebley’s basement studio. @hpebley3

Kathryn Lymburner’s basement studio @photokat81

Want to share your small studio space? Paste a link to your image in the comments below.

http://www.twitter.com/ingridspangler Ingrid

I put a fabric backdrop over the wardrobes on the back wall. On the left side of the space is the bathroom with a big sunny window. I have a couple clip on utility lights and sometimes I make my own softbox out of a cardboard box and freezer paper. This is guerrilla lighting baby!
I know, I should be embarrassed, since I do work for Adorama, I feel sometimes I should have a more sophisticated set up. But hell with it, I'm proud of the stuff I've done with what I have. (Sorry I can't share, they're all selfies, if you know what I mean.)
http://www.nathanaelgassettphotography.com Nathanael Gassett

1. How large is your studio or space (conference rooms, etc., count)?
The room itself is 12X14, but with all the laundry stuff and uncoordinated junk, working space is about 10X10 (which beats the socks off the 5X9 working space I have in my bedroom, where I'll do simple waist up self-portraits and small scale product shots. Photo of that here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/32640…)

2. What specific issues are you seeing?
Obviously in a small space you are limited in where you position the lights. I can't always put them as far back as I would like. Everything is pretty close, which makes it harder to contain lights to certain areas. Say you want a spot of light behind someone, without any rim on their back. It's a lot harder to do this. You basically are really limited in how much separation you can have between subject and background, light to light.
The space (laundry room) is also very ugly and cluttered. I could never feel right about charging money to bring someone there, so it's for straight personal work. I can throw up a white background just about anywhere, so I've been known to set up shop in people's homes (this is where small space training comes in handy!) as in this model portfolio shoot http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/32194…

3. Do you have any tips or tricks you are willing to share?
I'm all about sharing. If you want maximum freedom, smaller space calls for smaller lights: use strobes. Forget the 5ft softbox and make the 43in umbrella work. If your stands won't fit where you need them, try adjusting the legs so they aren't full spread (less stable: yes. Able to fit in tight spaces: yes.) If you don't positively need a stand, don't use it. Tie it to pipeworks/existing, non-movable furniture. Set it on top of something. Need a large light source? Make a thin 'softbox' (Photoflex on Weight Watchers) by hanging a piece of cloth and firing your strobe/s into it or reflecting off a wall/foamcore. Not the same, but it works in a pinch and takes up much less space.

3. What equipment are you using?
Primary light: Nikon SB-800 strobe unit. Secondary lights: 2 Vivitar 285HV strobe units. I have a couple of Lumopro light stands (8ft), a handful of Westcott umbrellas (white shoot-through, silver, white), tons of foamcore from when I thought it would be a good idea to mat my own prints (never again), and a set of silver car shades (cheap reflectors! 2 for $5). For white backgrounds I'll use queen-sized bed sheets. They can really be a pain sometimes if I don't blast them with enough light, with all the wrinkles and such. For black backgrounds I use this wonderful stretchy material I got from the $1-a-yard section of the Wal*Mart craft section. It's actually a really dark blue, but it underexposes nicely.

4. What have you been able to accomplish in your studio?
In the laundry room: Full body work, http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/32174…
complicated, multi-person shooting http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/31853…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/29029…

In the 5X9 bedroom space: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/31056…
some fun parodies: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/31336…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/32307…

And I've used the 8X17 “Spring studio” (photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/32649… ) which is a car port (basically a roof) on rare occasion. It's completely useless in the winter and the summer, and light contamination from the sun can be an issue at certain times of day, making it very impractical. You'll also be subject to wasps and mosquitos. I've only used this area three times. First time was for some promotional images for a musician friend of mine, http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/27070…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/27078…
Once for this shoot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/27742… (video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Ahd1VhB-A ) And for the first time I used two lights at once, http://www.flickr.com/photos/15162066@N06/27561…

I probably gave waaaay more info than anyone wanted, sorry!

_Nathanael
http://www.tanyaplonka.com Tanya Plonka

I often shoot in clients' homes, so some of the spaces are REALLY small and I am unable to plan for that ahead of time.

If there are no good backdrops, I carry a black sheet and a white sheet with me at all time and attach it to anything I can find (ie, cabinets, doors, etc).

The problem I run into is not so much full body shots of one person, but trying to get a couple people into the small spaces… if I zoom out enough to fit them in, I get too much off of the backdrop.

A savior in a couple really tight spaces (shooting in elevators!) is my 10-20mm lens… at 20 the distortion is not bad if the subject is framed correctly.
http://www.modelmayhem.com/jamesandrewsphoto theNetImp

I agree with everything Nathanael said. The biggest problem is controlling your lights, you can only turn them down so far, move them back so far Models tend to be right up against the backdrop Doesn’t help that I have a small book case in the back right corner, but it’s where I keep most of my photo props, and replacement bulbs etc…

I have 2 generic 300 w/s mono lights a 2x.3 soft box, barn doors (which help in controlling light) with some gels and a honeycomb attachment, and a 24in interchangeable reflector (silver, gold white, black) 11ft backdrop stands an 9ft black paper (and white paper) Room is approx 13×15

Things I have done in this space:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=9385285
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=9386183
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=9385983

Then I shot in the living room last week which is a smaller space.:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=10536150
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=10536102
http://www.modelmayhem.com/pic.php?pid=10535871
FastTimes

1. How large is your studio or space (conference rooms, etc., count)
My shooting space, which includes my cove, lights and product shooting area, is roughly 30×50. My office space, which includes my video editing suits, printers and work areas, is roughly 20×30.

2. What specific issues are you seeing?
The biggest issue for me is shooting full length fashion. The 10 foot ceilings are difficult to work around. Setups such as butterfly lighting are next too impossible to use. I like to be able to get my key light up at the proper height but with a tall model that is not possible. I also like, in many situations, to shoot from an angle that is slightly below the model, but in doing so sometimes run out of seamless. I would like to learn about some lighting setups that I can use for fashion that do not require a high (as in height) key light position.

3. Do you have any tips or tricks you are willing to share?
Making sure your lights do not leak and surrounding your shooting area in black (non-reflective) material is a must. I find the more I can control my light shaping tools, the better use I can make of them. I also find that positioning your cove so that you have the greatest depth possible allows for greater shooting possibilities.

4. What equipment are you using?
AlienBees B1600 Flash Unit – (4)

Alien Bees background stand – (2)
10-foot light stand – (2)
13-foot air-cushioned light stand – (4)
Boom-arm attachment with 11-pound counterweight – (2)

48″ Translucent white “shoot-thru” umbrella – (2)
(30″ x 60″) Foldable giant softbox – (1)
(32″ x 40″) Foldable softbox – (2)
22″ Matte Pan Reflector “Beauty Dish” – (1)
5-in-1 Circular reflector kit and mounting bracket – (2)

5. What have you been able to accomplish in your studio?
I have been able to shoot everything I need but would really like some more options for fashion.
http://www.adrienbisson.com Adrien Bisson

My space is the photo above (397 square feet of awsomeness

# How large is your studio or space (conference rooms, etc., count)
It's one 397 square foot room with about 15 foot ceilings. It's in an old textile mill so the sheetrock walls are 8 feet. Small, but the height is a big help.

# What specific issues are you seeing?
I do matting and framing there as well as shooting, so storing everything is a challenge. I have found that some 6 foot high shelving units help, as do plastic bins. I can store stuff as high as I need to.

# Do you have any tips or tricks you are willing to share?
Just habitually pick up and store stuff when you are done. Otherwise, you have a big mess in what seems like a phone booth the next morning.

# What equipment are you using?
I have two Alien Bees 1600s, two Nikon speedlights, a bunch of umbrellas, stands and reflectors, a Paul Buff big softbox with a boom, Calumet portable background stand and a home-made pvc pipe diffuser panel.

# What have you been able to accomplish in your studio?
I do mostly portraits and headshots there, but I have done some product catalog work as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrienbisson/30831…
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrien-Bisson-Pho…
[I hope you can see that last one – I can't test access to it as I am the owner…]

Adrien
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