It takes a lot of courage to decide to start your own freelance practice as a photographer.
Most of the time, many photographers cannot afford to own a workspace of their own at the beginning of their careers. The photographers who are able to own a studio either have a lot of money laying around or have received funding to boost their business.
If you are a newbie photographer or freelancer who doesn’t own a studio and is tired of spending most of your profit renting a studio, then this post is for you.
You will learn:
- How to set up your own studio with equipment in your house
- Where to buy affordable but quality photography equipment
DIY Home Photo Studio
People set up home photo studios for several reasons the most common being the need to cut overhead costs. The following steps will guide you in creating an aesthetically pleasing studio in your home.
1. Ambiance & Location: Ensure that the location of this studio has accessible roads and an ambiance that is appealing. You do not want to invite a client over to a location that looks unsafe, unkempt, and unpleasant.
Despite the fact that you want to set up a home studio, it doesn’t have to be your home. You can liaise with a friend to set up in their home, workspace, or office if yours isn’t as good. Please ensure that the place has proper ventilation and is free of foul smells. Trust me, this turns many clients off irrespective of their pocket size.
Let the room be at least 100 square meters i.e at least 5 people can move around comfortably in the room.
2. Lightening: The key ingredient to a beautiful picture is lightening. Now depending on the type of picture you are trying to create, you can have different moods set.
The first type of light you need will be natural light: straight from the sun and free of charge. The beautiful light from the sun creates timeless and crisp images. With a clear white wall and this natural light, you’ll get the best portrait photographs.
Next up, invest in light. Depending on your location in Africa, there are several local markets and online shops where you can shop for lights. You can start up with flat light and also a backlight. The flat light will help in amplifying the light that falls on your object’s face, thereby removing shadows and the backlight can help with creating silhouettes. To balance and control the different lights, use a reflector and softboxes as well.
3. Furniture and Props: Every good studio needs good furniture. Furniture has been known to inspire several poses and inspire confidence in your clients. Depending on what your preferred studio interior décor is, buy furniture that goes with your theme.
Sometimes, you don’t even need to buy anything new. Look around your home and get creative. There are so many pieces lying around, that can be used as props or give more character to your photograph/picture.
4. Backdrops: Backdrops are so important for any studio. Backdrops can make or mar your images as they determine the feel of the image you hope to create. Backdrops are as important as choosing lenses for your photographs.
You do not have to get high-end backdrop options when shopping. Although there are several kinds of backdrop options, fabrics tend to be the most common option of all. Fabrics such as, polyester, canvas, muslin, and stretch knit can be found in any local market near you or can be shopped from online stores.
The best sizes for home or DIY studios will be 5×7 feet, 8×10 feet, and 12×14 feet. These are perfect for baby and pet images, headshots or portraits, and couples or group photographs respectively.
5. Camera and Lenses: Finally, we get to the part you’ve probably been waiting for. To take a good picture, we need a good camera or lens.
Apple has created some of the most creative gadgets. With an iPhone, you can take good pictures that look similar to that of a camera.
However, if you can afford to buy a camera, ensure that you buy different lenses as well. For studio photos, lenses with focal lengths ranging from 18mm-55mm are great for creative photos.
And voila! Your DIY studio is set up and ready to be used.