Setting up a studio.

[donnnnnny]

I have shot in studios a few times now and really feel its the direction i want to mov e in.
So what do i need , soft boxes strobes back drops triggers etc??
Am i better to buy the portable strobes or are they too expensive, i want to get into some creative lighting and model shoots. I dont want cheap crap that will fall to bits but i would like some idea of what might be best for me.Im quite keen on the portables for outside shooting as well.
Cheers in advance don

[Adrian Fischer]

I wouldnt be so dissmissive of the crap from China. Ive been using said crap for over 3 years quite heavily without issue. Horses for courses I guess.

[41jas]

yeah true Adrian. The things I've bought from overseas I've found nothing wrong with them. Only cheap in price.

[Kylamie]

I buy from overseas aswell, great prices and havnt been able to fault my studio equipment in the 3 years ive been using it.

[JM Tran]

* removed : you cannot call people ignorant for them having an opinion* . After being in Shanghai last year to meet with suppliers and seen their products, the quality and actual products have risen so much that I would be a fool to buy something from the US or Japan for 4x the price. * REMOVED : Comment bordered on commercial promotion and advertising your services/products *

you need to be more specific in your question, ie. what is your budget, what do you really intend to shoot as model shots can even just be head shots, to full body to creating a scene/composition with props etc.

[I @ M]

In an attempt to get this one back on topic and answer a few questions I would suggest that you have a good look around at all the options ranging from single or multiple speedlights and light modifiers developed specifically for them through to the other extreme of massively expensive studio oriented lighting set ups.

I have seen some excellent work done by users of both, a single $70.00 Chinese speedlight through to tens of thousands of dollars worth of pro foto lights.

The requirements for studio as opposed to outside lighting may be quite extreme in power levels needed. If you want to shoot subjects on a beach against the midday sun you will need a hell of a lot more power output from your lights compared to what you need in a smallish indoor and "dark" studio.

If you start off with enough capacity in your lights and healthy sized power power packs for outside work they can of course be used in a studio environment as well. That is a good thing. Being able to get the power level down enough using the same lights in the studio to work for the sort of shadowy creative images that you describe wanting to do may be problematical depending on the type ( expensive ) light set ups you have.

You then have to examine the massive range of light modifiers that are employed in various styles of shots ranging from simple reflective or shoot through umbrellas to full length gridded softboxes, that is a subject of a post on its own.

Don, have a look through Studio Works for an idea of the range of gear available, Daniel stocks a wide variety and his lights are covered under a 3 year replacement warranty. That is a good thing if you are hesitant about quality and it won't leave you without a light for the time taken to repair it if one fails.
Yes, most of his gear is Chinese but it isn't cheap crap. We have a few items from him now, the most recent being a pair of 400 ws Visico monoblocs, they are performing very well with consistent light and colour output and very well manufactured.

[donnnnnny]

My apologies about the throw away cheap crap from china,
I guess i meant by that i was more interested in better quality stuff, and that price was not the only thought in the equation here
Im sure there is plenty of good stuff from china, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS.
Cheers don

[donnnnnny]

Thanks Andrew,
very informative reply with heaps to think about, ill have a look at studio works, and in the near future will endevoir to make some disisions on what to buy.[/S]
sounds like the hard part is what to buy.
I want to shoot models and use creative lighting, as i said above.Maybe a couple of strobes with some soft boxes and a background will b get me started.
cheers and thanks for the informative reply
don
Cheers and thanks don

In an attempt to get this one back on topic and answer a few questions I would suggest that you have a good look around at all the options ranging from single or multiple speedlights and light modifiers developed specifically for them through to the other extreme of massively expensive studio oriented lighting set ups.

I have seen some excellent work done by users of both, a single $70.00 Chinese speedlight through to tens of thousands of dollars worth of pro foto lights.

The requirements for studio as opposed to outside lighting may be quite extreme in power levels needed. If you want to shoot subjects on a beach against the midday sun you will need a hell of a lot more power output from your lights compared to what you need in a smallish indoor and "dark" studio.

If you start off with enough capacity in your lights and healthy sized power power packs for outside work they can of course be used in a studio environment as well. That is a good thing. Being able to get the power level down enough using the same lights in the studio to work for the sort of shadowy creative images that you describe wanting to do may be problematical depending on the type ( expensive ) light set ups you have.

You then have to examine the massive range of light modifiers that are employed in various styles of shots ranging from simple reflective or shoot through umbrellas to full length gridded softboxes, that is a subject of a post on its own.

Don, have a look through Studio Works for an idea of the range of gear available, Daniel stocks a wide variety and his lights are covered under a 3 year replacement warranty. That is a good thing if you are hesitant about quality and it won't leave you without a light for the time taken to repair it if one fails.
Yes, most of his gear is Chinese but it isn't cheap crap. We have a few items from him now, the most recent being a pair of 400 ws Visico monoblocs, they are performing very well with consistent light and colour output and very well manufactured.

[walterm]

Hi Don
I have been shooting studio shots for a while and used two srobes for the subject (but now use one strobe plus foam core panel to bounce light into other side of the face, it reduces catch lights to a single source and I prefer the look) I also have a strobe for the bcakground and my latest acquistion is a hair light on a boom stand that is very useful)

I use cloth backgrounds which get crumpled when they put away so i invested in a simple steamer it looks like an electric kettle with a wide nossle and it gets rid of the wrinkles!!

Good shooting
Walter

[sufran]

The steamer sounds great. What's its product name and where can you buy one? Thanks!

[walterm]

I got mine on ebay, they come in varius shapes and sizes, for meportability is the key

Walter

[Blueywa]

Inexpensive doesnt always mean its no good, depending on your needs it may well be the best way to go.
As some have said they use budget outfits with out any problems, even top of the range BMW's breakdown .
A basic studio setup can be two speedlights with either softboxes or umbrellas, triggering maybe via the camera?
The portable kits can be very useful, both indoors and out with some of the power packs lasting a reasonable time.
Make sure they can take indoor/studio type accessories if you want dual purpose.
Collapsable backdrops like the ones you 'Twist and fold' are very portable and can be used indoors, speedlights vs monos is really horses for courses IMO.
The steamers can be purchased at most shops selling vaccuum cleaners and the like; I paid about $50 for mine (no name no blame) and they are usefull in removing creases from cotton/muslin and the suit you are going to wear whilst doing the wedding