There’s only a couple of days left now until Halloween, but there’s still time to do a spooky horror photo shoot. And, why does it have to be during Halloween anyway? Any time is good for a bit of horror! In this video, Gavin Hoey shows us some great tips and techniques to light and shoot horror in a small home studio.
Create your own natural light studio to make the most out of a small space (NSFW)
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I often use flash with my own work, but natural light can be a wonderful thing. Especially when it comes from a directional source. In this slightly NSFW video, photographer Anita Sadowska discusses setting up for and shooting a lingerie session in her apartment. It’s interesting to hear the observations Anita makes about the light entering through the windows of the room as it changes throughout the day, and how it affects her shot.
Building my new video home studio to maximise space for multiple cameras
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I shoot video quite often these days. For reviews here on DIYP, vlogs, tutorials, live streams and various other content. Recently, I moved to Scotland, and I was determined to have an area permanently set aside for filming at my new place.
I’ve had a few people ask me about the new setup since I started getting it all together. I posted out a few images to Instagram Stories, a couple of clips to Facebook, and done a short live stream. So, I decided to write a little about it here on DIYP. Hopefully it’ll help somebody out there looking to setup to record video in a small space.
Make the most of natural light in a small in-home studio
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There’s a big belief surrounding portrait and fashion photography that you always need to have an elaborate lighting setup. While having a bunch of flashes and modifiers can certainly help, it isn’t always necessary. You can still produce great results in an indoor setting with natural light just streaming in through the window. As this behind the scenes video from photographer Irene Rudnyk proves.
How to setup a simple home studio combining natural and continuous light
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Setting up a home studio in a small space isn’t always easy. That’s especially true if you need to use it as a regular room, too. You need something that’s easy to setup and break down. But, if you have a space with a nice window or access to continuous light sources, it’s pretty straight forward.
This video from photography Mathieu Stern shows how he sets up his temporary studio for shooting headshots. He uses minimal equipment, and it produces very effective results.
How to shoot wet portraits in a home studio using high speed flash
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Water is one of the most versatile subjects one can photograph. The very nature of water, though, means that it’s wet, so it can be messy and potentially dangerous. Working with it to shoot portraits in a home studio especially so. It’s not impossible, though. You just need to plan ahead, prepare properly, and perhaps have a friend along to help out.
As photographer Gavin Hoey demonstrates in this video, it can be done with very minimal equipment. With just one light, a paddling pool, and plenty of towels, Gavin makes short work of this session. Although, you might want a slightly larger pool than the one Gavin’s using.
This living room shoot shows the importance of back light for making a scene real
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I love a good living room studio. Not everyone can afford a full fledged studio and for many, the photography room living room is the only option. Probably not to the delight of the significant other.
Manny Ortiz (previously) shows a clever way to make the living room look bigger using a portable seamless black and a Light Blaster.
What grabbed my attention right away is how three dimensional the photos look, so I asked Manny about it. Manny tells that the secret is using backlight. There are three lights in each shot: A key which shines on Diana (a Flashpoint360 with a 47″ octa); A Light Blaster with a slide and a Flashpoint Zoom; and the key ingredient – a gridded and gelled strobe as back light.
Tips and tricks for building a DIY home studio on a budget
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Building a studio in your home is the dream for many photographers. Assuming you can convince the rest of your family it’s a good idea, it can even become a reality. For those just getting into studio photography, building a home studio may be an afterthought to a home you already own. You may be very limited on space, so how can you make the most of it?
In this video, photographer Joe Edelman walks us through his home studio. While many of us might not be able to dedicate the space that Joe has, there’s always ways to make things feel bigger than they are. Joe shows us some of his space saving tips, as well as props and tools which serve multiple functions. No matter how large or small your studio, there are always ways to optimise your space and workflow.
How to make a studio shoot look like a location shoot
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I just finished up a handful of promotional shots with actor Levi Fiehler and it went well. One of our shots was an odd editorial photo with a him sitting next to a head in a box.. because hey, why not?! I used a hand painted backdrop and a faux wood floor and I lit it dark and moody. I was happy with the way it turned out except for one factor. I wish it didn’t look like it was shot with a studio backdrop. If it looked like it was on location, the shot might work better. The only “giveaway” that it was done in a studio was the roll at the bottom of the backdrop. So I realized if I put a piece of wood molding along the bottom of the backdrop, it would look like a wall and a floor instead of a backdrop and a floor.
How to get into studio lighting without spending thousands of dollars
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I hear it all the time…. “I want to get in to studio lighting, but I just don’t have the money.”
Well, you actually do. And if you care that much about the studio/ engineered lighting world, jumping in to it is actually MUCH EASIER than you might think, and much more affordable! There are a host of amazing options out there to help you get in to the studio lighting world for a fraction of the cost of strobes.
Working with the kit I’m about to show you has changed the entire look and feel of my imagery, and allows me to communicate a more beautiful, effective message with the images I create….
