Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Having a photography studio is fun, but it is even more fun when you start applying simple and cheap solutions, plus common sense to make your shooting experience (and your clients’) smoother.
This is the list of what I think are the smartest and most useful photography studio life hacks.
I’d love to have access to a massive studio space with all of the latest amenities. Who wouldn’t?
But in many cases, a living room is all you need to get the dynamic shot you’re looking for. Nearly all of my favorite studio shots were done with my Oliphant backdrops in a 10′ x 15′ room.
You might be wondering, “What if my walls are red? What if I have low ceilings? What if my carpet is burgundy?” Don’t stress — there are simple ways around all of these problems, and I’m here to walk you through them.
I’m generally not a big fan of cheap Chinese crap, but there are occasionally exceptions – especially when it involves re-purposing and adapting inexpensive consumer items for photography.
In this article, I will share a selection of twenty one items ranging from $1 to $4 that I have found at my local Dollar Store that I have used for photography.
Gaffer tape is one of the most useful tools in any photographer or filmmaker’s bag. It comes in handy for so many things, and just to make sure I’ve always got some with me, I keep a roll in each of my bags. And I can’t remember the last time I did a shoot where I didn’t need it for something. In this 2-minute video from filmmaker Burke Cullinane we see 10 great ways to use gaffer tape on set.
When you’re on the set, you want everything to go as smoothly as possible. There are certainly many things to take care of, and one of them is protecting the floors. This goes for shooting in your own home and studio, but also if you’re doing it in someone else’s, no matter if it’s the model’s place or a place you rented for the shoot.
Photo and video shoots require a lot of heavy gear, and dragging it around can damage the floors. You certainly don’t want this to happen, as I’m sure you don’t want to pay for the repair. This is why Jay P. Morgan gives you some useful advice on protecting the floors to keep them safe from any damage and even dirt.
When creating studio portraits, it’s good to make the subject stand out from the background. Most photographers know this, but many still make the mistake and don’t backlight their models properly (or at all). In this short video, photographer Manny Ortiz will show you three easy ways to backlight your model and make it separate from the background using speedlights.
When you’re shooting a film, it can be pretty hectic on the set. So, you want to make sure that the set is safe, efficient and well organized. Efficiency and good organization give you more time to be creative – but they are of no use if you don’t keep yourself and the crew safe and sound. So, safety first! These seven tips will help you make the set more secure and safe for working.
Coming up with new and interesting ways to improve your portraits in the studio can sometimes be challenging. You feel like you’re just going through the motions session after session. Photographer, Joe Edelman, recently posted a video about the Light Blaster and how it can help you get more creative in the studio, to project shapes and even entire scenes onto your backdrop or subject.
In Joe’s newest video, he takes things a little more three dimensional. As well as providing tips on how to make and use cardboard or foamcore gobos, Joe also shows how we can use household objects to add unique interest to the background. Dog chew toys, a toddler’s toy wheelbarrow, house plants, and even toilet paper. Nothing is off limits.
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.
I recently got my hands on some of Jake Hicks’s gels from Amersham Studios that are made by Lee Filters and hand picked by Jake Hicks for their placement and ability to work together based on his preference and experience.
Now that I’ve had them in my possession I can honestly say 2 things:
Man are they handy,
Creativity opens up.
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