Shooting In a Small Home Photo Studio
You have an amazing model coming over to shoot fashion nudes with you. But the only place you have to shoot is your tiny dining room. What do you do?
Shooting studio fashion can be very rewarding, but studio rental fees can be prohibitive if you’re just starting out or only shooting for fun. And, if the rental fees don’t faze you, the hassle and risks of transporting your gear might.
One solution is to temporarily turn your own home into a studio. If you’re lucky enough to have the money and space to build a permanent studio with high ceilings and tons of space, congratulations, you can stop reading. But what if your home is like the typical British house with pokey little 16 square meter (172 square foot) rooms?
For some kinds of shots, the amount of space you have doesn’t necessarily have a large impact. A head shot, assuming you don’t really mind what the lighting is going to be, can be done anywhere. However, what if you have a particular look in mind, or need to shoot full lengths? That’s where the challenges of shooting in limited space start to present themselves. Overcoming these challenges can increase your creativity and make any photo shoot even more fun.
The model was inspired by a high contrast B&W photo she’d seen featuring a pose that revealed the nude form, yet retained modesty. So that’s what we set out to do, and the photo below is what we ended up with, but how did we get there?
Shooting In Small Spaces
My dining room is 3 meters (9’10”) wide x 3.2 meters (10’6”) deep, with normal 2.4 meter (7’10”) high ceilings. As you can see from the photos, this is quite literally the smallest width room you can get away with and still put up a standard 2.72 meter wide paper roll.
A paper or cloth background isn’t always necessary, especially if you have a plain white wall to work with. However, in small spaces, where you’re unable to control the exposure of the background by moving the model further from it, having different shades of grey paper can help immeasurably with getting the background shade you were hoping for.
In this case, I knew I wanted a dark background to contrast well with the model’s light skin tones, so I used the dark “Charcoal” grey Colorama roll that you can see on the floor. With insufficient space for normal stands to hold the roll up, I use sturdy autopoles and the Manfrotto Expan system to raise and lower the paper.
All furniture was removed from the room; luckily I have double doors leading out of the dining room, so shifting the dining table was easy. If you’re not so lucky and are stuck with a table that’s getting in the way, consider just turning it upside down and having the model stand in the middle of it.
For this photo I didn’t want the model to cast a shadow on the background, and I wanted my key light to light both the model and the paper. So that meant I needed her close to the backdrop, but not too close – in the end I had her about 1.2 meters (3’11”) away from it.
The other important consideration is your distance from the model. Push comes to shove, in a small space you can just use a wide angle lens and shoot close. But, as in this case, the unnatural perspective that results may not be the look you wanted. So I used a fixed 85mm lens to frame her as desired, putting me around 2.2 meters (7’3”) from her – and outside the room. You may often find that the solution to shooting in small rooms is to shoot from another room, corridor or even from outside, pointing your lens through a doorway or window.
How to Control Light
Controlling light in a small, temporarily repurposed room is one of the greatest challenges. My dining room has white walls and ceiling, and to the left, out of shot, is a conservatory that lets in bright sunlight – with no doors or blinds able to block it out. Usually, on an overcast day or when the sun isn’t streaming directly into the room, this kind of indoor ambient light can be killed simply by shooting at your camera’s sync speed or higher (I use 1/125s) and an aperture of f/8 or higher. At around these settings an exposure will create a black frame, leaving you to then light the scene as desired with a studio strobe or flash gun. However the white surfaces remain a problem, robbing photos of contrast and depth as the light from your strobes bounces around the room.
To bring the light under control in this photo I used a gridded beauty dish on a Bowens Gemini 500pro strobe. The grid limits where the light goes to a narrow beam. The light was placed as close to the (low) ceiling as I could get it, next to and slightly in front of the model, to camera left. It was aimed down and toward the paper for the desired one-light setup.
To further eliminate any bounced light from hitting the model I used Interfit flat panel reflectors with the black sides on either side of her. These flat panels are the equivalent of polyboards, but roll up and are easy to store.
The lighting now gave the desired high contrast, with the bright face, dark background and deep black shadows on her body to show form without being explicit. But I found that her back leg was lost in that shadow, creating too much of a shapeless mass at the bottom of the photo. So I added a second bare-bulb strobe, low down, pointed at her leg, flagged from the camera and the rest of her body by the left flat panel. This also had the effect of lighting the paper more in the bottom left, which I felt added to the feel of the image.
The finishing touch was the necklace, purchased by the model for this shoot, which both added interest and prevented too large an expanse of featureless skin dominating her form.
July 01, 2018 at 11:03 am, John Duder said:
Excellent pictures!
I’m very lucky – my house is Edwardian, with bigger rooms and higher
ceilings. And I’ve accumulated some of the useful kit for shooting at home instead of hiring a studio.
But the biggest problem, for many people, is a lack of equipment. A length of cloth can be hung from a curtain rail with a couple of trouser-carrier hangers, and black-painted sheets of polystyrene insultation board work well to kill unwanted light reflecting onto the subject.
There’s a whole further article to be written about how to improvise the kit you need!
June 30, 2018 at 8:25 am, sissiasia said:
You need in principle nothing for a shooting, most important is you like and do.
June 11, 2013 at 5:30 pm, Jake Hicks Photography said:
Great shot, thanks for taking the time to write the article.
June 11, 2013 at 3:13 pm, John Lee said:
Shots from my home studio using high-key, low-key and greenscreen seamless paper, single light, 2-light, 4-light. With an 8-foot ceiling tall models standing require using only the top position on the seamless paper rack and removing the lower rolls: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/544269_10200183980139972_1504183972_n.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/419595_10200517166829431_1120879048_n.jpg https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/600198_10200263200480431_1736681637_n.jpg
June 11, 2013 at 3:08 pm, John Lee said:
Here’s my 2×4 DIY stand for 107″ seamless paper. Had to add more bracing later. Small studios work, but tall light stands and a 12-foot ceiling gives better shadows on a face. 8-foot seamless paper needs at least 3 feet on either side. Wider rooms allow black flags for more contrast. https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/944435_10200656290227429_1501704323_n.jpg
June 11, 2013 at 12:19 pm, Anthony Farrimond said:
50% of my current model mayhem portfolio is shot in our dining room at home. Macro photography shows us that you can be creative in a space less than a foot square, stands to reason that with some forethought and planning, you can shoot in any space, given then right lighting.
February 06, 2013 at 7:48 pm, Angel Femme said:
After working in this business for 25yrs and having a large studio both in space and number of people working for me, I made the decision a few years back to go back to basics and work by myself (with a close stylist friend). Going back to basics has been the best decision of my career and it intentionally involved working in a small studio (a converted office space) similar in size to large domestic lounge room. It has been fantastic and very liberating. I mainly shoot fashion and glamour. I find the smaller space more intimate and helps to connect with the model. Sometimes there are minor lighting issues, but experience and imagination with how to use the space and lighting makes for some interesting results. I have set up the studio with a few lounges, curtains, fabrics and props and keep the garment wardrobe open in full view. The models love rifling through the garments and come up with all sorts of interesting mix & match looks. For those new to this business don’t be fooled by large studios, expensive lights and backdrops. Good people/portrait photography is about connecting with your subject to find their personality and in the case of glamour – that hot look. 🙂
January 29, 2013 at 8:16 am, Philip_Hough said:
in regards to home shoots i use bowens in my dinning room aswell , I still need more practice though 🙂 .. we have to remove all our 12 chairs , table and grandfarther clock and we hang a white muslin cloth over the back wall curtain rail, and it works a treat . . I’m thinking of getting in a cheaper frame for the cloth / s that I have .. i currently can fit in a softbox / umbrella and I’m working on other idea’s. all the best with other tog’s 🙂 !
January 29, 2013 at 4:39 am, Thomas Johannessen said:
Great.
I use one or two flashlights remote controlled from my Nikon at home or out, pluss reflectors and backdrops as fabric or walls,/doors depending on what I have available. The only issue I have is the distance from the model to the background to avoid shadows on it. normally I dont want them (pluss make them pitch black. Rick Drews chains to eye-hooks are very useful .
March 12, 2013 at 12:24 pm, Sentimental Treasures said:
flashlights or strobes? lol
January 27, 2013 at 11:35 am, Idene said:
Fashion Nude????
October 26, 2016 at 11:00 am, D. San said:
I guess it’s displaying jewelry?
October 27, 2016 at 3:11 pm, Jen said:
Yes. Fashion nudes. Do you look at various fashion magazines, especially those from Europe?
What’s the big deal?
January 27, 2013 at 7:29 am, Prem said:
This is a very good example of a shoot in a restricted small space. Can appreciate the technique used here to light the subject using a single light to light the subject and also the background.
The use of rods and hooks, portable supports or just the walls etc is not the issue here. The image just shows creativity in a confined space and that is what that has to be understood and appreciated.
June 11, 2013 at 7:20 pm, OllyOlly OxenFree said:
Word…..
August 23, 2017 at 12:25 pm, John Lynch said:
looks a little like my home studio…
January 25, 2013 at 9:28 am, Deutscher Meister-Fotograf said:
Seriously I think he should have given more examples of how one can shoot in tight spaces.
January 24, 2013 at 8:21 pm, Tom Upton said:
Excellent. You have inspired me to clean out my garage. Thanks for posting this!
January 24, 2013 at 7:09 pm, MUSE Photography said:
awesome post. I never read these but I learned a lot by reading my first one. awesome thanks
January 24, 2013 at 9:02 am, Vincent Wolff said:
love this photo
January 24, 2013 at 1:52 am, ApetureControl said:
I have a nice sized Living Room after reading this awesome article, there’s hope for me after all !! Anyone know where i can get some decent sized posts that won’t break my budget ? Thanx All !!
January 26, 2013 at 10:55 pm, Gregory Pete Felder said:
calumet or B&H.
March 12, 2013 at 12:27 pm, Sentimental Treasures said:
use some closet L brackets with the rod hook and a piece of 1″ conduit… now you can leave it up and have drapes in the apartment too
January 23, 2013 at 6:45 pm, JAE said:
Very helpful article. I have debated doing this with my living room which is a bit larger then the room you used for this shot. I may have to give it a try.
January 23, 2013 at 4:07 pm, B.J. Photography said:
Wonderful edu of getting great results out of a small work space.
January 23, 2013 at 1:34 pm, Allan Marshall said:
Thanks Sendu,
Sounds like my front room size wise. Nice idea with the grided beauty dish. Which i use mostly in my room without the grid. A small soft box, or reflector with grids fitted so 2nd source of lighting.
Regards
Allan
January 23, 2013 at 12:57 pm, Pixel Faire said:
Thank you for the article. It lets me know there is hope yet. i just finished a shoot with many of the challenges you mentioned in lighting. I was frustrated and am trying to figure out what to do with my lighting.
January 23, 2013 at 12:30 pm, Rick Drew said:
You can also just hang the backdrop support rod from chains attached to eye-hooks. No need for $500 supports.
January 23, 2013 at 12:56 pm, teddeshred said:
Or just spend 48 bux to get a portable support…
March 12, 2013 at 12:23 pm, Sentimental Treasures said:
as stated in the story… there is no room for stands… look at where the paper roll ends in the images
October 26, 2016 at 10:57 am, D. San said:
Those stand footprints are usually huge, and you can’t put them against the wall. I never really ended up using mine, i just use the pole and that’s it.
June 12, 2013 at 3:55 am, Mark Dub said:
Exactly, i bought these large closet hooks for $5 each at HD.. mounted them to the ceiling and done.
October 26, 2016 at 10:56 am, D. San said:
True. I bought some L brackets and put some A clamps at the ends, and a smaller A clamp on the roll. Boom, cost me like 30-40 dollars.