A few people have been asking me about my home studio set-up, I've written a few emails, so I'm going to post this instead, save me time in the future! Further questions of course more than welcome.
Currently I don't have a studio, but below is what I had, and can be very easily be set up again with the right space. This was the master bedroom of my apartment (before rent went up and I lost it!) so wasn't a massive room, a bit longer would have been nice, but it worked. I have set it up now and then for shoots where the location and space allows.
MAIN GEAR
- 2x Elinchrom D-Lite4 400Ws
- Lastolite HiLite 7" x 6"
EXTRA GEAR
- Lastolite HiLite Bottletop Cover With Train 6`x7` - Black
- Interfit Stellar Flood Light - 500 Watts (& Floor Stand)
- Nikon Speedlight SB-800 (with snoots, honeycombs etc.)
- Various folding reflectors
- Homemade reflectors
- Whiteboards
- Whiteboards covered in emergency blankets
The setup is great, I couldn't ask for more in my needs for a studio, it also all collapses down making in extremely portable and storable. The D-Lite pack down in to a couple of cases, both of which I put in a larger case. The HiLite is like one of those pop up tents so also folds down nicely.
Sample shots
With the white train
With home made background
DIY accessories
I picked up some cheap white boards in a DIY store which are great for adding some extra bounce from the sides. I do a lot of camping and fishing, so when tidying up my gear bag I realised an emergency blanket was perfect for wrapping around one the white boards. It results in a very nice and warm reflector. I also keep one in the camera bag for lighting and real emergencies when shooting outdoors! They only cost a few euro so well worth getting a few.
Emergency blanket as a dress!
You can get emergency blankets here:
