Just thought that it might be useful to see some studio set-ups which include the whole scene including placement of lights , softboxes, reflectors etc..
Thanks for sharing


EDIT _ EDIT _ EDIT 1/11/2006

When you are doing a shoot please take a shot of the whole scene with model - lights etc - so that people can see the scene and get some feel for the shoot that you do -

Also if you can also give some details about light power just write F8 or F4 or whatever over the light in the photo

I know it will take a little bit of time but will provide more value to poeple who are feeling for these shoots -

I would prefere a real scene to a made up scene in PS2 what i have seen floating abround here - it looks real nice but does not give the atmosphere of a real scene.

I know JohnE does it a lot on his setups -
so please let him be the person to who we set our standard to.

Edited by ilegales on Nov 01, 2006 at 03:01 PM GMT

I'd be interested in seeing studios set up with the Digi Bee lights, and maybe some photos as a result from using those.

good idea

me too

Really.... we would lilke to see them!!

lol i guess no body is going to show their studios?

joel

I'm building mine in the garage and once it's done i will post a pictue.
Why isn't anybody showing their studios?? I love to get more idea's...

Crown

I'm so heartbroken. I just spent a week building a backdrop stand and a lighting diffusion panel. I setup in an empty apartment at the complex where my church had its fall festival. I was using my Home Depot work lights and an umbrella rigged (via cable ties) to a tripod where my SB-800 was mounted for remote firing. I had a hand-dyed backdrop that took me several hours to finish. And would you believe that even after reminding myself I don't have a single pic of the finished setup? Just what I captured in the portraits.

some one?

My budgeetttt setup...(studio? What studio?)

Okay, you asked for it. Here's a series of 3 studio setups using all Alien Bees and a photos from the shoot...

This one is with Dyanamaria out of Los Angeles recreating some Alberto Vargas works...

Hey John Im looking for booms and wondered if you have any tip's Actually any info on good set ups. I have two med. Photoflex Q39's and one Ex. LG. I want something that can hold my AB800 and the Ex Large SB. Also what is your source for Plexi Glass? I have seen you posts before and love your set ups. Nice shots!!!

Hi Christian,

Thank you for the nice compliments.

I have Matthews, Bogen/Manfrotto and Alian Bee stands. The AB stands (LS3900, Casters and boom arm w/Counterweight) work just great and I would buy them again. The casters really make the lights easier to move around with the frequent set changes.

The one thing that I now use with all of my stands are weight bags or sandbags to ensure stabilization, especially when I'm using the (very heavy) 33" Mola Beauty Dish or the 60" Octodome. I also found 1, 2 and 5 pound (lead) shot (diving) weight bags at my local Sports Authority. These are small and work great in stabilizing the small background light stands.

The Plexiglas was purchased froma local plastics distributor. I buy it in sheets that are 6' x 8' x 1/4". You'll have to check your local Yellow Pages for a distributor near you. Mine was able to deliver the the sheets for $35. Home Depot did not carry these sheet sizes and thickness. Be prepared to do plenty of maintenance to keep the plexi in good condition. They mar and scratch very easily. They are also very cumbersome to move by yourself and and take up a lot of storage space. I picked up a $20 car polisher and polish pads and use a cleacoat liquid car wax to buff out the scratches and to put a protective layer to prevent some maring and scratching.

The black curtains are 30' x 9' and are of a very heavy black felt material that I found on Ebay in the photo equipment/backgrounds/studio section. I purchased the ceiling-mounted curtain-rail hanging system from an on-line hospital supply house. To hang the curtain, I picked up brass grommets and the tool to install them at Home Depot for around $10.

I hope the info helps.

Best regards,
John

Uhhhh.... Tough act to follow. John, your work is nothing short of inspiring. I would have to say that my entry represents the other end of the spectrum. Having no money to invest in photography at present, I still wanted to learn lighting. So I cobbled the setup beolw together. I have more money invested in Duct tape than anything else. I would not say that it is in any way up to the quality standards around here, but it gives us something to learn and practice with until we can afford a light setup.

Truly a spacious studio, storage room converted to play area. Massive 7'6" ceilings ensure that we do not have to compromise our light setup.

I am just starting out, and I am slowly building up all the things I need to make a studio...I have no room for one, but oh well.

I just use dis-assemble the living room, and go from there. On the right is an Alien Bee 800 in a large softbox. The left light is an Alien Bee 1600 with a honeycomb grid on it.

I love it! I have looked like this often during my college days. The Kitten is simply priceless. Very well done. Just goes to prove, it's not what you have, but how you use it!

Yes the kitten could be a poster very easily. You really should see about selling that.

As for the drunk, I can relate Typically how I feel after recieving my credit card bill after a major Photo Purchase.

Was the cat drinking too? It looks a little tipsy. Nice photos everyone. The pro photos were inspiring.

Funny you should ask if the cat was drinking too. Here is the problem...How do you get a 5 week old kitten to stand still in a spot that is barely as wide as she is?!?!?

Answer...you put something that has a very strong scent right where you want her to stand...then you can tear it out of the way and get ONE shot before she tries to attack your camera.

Christian S wrote:
Hey John Im looking for booms and wondered if you have any tip's Actually any info on good set ups. I have two med. Photoflex Q39's and one Ex. LG. I want something that can hold my AB800 and the Ex Large SB. Also what is your source for Plexi Glass? I have seen you posts before and love your set ups. Nice shots!!!


Prob can get plexiglass from Home Depot... I know they have lots of sizes...not sure if it'll be as big as John's though.

Also, I'd suggest www.amvona.com for light stands and booms. I have about 7 of their stands, plus lights, backdrops, etc. i support them fully. I have a wholesale membership ($45/yr) with them...which gives me about 1/2 off retail prices of similar products to Photoflex...same quality better price (IMHO). But I got most of mine off of their eBay store for about 1/3 of the wholesale prices! Amazing! VERY Strong ....almost identical to Photoflex and Bogen products. give em a try.

I'm about to buy some studio equipment, and a thread like this is more helpful than all those confusing pages google found me about lighting.

Thank you so much guys!

Please keep them coming...

JohnE, you're my new hero. Great descriptions and really really stunning shots. Just a Q: do you actually need the B1600, meaning, do you often/regularly use it at full power, could you manage with a B800 just as well?

Rob (Walter Mitty),
Thank you for the compliment. You image is excellent. I'll admit :-) Its really nice to be able to have good equipment (I sink all of the money from surfing photo sales back into the business to be able to have the good stuff.) However, I am much more amazed and impressed at the stunning quality of work produced by many people here at FM's such as yourself and Roley (just to mention two), who product top-notch work with minimal and even home-grown equipment. I take my hat off to you and those that produce such excellent work with minimal equipment and huge passion.

Brian (vizualgraphix)
I've heard nothing but the best about Amvona. They have a great reputation. When I first started looking for plexiglas, I went straight to Home Depot. I was able to buy two sheets of 1/8" x 2' x 6'. I had a few problems with these sheets: (1) I always had to painstakingly clone out the seam between the sheets, (2) 1/8" is too thin when working on a soft/carpetted surface as the model's weight causes the plexi to dimple (bow) and (3) 6' x 6' was just a bit too small.

Karusel,
! Thanks for the (hero) compliment. As for the AB1600... yep I do use it on full power at times... mostly when I shoot outside, like when we shoot in the pool during the daylight and the light is 15-20 feet from the subject under a difusion panel.

clhurtt,
Just wanted to compliment you on your great shot of the kitten. One of the best I've seen. Too cute. Might be a good one to sell to a stock agency? :-)

John

Wow, what a great thread. Thanks to all who shared. Don't have anything to share myself except to say I also have a pair of the Home Depot hot lights and have modified them so they fit on my light stands. I've also used them in the past to mood light natural background outdoors at night for portraits. In studio (living room!) I use them bounced off big reflectors and have been having some fun getting into studio lighting this way, learning a bit more each time. My paying work is outdoor action and portrait that is available light only or with just a bit of fill so this is a new arena for me and I'm grateful for this nice thread with such great ideas and wonderful explanatory images. Not to mention the GREAT KITTEN SHOT Really awesome. And all of your stuff too, John E.- really inspirational. I'll bet you are not lighting those polo ponies!

Leena wrote:
I'll bet you are not lighting those polo ponies!


Thanks Leena. You're right about the Polo Ponies... except when we do portraits of their string for the players. :-)

John


Edited by JohnE on Apr 25, 2006 at 11:43 AM GMT

I am going to break the rules and post pictures submitted by other Fred Miranda photogs from our FM Washington D.C. session in Sept.
This is our studio in Leesburg Va.

Don