We are opening our first small studio this upcoming week mainly as a client - meeting place and because we have some extra space in the back, we'd like to use it for profile / faceshot pictures.
The space is narrow at 7.5ft wide and 13ft in length. The length is not an issue, but we do realize it is a bit narrow. What can we do about this space?
My idea was to put a 55" soft silver PLM umbrella (Paul C Buff) and a 47" octabox with the two einsteins that i already have. Being its our first studio space, i'm going to do some research on nice backdrops but i wanted to know if anyone has been using a space this small to produce profile pics / face shots on your clients.
I'm sure it's workable, just wanted to know what to expect and if there is anything else i should buy to make the space workable. Part of my current lens lineup i was going to test with are:
35L 1.4
Sigma 50 1.4
135L 2.0
70-200 2.8
Also, should I consider replacing the 135L for an 85 1.2 mk II or a 50 1.2 mk?
You need to think about the side walls in this space. Do you want light to reflect off the walls and back onto your subject? In some cases, this might work, while in others, you might want to avoid it. So consider getting a pair of large black foam core panels that you can use to soak up stray light on either side when your lighting approach calls for more focused light. Just my two cents.
Foam core panels should be available from most framing shops. I'm fortunate to live in Southern California and can get to companies that sell to the movie and television studios. The key is to get large foam core panels, around 8 feet high. I'd hesitate to buy from out of state firms, as the cost of shipping will probably equal the cost of the panels themselves. So if you can't get them at your local art framing store (e.g. Aaron Brothers), ask them where they get theirs, and follow up on that.
