Setting Up a Photography Portrait Studio ~ Enhance Photography Skill

Whether you are an amateur photographer looking to try your own hand at taking portraits of your children or you want to take the next step and open your first professional studio, setting up a photography studio should be a well-planned venture.

There are many lighting setups out there, but a studio dependent on natural window light will be the easiest type of light for a new photographer to master.

Instructions

Choose your space.

Because you are building a studio based on window lighting, the windows in the room should be the first thing you take into account. The ideal window should be large and face north. South facing windows also work well, but avoid east or west facing windows.

Choose your background system. This is what you will use to hold up your background material.

There are two main types of background systems widely available, track systems and stand systems. Track systems attach to your wall and will fit several different backgrounds that slide around like curtains. This type of system works well when your space is completely devoted to photography.

Stand systems require you to manually change out your backgrounds. The main advantage to these systems is that they are portable.

Choose a background.

You will need to purchase at least one background to get you started, although it is nice to have two or three.

The most common types of backgrounds are muslin fabric and are either dyed or painted. Dyed muslin will have a mottled look and is often referred to as "old master" muslin. Painted muslin, on the other hand, tends to have a more modern look and feel to it.

You can also make your own background.

Choose a light source to be used as a "kicker" light.

Your kicker light is placed opposite the main light, the window in this case, and is generally softer than the main light.

Unless you are lucky enough to have a room with windows on both the north and south side of your photography area you will have to use an artificial light source as your kicker.

While there are many artificial lights available, photographers who are new to studio lighting often have good success with continuous lighting using daylight balanced compact florescent bulbs (CFLs). These lights remain cool while allowing the photographer to see where the light will fall prior to taking the photograph because they remain on rather than flashing with your camera's shutter.

If you are feeling adventurous, you may consider experimenting with off camera flash for your kicker.

Setup your background system.

The background should be placed so that the window is in front and perpendicular to the background. The goal is for the window light to hit your subject and still skim the background material.

Place your kicker light.

The kicker light should be setup adjacent to the window and aimed at your subject. Remember that the farther away from your subject that you place the kicker the more faint it will be in the photograph.

Add diffusion to your lighting.

Diffusion refers to the process of spreading out the light coming from your light sources and is generally achieved by attaching an item to your light.

Umbrellas and softboxes are two common attachments that will easily diffuse your kicker. An umbrella will give more shadows and a more dramatic look while a softbox will force the light to "wrap around" your subject a bit more for a softer feel.

While it is not necessary, you can diffuse the light from the window by simply adding a white sheer curtain.

Take some test shots.

Grab a friend or family member or even a doll and take a few photographs to test the placement of your lighting and background.

Adjust your setup to fix anything that you did not like about your test shots.

If the background is not blurred enough, move it backwards. If the kicker is too bright, move it back or reduce the light output. If the kicker is too soft, move it closer or use bulbs with higher wattage. You may also play with different types of light diffusion.