Studio space and a time-slot to shoot can be expensive. However, many people shell over the money because they can’t think of an alternative. A professional studio space after all has expensive equipment, special lighting, and the right backdrops. Surely it would cost too much money to make your own?
Though making a professional studio space may be expensive, it is perfectly reasonable and possible to make a low cost, home-made photography studio that can do everything you need. The trick is in knowing what you need. To help solve that problem, and hopefully turn a room of your house into a studio space, below is a short guide on what you should focus on in order to make your own DIY studio.
Space
No matter what, you are going to need some space. However, it doesn’t have to be a large, cavernous room. In fact, it could be a hallway, living room, and even bedroom. Look for a space 5 feet wide by 15 feet deep. At the bare minimum, this should provide the space you need to shoot.*2
Lighting
The second most important thing when creating a DIY studio is lighting. Lighting can be tricky. Natural light from outside is best, but not every room will have an ample amount of it or even have the lighting facing the right direction. To solve this problem, there is a wide range of specially made portrait lights. The problem with these are that they can cost a great deal of money.*1
Instead of focusing on fancy lights, consider what these lights are supposed to do. For good photography, you want to remove any extra or unnecessary shadows.*1 This means having a number of light sources. Work lights, sold at a number of home improvement stores, are perfect for removing shadows. They come with a highly reflective metal cone that helps distribute light.*1 In addition, these lights can sell for as little as 9 dollars, and can be clamped to a number of surfaces, making them easy to use.*3
Background
Now with the lighting and space solved, we can turn to the backgrounds of your photography studio. Backgrounds ensure that the subject of the picture is stands out. A background can be a large roll of paper *2, or even a green screen.*1 With no shadow lighting, both make changing the background via photo-editing a breeze, allowing for any number of possibilities.
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For more information, read on at the links cited below.
1* http://voices.yahoo.com/yes-own-homemade-photography-studio-2212485.html
2* http://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/so-you-think-you-cant-have-a-studio/
3. http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Electrical-Tools-Accessories-Work-Lights/N-5yc1vZbm8p