DIY Photo Studio

Ever wish you could get great, photo studio quality photos, but without paying the price? With this instructable, I will walk you through the process of building a mini-studio.

Step 1 Materials

Materials Needed:
-Medium/Large Posterboard (Color of your choice, I like white)
-Desk
-Lamp with adjustable arm
-Large binder clip
-Sticky tack or Tape

Other Recommended Materials
-Camera (I used a Panasonic Lumix for this Instructable)
-Photography Subject

Comments

[instructascott]

I have a similar photo set up for my current university project and perhaps a tip to share...I use the white LED torch light from my camera phone to produce the illusion of daylight when it's 2am, works a treat! With the aperture increased on the camera, the result is a bright, modern photograph, perfect for new design concepts. I found this much better than the yellowish light you receive from most lamps.

[Canadarocker]

Thanks for this going to add it to my basement when i move in to my new house.

[Phil B]

You have used a direct light from above. A softer more indirect light would soften the shadows and can be very pleasing for many subjects. Bounce your light into a white umbrella in addition to your curved white background. Or, old portrait setups used diffused light from a northern exposure. A large window opening to the north can accomplish this. You might want a large reflector on the south side of the subject to avoid strong shadows, depending on the room. Some of the old portrait studios were tents with translucent white cloth above and on the north side. The rest of the tent was an opaque cloth.

[Roketcooper]

Thanks for the imput. I'm still an amatuer at this, I was just sharing what I do =)

[Phil B]

I got interested in photography in high school. At first I concentrated on the camera and proper exposure settings. After some years I began to realize I needed to know more about how to visualize light and control it, including when to use direct light and whent to use diffuse light. There is always something more to be learned. Digital cameras and photo editing software have made everyone a better photographer.

[codester]

Nice, but you need more light. Or use a slower shutter speed.

[ll.13]

-If your camera has a "Macro" setting, use it! It is specifically for close ups. (The icon looks like a little flower)

Not many people even know what it is, if they have it on their camera, or even what it does. There's Instructables on taking macro pictures in itself. o.0