New garage studio build diary

[feather]

I have started to build a new studio
converting a single garage into a professional studio

If you are interested in the process I have started a daily blog,
for others who might be thinking about the same idea.
I will add a bill of materials at the end so you can see the costs and items.

Here is the blog which I will update daily.

http://purefineart.blogspot.com

[Hank]

Thanks for the post.  It will be interesting to watch.

Having been through the exercize (a garage conversion, not a blog), I can offer a quick suggestion or two.  For best service and comfort, as well as atmosphere for your subjects, cover the floor.  We simply rolled out inexpensive carpeting, but it made a huge difference.

Depending upon the nature of your subject, consider an overhead support system rather than stands.  The garage seems roomy while empty, but lateral shooting space shrinks noticeably by the time you get everything in place using stands.  Calumet (lights) and Bogen/Manfroto (backdrop supports) have quite an array, but you can cobble together alternatives if you want to spend less.  Check the Calumet site for ideas.  

At the very least assemble a selection of carpet remnants to lay across any and all electric cords on the floor to avoid trip hazards.  This can be a sincere issue in a narrow space.  We use wireless system to replace both the shutter release and synch cords.  I can attest from personal experience that neither a tripod mounted camera nor a strobe on a light stand makes a pleasant sound when striking the concrete floor after a trip.

[feather]

Thanks for the pointers

I will use wood floor laminate, they now do a white one. So should be warm and hard wareing.

I am thinking of Booms, but will try the stands to begin with.

Backdrops will hang on a pole attached to the ceiling so no need for stands.
Also the false removable wall at the back will be white on one side and black on the other, which will save a lot of space.

Also I will use a white chain, to secure the strobe stands to the walls, just in case little fingers test how stable they are.

I need all the ideas I can at this stage.

Gary

[Hank]

It does seem that you are putting good thought into the project and coming up with some very useful solutions to the problems with small spaces.  We depart a bit from your design by having black, short-knap carpeting on the floor of the main shooting room of our studio, and we'll soon be replacing the flooring in the two other shooting rooms with the same.  It's amazing how much easier it is to control multiple lights when you are not getting reflections off a floor, and hence both our preference for the black rather than the substrates in the other rooms.  We've discussed but not acted on the inspiration to paint the walls and ceiling black in our smallest room (about the size of your garage), simply to eliminate stray reflections and allow even more light control.  It will be interesting to see if you come to the same conclusion after shooting a while in yours.   We won't so it in our largest room because it includes shuttered windows to allow natural light shooting at certain times of day, for which light reflected off a white wall can be very effective fill.

[feather]

Its an interesting point

In theory I was coming to the same conclusion, as white reflective surfaces throws light around that you cant really control very well.
All black will absorb the light and therefore you really control where the light is going.

In conclusion I figured that a white room would be better for a small area maximising the light
especially for the commercial high key shots,  and use home made gobos when I need the black,
maybe hang black sheets on the walls, carpet tiles over the wood floor that could be removed eaisly etc....

Which ever way you go I think you need black and white at times depending.
I have heard that painting a black square above the subject can help with the hair lighting for more control on the snoot light.

As you say it a case of try it a see, I am sure over the time I am using the studio I will paint it many times, white, black, grey. Perhaps have a set of hand painted panels for the false wall that are interchangable.


Thats part of the fun I think.

Gary

[Hank]

Versatility!  That's the key, and it sounds as though you are right on track.  Of course, the more versatile you beomce, the more storage space you will need!  Space for storage drove our moves to successively larger studios, rather than need for more shooting space.  We bought the building we're in now 8 years ago, but have since accumulated so much that we're seriously contemplating an addition for gallery space and yet more storage.  It's never ending.  

I sincerely hope you run out of space sooner rather than later, simply as a sign of success!

[dwdallam]

You may want to take this thread to Fred Miranda also. Luminous is 99% landscape. Fred's has a lot of studio like forums. You amy get lots more feedback.

[feather]

already done