I'm really interested in setting up a small home studio in my spare room. What would be the minimum lighting set up you guys would advise and back drops? I'm brand new to portraits but I need something interesting to shoot when my agoraphobia stops play for the day...week...month.
I've seen the £70 home studio set ups on amazon which are about my budget but I wondered if anyone had any experiences of these?
I'd imagine you'd be hard pressed to find decent quality in a whole setup for 70 pounds....
What do you think you need? What do you already have?
Unfortunately my budget is what it is for the time being :( What I have already is a cheap speedlight flash, remote trigger and a 5-in-1 reflector.
I'd suggest working with what you've got for now, shoot as much as you can and become comfortable working with a one light set up. If you've got a decent window for natural light, mix it up with ambient light and fill flash / reflector.
The more you shoot, the more you'll discover which bits of gear you need to add to your kit. One piece at a time.
Keep shooting and always have fun doing it.
cheers from Vancouver
I'd agree! I jumped ahead a bunch of steps from speed lights into moonlights and whatnot. You'll quickly realize what capabilities you're missing out of your setup once you come across a problem and realize 'oh there's a thing for that.' But there's also a thing for everything so its easy to get ahead of yourself!
OP, maybe get another 5-in-1, use the current you have as a diffuser. Or buy an umbrella. That'd give you soft light and the ability to bounce fairly cheap. Then you'll be looking for more :)
Hey Paul, considering we're living in the same city, I'm more than happy to lend you some of my old gear for you to play around with. I have an old flash you can borrow as a 2nd unit and a few umbrellas and stands.
I'd definitely second what Bruce says, you can get good results with minimal kit, i guess just make a start and get confident with shooting portraits.
I do have a full Lastolite studio kit I'd be willing to let you use on a short term basis too.
Hey Joe, Thanks mate! I'm in the process of cleaning out the room but I'll definitely take you up on your offer, cheers again :)