WORKING IN A MINI-STUDIO

[MERLEWINE]

Even though I have a large studio less than a block from my home, I find myself most often working in a very small space, an upper-story room in my home, at least during the cold months of winter. I have had to be inventive to make this space easy-to-use as a photographer. I like to kid myself that I don’t need a large studio because I am doing macro photography.

I used to use (and still do in the larger studio) large collapsible reflectors and diffusers, some of them nine and even twelve-feet in size, but there is no room in my mini-studios even to expand one of these. And, as I am always building backdrops, I had to come up with a system to create and take-down backdrops in seconds. Here is what I am now using:

I have a simple system of “eyelet screws” positioned (one above the other for various heights) in the woodwork and walls of my small studio. I then have a system of hooked bungee cords that can crisscross the room every which way to create photo-clotheslines from which I hang various backdrops, often just a piece of black velvet velour. In addition, I have plastic-coated braided-wire hooks for the heavier stuff, like the ¾-stop silk diffusers that I use to screen down the light.

The one thing this tiny studio does have is lots of light, including an overhead skylight and two floor-to-ceiling casement windows, which is why I have to screen it back. I also have a ¾-stop door-sized diffuser hanging overhead, which I can slide out of the way on cloudy days.

Perhaps some of you have ideas to share for photographing in a mini-studio. I would like to hear about them.

 

[digital_darrel]

Thanks for sharing the info!

Darrel

 

[D Cox]

Thanks for that very informative post.

I like the results:

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www.dpreview.com

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What do you use to connect the camera to the bellows ?

Another Nikon user assures me that it is impossible to use a D810 with a PB-4, which from your photo is clearly not the case.

(I use a Sony E-mount camera with the PB-4.)

 

[MERLEWINE]

The solution is to provide a small amount of extension so that the camera can be mounted and not rub up against the bellows. I use for the Nikon D810 the Nikkor PK-12 extension which provides 14mm of extension, which is enough.

 

[Tecumseh]

The solution is to provide a small amount of extension so that the camera can be mounted and not rub up against the bellows. I use for the Nikon D810 the Nikkor PK-12 extension which provides 14mm of extension, which is enough.

Merlewine, I like your setup. Mine is almost identical. PB-6, D810, Hoodman Hoodloupe, El Nikkor 50mm. f2.8, and Manfrotto 405 geared head with a Hejnar Arca-Swiss plate.