Studio Shots - Settings?

8utters

8utters

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I'm going to be taking some portraits in a studio i'v hired in Manchester next week.

Never shot in a studio before, what settings would everyone recommend?

I was going to do a custom white balance of the background to ensure it's nice and white.

Settings-wise I was thinking:

Shutter: 200ish
Apature: 4 or 5.6
ISO: 125
WB: Custom (from shot taken of backdrop).

Do those settings look alright?

Planning on using my 70-200 f/2.8 L for them, but will also take my 17-40 f/4 L and my 50mm f/1.8 if I decide to use them.

Also other general studio tips would be appreciated.
 
when i use a studio, i generally tend to use:
f9
iso 400
shutter: 1/125

what i have learnt since using one, is that they are restricitve, and i get hot, so dont wear any thick jumpers!!! hehehe

have fun!
 
You don't say, but I assume you'll be using flash.

Shutter speed - not critical as long as it's LESS than the max synch speed for your camera. I say 'less' because some manufactuers quote max speeds that only work with their own dedicated accessory flashguns.

Colour temperature - your camera will have settings, either in K or as symbols. Set to either 5500 or to the flash symbol.

Aperture - whatever your flash meter tells you to set it too.

Other tip - Studio lighting is about arranging light in a way that it can't be arranged outdoors. Simply put the light where it gives the effect you want it to have, and ignore advice given in magazine articles, I've never seen an article worth reading
 
Nah don't have £100+ to spend on stuff lol.

Not planning on doing alot of studio photography either. Perhaps in the future though.
 
Without the £100 flash meter you will have to guess your exposure and work from trial and error using the histogram on the camera. The other use for the meter is to balance the lights. One will be your main light or key light, the other will be a fill light. You need to know what the levels of those are before you start so you can get the lighting ratio right.

I hope you got on Ok and didn't waste the money on the studio hire. (Or that they were kind and lent you one!)
 
I might shoot tethered so that I can evaluate the photos as I go.

The studio also has a few computers with Epson printers for proofing.
 
Ok, some random thoughts on the stuff in this thread.


Asking what settings people use for studio shots is about as useful as saying, I have to go the station tomorrow, how do you all get to the station? First right and second left might do it for me and be no use to you at all.

Unless the lights are the same power and the same distance from the subject AND you want the same exposure, the settings are meaningless.

I have never used a flash meter with a digital camera other than to get the exact balance of light required for copy work. You have a histogram and the ability to see the shot instantly. Far more accurate than a meter, so why bother. In the time it takes to faff about metering, I could adjust the lights or camera settings from the shot info and be done.

Digital does take away the buzz of shooting to some degree but it does let you experiment so freely. Set it up, shoot and see if it works. If not, change it and try again. There is no right and wrong to this. There is only what you like and what you don't.

So go and enjoy. :D
 
Well yeah that's exactly what I was gonna do, I will shoot at tons of different settings and see which comes out best.

Just interested in what other people shoot at, i'm not planning to shoot at any of the reccomendations on here really (they were all pretty similar to what I had in mind anyway), i'l shoot at what works best for me :)
 
8utters - I would imagine there will be someone at the studio to give you advice on the lights, camera settings etc. That's been the case when I've used studios. And, I would hope they would have a light meter to hand as well.

Whilst what Daz says is correct (ie there's no right and wrong setting), generally (for camera setting purposes) you're taking advantage of the available light. So ISO 100 for sharpness and a reasonably high f stop for the same reason (f/9 - f/11). Unless you're going for very dark / moody stuff or unless you want a very shallow depth of field, then that should probably do the job with a shutter speed of about 125 or so.

Shoot raw and use the flash setting on your camera for wb (or maybe about 5500 - 5700 if you really want to set a custom one). You can always change it in PS anyway to get the effect you want.

Think carefully about shooting tethered. Your camera's review screen is good enough to tell you if the lighting is ok (although maybe not if you are really after super creative effects). I did a shoot last week where I shot tethered and had mixed feelings about it. It enabled both me and the clients to see what was going on, but it also enabled the clients to criticise at every available opportunity. If you want to do that for your own peace of mind, then fine, but I would suggest you keep the computer screen firmly angled away from the clients - to be used for your own benefit only - until such time as you decide you've got shots the client may like to review. Its a useful tool, but it can add stress to the shoot.

I would also think your 70-200 may be a bit long - depends what type of shots you're doing and how much space you have. The 50 may well be a better bet (but no harm in going prepared)

I've seen enough of your stuff on here and your website to know you're a good photographer and I'm sure you'll have no problem adapting. But from my (limited) studio experience, it does seem to require a completely different set of skills - to do with talking, listening and reacting to your models. And unless it comes naturally to you, its another thing to learn. Well, it is for me, anyway.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.

And apologies if I'm telling you things you already know - I hope this post is taken as meant.

MV
 
Thanks for the comments, cheers mobilevirgin, some great tips there, will definatly put some into practice!

The people i'm doing the shots of are actually my friends (one is my housemate), they arn't going to be insanely critical or anything. It's actally a great way to start a new type of photography - taking photos of your friends becuase you know they arn't clients who you don't know, who are going to be paying hundreds of pounds for portraits.

I was thinking of using the 70-200 for a few head-only shots and then maybe the 50 for more full-body shots. Maybe even the 17-40 but I think it's a bit wide for studio shots :D

Anyway, i'm sure i'l be fine, i'm pretty adaptive when it comes to photography so should be good fun!

I'l post up some shots here when i'm done :D
 
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