Messages
1
Name
Kelly Doody
Edit My Images
No
I am wanting to build an at home studio. And I need some opinions and advice.
A house that we are looking at my studio would have to be in an attic space. This is 24'7"x10,10".
Would this be a plausible space to have a studio?
I'm thinking of the clients as I want to do family and alone portraiture. Even pets. It would be three floors up.
What are your thoughts?
This house though is situated in a bigger ish town.

If not I am thinking of building an shed type of studio. Though this would have to be in a different house and is in a smaller area.
 
My instant thought was how wide is the 10th part of the ceiling?

the first consideration is that we generally light from above, so a 6ft subject really needs 10ft ceilings at least, if that pitch is quite steep, it’s inconvenient, though you could make it work?
 
I have a 4x5m space on the 2nd floor. The ceiling is 8ft (but flat like a regular room). I have the subjects sit on a stool :) I can get a reflecty brolly right up to the ceiling and this works for standing subjects, or just bounce a gridded standard reflctor off the white ceiling (although I have had a 90cm octa table-topped overhead with a standing model - I just hired a short model :p) But the lack of depth means I rarely shoot anything more than 3/4. Paint the walls a dark neutral grey (mine is in Dulux Ice Storm II - which B&Q can mix for you - make sure it's on a pure matt base). I had a black floor installed as well to eat some more light, and black-out blinds for using weak light sources.
balance.JPGIMG_4212.jpg
I do most of my glamour work in my mate's shed-like studio it's a bit bigger at 5.5x7m with an apex roof, so there's a tonne of height in the middle, but only about 6ft at the edges. He's painted it all white inside though, which works where you want a tonne of free fill light, but I have to work a bit harder to get the looks I'm going for to contain stray light. Shed, with overhead camera rig :-

_DSC2552-Website.jpg

It does sound like a usable space, with a good amount of depth at 7.5m but I would share Phil's concern - the apex ceiling will limit not only the height, but further restrict the width. I used to shoot products and portraits in my attic in a previous house and could only fit a 2m background in at a working height - and then only 7ft high.
 
My first thought was the practicalities of getting your clients (and their pets) up to your attic.

Mine too.

I’d look into a rail and arm system too to save space. There used to be a link in these very forums years ago to a tutorial to build a DIY version if you weren’t looking to spend £1000’s....

Good luck :)
 
Back
Top