When you start looking into studio-style photography the seemingly unending amount of equipment can be really intimidating.

It can also seem really expensive.There is no doubt that you can easily find yourself spending $25,000 kitting out a fancy studio set-up.

However, you can get started for under $1,000 (even less if you are really resourceful!)

What you need.

#1. A camera that can connect to studio lights and use a “Manual Setting”

#2. 1-studio light (this can be a strobe, or an off-camera flash, or a hot-light)  (You can also use natural light)

#3. A light diffuser (umbrellas tend to be the cheapest option – however, you can also create your own diffuser using a piece of white nylon (like you would find in a flag or kite shop).  You can also bounce you light off of a piece of white board (or even a white wall)

#4. A backdrop of some sort

This backdrop doesn’t have to be a ‘photography-specific’ one to begin with.  You can use a white sheet, a white wall, a large piece of white paper (which you can find at craft shops).

If you want to use a black backdrop -you can use a sheet, large pieces of felt tacked on a wall – or, if you are able to have your subject far from the back wall -you don’t even need a backdrop at all!  By illuminating only the subject, you will end up with a ‘black-backdrop’ effect.

Here are some photos showing how you can achieve a studio-style portrait with minimum investment to get started.

In this first set-up, I am using a seamlesss roll of paper and one studio light with a brolly (which is just an umbrella with a piece of black fabric sewn on the back to prevent light from spilling out.  On the left side, you can see a piece of white foamboard resting against a stool – I am using this to bounce a bit of the main light back towards the subject to fill in some shadows.

If you don’t have seamless paper, or the backdrop stands, you can tack a sheet against a wall, or use a curtain rod to hang it – just make sure if you are going to have subject moving around on the backdrop that it is  secure.  Another option is is to have 2 separate pieces – the sheet against the wall, and another on the ground.

This “stunning” headshot to the left shows the effect of the lighting set up above.

If you don’t have a backdrop yet – no problem – you can still start practicing. 

If you have 2 lights, aim one at the wall to “blast” it with light” to get the ‘all white look’ – you could also tack a sheet, or paper to the wall, if you were doing full body, and needed to get the floor in as well

You can see on the photo on the left I am a bit too close to the wall – so you can see some spill on the side of my face from the light reflecting off the wall.  In this case, either move your subject closer to the main, and further from the wall – or power down your backdrop light.  There is also quite a bit of shadow on my face – I would move the light more to the middle, to remove some of this – or bring in the foamboard to bounce some light.

Women generally look better with fewer shadows.  With portraits of men, shadows are much more forgiving, and can, in fact, enhance the look of the portrait.

But, the best way to learn what “look” you like, is to practice!

Now, if you don’t yet have a studio light, you can also practice with natural light – just set your subject close to a window (or, you can even practice outside – there is no rule saying you can’t bring backdrops outdoors!)  If it’s a cloudy day, the sky will act as one big softbox.

Coming up next…“Shooting in a bat cave..is it necessary?”

P.S. Are you BRAND-NEW to studio lighting? Save yourself some time & money with my online bootcamp for beginners, where I show you exactly the equipement I use in the studio, and exactly how I set up my lights – click for more details.

P.P.S. Have some studio experience but struggling with the business side of things? Check out Prairie Child’s, “Getting Down to Business” workbook, because running a photography business is only fun if you get paid…and anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or independently wealthy!

(Missed Lesson #1?  Click here to go there now)

(want to jump ahead to Lesson #3?  I’ll still send it to you online, but you can skip ahead now:  Click here)