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Studio Questions
Jeremy Winterberg
Registered Users Posts: 1,233 Major grins
My New Year Resolution is to get my own studio by the end of 2010. I'm scoping out some places for my studio to relocate to. (REALLY need to get out of my basement! I'm currently sharing the basement with workout equipment, and so far they're winning the space war) I'm a people shooter... looking at getting more into model photography instead of just families, seniors and weddings...
First Question: How big?
In the near future I will be wanting to use a 70-200 2.8 VR or a 135 f/2-D DC (not sure which one I want next) instead of my 17-55 2.8 with my D300 for portraits. So, what is a good length for using either of these lenses? It would only be used for head shots, and possibly 3/4 shots...
I was thinking 30-36 feet should be perfect... and 20-24 feet wide... roughly the size of a 3 car garage ...and at minimum a 10 foot ceiling. If you think I could get by with a smaller place, that would be great, because - They cost less!
I also have taken into thought about needing a changing area, possibly bathrooms, desk space, and storage space for equipment not being used.
Most of the places I'm finding include utilities and garbage with the lease.
There is one place that I REALLY want. It's aprox. 1200 square feet, the owner is really nice, its only 10 minutes away from my house but it's around $600/mo... a few hundred over what I would like to pay, but dang its a good deal.
There is a contest my city is having where the best business plan wins $4000 to start a biz in the downtown area. They're trying to fix things in the area so that more people go down there.
Part of my business plan I'm working on is to offer my studio for rent to other photographer's in the area. So I would like for it to be appealing to others' needs and not only my self.
I'm not in a hurry to find a place so I want to make sure I get what I need, and find a great deal.
Second Question: Color of the Walls and ceiling
I've talked to many people about this already and have gotten mixed answers. Black, white, gray?
At first I was thinking black, because you can always add more light but its hard to take it away without covering everything up with black. But then I was thinking... white would be nice, because then the entire room is a big fill reflector, and it would make the mood of the room more bright and cheerful. Now I think a light gray (18% maybe) would be perfect, because its not to dark, and its not too bright... ( I'm a night owl... I prefer the dark like Bat Man - which also explains my 3-5am posts :rofl)
Third Question: To Cyc or not to Cyc?
Cyclorama wall or not? Yeah, it would be nice, but are they REALLY worth it? I could make one myself and save a buttload of money, but should I even waste time doing that? Would it be better to just use backgrounds, and seamless paper?
EDIT: For those that do not know what a Cyc wall is, they're basically a never ending wall, the corners are rounded giving you a seamless background. Mostly used in high key setups, can also be green to use for green screen work. And example of a unfinished one: http://www.procyc.com/product.php?intID=4 Mine wouldn't have the top curve, only the bottom. A finished one can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambientplus/4133512403/
Forth Question: Any other advice?
Any other advice would be great! I'm not in a hurry at all to do this... hopefully around mid summer I will have everything worked out and be moving into a studio... but for now, all I can afford is research.
First Question: How big?
In the near future I will be wanting to use a 70-200 2.8 VR or a 135 f/2-D DC (not sure which one I want next) instead of my 17-55 2.8 with my D300 for portraits. So, what is a good length for using either of these lenses? It would only be used for head shots, and possibly 3/4 shots...
I was thinking 30-36 feet should be perfect... and 20-24 feet wide... roughly the size of a 3 car garage ...and at minimum a 10 foot ceiling. If you think I could get by with a smaller place, that would be great, because - They cost less!
I also have taken into thought about needing a changing area, possibly bathrooms, desk space, and storage space for equipment not being used.
Most of the places I'm finding include utilities and garbage with the lease.
There is one place that I REALLY want. It's aprox. 1200 square feet, the owner is really nice, its only 10 minutes away from my house but it's around $600/mo... a few hundred over what I would like to pay, but dang its a good deal.
There is a contest my city is having where the best business plan wins $4000 to start a biz in the downtown area. They're trying to fix things in the area so that more people go down there.
Part of my business plan I'm working on is to offer my studio for rent to other photographer's in the area. So I would like for it to be appealing to others' needs and not only my self.
I'm not in a hurry to find a place so I want to make sure I get what I need, and find a great deal.
Second Question: Color of the Walls and ceiling
I've talked to many people about this already and have gotten mixed answers. Black, white, gray?
At first I was thinking black, because you can always add more light but its hard to take it away without covering everything up with black. But then I was thinking... white would be nice, because then the entire room is a big fill reflector, and it would make the mood of the room more bright and cheerful. Now I think a light gray (18% maybe) would be perfect, because its not to dark, and its not too bright... ( I'm a night owl... I prefer the dark like Bat Man - which also explains my 3-5am posts :rofl)
Third Question: To Cyc or not to Cyc?
Cyclorama wall or not? Yeah, it would be nice, but are they REALLY worth it? I could make one myself and save a buttload of money, but should I even waste time doing that? Would it be better to just use backgrounds, and seamless paper?
EDIT: For those that do not know what a Cyc wall is, they're basically a never ending wall, the corners are rounded giving you a seamless background. Mostly used in high key setups, can also be green to use for green screen work. And example of a unfinished one: http://www.procyc.com/product.php?intID=4 Mine wouldn't have the top curve, only the bottom. A finished one can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambientplus/4133512403/
Forth Question: Any other advice?
Any other advice would be great! I'm not in a hurry at all to do this... hopefully around mid summer I will have everything worked out and be moving into a studio... but for now, all I can afford is research.
Jer
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Comments
Don't forget about this thread: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=152503 as far as color goes.
I have no idea what cyclone walls are, btw
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
And yes, I contributed to that thread some... but am still not sure what I would go with.
sorry, cyclorama wall, not cyclone wall... my mistake. (I will fix it in my original post to avoid further confusion) basically its a wall that never ends. The corner is curved, and the wall is painted white. Its used for high key setups... Seamless paper tries to mimic these types of walls that can cost $3000+ sometimes. this is an example of a really nice one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambientplus/4133512403/
Also, assuming you are not going to hang your lights, but use lightstands, remember that you can only put them on (almost) even surfaces. So with lights from behind, you'd need even more distance to the wall.
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
Those are very large versions of what I would be doing... its basically a foundation for other backdrops... It gives a model or subject a surface to lean against... there are other advantages to having a cyc wall... I'm not sure if I even want one yet, just putting it out there that I am considering it. And if the office space I go with has a car entrance I would be willing to shoot cars, motorcycles, etc... in there as well. Those are two areas I would like to get into... model photography, and commercial photography. Not a huge market for it here though.
For now I wont be hanging my lights... eventually I want to get one of those systems because they are really nice and convenient.
I'm gonna go look at some office space in about an hour. To see exactly what 500 square feet looks like compared to 1400 square feet. I will be taking my camera to get an idea of what I have to work with. and to share with you guys if you want.
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Since you'll be going to school, have you considered making do for the time being with the studio space you'll likely have access to for FREE, fully equipped?
Sure, in time set up your own space, but.... well, just thinking it through. Sounds like a big responsibility without a lot of guaranteed return in the short term. Even if you get the grant and find your own place, I suspect you're looking at more expenses than you're currently expecting especially if you get into renting space which will likely have hefty insurance requirements etc (don't know this for sure, but it seems likely since it would be a "public" space).... wouldn't you rather that money went towards bright and shiny new gear until you're at a point where this is paying for itself and you can fund a studio project with income you're generating from shooting?
Even if you got the $4k grant, that would be gone in less than a year just on RENT - once you start factoring in other costs, it could be very hard to sustain it as a business venture. How big is the market for this in your area - would there be enough people to rent it to make it viable?
I know what it takes to run a business, I've taken many courses on it, ran my own business for a lil while (part of my class) and am going to school for marketing (which basically covers all entrepreneurial topics) . I'm not rushing into things at all. I'm going to be contacting insurance agents, accountants, maybe a lawyer... in the next few weeks-months to see what exactly I need to do to make everything good to go.
Then when I figure out the amount of money its gonna cost me, I'm gonna save up till I can afford to pay for everything for at least a year without having to rely on photography work.
The grant money can be used to buy whatever you want, but the business has to be open downtown by May 2011. Part of the rules. Yes, I would love to spend that money on new gear.. but - do I really need to? My lens does not distort at 24mm, and I cannot see distortion at 55mm or 17mm, but Ken Rockwell says it has some minor distortion. This focal length, and the gear that I currently have, is enough for me to run a studio for now.
This is all subjective to many variables... if things don't work out as planned... I'm not going to be doing this for a while. But it doesn't hurt to have things researched and planned out a head of time. For now, I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
Unfortunately I'm fighting with my parents over the basement. In reality I don't have any space. They keep getting more and more workout equipment, and tbh I wouldn't want to bring any clients down there anyways. So far I have never had a single client in my "studio". I've always recreated a studio in their home, or used the outdoors as the background.
Oh and the market... there are a ton of photographers in the area... most of which are like me (except older)... they don't have studio space, they're working out of their basement. I'm not banking on renting the place out to bring in the majority of the money, its just something I can offer that may or may not bring in some extra cash to help pay the rent!
And the photography market... There are 3 colleges, and 5 High Schools in/very near my town. All of which have young couples getting married, young females wanting to be a model, and tons of families/seniors that all need their pictures taken. yes, there is a wide range of photographers to choose from, but thats why I have to market myself like crazy (which I have been doing) and prove that you're better than the guy next door that will do it for $10 less.
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For everyone - please, no more - don't do it - posts... I never said I'm gonna start it up tomorrow, its gonna be a while. I dont want to rush into this and fail within the first year or two. So I'm taking my time. Alot of photographer's don't (and most businesses for that matter), and they do rush into it... and they fail usually.
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One of the places I looked at today. 1075 square feet. Definitely my favorite so far.
EDIT: BTW: this is in a renovated factory that closed down after WWII... there are a ton of small businesses located here, some of them are studios (Not sure if they're photo studios or personal art studios but whatever)... they also have apartments people can live in. Outside this building is very rustic and old and is one location I take all my seniors to. so it would be perfect if I was located inside it.
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3. My desks and storage would go back in the corner behind the support beam. The backgrounds and such would most likely go back there behind the door. either there or over by the windows shown in the previous picture.
4. And for size comparison here is my friend zach (6'4" like myself)
The space you looked at is beautiful - sure wish I had a space like that to teach and photograph in! There's a house across the street that's been on short-sale for months now and I would give ANYTHING to buy it, gut it (it's tiny) and use it for both a voice AND photo studio. Not in this financial climate however... not a chance. Oh well!
yeah, the school I'm transferring to doesn't have an art department. so, no studio at my fingertips. Big change going from a school that is mostly art and med students to mostly business and computer students. Oh well.
Yeah, I really hope this space is still available when I start getting serious about signing a lease. I was shocked when I walked into it, and even more-so when I saw how much it was. only $550/mo including utilities and parking! Which is like 50 cents a square foot pretty much... dirt cheap, great location (about 5 minutes from my parents house), and it wouldn't be too hard for people to find. Some of the other spaces in this building are tucked away deep in the pits of hell pretty much. This is right by the stairway. 3rd floor - only downside but not a biggie for me... and there is a service elevator so large heavy things don't need to be carried up the stairs. aka - my TV, desk, etc...
Thats also something I was considering doing... Offering workshops to other photographers here. I'm friends with alot of them, and alot of them really have no clue what they're doing... its really sad actually.
1 - 1200 sq ft is really large for just the studio.......for changing area..use Asian Screen room dividers (make your own)......I shot with my 70-210 in my living room in a pre-fab house...lr was only about 150sq ft....headshot and 3/4 were easy....my first studio was in an antique shop 9specialized in hand made walnut living room furniture and beds....I was in the 2nd story with the beds...studio was again 250sq ft.....models need full length shots- standing as well as headshots and 3/4.....in my 2nd story studio I would stand on the roof of the porch to shoot band promo shots (4-8 people) with the 70-210......now I would be inclined to shoot with a 17-70 for portraits and especially anything needing a full length shot...........an inexpensive make up table with mirrors would be nice.....
2- Wall / ceiling color.
Personally I would go with: 1- black walls ceiling and floor........ 2- white
No grey for me it is too depressing in any manner:D
Black is easily colored with gels and if you do a bit of woodwork at the base board you can have one fantastic seamless background......can also be done with white but it is a bit harder....but coloring a white wall with gels is next to impossible, as white reflects all light and black absorbs and holds it...................after reviewing your photos and ceiling height....nice commercial or industrial grade 8-10 ft step ladder.....gonna need it to change the lights anyway........great for taking model shots from above and also romantic sexy valentines stuff..............
Backdrops/backgrounds.......black wall,floor and ceiling + 10-20 theatrical RosCo gels.....from a theatrical supply not B&H or other photo house.....they are inexpensive if you buy a whole gel (24x36"...), enuff in a single gel to make 2 gels for 2 backlights and still make a few for hotshoe flashes and there will still be some left for replace at a latter date or selling on ebay........
3- To cyc or not to cyc.........NOT!!!! You're just strting out and do not need the expense......Pull Your backdrpos tight and hold in place with concrete blocks, glass block or sand bags..........
4- make sure your location has a parking lot.....and it is lit......but security lighting around the outside.....doesn't matter how safe an area is...the lights make clients feel better......also you will be taking in money....get a couple of security cameras and an inexpensive desktop computer to do the recording............might also have one in the shooting room just in case.............speaking of security....equipment security, especially cameras.....needed GUN SAFE....doesn't have to a $4K Browning....but a nice fire resistant Liberty for around $500 - $1k would be fine.....cameras and memory cards and hard drives are what really need to be secure and when a new business hits a neighbor hood wellllllll all the "hoods" seem to find out what is inside and not secured.......if they see a gun safe going into a business, they won't know if it is for guns or cameras....also a good place to lock up cash for the next day.....and they are heavy enuff that scrappy jake ain't gonna walk off with it on a 2-wheeler.................
HTH
There is a small parking lot, and there are lights in the lot.
The chance that someone will come all the way up to the third floor of this building to steal from my studio specifically is very slim. Out of the 10 years I have lived here, today was the first time I ever stepped foot in that building. But, I agree with the security cameras, and will look into that.
I was thinking about getting one of these for storing things and using a lock to keep is secured... would be quite annoying to steal one of those: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/pho/1499206307.html And a gun safe is really out of budget right now... maybe down the road though. I agree that it would be the safest place to store things there.
My camera and lenses will go home with me every night, and probably the money too.
I was actually gonna do the homemade Chinese blinds thing. any suggestions on material?
I'm sketching out a few possible layouts for the room I posted pics of. I'm thinking the corner where I said my desk would go is where I would have the changing area. And then behind the door in that little out-cove is where I would put my desk, backgrounds in front of the windows... But, knowing me, as soon as I got my stuff in there I'll rearrange everything a million times and finally find a layout I like the most.
There is a curtain rod above the windows.. might use that as a background stand since I don't really have one... (I made a PVC stand, but its really annoying)
Cyclorama wall... agreed, not gonna do it... not worth it. As Brad said - I can always add it later if I need it. But I think spending the money that would go into the cyc wall on some decent backgrounds would be waaaay more practical.
I think there is cable access in the room... I saw some coaxial cables/outlets on the wall, so hopefully that means I have the option to get internet there... otherwise it will be very annoying. Speaking of outlets, there are a TON of power outlets throughout the room, so thats a plus.
I didn't get to talk to the owner of the building (He is the man who deals with the renting as well). He was out of office when I called today. His secretary said that I could just walk in and the ones that are available are unlocked with open doors... so that's what I did. Might call back in a few weeks to get more details as to what is included and what the final cost would be for rent, internet, if I can paint the walls, etc...
Thanks!