Is it possible to create
a budget photo studio
for under £300?
Julia Wisniewski, Birmingham
Kirk says: Setting up a studio
sounds like an expensive and
complicated venture, reserved
exclusively for pro shooters with
big budgets, unlimited space and
highly-specialised knowledge.
But you might be surprised to learn
that creating a basic home studio
in your garage or dining room, and
achieving professional-looking
results, is well within the capability
of even beginner photographers at
a reasonable cost.
Over the last 20 years, the cos
of home studio kits, whichusual
consist of two or three lightswit
modifiers, stands, cables and
sometimes wireless triggersand
a bag – essentially everythingyo
need to get shooting – hastumbl
Some budget kits are as littleas
£250, and while there’s often
a compromise on build quality
and power output, the calibreof
the photos you take withthemca
ri val shots taken with kitsmany
ti mes the cost.
Let’s take a look at theabsolut
bare essentials that you’llneedto
st art shooting studio imagesfor
the smallest possible outlay...
What is the cheapest
ho me studio set-up?
Lighting kit
Interfit F121 £250
Complete with two 200w heads, twolight
st ands, two softboxes, a carry bag and
le ads, Interfit’s F121 offers exceptional
va lue. It contains everything you need
to start shooting, though if you wantto
fir e the light wirelessly you’ll need radio
tr iggers. The lights have a 2sec recycle
ti me at full power, but faster at half or
quarter power. An alternative to flash
lig hting is constant lights, which don’t
re quire triggers.
Backdrop
Interfit COR756
Background Support
System £99
You can use any wall as a backdrop for
your shots, but you may prefer to buy
a background support system such as
Interfit’s COR756. You’ll also need a roll
of paper (usually white), which costs
around £30. For product photography,
invest in some plain A1 card.
Triggers Phottix
Ares II transmitter/
receiver kit £65
Triggers send a wireless signal
from the camera instructing the
studio light to fire. Radio triggers
like this Phottix kit have a range of
up to 150m and are more reliable
than infrared. Note that you only
need one receiver regardless of
how many lights you have, as the
other lights will flash automatically
when the master light fires.
Light modifier Westcott
Umbrella 43in £36
Light modifiers soften or direct the light
from your studio head, giving you control
over how your subject is lit. Usually kits
include modifiers, but it’s
a good ideato
ex perimentwith
di fferent types,
including
umbrellas,
softboxes,
beauty dishes,
honeycomb
gr ids and
snoots.
TIP
CHOOSE
YOURSETTINGS
A goodstartingpointis
manualmode:f/8,1/160sec
andISO 100 withlights
onmediumpower
output.
74 PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY
Camera Canon 4000D
with kit lens £299
You don’t need a special camera or lens
to shoot studio images – entry-level kit
such as Canon’s 4000D will give superb
results. As you’ll very rarely be using
ultra-wide apertures or high ISOs for
studio shots, many of the advantages
of expensive cameras and lenses don’t
come into play, making cheaper kit just
as good in most respects.
o
£26
come
, but if
heads
u’ll need
parately.
k the load
ds before
e cheaper
under
ead.
that
ast
se
tands go
90cm and
support
kg of
ght.
