Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers

146 Using Light

A Studio of Your Own

A Studio of Your Own

When you think of a photography studio, you might

think of a big white urban loft room filled with fancy

gear and specialized backdrops. (Not to mention at-

t

ractive models and snooty assistants.)

Sure, we’d all like to be able to use a grand studio of

this sort from time to time. But with a little creativity,

imagination, and vision it’s possible for anyone to have

a surprisingly useful studio of their own. Depending

on what you are interested in photographing, a small

table will probably give you enough space.

To create good studio photos of your own, you need:

n

Photographic gear

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Lighting

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Something to photograph

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Materials for constructing backgrounds and sets

Let’s look at each of these items in turn.

Photographic gear: A

t a minimum, you’ll need a tripod

and a camera that can take close-ups. Studio work can

be done with a fixed-lens digital camera using macro

mode (see pages 58–59 for two examples). But these

cameras are usually limited in the length of exposures

they can take, so you’ll probably be more productive

with a digital SLR.

Along with your dSLR, any kind of close-up rig will

work, but if you plan to do extensive macro work a

dedicated macro lens is probably best (see page 79 for

more about macro photography equipment).

You can use a self-timer to activate an exposure when

the camera ...