My wish list, in no particular order, would be something along these lines:

1. Uncluttered shoot space

2. Back drop variety (colours/shades)

3. Decent lights & a good selection of modifiers

4. Ceiling height

5. Props and accessories

6. As it's a "home studio" would I be limited to the studio space or are other areas available?

7. Separate changing area for the model

Am sure there are more, but that's straight off the top of my head. Take a look at The Snowdrop Studio for what I think is a good home studio :-)

For you, if thinking of using / hiring, then I'd ensure you have the right level of insurance in place before you even start...

Thanks

Tony

I don't know if this helps, but this is how I set up my home studio, what my objectives were, and how I worked around various physical and technical limitations, whilst keeping costs to a minimum...

• https://garfnet.org.uk/cms/2017/01/25/setting-up-a-home-studio/

Update: how I refurbished it during lockdown...

• https://garfnet.org.uk/cms/2022/05/01/studio-refurbishment/

What it's like to work in c/w some "behind the scenes" snaps of various shoots that have taken place there over the last decade or so...

• https://waist.it/about/studio

HTH. :-)

The main thing I would need over my own current home studio (that is, to be a better choice) is enough room to get to full-length on an average person with a 45mm lens at the widest. 

Ceiling height matters -- I have just shy of 8ft at home and it is not absolutely always enough, though it's pretty good.

I'd expect to take my own gear to most home studios, I think, but if I wasn't, in a smallish home studio it would be nice to see strip softboxes with grids -- at least 9"x36". These really really make a difference for light control in small spaces.

And yes, backdrops. Ideally middle grey paper and some fabrics.

The dimensions would really help including height and door openings/radiators, and whether this has natural light and solid floor. Does is need to be dual purpose, will it have to be furnished too?

indemnity said

The dimensions would really help including height and door openings/radiators, and whether this has natural light and solid floor. Does is need to be dual purpose, will it have to be furnished too?

Solid floor. Good point. Another weakness of my home studio space is I have to put down boards for my paper backdrops. 

OK, I have plenty of space - it's an old farm building...  but:

- the backdrop is painted kitchen lino. Paint is matt Dulux Ice Storm 5 - neutral grey.
Walls are Ice storm 2. 

Small space - you need to control bounced light.

Hang lights from the walls or ceiling to save space.
Front lights are on a Bowens Hi-Glide system bought used, but the back ground lights are just bolted to the beams with threaded bar.

One decent softbox plus reflectors at teh front, and a couple of background lights should do you.

I can go from black background (no lights) to mid grey (half power) to white background (full power background lights.

indemnity said

The dimensions would really help including height and door openings/radiators, and whether this has natural light and solid floor. Does is need to be dual purpose, will it have to be furnished too?

Just to add, I've set up and built studios of varying sizes including changing rooms, storage, infinity curves, shoot areas etc, however, how I would do it today would be different to previous, in addition there are new things available that would make it so much easier to do in a restricted space/home environment. There's no need for cables during use and everything can be sourced that's lighter, more efficient and pack away much of it in minutes.

A bit of a nit-picking suggestions but:

I've attended several group shoots at different studios now where they had expensive battery powered lights which appeared not really up to the basic task of working intensively for 3 hours (as required by a group shoot or 5 or 6 photographers.) The modelling lights were switcing off unexpectedly and the batteries need swapping out when people noticed that lights have stopped flashing. If you are going to make intensive use of your lights & they'll be staying put in the studio, then I reckon you could do a lot worse than buying a couple of cheap unfashionable used mains powered strobes from Elinchrom or Bowens.

Timmee said

A bit of a nit-picking suggestions but:

I've attended several group shoots at different studios now where they had expensive battery powered lights which appeared not really up to the basic task of working intensively for 3 hours (as required by a group shoot or 5 or 6 photographers.) The modelling lights were switcing off unexpectedly and the batteries need swapping out when people noticed that lights have stopped flashing. If you are going to make intensive use of your lights & they'll be staying put in the studio, then I reckon you could do a lot worse than buying a couple of cheap unfashionable used mains powered strobes from Elinchrom or Bowens.

I agree -- as well as this issue with battery performance worsening over time there's also the simple housekeeping business of having to charge batteries in a particular regular way for optimum performance, which is too easy to mess up on.

My two boring D-Lites are in a box, and when they are out of the box, I know they will work, without me having to remember to charge stuff, or charge up the night before, or anything. And I only have to worry about batteries for triggers. 

Though I think in 2024 I might favour lights that can have LED modelling bulbs, rather than Super Leucis/Photolux.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Emma_Willis said

...

I also don’t know what I’m doing (I’m also a photographer but I really only use natural light because studios intimidate tf out of me 😂)

...

Well, a studio can be natural light - which classically is 3 big windows along it facing, I suppose, ideally not directly South. Painters like North light.  A conservatory/orangery sort of extension in all glass works OK.

And a few things to hang to restrict or condition that natural window light.

And at the back a means of showing black, white, grey, colours as desired.

Some sort of hanging or standing to left and right for white, black, or reflector would be useful.

If you want to use it despite the outside lighting conditions you'd want curtains or blinds I think, and then a light, whether continuous or flash, and some sort of modifier - brolly, beauty dish, softbox.   

If there is enough space, money, and ambition then another light ...

Lots of Bowens heads around.

Start small.

If you can't hang things on the walls or ceiling, then contemplate a C-Stand rather than some wobbly alloy structure.  Someone will bump into it, and the solidity of a used C-stand is useful. And a sandbag, breezeblock or whatever.

MidgePhoto said

If you can't hang things on the walls or ceiling, then contemplate a C-Stand rather than some wobbly alloy structure.  Someone will bump into it, and the solidity of a used C-stand is useful. And a sandbag, breezeblock or whatever.

C stands are a good plan.

I would add though that if you can trust the floors and ceilings to be solid, autopoles are really really useful to get backdrops close to walls in enclosed spaces without drilling any holes. Spike has my old set now but I am going to get another set when I finally move.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Unfocussed Mike said

Timmee said

A bit of a nit-picking suggestions but:

I've attended several group shoots at different studios now where they had expensive battery powered lights which appeared not really up to the basic task of working intensively for 3 hours (as required by a group shoot or 5 or 6 photographers.) The modelling lights were switcing off unexpectedly and the batteries need swapping out when people noticed that lights have stopped flashing. If you are going to make intensive use of your lights & they'll be staying put in the studio, then I reckon you could do a lot worse than buying a couple of cheap unfashionable used mains powered strobes from Elinchrom or Bowens.

I agree -- as well as this issue with battery performance worsening over time there's also the simple housekeeping business of having to charge batteries in a particular regular way for optimum performance, which is too easy to mess up on.

My two boring D-Lites are in a box, and when they are out of the box, I know they will work, without me having to remember to charge stuff, or charge up the night before, or anything. And I only have to worry about batteries for triggers. 

Though I think in 2024 I might favour lights that can have LED modelling bulbs, rather than Super Leucis/Photolux.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Very valid points. I don't know if this is any help to the O/P, but FWIW, here's how we addressed the issues you both raised...

We put mains power-points at all the key points in the studio where electricity would likely be needed. We also continue to use mains energised studio flash, with no plans to replace it any time soon. If you look closely at the snap below, you will notice high-level mains sockets at the end of the pre-wired extensible boom arms. In fact I went to a lot of trouble to to put power outlets where needed. I wanted to avoid mains cables draped all over the place, so that the floor stays clear and safe, with a minimum of trip hazards.

Also worth noting that the whole studio lighting setup can be shut down by throwing a double pole isolating switch at the studio entrance. This is a general safety feature that ensures the studio lighting is fully isolated from the mains when not in use. It could also be particularly important in case a studio flash catches fire or some other studio equipment failure occurs.

As a safety-related aside: model Mave D. is operating the remote controller for our Nanguan NG-6RE six-roller motorised backdrop system. Motorisation ensures quick scenery changes and that it rolls up neatly out-of-the-way when not in use. Most importantly, it avoids the obvious safety hazard posed by long dangly operating chains...

Behind the camera position, there is a three-unit Dexion steel industrial racking system (out of shot). Amongst its many uses, it has a dedicated "charging bay" powered by a proper industrial 12 volt 15 amp low voltage DC distribution board. This has individual over-current protection on all nine of its 12 volt DC output channels, as well as providing multiple 5 volt 3 amp USB.

This is so we don't have all our mains outlets occupied with dozens of wall-warts of dubious manufacture. Makes "battery housekeeping" a heck of a lot simpler too. It also powers the studio Ethernet switch and the security cameras.

Here's it's insides, snapped as I was populating its connections...

Way back in 2015, I converted all our mains energised studio flash to use dimmable silicone-encapsulated 230 VAC LED clusters as modelling lights, rather than the original incandescent quartz halogen. In addition to the energy savings and the significantly increased longevity, I did this primarily for safety reasons. Explained here.

Edited by waist.it

Unfocussed Mike

Super Leucis/Photolux  - I'm sure that was one of the characters in 'Gladiator' ;-)

Timmee said

Unfocussed Mike

Super Leucis/Photolux  - I'm sure that was one of the characters in 'Gladiator' ;-)

Asterix superhero character. Odd shape, not the brightest.

What do you look for in a studio?

The bathroom. I'm an old man with an old man's prostate.