Making the Jump Into Studio Photography

You've been taking pictures on vacation and at family events but you feel its time to take things further and try your hand at studio photography.

So what is the 'advantage' of shooting in a studio to shooting outside? Well I like to think it's not better but just different. In a studio you will have full control of lighting and style. This is a great learning experience as you'll get to experiment to your heart's content. You'll learn how light behaves as you'll have full freedom to place them where you like.

So what's your motivation? Is it the challenge of interacting and directing models or the satisfaction of creating images and not just capturing them?

Whatever the reason, it requires a different kind of workflow than you may be used to. It may take you longer to prepare a shot than to actually take it.

You'll need to get familiar with the lighting equipment, and all the light modifiers that come with them. It's a good idea to get up to speed handling off camera flash before you take the plunge into full studio strobes. Next you need to know the kind of backdrops that works best with your subject. If the colour is too similar they'll blend into the background.

If you're working with a model, the wardrobe and make-up can make or break the shoot, so this has to be selected carefully. This could mean working with stylist and hairdressers to craft the right look.

While shooting, you'll need to have an idea of which model poses to use and how to communicate them to your subject... And that, as they say, is another subject...

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