THE MICRO-STUDIO (Studio-in-a-box)
Here is a blog about my new tiny studio, for those interested. This was written for another site that I often post to about photography. It includes some of the best lens experts in photography. You are welcome to join if you really love photography, but it costs about $20 a year, just to keep out the uninterested. The site is here:
http://nikongear.net/revival/index.phpIt’s not enough that I have a large photographic studio less than one block from my home. I use it, but seldom. Instead, I have taken a small room in the upper part of my home and created a tiny studio that actually works. In winter, I spend a lot of my time there and look forward to using it.
This tiny studio is not an example of economies of scale at work, but just the opposite. I pack a lot of very expensive equipment in a small space. What this room does have is a large skylight directly above where I work, and two tall (floor to ceiling) Anderson-style windows facing South. This gives me a huge amount of light, so much that I have to screen it back with large scrims of ¾-stop netting, one overhead (42”x78”) and a smaller one (42”x42”) that can slide back and forth in front of the southerly windows. Of course, I have tons of collapsible diffusers and reflectors, plus many I made myself with large wooden embroidery hoops and black/white netting.
Since I am a close-up (tripod dependent) photographer that stacks photos, I am used to moving carefully, which is good, because in this small studio, every step is like working a Chinese puzzle. Since there must be other photographers out there with little space, I thought it might be helpful if I shared some of my studio setup.
Shaky Floors
The worst problem I’ve encountered is the fact that the floor of the room is not well-enough supported, with the result that the floor vibrates enough to cause stemmed flowers (and even whole vases) to shake, even when I am standing still. The vibration in my own body, the tension, is enough to ever-so-slightly move the plant or flower, making very exact photos difficult.
I have found ways of lessening this vibration, but the saving grace is that the walls and verticals do not shake, so I devised a way to hang wide (22-inch) shelf brackets upon which to place plants, flowers, vases, and so on. This works well. The shelf is easily movable (up and down) and can support up to 300 pounds, they tell me. (PHOTO E)
As for the tripod, which does sit on the floor, I have tried out different vibration buffers under the tips of the three tripod legs. I have tried the Celestron Vibration Suppression Pads and Sorbothane Vibration Isolation Square Pad (1/2” thick). For the tripod (RRS: 3-legged) and geared head (Swiss Arca Cube1), I use the Celstron Vibration Suppression Pads, which are designed for astronomical tripods, even through the Sorbothane pads because the Sorbothane “stick” to the floor, while the Celeston pads slide around nicely.
Tripod Plant Stand
Another fighter against shaky floors is my heavy-duty tripod (with weight attached), with all three legs setting on Sorbothane vibration-reducing pads, with a Swiss-Arca quick-release clamp screwed to a flat piece of wood. On this I set whatever vase, etc. I need. (PHOTO A)
Of the two, its seems that the Sorbothane pads work better. I don’t use this tripod-support method; it is only a half-solution and allows some vibrations through. Instead, I use the first method, the vertical strips, upon which sit two lateral hanging brackets screwed to a board, upon which sits my vase or whatever.
Hangings
I have all kinds of backdrops that I use to photograph against. I also have many large expandable backdrops that I use in my larger studio, but they are two clumsy and awkward to keep around. So, what I have done instead is to install many fairly large “eyes” (as in hook & eye sets) around the walls at various heights. They take up virtually no space. I then use stretchable bungee cords of various lengths to stretch between any two eyes. On this I hang various backgrounds, often black velvet, and so on. Using these hooks on elastic cords and eyes, I can quickly create useful setups for backgrounds
This cord and eye setup is very, very useful. I can assemble (or remove) the cords in seconds and have no background stands or bars that I have to hang cloth on. I can also attach reflectors, diffusers and other scrims to the cords, as well.
Lighting
Another problem is fitting lighting into the room. The various light stands that I have quickly compete with one another for floor space. An answer to my prayer is the Interfit INT309 Wall Mounting Boom Arm, which is mounted quite high on the inside of the southern wall, and can be extended about 50-inches, with the arm moving both up and down and side to side. At the end of this arm I have mounted an adjustable clamp and place an Ikan ILED312-v2 Bi-color Flood Light, with a wide-beam pattern. This light has a variable dial for light from 3200K to 5600K, Tungsten to Sunlight, and runs on two Sony “L” Series batteries, which are readily available. (PHOTOS B and C)
The arm and light are conveniently tucked up and out of the way until such time as I need it. And no more light stands on the floor!
There are many other interesting features, which I will try to get around to when I have time, things like me Fiber-Optics Tree (PHOTO D). No, it’s not an insect. I don’t use it a lot, but in winter, when its darker, I use it for highlights, etc.
So there you have an intro into my micro-studio. Actually, it is a lot of fun to use and, best of all, it is just a stairway-up from my office.
