Studio size?

[Tommy]

Hi everyone!

Quick question here... hopefully... What would be a good size for an in home studio? Looking for a Length x Width measurement... Hope this isn't too vague... I'm just looking to be able to take some nice head & shoulder portraits with the occasional full body portraits.

Thanks!
- Tom

[::John::]

Well, my experimenting has proven (to me) that height is also an important part of the equation.

My last house has over 10' of headroom - this one only has 8' - so I am limited to head, head & shoulder and, sometimes, torso.

My 'studio' is 15' wide and 20' long. I would be happier if it was wider and longer, too.

[Unity Gain]

You can never have too much space. I agree with the previous poster that ceiling height matters a lot. It's hard to get booms up high enough if the ceilings are just average height.

Also, the larger the space the more control you have over lighting the background separate from the subject. In close quarters...light spills all over the place. So you have to compromise more.

[TMR Design]

Ceiling height is more of a limiting factor than the length. I could do so much more in my somewhat small studio if I had a 10 ft. ceiling rather than 8 ft.

[::John::]

Hey Robert.

What are the other dimensions of your studio?

I finally got a couple of 'heads' for testing stuff - about to work my way through your mammoth thread again.

Sorry for the off topic stuff - although...

... if you are setting up a studio and want to have a tutorial - check out the Barn Door post by Robert (in the Studio stickies)

[TMR Design]

HI John,

My studio space is 14' wide x 17' long x 8' high.

[Topalov Djura]

My space is 11' width, 27' long x 11' height, but I wish 11' width to be 14'.

[Tommy]

Thanks everyone!

I just wanted to see what a good size is since I'm in the process of buying a house right now. I wanted to make a small studio out of one of the rooms.

And I already read the Barn Door post from Robert... although I'm sure I'll be reading it again! :D

Thanks!
- Tom ;)

[bobbyz]

Mine is 14x20 living room. I can get 22 if I shoot from a closet. Wish I was a bit wider and longer, ideal for me would be something like 20x30.

[TMR Design]

Same here. I would love to have a space that is 24' wide x 32' long x 12 high. :D

Anyone care to donate space?

[Unity Gain]

Thanks everyone!

I just wanted to see what a good size is since I'm in the process of buying a house right now. I wanted to make a small studio out of one of the rooms.

And I already read the Barn Door post from Robert... although I'm sure I'll be reading it again! :D

Thanks!
- Tom ;)

Just a quick suggestion in case you haven't already thought of this...when shopping for a house maybe check and see what the power situation is in the room you'll be shooting...whether or not it shares a circuit with appliances that use a lot of energy etc.

[::John::]

Just a quick suggestion in case you haven't already thought of this...when shopping for a house maybe check and see what the power situation is in the room you'll be shooting...whether or not it shares a circuit with appliances that use a lot of energy etc.

Excellent suggestion - and the number of powerpoints/outlets should be considered.

In the old place I had there were 12 power outlets - in the new place there are only 2.

[RichNY]

It's usually pretty easy to throw another breaker or two in the box and break off some of your outlets or add new ones. If your box is full replace single breakers with some doubles.

[Tommy]

It's usually pretty easy to throw another breaker or two in the box and break off some of your outlets or add new ones. If your box is full replace single breakers with some doubles.

Yeah... I'm good with electricity and running new circuits, so it's no big deal... also, I did put an offer in for a house and it was accepted... yay! But I'll be building a new room for a small studio. ;)

Thanks everyone for the help!

[Mcary]

The space I use is 20Wx30L with 14" ceilings. The height and width are great but an extra 10 feet or so in length would be wonderful as I'm usually pressed against the wall when shooting standing full length shots with my 85mm.

Mike

[FlashZebra]

You left off a very important dimension, the ceiling height.

Most homes in the US have 8 foot ceilings, this is not sufficient for optimal studio work and likely is the most common dimensional encumbrance for in house studios.

An 8 foot ceiling really cramps things.

Enjoy! Lon