okay, okay.....I need some serious help, please!

[hsellersb]

Okay.....on a mid-range budget. List the top 5 items you would absolutley never run the studio w/o.

I need a compleate business make over/ up grade. I have had my head up my butt for too long now and need some help sprucing this cave man equipment up and bringin' my game back up!

HELP! PA-LEASE!

[adam8080]

What kind of studio? And does this include camera, lenses, filters, memory cards, and batteries. If not then those are the top 5 things you need.

[hsellersb]

Portrait.....and maybe more specific? I know really what I need.....just curious on what "the things" to have now are.

[qtfsniper]

definitely some studio strobes, laptop or computer possibly tethered to the camera. Maybe props to put in the picture. Muslin or seamless paper backdrops. If you want to be portable you'll want a portable battery power for the strobes. Backround mount. Pocket wizards or radio synchs. Refreshments for customers, desk, etc.

[adam8080]

Are you printing in house? On location shoots? In studio shoots? Doing your own editing? Will you be taking credit cards? Are you going to use the internet for hosting your own website? Are you doing your own book keeping?

What you need now depends on a lot of things.

[basroil]

Ok, here's the 5 things you need for a studio:

1) a relatively large room with no light polution. Often industrial garages are used.
2) A camera of some sort. Without a camera, you can't take a photo. Must have memory cards.
3) Insurance. If anything should happen to a client while on your property, you need to be able to protect yourself from damages.
4) Registration with your state/country (depends on state/country). This gives you a better stance should anything happen.
5) Proper advertisement. If no-one knows you exist, why would they hire you?

Now, for the 5 pieces of photographic equipment you should have, though technically not needed:
1) SLR with fast lenses. Often a 35L, 50L, and 85L will be more than enough for absolutely anything.
2) Strobes. Probably 3 or more lights if you need background lights too. Often better to get a few weaker lights than a single ultra powerful one. Also look into light modifiers, soft boxes, doors, snoots, etc.
3) Stands, mounts, stages, anything to put lights, backdrops, and other things on. A good areal stage can be very useful, though not really needed for standard portraits.
4) Backdrops, props, and other things to put in photos other than your subject. A garage door doesn't exactly scream professional.
5) Some sort of computer with a decently large calibrated screen. Better to double check yourself and extend your shoot rather than tell a client the photos all came out horribly.

[hsellersb]

2) Strobes. Probably 3 or more lights if you need background lights too. Often better to get a few weaker lights than a single ultra powerful one. Also look into light modifiers, soft boxes, doors, snoots, etc.
Could you recommend a specific set? I have the soft boxes etc. but would love to get ahold of a new light set!I know there are a ton of options and to be honest Im just trying to skip the investigation! lol!

3) Stands, mounts, stages, anything to put lights, backdrops, and other things on. A good areal stage can be very useful, though not really needed for standard portraits.
oooo, areal stage? link?

The thing is that I just need NEW equipment, all my stuff is 10+ yrs old. I have the whole "studio set up stuff" I just have no clue what the "new and improved, sought after" equipment is these days?

THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

[basroil]

2) Strobes. Probably 3 or more lights if you need background lights too. Often better to get a few weaker lights than a single ultra powerful one. Also look into light modifiers, soft boxes, doors, snoots, etc.
Could you recommend a specific set? I have the soft boxes etc. but would love to get ahold of a new light set!I know there are a ton of options and to be honest Im just trying to skip the investigation! lol!

3) Stands, mounts, stages, anything to put lights, backdrops, and other things on. A good areal stage can be very useful, though not really needed for standard portraits.
oooo, areal stage? link?

The thing is that I just need NEW equipment, all my stuff is 10+ yrs old. I have the whole "studio set up stuff" I just have no clue what the "new and improved, sought after" equipment is these days?

THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

Strobes wise, check out bh and adorama for their collections. I like alienbees, but that's because they are dirt cheap compared to most other fan cooled 640w/s mono lights. PicturePeople (the giant portrait work chain) happens to use alienbees in one of the places they have near me. quite interesting to see.

As for arial stages, look at concert venue type equipment. Easy access to lights, fans, boons, sprinkler systems, you name it, at the touch of a button. You can also just get a latter or other type of lift instead, but with a stage you get the safety of working on the ground then hoisting up equipment. Needs much, much more insurance though.

And lights are lights. Most still use variable resistors to change output, some upgraded to digitally regulated things you can change with 1/128th power precision. Some use newer bulbs that last longer or produce less heat, some have radio slaves built in. Just need to check out the selection to see if you really need anything new though.

[tim]

Re 35L/50L/85L - fast lenses are less useful in the studio IMHO, you have a LOT of light to work with, and you'll often be at F8. Most lenses are good at F8.

Re lights, check out the lighting forum, there's plenty of discussion about lights there.

[basroil]

Re 35L/50L/85L - fast lenses are less useful in the studio IMHO, you have a LOT of light to work with, and you'll often be at F8. Most lenses are good at F8.

Re lights, check out the lighting forum, there's plenty of discussion about lights there.

Low light capability isn't the only reason to get a lens that can shoot f2.8 and be tack sharp. Sometime you want parts of the person/props to be OOF. 35L at f8 isn't going to give you much much in terms of DOF controll, everything will be in focus anyway you slice it.

[bieber]

For portraiture, get long lenses. I like to hang out at the long end of a 70-200, and if I had a 400/5.6, I'd absolutely be using it, although only outdoors. The farther from your subject you can get, the more perspective is going to work for you, to "compress" them, if you will

[hsellersb]

y'all RAWK! thank you so much!

*off to check this stuff out now!*

TY! TY! TY!