competition: (no prizes) Design an economical and effective studio for newbies

Sorry to continue off topic but I think it deserves saying.

I have to say I agree with Jeremy. The website may not be what brings in the cash but these days having a web presence is almost mandatory. Also, regardless of whether they can find your ad block in the yellow pages and get an address and phone number it's not all that friendly, personal or inviting. In most cases there's nothing to differentiate between Joe Photographer A and Joe Photographer B.

A web site is generally a reflection of the photographer, the person the creativity and communication skill and marketing skills. Many people would much rather go to your site after getting the recommendation and look at your gallery or portfolio from their home or office just in the same way that people shop online for other goods and services. Often they will then make the call, but in many cases they won't because they liked the website of Joe Photographer X more than your site.

Downplaying the importance of a website is a bit naive in my opinion. It is one marketing and selling tool among many and is much more inviting than a name and number in a phone book.

My 11 cents.

TMR Design wrote in post #4672536
Sorry to continue off topic but I think it deserves saying.

I have to say I agree with Jeremy. The website may not be what brings in the cash but these days having a web presence is almost mandatory. Also, regardless of whether they can find your ad block in the yellow pages and get an address and phone number it's not all that friendly, personal or inviting. In most cases there's nothing to differentiate between Joe Photographer A and Joe Photographer B.

A web site is generally a reflection of the photographer, the person the creativity and communication skill and marketing skills. Many people would much rather go to your site after getting the recommendation and look at your gallery or portfolio from their home or office just in the same way that people shop online for other goods and services. Often they will then make the call, but in many cases they won't because they liked the website of Joe Photographer X more than your site.

Downplaying the importance of a website is a bit naive in my opinion. It is one marketing and selling tool among many and is much more inviting than a name and number in a phone book.

My 11 cents.

Plus when I just happen to talk to some one that I've just met in public, I don't say, look up my ad in the yellow pages. I say hey, check out my website.

SunPaks. x 2
Elinchrom Skyports (Because reliability is better than cheap imo)
2 light stands
2 shoot through umbrellas
2 silver umbrellas
a reflector (carboard in tinfoil or what have you)
DIY ringlight ($35, made one last night. It's metal and once it's painted it'll look mostly professional)

hawk911 wrote in post #4672524
not the cheapest, but here's what I've got for home/portable studio:

1- promaster backdrop support system ($120 on sale at local camera store)
1- 11x20 grey muslin backdrop (ebay best offer of $85 plus $15 shipping)
2- flash/umbrella brackets one with PC cord ($50 for both)
1- 10' PC cord ($20)

Instead of teh 550EX get Vivitar 285DVs for 180$ for both
2 light stands 55$ each (manfroto or giottos)
2 umbrellas 50$ for both (wescotts).

plus everything else you said.

total- $650 ish.

I think mine is reasonable cost, not the cheapist but not high end.

1- Photogenic 640w/s light kit ($450 Used, from local shop)
Has 2-320w/s monolights, 2-umbrellas, 2 light stands, case
1- paskage of 12 colored gels $22
2- scissor clips to hang background or flash from t-bar $23
2- Elinchrom Skyports 1-TX and 2Rx $287
Total $782+shipping

Still have to get a background.

How about a south-facing window and $5 worth of foam core as a reflector?

james048a wrote in post #4674195
I think mine is reasonable cost, not the cheapist but not high end.

1- Photogenic 640w/s light kit ($450 Used, from local shop)
Has 2-320w/s monolights, 2-umbrellas, 2 light stands, case
1- paskage of 12 colored gels $22
2- scissor clips to hang background or flash from t-bar $23
2- Elinchrom Skyports 1-TX and 2Rx $287
Total $782+shipping

Still have to get a background.

I'd love to add some studio strobes. Nice deal.

::John:: wrote in post #4670110
yup +1

+1

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #4674210
How about a south-facing window and $5 worth of foam core as a reflector?

Best answer yet, although I don't know why the foam has to be so artsy fartsy and expensive!

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #4674210
How about a south-facing window and $5 worth of foam core as a reflector?

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, a north facing window would be better.

Unless you're going for that "direct sunlight" look.

You can replace ebay with KEH, as goods are available there. You will likely pay more depending on the item but they are a reliable vendor for used goods.

I personally have

2x sunpak 120j (about ~$250 for units + battery packs)
1x metz 60 CT-1 ($45)
3x vivitar 283 ($40)
3x impact lightstands from B&H

and some cheap amvona umbrellas and other odds and ends. IIRC the whole deal cost me less than $450 with shipping, but my goods are mostly discounted from being from ebay =( I priced out most of the same kit from KEH and it would have more or less doubled the cost of the sunpak flashes and tripled the vivitars, the rest would have mostly stayed the same. I've also recently picked up some 283's with quantum batteries for pretty good prices but they are not listed as I don't recall exactly what I paid for them.

I usually don't use a background (or rather I let the environment be the background) so no pricing on that, and I have yet to shoot anything 'serious' indoors so my main concerns were portability and functionality on a budget, I think I did pretty good considering my results!

rhys wrote in post #4672399
If you think a website is the main advertising for your photography business then you will not be doing very much business. The first place people look when they want a local service such as photography is not the flaming internet - it's the phone book or they ask a friend for a recommendation.

That may be the stupidest comment I've seen on this board in awhile. Internet is huge in promotion, I can't think of a client off the top of my head that wasn't contacted through the net somehow (sending an online portfolio, email, websites, etc). Maybe the local youth league because a friend recommended me to the commish - but that commish went ot my site to check out my images before he ever contacted me.

Phone book and recommendation - what year are you living in and how did you get the internet to post this back then?? I'm interested in the whole time travel thing as I have some things to fix when I was 15 and would like a second shot.

Maybe I'm just used to working all over the country and not locally, but that is 100% backwards.

EDIT: My first client was not on the net, but it was an accident - I ran into the teams GM while shooting some pics and he just randomly asked to see some of them, liked them. He didn't use a phone book and had no recommendations as that team was the first one I worked for.

lowcrust wrote in post #4674394
+1


Best answer yet, although I don't know why the foam has to be so artsy fartsy and expensive!

I find that foamcore just holds up a little better than a large piece from a roll of seamless. You can clamp it and reposition it to angles that a sheet of paper won't hold.

rhys wrote in post #4672399
If you think a website is the main advertising for your photography business then you will not be doing very much business. The first place people look when they want a local service such as photography is not the flaming internet - it's the phone book or they ask a friend for a recommendation.

What decade do you live in, Rhys? That statement is not only ignorant, it's flat out wrong. Hell, I don't even use the phone to order pizza or BBQ chicken anymore.

I have very large commercial clients who source much of their vendors on the internet. All of my friends/family etc (even some technologically impaired ones) go to google before the phone book.

Uh oh! Rhys got himself banned... What in the world did I miss while i was at work today?!

Anywho... i've been extremely happy with my 2 alienbees so far as a studio setup. Whole package with upgrades was just shy of $800 i believe... FWIW.