Blog Post by Photographer Brand Ambassador, Don Barone
I don’t do math.
I do pictures.
I know of f-stops, shutter speed, ISO’s -learned about them in college, used them in college to get good grades, pass, and get out of college.
And then promptly forgot about them.
Somebody: “Oh what a pretty photo, what speed or F-stop did you use.”
Me: “Whatever one worked.”
I do what my lens tells me what to do. I adjust up and down, fast or slow by what I see, not what I read.
I don’t over complicate stuff.
I’m not locked into the way things are done, I trust my eyes way more than I trust my memory.
Nothing wrong with shooting by numbers, nothing wrong by shooting what you see through the lens. Neither right, neither wrong.
Learn everything you can, or want to, about your camera, dig into all the “this” or “that’s” you read about, then figure which is best for you, what one are you the most comfortable with and go with that, your photos will be better for it.
So will you.
I grew up in Buffalo, NY, I know about snow but now at my age I don’t really want to play in it.
Yep, you can get beautiful shots in the wintertime, I take a bunch of photos in winter here in New England, like this shot of our backyard. I opened a window in our house, took the photo and closed the window.
But here’s the issue: I try to take a couple photos a day to stay in the game, so to speak, but when it is 10 degrees outside with a foot or so of snow on the ground…
…nope.
So, with our kids married and out of the house I suddenly have more bedrooms than people living here. Just me, my wife and our dog, Boomer.
My wife came up with the idea of using one of the bedrooms as a “studio” especially in the winter time, so we cleaned a room out of all the stuff our kids refuse to take with them to their home, moved the bed and dresser out, and suddenly I have a photography studio (even if it does have Buffalo Bills wallpaper from back when my 35 year old son was…10).
So, now what do I do? I have the space but none of the gizmos that I didn’t know then that I would need to make it actually work.
Here are some tips that throughout the years I discovered help make the home studio space work without breaking the bank.
Windows will be a problem.
Not only do they bring in light but if you are shooting anything that has the ability to reflect light, mainly objects made of glass like a flower vase, don’t think you can erase the reflection after shooting, most times that screws it up even more, do what my wife did and frankly something I knew nothing about…
…buy room darkening drapes.
Black room darkening drapes SAVED the house studio.
Hands down, the best tip. Don’t think just regular drapes will do it, nor will window shades or blinds.
If you want to make a spare bedroom into a photography studio, then spend the $20-25 bucks on drapes that will keep the light out.
By the way, you can also use the drapes to let in light, I do it all the time just by opening the drapes a little bit. To me, sunlight adds to a scene that a light bulb just can’t match.
When possible, go nuance, it will add sweetness to your photo.
Buy a Tripod.
Buy the best you can afford, to me the heavier it is, the steadier it is. Get one that is easy to use.
I would also recommend getting an L Bracket Vertical adapter head for the tripod, especially if your tripod head doesn’t tilt to hold your camera in a vertical position.
I also have a Macro Focusing rail that I can put on the Tripod. It allows me to move the camera backwards and forward without having to move and reset the tripod. Really helps if you are shooting close-ups.
Buy a Wireless remote shutter release.
If your camera can work with a wireless remote, use it. Even slight vibrations can hose the sharpness of what you are shooting. A wireless remote will let you control the shutter from outside the room. Depending on your camera model, we’re talking between $25-$40 — cheap insurance.
Lighting Kit.
There are dozens and dozens of these for sale out there — buy the one you can afford. I’ll make this simple: get one that has two tall light stands and two small tabletop stands. They’ll have all the stuff you need to take well-lit photos in your spare room.
Finally…a must have…get a power adapter kit that fits your camera.
It takes the battery out and powers the camera by plugging it in to an electrical outlet. Just easier to use with no need to change camera batteries during shooting.
I hope you do have the ability to snag a spare room in your house, it will quickly turn into a place where you can take the time to play with, and learn about your camera that won’t be weather dependent...and that you’ll be able to do all that in your comfy clothes.
Have fun,
db