Selecting a Room for Your Home Photographic Studio

Finding a suitable space within your home to create a simple photographic studio isn't difficult but there are a few critical factors to consider when you are making your decision. Selecting a space that addresses each of these basic issues will ensure you set the right foundations for creating beautiful images.

Choose your light.
While some may say that the availability of space is the most important factor in choosing a room for your studio, the availability of light can often be the overriding factor. If your photography takes a more candid, natural light approach then finding the room with the most accessible source of natural light is going to determine where you hold your sessions. In this instance, look at the direction the light is coming into each room to avoid direct harsh light, but to find bright ambient light. Large windows and glass doors with awnings above will be the key. If you decide to shoot solely with studio lighting then ambient natural light will need to have the ability to be minimized.

Space.
Find an area in your home that will give you adequate space to shoot comfortably. This will depend on the type of subject you are photographing. If you are photographing single stationary subjects, such as babies, then you will need less space than if you are photographing family units. Remember, the more space you have available between your camera and your subject, the better. Also take into consideration added equipment and props that will need to fit into the space. Studio lighting, decorative chairs etc can also need adequate room.

Colour.
The colour of the space you will be using is very important to the end result of your portraits. Light bouncing off coloured walls will product colour casts on your subject, changing their colouring. The best option for any studio is to paint the walls matte white. Not only will this avoid altering your subject's colourings and tones, but the white walls will also act as a reflector, bouncing light evenly throughout the room to aid in light distribution. You may even be able to use an empty wall as a backdrop to shoot against.

Temperature.
Keeping a consistent comfortable temperature within your studio is vital with certain portrait subjects. For example, keeping a newborn baby warm, especially when unclothed, is critical to keeping him/her settled and calm. The heat from constant studio lights can at times be enough to keep babies warm, though if using natural light then a space heater will be required. Opposingly, if photographing adults or moving children then the heat from studio lights may be overpowering so providing adequate cooling is a necessity.

Light, space, colour and temperature are pivotal considerations to make when selecting a room to hold your portrait sessions in. Once these issues have been addressed it's time to consider backdrops and props, and your options for creating amazing portraits will be endless.

Fiona Rogerson from Evoke Art Photography specialises in Perth baby photography, dedicated to create art that will speak uniquely to you. Evoke Art Photography will ensure that every wonderful emotion from those fleeting moments in your baby's early days will remain with you each and every time that you see your images up on your wall. View Fiona's work at http://www.evokeartphotography.com.au.