Small spaces
Working with restrictions, identifying problems and experimenting with light
Having your own space means that what you save in studio fees, you can invest in equipment and enjoy experimentation.
While the gear I’ve acquired doesn’t age as well as major brands, I love lighting theory and enjoy the resulting challenges. I find it focuses my understanding of problemsolving with real restrictions, and I don’t think I’ve ever done a shoot yet that doesn’t require that. While I’m lucky that my current space could be considered a larger home studio, it’s still a pop-up and is inconvenienced with a low white ceiling and a less than ideal width and length.
Controlling light in small spaces is essential, and it’s second only to refining your eye to know what you want from the light to achieve it. I use modifiers with grids a lot, but I tend to side towards moodier light anyway, so that suits my style. For instance, in
my pin-up shot with Immogen I shot away from the white wall, enabling me to point a strobe at it to create a big fill light. Another example, and a thing that’s easy to overlook, is how surfaces will colourcast subjects. My ‘studio’ is blue apart from a plastered wall and ceiling, and with so much of it in close proximity, if you don’t choose to flag it off or lay a neutral floor colour, you could get caught out in the final imagery.
In the shot with Eloise you’ll notice the shadows and wall have a ‘bluey’ cool feel which with a background light helps avoid a tonal merger with the lit coat. She was about 4ft away from the wall so I could have shot this in a lounge, and with clever placement used just the one light, but maybe risked changing the mood. In the end I think the blue cast works well with this image. Nadine’s shot was quite close to the backdrop too, which kept the footprint small. With Leigh I used light fall-off to my advantage and more floor space than I needed. It’s a simple piece of Perspex clamped in place acting as a window and then I used a background and hair light to create tonal separation.
controlling light in small spaces is essential. I love lighting theory and enjoy the resulting challenges