I have a dear friend who really struggled to open her own modelling studio in 2019 but it was just too expensive for her each time she tried. Then came the pandemic in 2020 and the studio was an impossible dream for reasons other than her affordability. In these months, she has barely modelled for family zoom calls, let alone conducting professional photoshoots!
Do you relate to her in some ways?
Let’s be realistic…It’s reasonable to assume that you want to be a professional, established and widely recognized photographer. And if you are a model too, that is the whole world in itself. But for these to shape up, you cannot permanently convert your home into a photo studio or a ramp. You absolutely need the ‘real studio’ at some point.
But till the point you’re saving up or saving yourself from the pandemic, you don’t actually have to keep waiting, just create a makeshift photo studio right at your own home and model away like the only model alive!
To talk about the specifics of the setup, you’ll find it is surprisingly lower cost, and it can give you a head start in creating your brand, even while working from home!
Here are some tips you can follow to begin professional modelling photo shoots, right at your own home.
Mind the Setting
Use a room with ample light coming in through the windows or through the doors. Preferably a room that contains a plain white wall. If you don’t have a room like that, drape a single large clean white curtain all over the walls, from floor to ceiling. Make sure the corners of the wall are cropped in the final edited version of the photos.
Natural Lighting
Lighting is everything in a photoshoot. Good natural light makes all the difference in a photoshoot. As mentioned already, Use a room that has ample natural light coming in. The best time to do a photo shoot is during the day when the sun is out.
However, harsh sunlight also is not advisable. If the room is getting too much sunlight, try diffusing the harsh light with a plain white cloth draped over the windows.
Artificial Lighting
If you are serious about doing fashion photography from home, you need to start investing. The first thing that you need to invest in is studio flashlights.
Some of the key tips you should follow to set up artificial lights like strobe lights, lamps or studio flashlights are given below, as per wikihow.com
“Create a professional ambience. Use your lights to fill the room with soft light devoid of shadows.
Tilt one light towards the ceiling, use another light as a “fill light” placed in the far back of the room. Don’t use overhead ceiling lights, because that will create harsh shadows over your subject.
You can also use an umbrella, a piece of cloth, or another material to diffuse or filter your lights.”
Editing
Make sure you use the best photo editing software. This is another aspect where you may have to invest in. Free Softwares are alright, but you will find that paid software create the best effects.
According to Adamenfroy, these are some of the best Photo Editing Software?
Adobe Photoshop.
Corel PaintShop Pro 2020.
Skylum Luminar.
Adobe Lightroom.
Skylum Aurora HDR.
Canva.
PicMonkey.
Capture One.
DesignWizard.
ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate.
On1 Photo RAW.
Pixlr Editor.
Gimp.
Alien Skin Exposure X4.
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Snappa
PortraitPro.
Fotor
Inkscape
Use the Right Model
Make sure you bring in the right model for your fashion photography. There are various kinds of models for different objectives.
You have your Fashion Models, then there are Commercial Models, Mature Models (models of an older age), Promotional Models (who model for brand promotion and are hired by certain brands as ambassadors for an agreed period of time), Parts Models (who model specific parts of their body, like hands or feet), Fit Models (who model to demonstrate sizes of clothes), Fitness Models, Glamour Models, Swimsuit and Lingerie Models, Child Models, Petite Models, Plus-Size Models, Runway Models or Freelance Models.
Do not rush through anything. Make your decisions wisely. Select your materials and models carefully.
It is very possible to create a photo studio at home, and even conduct professional-level model photoshoots. You may face a bit of difficulty in the beginning, but in time, with practice, if you nail it, you’ll find that working from home is just as easy, convenient and maybe even cheaper than your actual studio.
