I guess no one works out of a studio here?

Maybe give some more info.  Budget, what you plan to use the space for, how much will you use it, where are you located, what kind of equipment do you want to use, etc...  There are lots of solutions depending what problems you want solved.  If you just want waist up portraits a spare room will work, full body a garage would probably be better, multiple people on a set you need something larger, real looking locations you would probably want to rent that space.

Do office buildings rent spaces on a short term basis?

I am wanting to transition from taking pictures of objects to taking pictures of one or more people interacting with various stuff. I have watched videos on other photographers demonstrating what they do and they all seem to have pretty large studio spaces so I am trying to figure out something that will be large enough and affordable starting out. Also what is a reasonable distance for a model to travel. I guess I am trying to find out if there is a industry standard on how most photographers operate in terms of location to a big city and if it is considered unprofessional to work out of your garage when working with models and if anyone has any pointers from their own journey and experience in this process as everyone has to start somewhere?

It would seem like a bad idea to go rent some large space for several hundred dollars a month just starting out until you have gained experience and got good at taking photos with people in settings.

Quote from: tickstock on March 25, 2015, 10:34

Maybe give some more info.  Budget, what you plan to use the space for, how much will you use it, where are you located, what kind of equipment do you want to use, etc...  There are lots of solutions depending what problems you want solved.  If you just want waist up portraits a spare room will work, full body a garage would probably be better, multiple people on a set you need something larger, real looking locations you would probably want to rent that space.

It would seem like a bad idea to go rent some large space for several hundred dollars a month just starting out until you have gained experience and got good at taking photos with people in settings.

Follow your own advice 

Rent a studio by the hour?

A know a few run down motels that you can rent by the hour

Find a large commercial space that will rent by the day - community halls, office buildings, libraries with meeting, presentation rooms etc, preferably a place with at least one large white wall.  Bear in mind that you might require much more powerful studio lighting - those that work well for objects at home may not have enough power in a full length setting.  To get the best result you are going to have to spend some money.

Depends.  If you want to blow out a white background to 255 with full length models you are going to need four flashes just for the background - you won't get an even 255 white background with just two lights as they won't cover the entire wall.  You might get away with just one light for front side lighting but then the hair will likely look dull - most pros will use an overhead light to add sheen to hair.  Also one front light might not give an even light full length - you can imagine the need to have two flashes one above the other to give even lighting full length.  You can try to do it all with just three units but you're going to have problems with uneven lighting, inability to blow out the background completely, and possibly inability to fully light a standing subject from the front.

640W units might be enough, but bear in mind the square multiplying factor of distance - if your current units give you F11 shooting small to medium size objects in a home studio situation, those same units might only give you F5.6 when you move them back a few feet to light a person.

I have a fairly large studio and I use Alien Bees lighting.  I shoot pure white backdrops frequently using two B800 units set very close to the white vinyl backdrop.  Often I will use a B1600 for a key light (and a large octobox) and another B800 for fill (usually a medium softbox).  I usually meter for around f11 on the subject.  If the backdrop lights are turned up all the way that will usually blow the background out to pure white without it spilling back on the subject (at f16+).  You need some space, though because the subject can't be too close to the backdrop. 

More artistic lighting scenarios require anywhere from one to five lights for me.  I don't generally use the 6th light even though I have one.

My studio was too small at first (I'd say 13 feet by 17 feet) but I was able to knock down a wall to more than double the work space.  Now I have enough to do two lighting setups simultaneously which is a great time savings when you are paying a model by the hour.

I am fortunate to have been able to buy my own commercial building (it's an investment).  I did a lot of the remodeling work myself and it's really nice inside now.  Unfortunately to be able to afford to buy I had to purchase in an outlying area so it's a 35 minute drive from my house.

If you like, you can see my studio here: http://www.chriscurtisphotography.com/?page_id=304

Certainly in the UK its not hard to find studios with good lighting etc. from about �30 an hour. If you do some calculations unless you are doing LOTS of shoots you might find this quite economical.

Maybe give some more info.  Budget, what you plan to use the space for, how much will you use it, where are you located, what kind of equipment do you want to use, etc...  There are lots of solutions depending what problems you want solved.  If you just want waist up portraits a spare room will work, full body a garage would probably be better, multiple people on a set you need something larger, real looking locations you would probably want to rent that space.

Correct.  I have a 3-car garage. What I did was have a Tough Shed put in my back yard then I loaded thing from my garage into that, like my lawn mowers, gardening supplies, prop totes, fertilizers, ladders, etc. My overhead is 10 feet high which gives me plenty of room for lights. I keep a very tight ship to ensure the floor is clutter free and I have a large cement floor free to move around and stage.  I have a small area designated for stands, tripods, lights and soft box storage when Im done. I then can easily park my car in the garage when not using, when using all I have to do is back out the car and I am ready to go.  The trick is to keep the garage clean. Works for me. 

Nothing to  it.

http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/how-to-create-a-photo-studio-at-home

Quote from: ComfortEagle2095 on March 25, 2015, 23:26

I have a fairly large studio and I use Alien Bees lighting.  I shoot pure white backdrops frequently using two B800 units set very close to the white vinyl backdrop.  Often I will use a B1600 for a key light (and a large octobox) and another B800 for fill (usually a medium softbox).  I usually meter for around f11 on the subject.  If the backdrop lights are turned up all the way that will usually blow the background out to pure white without it spilling back on the subject (at f16+).  You need some space, though because the subject can't be too close to the backdrop. 

More artistic lighting scenarios require anywhere from one to five lights for me.  I don't generally use the 6th light even though I have one.

My studio was too small at first (I'd say 13 feet by 17 feet) but I was able to knock down a wall to more than double the work space.  Now I have enough to do two lighting setups simultaneously which is a great time savings when you are paying a model by the hour.

I am fortunate to have been able to buy my own commercial building (it's an investment).  I did a lot of the remodeling work myself and it's really nice inside now.  Unfortunately to be able to afford to buy I had to purchase in an outlying area so it's a 35 minute drive from my house.

If you like, you can see my studio here: http://www.chriscurtisphotography.com/?page_id=304

Very Nice! So you mentioned having two Lighting set ups, how do you plan that out, speaking form no experience I just imagined that I would have some ideas in mind and have the models try the ideas and also just do things on the fly which would mean also figuring out lighting on the fly. Are you saying that you already have the lighting all set up exactly how you want it before the model shows up?

So are you making your living from photography? It looks like from your website that you do mostly Portraiture for people who walk in? Or are you making your living from Stock Photography or Both?

Yes, when I hire a model, it's for a specific concept.  I plan what I'm going to shoot and how I'm going to light it in advance.  Then I go to the studio the day before and set up the lighting  and the set.  Then when the model shows up, there are just tweaks to make.

Model time is expensive and I want to get the most shots possible so I do a lot of prep.

I don't make my living from photography currently.  Doing stock part time pays for all my equipment.  It also pays the costs to hire models or travel around to do art projects just for myself that isn't intended for stock.  But I'm not going to  be quitting the day job any time soon.

Quote from: pixel8 on March 26, 2015, 02:35

Quote from: ComfortEagle2095 on March 25, 2015, 23:26

I have a fairly large studio and I use Alien Bees lighting.  I shoot pure white backdrops frequently using two B800 units set very close to the white vinyl backdrop.  Often I will use a B1600 for a key light (and a large octobox) and another B800 for fill (usually a medium softbox).  I usually meter for around f11 on the subject.  If the backdrop lights are turned up all the way that will usually blow the background out to pure white without it spilling back on the subject (at f16+).  You need some space, though because the subject can't be too close to the backdrop. 

More artistic lighting scenarios require anywhere from one to five lights for me.  I don't generally use the 6th light even though I have one.

My studio was too small at first (I'd say 13 feet by 17 feet) but I was able to knock down a wall to more than double the work space.  Now I have enough to do two lighting setups simultaneously which is a great time savings when you are paying a model by the hour.

I am fortunate to have been able to buy my own commercial building (it's an investment).  I did a lot of the remodeling work myself and it's really nice inside now.  Unfortunately to be able to afford to buy I had to purchase in an outlying area so it's a 35 minute drive from my house.

If you like, you can see my studio here: http://www.chriscurtisphotography.com/?page_id=304

Very Nice! So you mentioned having two Lighting set ups, how do you plan that out, speaking form no experience I just imagined that I would have some ideas in mind and have the models try the ideas and also just do things on the fly which would mean also figuring out lighting on the fly. Are you saying that you already have the lighting all set up exactly how you want it before the model shows up?

So are you making your living from photography? It looks like from your website that you do mostly Portraiture for people who walk in? Or are you making your living from Stock Photography or Both?

Yes, when I hire a model, it's for a specific concept.  I plan what I'm going to shoot and how I'm going to light it in advance.  Then I go to the studio the day before and set up the lighting  and the set.  Then when the model shows up, there are just tweaks to make.

Model time is expensive and I want to get the most shots possible so I do a lot of prep.

I don't make my living from photography currently.  Doing stock part time pays for all my equipment.  It also pays the costs to hire models or travel around to do art projects just for myself that isn't intended for stock.  But I'm not going to  be quitting the day job any time soon.

Well I think you will be full time in the future for sure looks like you are on your way.