Photo Studio Setup Advice Needed

I am new to the world of photography and looking for advice on a purchase I will need to make

My business will focus on taking pictures of models wearing clothing and need to purchase lighting and backdrop. I am trying not to spend a fortune on this since I am new but also want a setup that will work for what I am doing. I have seen setups on ebay and on the web and just trying to get an idea of exactly what I should purchase to accomplish this. Would like suggestions on what to buy and maybe where I can buy. Willing to buy new or used

Does anyone have a suggestion on what I should buy to make this work.

Also as far as digital cameras go can anyone recommend one that will work well for what I am doing but is not ridiculously priced?

not to sound skeptical here buddy, but there some things you should learn before ever photographing a model. first off a good DSLR is gonna run ya atleast $800 if not alot more. u will not get the shots u want with any type of point and shoot. second- lighting is expensive!!! for a good set of lights ur looking at 300+ per light. there are backdrops and light accessories and all sorts of stuff that you will use. third is Knowledge- you can't just jump into a company taking photos of models when you don't know what ur doing. I've taken over 82,000 photos and still i'm learning on a daily basis. you have a few options- take a class on photography many of the members in here are in the new york photography school. others have learned buy aprinticing to a pro. and some have learned buy trial and error and lots of research. the one problem with the last is it never ends. trust me i am in that catigory. i am not in any way trying to discourage you from a goal, i am suggesting you take the nesseccary steps to get there.

Sounds like an exciting endeavor! You can get into a small studio setup fairly inexpensively. In fact, if you spend right you can be setup decently for under a grand.

Camera: The top name brands Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. have SLR models that start around $500. You can get a Nikon D40 or a Canon 40D in this price range. Go look at a shop, or you can buy online at adorama.com or B&H (both popular suppliers with photographers) Try this link:
http://www.adorama.com/Catalog.tpl? page=il_refine_search
Any of these would work well for your application.

Lighting: You can get into a small 150w 3-strobe (3 lights plus accessories) setup for under $200. Keep in mind, however, these have a learning curve so if you go this route you might find yourself experimenting a bit. You might consider purchasing a camera mounted flash. I'm not familiar with other brands, but I use Nikon SB-800 and SB-600 flash units. Flash units like these are great because they work in conjunction with your camera to determine the right exposure.

Backdrops: Like any other gear, you can wind up spending thousands on stands etc. Most backdrops you purchase are of muslin material, which you can purchase at any local fabric shop. It's used typically for bed sheets, and is available in different widths up to around 10 feet or so. It's mostly available in white and can be dyed and painted. You can come up with a way to hang and/or drape your background or you can purchase a background stand for about $100 which work well.

So, contrary to what you may hear, you can be up and running in an afternoon and for under a grand. Pick up a fashon magazine on your way back to the studio to get a few ideas for poses and start shooting.

If I were going (and this is just my opinion) to do this, say today and on a tight budget, this is what I'd be looking at:

Nikon D40 with kit lens $500
Nikon SB-600 Flash $200
White muslin 10'x15' $50
Background stand $100

Don't forget to post some photos and let us know how you're doing!

the only thing i can press her is skill and knowledge. you can have all the right equipment and you can have the customer base but with out the skills needed or the right knowledge in what you are doing. Well not to be blunt but your pictures are going to suck. It takes more then a camera and lights to take a good picture that is going to make people want to come to you to have their picture taken.

Thanks. Im hoping my skills are good as ive taken a few classes and a ton of pictures outdoors. Just new to the indoor studio lighting situation. I took the advice of floppydog and purchased basically the bare minimum and it works perfect for what I needed. Thanks for the advice! The only thing I purchase additionally were a set of cheap stobes with softboxes on ebay and while they work I would not say they were even needed. Fortunately they were not that expensive and I may need them if I go off site.

Sally said:

you can have all the right equipment and you can have the customer base but with out the skills needed or the right knowledge in what you are doing.

He can't get the skills until he starts shooting. Of course his first shots are going to suck. Everyone's first shots suck. With practice and honest feedback, his shots eventually won't suck. Funny how that works!

TShirt said:

The only thing I purchase additionally were a set of cheap stobes with softboxes on ebay and while they work I would not say they were even needed.

Ouch. IMO, it's better to get new gear that comes with warranty. There are some very reasonably priced strobes out there.

Tshirt, the other half of studio photography you need to get used to is POSTPRODUCTION. That's processing and fine-tuning the digital photos on a computer. It's highly unlikely you'll ever shoot a professional-quality photo that you can use straight out of the camera. The standard professional tool is Photoshop, but there are less expensive alternatives. There are even free ones, like GIMP.

Check out www.gimp.org

How big is your studio going to be? If it is in the house say 8x12 you can do fine with 160w/s strobes, and a 110 fill. You can get kits for 299.00 on ebay, an XTi used will run 4-500or new with several lens' for 800. Then practice, practice, do alot of stills in between models to get the light right.

No offense (& by that i mean i dont care if i offend) but someone who wants to make it in this business of photography needs to start somewhere. Sooooo papa photographer thx for the all un-original information that is posted all over the internet ...why people rely on their x number of photographs like a drunk uses a light post.... to hold themselves up rather than illumination.

..... & N EEE way to the newby its not the size of you camera its the size of you sensor that matters "thats what she said" and I love canons but nikon makes comparable ones too. Ohhh yeah most old schoolers haven't fully grasped photoshop but if you were to look into a crystal ball the use of photoshop is your strongest asset, even more so than your camera... second I would say lighting..... but all in all what do i know, test it out for yourself and if you come up w/ the same thing then cool. if not than im an idiot, or whatever you would like to feel in there. But your cool as long as you are being yourself. peace out brosuf

skeptic to the skeptic wrote:

No offense (& by that i mean i dont care if i offend) but someone who wants to make it in this business of photography needs to start somewhere. Sooooo papa photographer thx for the all un-original information that is posted all over the internet ...why people rely on their x number of photographs like a drunk uses a light post.... to hold themselves up rather than illumination.

..... & N EEE way to the newby its not the size of you camera its the size of you sensor that matters "thats what she said" and I love canons but nikon makes comparable ones too. Ohhh yeah most old schoolers haven't fully grasped photoshop but if you were to look into a crystal ball the use of photoshop is your strongest asset, even more so than your camera... second I would say lighting..... but all in all what do i know, test it out for yourself and if you come up w/ the same thing then cool. if not than im an idiot, or whatever you would like to feel in there. But your cool as long as you are being yourself. peace out brosuf

Ah, the bravery and wisdom of the anonymous driveby poster/sniper.

Pure nonsense about Photoshop being more important than the camera. Unless the project requires graphic design in the strictest sense of the term there's no substitute for getting it right in-camera from the getgo.

Doubly pure nonsense about oldschoolers not grasping Photoshop as fully as the noobs. One major difference between oldschool and noobschool -- as evidenced by this latest driveby poster -- is that oldschoolers tend not to rely on PS as a crutch to compensate for bad photography; most noobschoolers do.