How to set up your own home studio

A room with a plain white or cream wall is ideal for a home studio set-up. If the walls aren't plain, you could always pin up a white sheet or, even better, invest in a pop-up backdrop like this one. When choosing a room to shoot in, a high ceiling is helpful as it will allow you to elevate your light for top-down lighting on the subject's face – which tends to be more pleasing to the eye. Be aware that light takes on some of the colour of every surface it bounces off, so if the walls have a strong colour they may tint the light falling on your subject.

Don't restrict yourself to one type of room though. If you've got some photogenic stairs then these can work as a great location for group shots, while shooting looking down on your subject can produce some really nice and relaxed portrait shots.

Different focal length lenses can have a marked effect on the look of your subject. A wide-angle lens may exaggerate a person's facial features by unnaturally elongating the nose and the forehead – especially if used for close-ups. Exaggerated perspectives can sometimes be put to good effect, but in general longer focal lengths tend to be more flattering. So if you're using a kit zoom lens then step back and zoom to the longer end of the lens. If you plan on shooting lots of portraits then consider using a dedicated portrait lens. A focal length of 85mm (or a 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera) is regarded as the perfect lens for portraits because of the way it captures a face in the most flattering proportions.

Like a bare lightbulb, your Speedlite flash is a relatively small source of light. So the light it produces will be hard-edged, resulting in hard shadows and bold contrast. Often with portraits, you'll want to diffuse the light so that it falls more softly across a face – a modifier will help you achieve this. Much like a large window, a simple modifier such as an umbrella or softbox will enlarge your source of light, enabling it to wrap around your subject and gently fill in the shadows.

You can either angle the umbrella towards your subject or have it facing away to bounce light back at them. Often with portraits it works best to bring the light in fairly close to the face, as this enlarges the light source in comparison to the subject.

Using flash gives you a tremendous amount of freedom over your exposure. You can set your flash to overpower the ambient light, or make the two work in harmony. Here's a simple stock setting for your flash exposure: set your flash to Manual (M) and choose a power – ¼ power is a good starting point. As for exposure settings, switch your camera to Manual exposure mode and set your shutter speed to 1/160 sec, or whatever is the max flash sync speed.

Set the ISO to 100 and Aperture to f/8. Take a test shot and then simply adjust the flash power until the light over the face looks right. You can change the power of the flash either by adjusting the output or by moving the light closer to or further away from your subject.

One of the best things about using off-camera flash for portraiture is the control it gives you. Where you place it has a dramatic effect on the look of the face.

If you want to take your flash photography to the next level, introduce a second flash and experiment with ratios. Try training one flash on the backdrop and the other on the subject. Set to a low output, the rear flash will create a subtle spotlight on the background. By contrast, set to a high output the background light can blow out the backdrop for a high-key look. Of course, you can also use the second flash to lift parts of your subject. For instance, if you angle it back towards them from behind you, you can create an attractive edge light along the outline of the figure.

For bold colours try adding gels to your flash. These inexpensive pieces of coloured acetate can be fastened in front of your flash and used either to tint the light hitting your subject, or to create bold backdrops for your studio shots. When experimenting with colours think about how you can use props and outfits to complement the colour scheme, and use a colour wheel to determine what might look best. Here, a bold blue beret adds a secondary splash of colour to the shot. You'll be sure to find lots of props and accessories around the house that can be used to add interest and character to your own portraits, while you'll also be able to fashion your own light modifiers as well. Our DIY photo accessory hacks article shows you how to make a softbox and spotlight tube from a cardboard box and foil-lined crisp tube. Simpler still, you can make your own reflector from some cardboard and tin foil that can be used to bounce light off from the Speedlite and lift the shadows of your subject.



Written by James Paterson