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Studio Photography
against a wall. They cost about $130 and fit into a included gym-bag.
Calumet makes a really slick "Tote-a-Round Muslin" system that leans up against any wall and gives
you that classic studio muslin look. They are around $300 each but I haven't tried them.
Camera Support
This is where most readers would say "duh, use a tripod." First of all, if you're doing 35mm or medium
format work with strobes, you don't need a camera support because the flash freezes motion. But if
you're using hot lights or big cameras or doing something creative, you probably need some kind of
camera support. A tripod is in fact usually the wrong tool for the job.
A tripod is inconvenient. Since using the center column to adjust height is the sure mark of a fool, you
have to adjust all three legs to raise or lower the camera. You can't usually get really low or really high
or really hanging out over your subject with a tripod because the legs get in the way.
Part of the reasons that tripods have such shortcomings is that they are engineered to weigh less than 250
lbs. If you want the most stable support for a fixed weight, a tripod is the right design. Once you accept
the idea that a camera support can weigh more than the photographer, then there is more freedom of
design and you'd probably come up with a Studio Stand. This is basically a very heavy rigid single
column off which you hang crossbar arms off of which you hang tripod heads off of which you hang
cameras. There are wheels on the bottom that you can lock. The columns come between 6 and 12 feet in
height and prices range from $350 to $3500 depending upon features and stability.
Cool Stuff
You went into the studio to have fun. Now it is time to stock up on mylar, strange oils, dead flowers,
interesting vegetables, and play. If you want to spend more money, there are lots of interesting ways to
do it. Rosco makes a huge range of colored filters to stick in front of lights plus fog machines ($350-
700) to add mystery. A wind machine (around $500) will give human subjects that active look.
Trengrove artificial ice cubes and related products will help you do that Chivas Regal ad.
If you really want to be mod, though, what you need to do is get hosed. The Hosemaster is a $5000
machine that lets you paint with a fiber optic wand of light. Since you are lighting each part of the
subject individually, you can do just about anything you want. Infinite depth of field? Just keep
refocusing the camera. Make one part of the subject diffuse? Put a stocking over the lens while you're
hosing that part. A nice highlight on the pen tip? Leave the hose on the tip for awhile.
I've personally never used a Hosemaster, but it was all the rage when it came out in the early 1990's.
You couldn't open Photo District News without seeing some beautiful Hosemaster work. Personally,
though, I don't like the idea of spending fifteen minutes painting a scene on a Polaroid and then doing it
all over again for the final chrome and then discovering that I screwed up somehow.
http://www.photo.net/studio/primer (9 of 17)7/3/2005 2:18:01 AM