Generally, the photos I take are candids, so I wanted to mix it up a bit to challenge myself. I had a photo shoot set up with an model I found on craigslist. Winter weather took shooting outside off the table, so I needed to set up an inside. I had the lighting. What I needed was something to use as a clean, professional looking background. I took a ride to the local photo shop in Hartford for a roll of paper. I parked directly in front of the shop and headed inside. I knew what I wanted so I was in there no longer than 5 minutes. I was at the register when the clerk said, "Is that your car out front? You're going to get a ticket" I wasn't concerned because I had paid at the meter. The clerk then told me it was commercial parking only, so I headed outside. I asked the lovely meter maid what was going on and she informed me that I needed commercial plates because it was a loading zone and that she had already issued the ticket. "There's nothing I can do," she said with a big smile on her face. I went back in to finish paying and the clerk told me it happens all the time because the signs are confusing and that I should fight it. I intend to do so.
I only read the bottom sign.
Now that I had the extremely expensive roll of paper, thanks to Hartford's finest, I needed something to hang it from. I headed to the hardware store not sure of what I was going to use. I walked around for a while searching for something and had a crazy thought of making something out of PVC pipe that would involve cutting and assembling. Fortunately, I ended up in the storage area and settled on a closet rod and 2 brackets. It was a perfect and easy solution.
My "studio" was a relatively empty room in the basement. It was filled with old toys from the late 70's and early 80's. Rocking horses, an old high chair and an electric keyboard were a few of the items. I moved everything around as best as I could to make a clear path. Only issue was that running the long way one wall was concrete and the other wall had the door in the center of it. I couldn't drill into the concrete to hang the brackets, so it would have to be the wall with the door. Not a problem, it just meant I would have to remove the roll every time someone came in or left the room.
Looking in from the doorway
The brackets hung next to the door
Ready to go, just don't leave the room.
I got everything set up and the shoot was fun. Tamara, the model, was great! The studio worked just fine. However, the results of the shoot were not as good as I had expected because of my lighting set up, but it was a decent start.
Shot with Orbis Ring Flash
Small softbox and hair light
Softbox only
Definitely a learning experience. I need to work on my lighting and more importantly, I need pay more attention to parking signs.
