How does one build a smart affordable home studio?

My wife and I recently had a baby girl! and my father in law (who is a
wonderful photographer) gave his Sony DSC-F717 to me as a gift (as he
upgraded some time ago). I am not new to taking digital photos, but I
would like to become more serious. I know the DSC-F717 is a bit old,
but it seems it is still a great camera.

In particular I would like to buy some lighting and equipment to set up
a simple home studio. I am clueless where to start and what resources I
should look into (lighting, backdrops, etc.) I would appreciate any
links, advice, help. I am not looking to set up an ultimate system, but
something for taking great photos using the camera that I can share
with family and friends, i.e. I don't have a large budget and would
prefer smart affordable solutions.

Also I am interested in any links, resources specific to the DSC-F717
that would be of interest.

Thank you for any advice.

Jeff

In article .com,
" wrote:

I am clueless where to start and I don't have a large budget.

Save time and money pay someone :^)


--
Would thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or
a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere
in the middle. "Me who is part taoist and part Christian".

In article .com,
" wrote:

My wife and I recently had a baby girl! and my father in law (who is a
wonderful photographer) gave his Sony DSC-F717 to me as a gift (as he
upgraded some time ago). I am not new to taking digital photos, but I
would like to become more serious. I know the DSC-F717 is a bit old,
but it seems it is still a great camera.

In particular I would like to buy some lighting and equipment to set up
a simple home studio. I am clueless where to start and what resources I
should look into (lighting, backdrops, etc.) I would appreciate any
links, advice, help. I am not looking to set up an ultimate system, but
something for taking great photos using the camera that I can share
with family and friends, i.e. I don't have a large budget and would
prefer smart affordable solutions.

Also I am interested in any links, resources specific to the DSC-F717
that would be of interest.

The room should be long rather than square. set up a roller for the
background papers at one end. Incandescent lights are cheap to start
with, and an umbrella flash is probably very useful. Remember that
successful portraits means there is no shadow on the background paper -
you need at least 1 meter from the background. Plain papers as well as a
darker mottled look makes great backgrounds. These papers are expensive
but it's well worth the cost.

Enroll at a local evening class, preferably at an art college so they
have a studio that you can examine to see what you need. This will also
familiarise yourself with basic lighting techniques.

wrote:
My wife and I recently had a baby girl! and my father in law (who is a
wonderful photographer) gave his Sony DSC-F717 to me as a gift (as he
upgraded some time ago). I am not new to taking digital photos, but I
would like to become more serious. I know the DSC-F717 is a bit old,
but it seems it is still a great camera.

In particular I would like to buy some lighting and equipment to set up
a simple home studio.

There seems little point. A studio (in the sense you're using)
is only good for a limited range of studio shots.

Pro photographers use such studios to make a small
number of fairly-non-varying shots of a large
number of subjects.

Whereas your requirment is a large number
of varied (and hopefully interesting) shots
of a small number of subjects.

I'd would (assumption alert!) assume that your
father would prefer shots of his beloved grandson in
a wide range of environments and contexts; garden, beach,
feeding the cat, first cycle ride etc.

Studios are not a pre-requisite of "good" photography;
e.g. many famous protraits are done in the sitters home.

BugBear

On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:13:09 -0400, Little Green Eyed Dragon
wrote:

In article .com,
" wrote:

I am clueless where to start and I don't have a large budget.

Save time and money pay someone :^)

Are you ALWAYS this helpful?
================================================== =========================
Chris

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

wrote:
My wife and I recently had a baby girl! and my father in law (who is a
wonderful photographer) gave his Sony DSC-F717 to me as a gift (as he
upgraded some time ago). I am not new to taking digital photos, but I
would like to become more serious. I know the DSC-F717 is a bit old,
but it seems it is still a great camera.

In particular I would like to buy some lighting and equipment to set up
a simple home studio. I am clueless where to start and what resources I
should look into (lighting, backdrops, etc.) I would appreciate any
links, advice, help. I am not looking to set up an ultimate system, but
something for taking great photos using the camera that I can share
with family and friends, i.e. I don't have a large budget and would
prefer smart affordable solutions.

Also I am interested in any links, resources specific to the DSC-F717
that would be of interest.

Thank you for any advice.

Jeff

Mr. Baker,
You can do a lot with incandescent light, natural light and reflectors.
Sheets can make excellent backdrops. Check out
http://www.calumetphoto.com and http://www.bhphotovideo.com.

Good luck and have fun
--
Bill