Is a 13x11 room large enough shooting space for a photography studio?

Question

My exclusive shooting area would be 13x11, the office, storage, waiting and showcase area would be completely seperate. Approximately how many people do you think I could fit into that space?

Thanks!

Answer 1

IF your back is against one wall, and your subjects back is aganst the opposite wall, you might get some headshots, but your lighting will suck, and you may have nasty shadows to deal with.

IT would be a good size for still life, macro shots.

Answer 2

For shooting portraits or products that are not too big , yes.

You will not be able to shoot groups. For a professional look, you will need a couple of softboxes or umbrellas and these will take up about 3 feet each. That leaves you less than 5' wide which is tight for anything over two - three people probably.

You also need the 13' depth to get separation from your background, the people, your lights, then your camera. For portraits you will be using a lens slightly longer than normal so you will need to be back 4-5' from the subject.

You can do this, and if it is the space you have, then you will have to be creative and work in it, but you can do it. Just expect to be ducking around the lights a lot.

If you have the option of making the shooting area larger, then I would - for instance make the showcase area double as your office and think of some creative ways to store your stuff to free up more shooting space. You will want it.

Answer 3

I hate to bust your bubble but a room that measures 13x11 is not big enough for portrait work or group photos. However it is big enough to do table top shots or product shots (merchandise) If you plan on having a set of studio lights you must consider room for the light stand(s) itself.One stand will need at least 3 sqft of floor space A backdrop wil take up 12ft of floor space or more,that's not including the stands to hold the backdrop up . One more thing to consider is ceiling height. You will need room for soft boxes. And extra room to raise /lower them. Soft boxes can range form a 4 x 6 inch to a 60"W x 72" T x 4'D and bigger. The biggest I have seen so far was in Pier 1's studio it measured at least 8 foot wide by 14 foot tall 3 feet deep Iam not exact on that but it is close. My point is lights need alot of room and will take up alot of room very quickly. On top of all this you will need extra room to adjust those lights closer and further away from the subject. A cheaper way to go is to buy a set of studio lights, a generator , and do on location shoots the only downfall to this method is the weather

Answer 4

If you are doing product photography thats plenty of room unless you are shooting oversized products. In terms of a portrait studio you are really pushing it. With large groups of people you will be limited as to where you can place your lighting though to be honest quality of lighting will be the issue if you do find space. Additionally,dependng upon where and how many light you have it may cramp the space and you might be forced to shoot with a wide angle lens which as you know isn't exactly the best choice for shooting portraits. In a space this size I would probably not have more than say 4 to 5 people.

Answer 5

No, but don't let that discourage you from using it as one.
It's fine for head and shoulder shots and small groups of 5 or fewer adults.

Remember, you're going to need some space for lights, drops, props and room to back up.

Consider your lens, Nothing less than 85mm should be used. That is a short telephoto and you won't have enough room to back up for more than head and shoulders. Probably not even enough for a full length of even one person.

Use it for now. I've done it in a room almost exactly the same size and did not realize how small it was until I got into rooms larger.

Good luck.

My website. 20+ years pro shooter
http://lamplightphoto.com

Answer 6

I think its big enough. You could get 6-7 people comfortably in it (for front of the camera)

5-6 behind