Painting walls white for a part time studio

[stigmundfreud]

I have a spare room in my house which I have always wanted to act as a part time studio/bedroom. The plan was to strip it bare, get rid of all furnashings and paint the walls white, get white flooring etc.

I have done the walls, they are all painted but the carpet is still in there for now. The walls are a nice strong white but it isn't a brilliant white. Understandably the red carpet will be throwing some dark light into the mix plus I haven't tested with studio flashes yet but it just doesn't look white enough.

Can anyone recommend a brilliant white paint and what finish to get - matt/silk, or an alternate wall coating?

thanks

[EmmaP]

Dulux is pretty good, but you'll probably need to give it a couple of coats. Floor paint is a must, anything else will just get damaged too easily.

[stigmundfreud]

EmmaP said:

Dulux is pretty good, but you'll probably need to give it a couple of coats. Floor paint is a must, anything else will just get damaged too easily.

More layers? This thing has so many layers on it I might called it the QE2 and set sail to it

I used crown white, I might look for some brilliant white before I sort the flooring.

Flooring wise I have a few options. I have nice floorboards I could sand and paint/varnish so I might do that anyway as it could offer a nice look. My thoughts were to then put a large piece of white lino or similar to cover the floor, could easily be rolled back if I wanted to use the floor boards...

Emma do you have any recommendations for some nice props to use? I've really only concentrated on plain studio stuff before. In this I am going to have a sofa as a prop which will double as a bed for guests - but it can be moved around... but struggling to think of nice background props to use

[Simpo Two]

stigmundfreud said:

I might do that anyway as it could offer a nice look. My thoughts were to then put a large piece of white lino or similar to cover the floor, could easily be rolled back if I wanted to use the floor boards...

Good idea - skirting boards running through a shot look pretty ugly IMHO.

Look no join!

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 11th February 12:06

[stigmundfreud]

oh balls I forgot about the skirting.

how deep is the room you used there?

[Simpo Two]

stigmundfreud said:

oh balls I forgot about the skirting. how deep is the room you used there?

Only 10' x 12', but it works surprisingly well.

[stigmundfreud]

fairly similar, what flooring did you use and how did you get it to join so well with the wall? I might need to leave teh skirting in as the plaster behind is a bit old to say the least. Typically I always uused to run a flash or two behind the subject to stop harsh shaddows but your shaddow is light and works quite nice. What set up do you use?

I suppose I need to really give mine a trial run rather than just askinq questions! In the past I used the lastolite pop out background and trail and its worked great but it has a disadvantage in smaller spaces due to the stands taking up quite some room

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Not so great for your guests, but for you might want to paint half the room (including ceiling) black. If you ever want to do anything other than evenly lit portraits it'll make it much easier.

[EmmaP]

Personally I'd paint the room white but actually use a paper or fabric back drop to produce a continuous backdrop. For a white backdrop I'd use paper roll and for black I would use fabric. Velvet is the best for absorbing light but it is costly. Some companies offer patterned muslin fabric backdrops.
Plenty to choose from here -

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/Studio/Backgrounds,+...

Failing that you could just work on location

As for props, that would depend on the client and what they were looking for. Personally I think less is more.



Keep it simple, relevant and avoid utilising anything that will look dated in years to come. Consider getting props on a sale and return basis to limit outgoings (need to make sure items don't get damaged and are suitable for re-sale).

Edited by EmmaP on Monday 11th February 13:12

[stigmundfreud]

I like the KISS method as thats the sort of stuff I do

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fluffysnugglebunny197...

but I want some more set shots too like using the sofa etc. As for the paer I was hoping that by painting white I could avoid the use of white paper but still use black velvet (I have some) when the need arises.

[EmmaP]

Ikea do some cheap and cheerful furniture. Best thing is to look through magazines to get some ideas for props. Flowers and hats could be fun and colourful props for girls/women. Maybe a football, basketball, skateboard, bat for a lad. The clothing will be key too. I usually get people to bring along a wide range of clothes - different colours, patterns, styles. Although you have your likes and taste, you need to think about what the client wants and will be happy to hang on their wall.

[stigmundfreud]

ah not those sort of props, just was on about backround stuff to make for a nice sitting if using the chair/sofa. I think a sofa with just a pure white background could look nice but I'd also like to offer something with a more natural feel too.

As for hats and stuff I already have plans to get some nice bits of clothing such as that, also planning on doing a makeup course of some kind hopefully in the summer

[_dobbo_]

I did my garage about a year ago - and used dulux pure brilliant white on the walls and white floor paint.

From this:



to this



I don't tend to get issues with the corners as most of the stuff I shoot is at f/2.8 and so any backgrounds are well out of focus.

[stigmundfreud]

what did you do with your flooring?

[_dobbo_]

I just used white floor paint, it's hard wearing and as long as you prepare the floor properly before painting it's great. I think it cost me about £20 to do the whole floor, took about 3 or 4 coats as the floor was blue before.

I didn't prepare the floor at all, so the paint is lifting up in a few places. 30 seconds with the clone healing brush in PS soon sorts that out though!

[stigmundfreud]

Simpo Two said:

stigmundfreud said:

I might do that anyway as it could offer a nice look. My thoughts were to then put a large piece of white lino or similar to cover the floor, could easily be rolled back if I wanted to use the floor boards...

Good idea - skirting boards running through a shot look pretty ugly IMHO.

Look no join!

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 11th February 12:06

Simpo on that shot how was your light set up?

[Simpo Two]

stigmundfreud said:

Simpo on that shot how was your light set up?

Just trace the shadows back. I use special light which is guaranteed to travel in straight lines

[stigmundfreud]

straight light you say? I never heard of that is it an add-on I can buy? I was on about what did you whack on the flash/style of flash used?

[Simpo Two]

stigmundfreud said:

straight light you say? I never heard of that is it an add-on I can buy? I was on about what did you whack on the flash/style of flash used?

I'm a newbie to lighting really but my way is not just to copy what other people do, but to experiment. Decide where you want the light/shadows to be, then work it back. Hence my orignal point about straight lines was a hint that you can often reverse-engineer lighting simply by studying the image.

[stigmundfreud]

I was playing dumb, understand lighting etc and always try different things out but the lighting there on your shot was nice so sometimes its nice to ask what set up was used at that point.