This is a great video! I love that you are showing how to get professional results in the less than ideal situations we often have to photograph in.

Thanks for this Nathan, I understand some folks are just new, but I often roll my eyes when the "You have better camera/lights/studio space/model" crew makes an appearance. A good part of being a photographer is being a problem solver. People that look for reasons they can't, are people that never will.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Completely agree.

Honestly the nook in your basement offers plenty of space if you apply some space management and light control...like you did. Thanks for what you do!

Finally❗️ Where have you been man⁉️ A great movie, very inspiring 🙌🏻 Thanks for the material and give yourself too long to wait with the next material 😉 Regards 👋🏻

awesome buddy! Glad you are back! I would like to see some clamshell lighting using 2 lights vs reflectors...Thank you so much for getting back in the game. Missed ya bro!

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

Just what i needed! Setting up a small space in my attic of similar proportions to your nook. However the walls kinda taper down due to the slanted roof so I’m hoping it’ll offer more options for lighting and equipment.

Nathan, great video! Stay safe!

About time. Haven’t seen one of your videos in a while. Thanks Nathan.

Great video and I ahve done most of my studio shoots in studio owners homes so small rooms,just a bit bigger than your basement

Can confirm, it can be done. I use a 120 deep para in a space the same size as that. My walls white give me a nice fill and kick if I want. I flag off or use a reflector if I need the extra control. I'd LOVE to fly another smaller light in there with my brollybox overhead but that's a project for after the vir-pocalypse.

So informative and encouraging to see the results you can achieve in a small space. Great tutorial Nathan. I've just found your channel a few days ago and I'm very impressed, hope you and your family are well and your getting over your Covid19 experience.

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks George! We've basically put it behind us at this point and trying to keep moving forward with life ;) Glad to have you here!

Thanks a bunch Nathan, much appreciated. Particularly your suggestions for controlling the light bouncing around. My small spaces generally have light to white surfaces which causes light to bounce around even more than your basement. This is frequently compounded by the need/ want for a white background which further complicates things. The black surface will help and switching to a black backdrop might be better even if it means changing out the backdrop in post. Stay safe!

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help :)

@darrelltheriault5793

4 жыл бұрын

Though you didn’t discuss modifiers which are better suited to small spaces, it would seem fairly evident that the more control the mods provide, the better. I have been using shoot thru umbrellas and it would seem that the brollys you have used would be a much better choice.

@imagesbyjk

4 жыл бұрын

That’s why I painted my studio a dark gray. I don’t ever have to worry about unwanted reflected light. If I want light reflected I can add a reflector or v-flat. And it’s easy to overlay a texture on the gray wall instead of taking the time to set up expensive backgrounds.

Great video, Nate. Especially given that work from home seems to be the new normal... at least for the time being. Cheers.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks dude.

Hey Nathan, good to see you active again. Grids can also be a great way to control spill for people using softboxes instead of umbrellas/brollies.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed. The main reason for using the umbrella is that I get asked a lot about controlling spill from umbrellas (because I use a lot of umbrellas for their ease of setup / portability) so I figured I would show a quick tip ;)

@erictheiss3554

4 жыл бұрын

@@NathanElson I can only agree on the ease of use and portability. Nice trick on opening them only half way to save space! Will remeber that!

Another awesome tutorial, this is just what i need. Big thanks nathan

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Cheers

Greetings, Nathan .. I can relate to your video. I have built my makeshift studio in the basement. I had used scrap wood to built stands, booms and made my own background .. but the end result is good ( says me ). I call it my poor man's studio. In the past year, I did purchase 2 soft boxes. Recently I invested in my first entry level monolight. Thanks for sharing your advice in working in a small studio. I love it !

this was great - very well illustrated w shots that show effect of each of the 3 lights - thank you!

@NathanElson

7 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Thank you so much Nathan!! It encourages me a lot!! Truly 😭😭

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it Milly!

Great tutorial, Nathan. I have a small space which I wanted to use as a studio and here is what exactly I got the idea about it. Thanks a ton.

@NathanElson

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Nice info, thanks!

great vid, good to see you back

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks man

Very useful thanks again

U r such a rockstar!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Thank ya

Great video. Here also getting used to create at home. Be safe! cheers!

Excellent.

Some very handy tips. I’ll use in my next classroom shoot. Thanks

Thanks for sharing. This is great. My living room is about the same size dimension as this and that's what I've been using. However, I find it challenging to get full body shots. Often use a 24 or 35mm for the tight space but then have to photoshop out lights, cords, etc Any tips on how to get full body portraits in tight spaces? thanks Nathan

So awesome! Just bought a tiny trailer (the ones they use for the managers to sit in on construction sites 😆) and it’s almost the same size! I was wondering painting it white vs black. I figured it would bounce too much with white and you totally answered my questions! Thanks!!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad you got something out of it. What you might consider is painting it white for when you want that bounce (plus it will feel bigger / more welcoming), and putting in a black curtain on a rail so you can block the light when you want. Cheers!

Thanks man

Eres un maestro.

very nice !!!

Thank you!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

You bet!

Been loving your videos!!! Unfortunately here in Australia we don't have access to Strobepro! Ive been looking at your set and Ad600 Pro Godox , but also looking at the Profoto gear. IS there a major difference? can you do a video about quality lighting. Your work is so cool bro! I want to open my own studio soon, but not happy with the equip I have currently. Been using Godox more.

Me encanta tu estilo

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Muchísimas gracias

Thanks for sharing.

@NathanElson

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Did I miss the bit where you showed the modifier behind the camera that you were using for fill?

Bro!! I think you did great with this video, many people will be mptivated, cool work!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Fercho!

thank you for this!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

You're so welcome!

Great video, but that's not really a small space especially as it does not have the potential clutter a repurposed room in a typical home would have...Still, not being negative, just think your huge studio spoils you! lol I would like to ask do you have, or are you building a studio space in your home?

Greate Greate!!!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Great video. Do you have a useful technique for nailing focus on your eye when shooting a self-portrait? Thanks in advance.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

It's a bit tricky. I use a camranger to fire the camera so that I'm not running back and forth, but basically I'll set something on the chair / where I would be standing and focus on that, then set my focus on camera to manual and make any slight adjustments that were needed.

@scottiewarman

4 жыл бұрын

@@NathanElson Nice. Yeah, I've tried a number of things myself and it can be tricky. Glad I'm not the only one :P Appreciate the reply Nate.

nice video

Thank you

@NathanElson

4 күн бұрын

Welcome!

Nice. The white t-shirt shows the exposure is dead on, and am I correct you chose dark pants and sweater to keep reflections minimal? In a small space, that might be important? I do think your studio is well done.

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

That’s just the outfit I chose to wear that day 😉 No photographic thought put into it.

Can you convert to metric units instead of old imperial units for the people not in Liberia and Myanmar. Great video though. 😊

Hi! I do my photo shoots inside a dark bathroom with a very small window. I just purchased a continues light because the ring light didn’t cut it. Which light diffuser or light reflector (bouncing from cealing) would you recommend for this tiny space and how to avoid all the shadows! I am only a hobby photographer - not professional. Thanks!

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

It's a hard question to answer without knowing what lighting you are using. Can you provide more info on the gear you have?

@cecem.9921

3 жыл бұрын

@@NathanElson Hi! Thanks for the reply. I am now using a GVM 80W portable LED light :)

Thanks Nathan! Really helps to know that you can create portraits in a crunched space!

looking at this, not understanding these freedom units

I'm curious, what do you think the smallest space you could get away with for doing full length portrait shoots would be? Say you wanted to shoot a ~6ft tall model head to toe?

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

It really depends on how creative you can get with your light, and ceiling height really matters. I've shot full length portraits in small offices before. It's not ideal, but with enough lighting know-how you can usually pull off almost anything ;)

@TaylorHuston

3 жыл бұрын

@@NathanElson Do you think you could have done a proper full body shot in a space this small? I'm currently looking at apartments, looking at a few different loft floorplans that might have a big enough living room that I could use for a home photo studio, and I'd like to be able to do full body shots. One place I am looking at has about a 11' x 18' space with 20' ceilings.

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

@@TaylorHuston Yep, I've done full body in small spaces. It's not always ideal, but it is do-able for sure.

Small room can be adapted IF THE CEILING IS HIGH ENOUGH, say 12 feet. Ceiling is the killer.

I have done one of the bests of my pictures in small apartments. One tip: paint white, and have black flags :)

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed

Typically the biggest issue with home studios isn’t the square footage so much as the low ceilings. I’d kill for 9’ ceilings.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

I just did a client shoot a few weeks back with 8' ceilings. I feel your pain.

@antoinedidienne4938

4 жыл бұрын

I use my Garage as my home studio. The big pain for me (which I work around it) is the door motor and rail in the middle. I'm very thankful to have this space though.

@imagesbyjk

4 жыл бұрын

Antoine Didienne , taking down the garage door opener and selling it was the first thing I did. I don’t use it as a garage anymore so I didn’t need the opener.

@imagesbyjk

4 жыл бұрын

Nathan Elson yeah, I tend to do a lot of shots with the subject(s) sitting down to give me more headspace for lights etc.

@antoinedidienne4938

4 жыл бұрын

I'm thinking of something along those lines... Abd to replace the current garage door with French door type of doors.

Try it with lights that cost under $100, THEN that would help. Expensive lights are out of reach for most of us. 👍

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

I can do it with cheap lighting if you need.... Light is light, more expensive doesn't mean better light, just more reliable gear.

Do you even age bro

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks. As I creep up on 40 my body sure isn't taking the bumps and bruises like it used to, but the baby face is holding decently strong ;)

Hey, I really appreciated the premise of the video. I have an unsolicited criticism coming from a place of constructiveness. I’m writing this because I REALLY was pulled in by your title and thumbnail but found myself wanting to like this video but inevitably being unable to finish it. My intention is that, as a viewer who did not know you at all coming upon your content excited to see your take on this subject, share how it landed and how it might be improved for people like me. I’m coming at this with my experience as a tv producer and an avid KZread viewer. So with those qualifications made: I submit my unsolicited criticism and hope it helps. - I came into this with the expectation that I’d learn something about lighting for small spaces. Starting with watching you walk for 10 seconds or so just to come introduce yourself was kind of annoying. The joke that you have a large space wasn’t enough to warrant me sitting here waiting when all I wanna do is learn. Tbh, the video doesn’t really start imho until 3 minutes in. And even then, the useful bits are so spread out between broll and what reads to me as filler that it makes it hard to justify sticking with the video. If this entire video was condensed to 3 minutes it would feel like it packed a real punch! I *might* not be your target audience, but I feel like I am because I’m always trying to learn more about every aspect of film and tv. I’ve recently started investing in bigger light units for my own productions and make decent sized gear purchases for myself, clients, and also make recommendations for major studios. I hear my younger self complaining that people just need to appreciate more “breathing room” in videos but as time has worn on in my field I’ve actually really come to appreciate the quicker paced timing of different formats and believe that the pacing of every project is dependent on what’s called for by the scene and story. In this case, the context being KZread, educational, and discoverable, I think that a faster experience would better serve your audience resulting in more subscribers. But nobody knows your audience and your metrics better than you. So I concede the metrics of your dashboard. - Short of that, I hope this has been helpful and if you ever wanna chat further, please let me know. I’ll apologize now if you think I’m in the wrong for my unsolicited criticism. Just trying to help! Cheers! -Raymond Cinemato

@NathanElson

3 жыл бұрын

Haha I feel like your critique of my video is similar to mine of your comment. I could literally only read a bit of it before I just skimmed it :) Cheers -Nate

@RaymondCinemato

3 жыл бұрын

Nathan Elson like two peas in a pod! 😂 - have a great day man!

Small room - check. But I would think that most people who only have a small space as a studio are very unlikely to have hundreds, possibly a couple of thousand or more pounds or dollars worth of lighting and modifiers. Small room with budget or minimal lighting I would find most useful - but for me, this video sadly was not very useful.

@NathanElson

4 жыл бұрын

The concepts are the same regardless of the price of your gear.... light is light. You can apply these same concepts if you're using hot-shoe flashes rather than studio strobes. Don't get hung up on the price of the gear, use the techniques and work with what you have.