Maximizing Space in a Small Photography Studio

Photography Tips  •  Studio Photography

Do you wish you had a professional photography studio at home but don’t have enough space? Maybe the spare bedroom seems a bit small for all the equipment you’d need for a truly professional setup? Check out this video from Adorama, where professional photographer Norm Beer shows how he’s transformed his small, two-car garage into a fully professional, bells-and-whistles studio:

While some of us shoot with just a camera, tripod, background, and a light or two (all of which would fit perfectly in a spare bedroom), other photographers need a lot more gear at hand: numerous lights, backgrounds, flashes, etc. For them, the trick to making a smaller space work is to arrange everything to get the maximum utility without cluttering the space. This generally means hanging things on walls and the ceiling, and maximizing storage space.

One of Beer’s especially handy items (though not necessarily de-cluttering) is a 5-caster rolling stand, used to hold Pocket Wizards, light meters, a laptop, and even your morning coffee.

Rolling Stand

Beer’s background setup is especially handy, taking up next to no space and readily interchangeable. Here’s what he uses:

• Interfit Photographic Wall Bracket Kit for Background Paper Rolls
• Lastolite LL LB7765 9 x 19.6 Feet Vinyl Backgrounds Roll (Black)
• Lastolite LL LB7770 9 x 19.6 Feet Vinyl Backgrounds Roll (Gray)
• Lastolite LL LB7761 9 x 19.6 Feet Vinyl Wipe Clean Background (White)

In the end, Beer manages to fit everything his larger studio had to offer into this much smaller space AND still get in two cars when needed. How’s that for ingenuity?! All he needed was a few super struts and wall hangers.