I'm finally getting a decent camera for taking photo's. A Olympus evolt e300. Had to settle for point and shoots before, didn't have the funds necessary for a new SLR. This is my first post to the photo forums, hopefully not my last. and i am in the process of setting up a indoor studio. and I searched the web over, and there is very little useful info about what to use. So, what do you use in your studio, lighting wise? What kind of lights? How many lights, backdrops, etc. I have a 24' x 24' building I am gonna convert. I don't plan to sink a lot of money into this at once, it's only gonna be used occasionally, but would like to have a basic indoor studio if I need it. Baisc backdrop, basic lights, and what not. I've not found very much do it yourself info, but a lot of "kits" for more than I have to spend on it right now. and yes, I know the kits would probably work better, and you get what you pay for, but for now, I want to do it on the cheap.

depends on what you are shooting... if you are just doing small things that would fit on a table then here is the thing just for you:

Studio Table set up for under $80

If you are planning on shooting people (with a camera of course) then i suppose just expand that table idea to a plain wall with some cloth draped from it in an infinity curve and just make the lights taller ;)

Plus if you have a flash - then you can always use it as a light source... (just buy an offboard connection cable) you will just have to get used to not seeing the light until you hit the shutter button/see what comes up on screen... there are a few tutorials out there on how to modify flash units to act as lights and i;m sure a little ingenuity and improvisation could replicate thing like flash umbrellas, diffusers and reflectors ;)

edit - btw, i havent done either of the above, they are just suggestions, i tend to like just going out and taking shots, and "studio" shots are done using one or two desk lamps and a few strategically placed books/peices of white or black paper/whatever i feel like using.  For instance the recent Bubble shot in my gallery was shot on my desk with a blue tissue box placed behind the glass and the cap of a red felt tip pen dipped into the water behind it... the light came from a single desk lamp.

Which reminds me - part of your considerations of your studio would be light control... if there are windows board them up, unless you plan to use the natural light - the main point of using a studio is so that you can control the lighting down to perfection...

thats a good idea for a table to shoot objects on. Still I wish I could see the lights he used. They were only mentioned as kool lights. I guess, what I'm really asking what is what kind of bulbs would I use, would the cheap aluminum clip on dishpan spotlights from any hardware store work, or do I actually need to get certain types of spotlights. It's an easy questions, but also an easy subject to screw up and buy the wrong stuff. and umbrellas or softboxes, and that type of stuff.

Attached Link: Studio shot ?

The image on the link was made on my desk with a desklamp and a kids rucksack as the background.

i think before you throw loads of money into this... grab your nearest portable light... a lamp... reading light... torch... and set up an impromptu studio; take a shot of your choosing with the lights you have, and have a look at the outcome.

Not only will that show you how relatively generic lighting is, it will probably also dissuade you from buying expensive gear - i'm planning a "model" shoot of my girlfriend, and i am going to use a bedsheet as the background, and two reading lamps (they are normally the best as they are multidirectional)... if i want a diffuser i will either wrap some tissue around the light or hang a thin cloth infront of it. If i want some sort of reflector i'll probably use a few bits of plain white paper taped together.  I would hazard a guess at that set up acheiving results of about 60-70% of the quality you might expect from a pro set-up for a similar shot... and i wouldnt have spent a thing...

One consideration i learnt from using a similar set up to the table thing (it was a pro set up) was not to use tungsten or "hot" lighting... you burn yourself too much, and the extra light isnt worth it if you are shooting inanimate objects and you have a tripod ;)

just found the head i was using last summer:

http://www.karlu.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_66_585&products_id=8942

had no idea they were that expensive - but yeah, they are fairly decent for a generic light source... and they were "cold" so i didnt burn my forearms as much! Although i was taking shots on a table top and had a lot of flexibility as to how close the lights could get to the objects i was photographing (it was for a company that sells things on eBay) - not sure how they would fare 4 metres away from a model...

ok - creative mind gone into overflow here - was just thinking about flash umbrellas... well they are called umbrellas for a reason no?  just get an old umbrella and spray paint the inside with silver paint and voila... attach it to a cheap tripod and you have a half price flash umbrella ;)

I had found 4 umbrellas on ebay for $30 total with shipping two 36" white, and two 42" silver. wasn't woo bad of a price I thought, but then the whole specific connection adn whait if I want to mount the lights in the ceiling and all that. Ended up not getting them. I know i'm gonna have to finish boxing in the roof, also will have to put up sheet rock on one wall and paint that, probbaly white or black, not sure yet. And check some more into the lights. I will have to check on the cool lights. And thankfully, my shed has no windows in it. Maybe the cheapo dishpan lights will work with the right bulbs. the lights i'm talking about are relatively cheap, and have a clippy spring grip arm on them to attatch them to say the rafters in the ceiling and it looks like a giant aluminum dish pan or bowl. softboxes or reflectors, I may be able to make out of clotheshangers and duct tape.

i have just got hold of a builders worklamp. Only cost me £12.00 and is bright as hell. they do give off a bit of heat tho so be careful

One of my local photo stores sugested a Smith-Victor http://www.smithvictor.com/
KT-750.  Currently, Smith-Victor offers the equivalent "KT750U THRIFTY BASIC KIT"
http://www.smithvictor.com/products/detail.asp?prodid=100&id=14&pid=1&s1=Lighting+Kits&s2=Photoflood+Kits&nm=KT750U+THRIFTY+BASIC+KIT
List price $190 ... on adorama.com both models are $135. 

It seems to be a good beginner setup. 

OTOH, other experts may suggest more powerful lights.  YMMV. 

from the adorama.com website ...

The Smith-Victor KT-750 consists of: 2 10" Reflectors, 1 5" Reflector, 3 Sockets & Cordsets w/Stand Mounts, 3 Raven Aluminum Stands, 3 ECA 250w Photoflood Lamps, 1 Corrugated Carrying Case, 1 Imaging with Light Guide. 

The Smith-Victor KT-750U consists of: 2-10" Reflectors, 1-5" Reflectors, 3-ECA 250-watt lamps, 3-Socket & cordsets, 2- 32" White bounce umbrellas, 2- UM6 Umbrella mounts, 3-RS8 stands, 1 Imaging with Light Guide.  

When purchasing, double-check about the carrying case. 

With studio lighting and photoflood lamps, you will need to consider the color temperature rating of the lamps. 

--
Martin

OK, I gave you some thoughts about lighting.

You should also think about what kind of tripod to get.

My advice on tripods is ... Don't overbuy.  (don't buy way more than you need).

It has to be able to hold the biggest camera you will use in the studio, but not too
heavy to use in the field.

I have a Bogen Manfrotto 3051 Tripod with 3047 3-Way Panhead with Quick
Release -- it's fine for studio work (big enough for a medium format camera, etc.)
... BUT that tripod is too heavy for field work.

For field work (hiking, landscape, ...) , I will be getting a Bogen - Manfrotto 3021BP
Pro Black Tripod Legs (Height 4.4 - 69.3", Maximum Load 13.30 lbs)

The tripod has an easily removed center column that just as easily re-fits as a
horizontal lateral arm. Not only does this allow the camera to be offset from leg
position, it provides the simplest way possible to shoot from directly overhead.

If you are going to be serious about macro work you may also want to have a
"Velbon Super Magnesium Slider, Macro Rail" -- this is a 2-way focusing adjuster:
left-right and also front-back vernier adjustment.

The combination of the Manfrotto 3021BP with the Velbon slider would give you
very good control over camera position (POV), composition, and focus -- that will
be essential for getting unique images of flowers, moss, lichen on the side of a boulder,  ...

--
Martin