MIA-new studio

I took a blogging break, but I'm back now. Thanks for hanging around while I was gone. I've been busy promoting the new studio and it's been one crazy ride. If you remember or missed this post, I rented a studio and we had to do some painting and decorating. I haven't post the "after" studio photos yet, so I wanted to share them with you today. Here they are!

Here is the view of the waiting/viewing room from the front door.
This side is where I take the photos. I love the bright natural light coming through.

The windows will make neat backgrounds.

A cute little bathroom!

This is the ugly prop room. I will be working more with this and hang more photos later.

My hubby bought me this cute bistro set for clients to sit at to look at albums.

My favorite wall. I love canvas!

A couple of my albums.

Emily and the hunky hubby.

We had an open house with mini cupcakes and other yummy food.

Another view in waiting room.

Come back tomorrow when I discuss the cost of being a photographer!

Designing your own home studio

Not everyone has the luxury of renting a fancy studio, though we may dream of it. Then again, some photographers love their home studio and wouldn't change it for anything.

I am one of those photographers that has a home studio. I may be switching to a regular studio, but for right now, I do photos in my home. If you want to take the next step and invest in a studio space for your home, then don't fret.

Designing a studio in your home doesn't have to be hard, nor does it have to be expensive.

This is from my grand opening last year. My daughter is enjoying the snacks we had.

Below, is the other end of the "studio" and where the backdrops are.

The only thing that gets in the way sometimes is pole-but we kind of need it to keep the floor up. lol.

I didn't spend a lot on materials, and they work fine for what I need. I found the lights as a package deal on ebay for around $250. I did a lot of research before buying to make sure company was reputable and the equipment wasn't faulty. The paper rolls I love and are a great deal from B & H Photo (love these guys!)

I put together my own back drop holder, which saved a ton of money.

I bought two backdrop stand poles off of Amazon for $20 each. Then, I bought a couple of pairs of curtain holders from Walmart to hold up the poles. Simple! Oh, and make sure you put some long screws to keep the poles from sliding off.

You can decorate by framing some of your work and hanging it on the walls. I suggest using photos of your own children at first so you can enjoy your own family photos and advertise as well!

If you offer framing or canvas prints, invest in them as well.

With a few investments in equipment and decorations, you will be on your way to a beautiful home studio that holds up to those fancy studios in no time!

Do you have a home studio?

Upon reading other photography bloggies, it seems like most run a studio out of their home. I am one of those photographers, though I hate using it-at least where I have it. We live in a ranch that we've outgrown years ago, but haven't found the perfect home to move into. I can't decide if I want to take a big step and move out to the country to have nature's backdrop in my backyard, or just use parks and live in the "city" still.

Anyway, my studio is set up in our recroom and I hate the lack of natural light and the "basement feel" of it.

My other option is to invest in a studio outside of my home. We have a great art building that rents out studio space for cheap and the old walls and windows would make great backgrounds for indoor photos.

Where I live (Iowa) we have more cold seasons then warm ones, so it's hard to not have any studio space to stay in business. I know there are photographers that go to client's homes, but I really don't feel comfortable with that- I like to be prepared and really not fond of lugging equipment around.

So, for right now I'm stuck using what I have now for a studio, but at least the weather will start getting nicer out to start doing outdoor photos.

What kind of studio (if any) do you have? Do you wish you had one outside of your home and vice versa?