Studio Hut Lighting & Accessories

Welcome to the Studiohut Blog

2010-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

What you need to know about photography light reflectors

2010-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

There are a number of different light reflectors used in photography. Each has its advantages and differences.

Silver-Black Umbrellas: These umbrellas enhance your camera's performance and are most often used for single-light portraits. They can also be used for large object product shots, still life work, and to brighten interiors and backgrounds. One caveat: they can create very bright highlights on faces. Overall, they create a soft, wrap-around lighting effect that's ideal for broadening and softening an image. Studiohut Silver/Black Double Flash 40"Collapsible Umbrellas feature a silver-lined interior surface with a black backing to deliver a soft, bounced light source. These umbrellas soften, broaden, and diminish the light output of any tungsten or flash light source, yet they can be used to add highlights to subjects, and slightly intensify light output.

Soft White Umbrellas: These umbrellas are ideal for indoor glamor or outdoor portrait photographs. Indoors, white umbrellas offer more versatility in that a portion of the light passes through and reflects off walls and the ceiling behind the umbrella, bouncing forward onto the subject. These umbrellas are often used for shooting groups of 4 or more people since they spread light over a lager area. They reduce shadows to produce an even, soft, low contrast light. Studiohut 43" Soft White Translucent Collapsible Lighting Umbrellas transmit approximately 50% light. They soften, broaden and diffuse the light output of any tungsten or studio flash source.

5-in-1 Reflectors: Ideal for wedding or glamor photography, these versatile reflectors can also be used as quick on-location backdrops for small product shots—like wedding rings, bouquets, shoes, or gifts. The white reflector will give you a crisp, clean, classic look. The black side is ideal for quick headshots. Use the gold if you want to warm skin tones. And silver to produce an edgy feel. Place the reflector about three to four feet behind the subject to diffuse the backdrop. Some photographers will shoot with a telephoto lens to give the backdrop smooth look. You can also use a small aperture setting to help diffuse the backdrop. Studiohut 32" 5-in-1 Multi Reflectors let you choose from five of today's most popular reflective surfaces. There's Gold to warm up skin tones; Silver for hard (non diffused) fill in; White for soft (diffused) fill in; Black to improve edge definition and 'shape'; and a Translucent White to diffuse direct light. The reflector folds down to just 8.5" in diameter and packs away neatly in an easy-to-carry bag.

Dual-Sided Oval Reflectors: Ideal for use on taller subjects and full body portraits—like wedding or glamor work, these reflectors have many uses. Since Gold reflects a yellow color and outdoor light in the shade tends to be blue, a gold reflector will add a yellow cast to your subject. Some photographers use gold for early morning and late evening shoots. A gold reflector puts a warm, healthy tone on your subject's skin. Gold can even convert your flash to a warm tone.

Ideal for product pictures, highly contrasted video, and black-and-white imagery, silver reflectors act more like a mirror and won't add a color cast. They simply reflect the light back onto the subject. If you're shooting outdoors, you'll mirror the blue sky, making the subject look cooler. A silver reflector will show the colors to be very saturated, almost wet. Skin tones will appear shiny and oiled down and tanned. Studiohut 40"x60" Double-Sided Silver/Gold Collapsible Oval Reflectors provide a Gold reflector to warm up skin tones and a Silver reflector for hard (non-diffused) highlight fill-in light. The reflector folds down for easy mobility in a convenient carry bag.

Focusing Rails and Bellows for Macro Photography

2010-10-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

We’ve all seen photographs of breathtaking imagery from faraway places. But photographers who don’t have unlimited travel budgets can often produce equally amazing photos through the use of macro photography. All they have to do is find the beauty in the minutiae in locations that are close to them.

Macro Fold Bellow

There are a host of macro lenses available on the market today. However, it can still be difficult to get the perfect macro shot. Even if you are just a millimeter off in your focus, you’ll end up with an image that’s blurry or distorted. That’s why it’s helpful to have some tools which can help position your macro lens to capture the perfect photo. StudioHut offers two such instruments: a macro fold bellows mount system and a 4-way macro focusing rail slider.

Macro Slider Rail

The Studiohut Lens Macro Fold Bellows Mount System allows you to insert the bellows between the camera body and the lens. Then you can effortlessly adjust the distance between your lens and the object that you are trying to photograph. This system is designed to work with Canon EOS traditional film and digital SLR cameras.

The Studiohut 4-way Macro Focusing Rail Slider is adjustable in all four directions to help you smoothly position your camera at the exact spot for the ideal photo. The rails come with knobs to help lock down your camera firmly before you snap the picture. This system is compatible with most Nikon, Canon, Minolta, and Pentax cameras.

Both of these products work with ¼-inch screws and are sturdy and affordable. But they can be the difference between getting a subpar macro shot and an award-winning image.

Muslin and Canvas Backgrounds in Photography

2010-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

The right background can add movement and emotion to your portrait photography, wedding portraits, and homecoming images.

StudioHut uniquely hand-painted seamless canvas (8ft x 16ft) and muslin (10ft x 12ft or 10x 20ft.) backgrounds come in various color combinations and modern prints. These backgrounds are thick materials that allow for a better effect than lighter weight cotton materials—especially when using flashes or fill lighting. If you want to avoid wrinkles, stick with canvas backgrounds.

When shooting on muslin, position your subject at least three feet in front of the drop to keep tiny wrinkles out of focus. If you're shooting on a high key backdrop, use ample light to keep the backdrop from looking grimy or dull. Remember, if you fail to properly light up a backdrop, it will look darker than it actually is—which, in some cases, may be ideal for artistic portraits.

Finally, don't evaluate a new backdrop in its rolled-up form. Open it up, hang it and look at it through your camera's lens to get a realistic impression of its appearance on film. Keep in mind that your lighting, subject and prop placement, as well as camera settings will affect the final appearance of the backdrop. Backdrops have also been known to change due to final lab color settings.
And remember to use stable background stands.

A waving background can cause all sorts of distractions. StudioHut aluminum background support stand systems are adjustable from 6ft to 10ft and hold muslin, paper and canvas backgrounds. Ideal for in-studio or on-location shoots, they combine sheer strength with portability and easy set-up. The use of sandbags can add stability when using heavier paper roll backgrounds.

Advantages of C-stands in video and photo studios

2010-08-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

"C" or Century Stands are multi-purpose stands that offer numerous advantages over traditional light stands to any photographer or videographer. These are grip tools as well as lighting stand apparatus. With their steel construction, C-stands support heavy weights and provide much needed stability in awkward or uneven shooting locations. A few advantages of C-stands include:

-- Steel construction provides support for heavy photographic and video studio equipment. This construction also makes them much more durable.
-- Adjustable stand legs heights allow for use in uneven surface areas, even on staircases.
-- Changeable leg positions allow for multiple stands to be grouped together
-- "Turtle" design of the C-stand base allows easier hanging of sandbags for added stability

C-stands are made up of 4 parts: the "turtle" shaped base, the stand, the grip head and finally the grip arm (with its own grip head). It is possible to buy the stands without the grip head and arm, a setup commonly used for studio lighting. When used with the grip head and arm, C-stands provide the support needed to hold photo video grip accessories such as reflectors, scrims and flags in addition to photography studio and video lighting.

Studiohut's Timer Remote Control for Time Lapse Movies

2010-05-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Time-lapse photography allows the human eye to observe in mere seconds the blooming of a beautiful flower or the movement of clouds during a sunset. Have you ever watched a nature show and thought, how do they do that? Have you ever wished that you could somehow do it too? With Studiohut’s Timer Remote Control Shutter you can easily turn this wish into a reality.

A timer remote control is a simple device that gives a photographer a great deal of control over a camera’s shutter release. To create a time-lapse movie using a timer remote control, the shutter speed of the camera needs to be manipulated in one of two ways. First, the frame rate, or how often the shutter opens and closes, needs to be controlled. Next, you can control how long the shutter stays open for one frame using the long-exposure timer. For instance, when filming the progression of stars across the night sky individual frames need to have a long exposure in order to see them on film, and there needs to be long time lapses between frames to depict the speed of their travel.

The Studiohut Timer Remote Control provides the photographer with many settings such as those for a self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer as well as an exposure count. The timer can be set from 1 second to almost 100 hours, giving the photographer an enormous amount of control over the work he or she wishes to create. Since Studiohut offers timer remote controls for the most popular camera brands at very affordable prices, this is a great opportunity to begin producing your own time-lapse movies!

Shape up your photo studio with Professional Studio Equipment

2010-04-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Are you planning to create your own photo studio? Setting up your own professional studio can seem highly overwhelming, but with proper knowledge and support it can be a great delight.

Photography and lighting go hand in hand. To be a great photographer you need to be a student of light. You need to understand how light works, how light effects the camera and the subject. How the studio interacts with light. Once you understand the rules you can then begin pushing the limits and even sometimes breaking the rules.

If you are beginning from scratch, here is a list of the essential items you need to start with:

• Continuous Light Kits
• Photography Background Stands
• Studio Umbrellas
• Studio Backdrop Kit

Buying Continuous Lighting Kits is highly important when you first start out; we are offering a basic kit for studio lighting setup, the 250W Continuous Lighting Single Photo Studio Floodlight Kit. An ideal answer to low-cost studio lighting kits that provides an output of 250 Watts of continuous lighting. Compact in size, this Continuous Light Kit makes a great light to use for background or special effects lighting.

The perk of using continuous lighting is that you have exact control over the appearance of the photograph before you click it. The main light provides the strongest output of light by adding depth to shadows; the fill light helps to reduce and soften unwanted shadows; and the background light helps to ensure your subject will not fade into the backdrop. Increasing the distance between the subject and the backdrop adds more dimension to the photograph. Also, subtle positional changes of the lighting kits can enhance studio lighting.

Apart from continuous lighting the Studio Lighting Kit offers either a soft white umbrella or a silver/black umbrella and large variety of backdrops.

These Studio Umbrellas are light modifiers that allow you to control the light source and help you produce a much more appealing image. If you are taking photographs of products, Studio umbrellas help to ensure your item is evenly lit. Most photographers have a standard white backdrop; white background guarantees a professional look no matter where your studio is. A 10' X 20' Solid White Muslin Photo Video Backdrop is a perfect item for someone creating a first home photo studio.

This beginning set-up of Professional Photography Equipment is a great foundation for any photo studio. As you begin to grow more comfortable with the equipment, you can experiment with how many lights you use and where you put them to achieve the lighting effect you want.

Basic Home Studio Setup

2010-02-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Creating a home photo studio can seem like a challenging and overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be! The information below will explain how easy it is to set-up a basic home studio setup to take professional photos. The beauty of the following light set-up is its versatility; you can use it to take photographs of your family, items you want to sell on Ebay, or artistic still life images.

If you are beginning from scratch, here is a list of the essential items you need to start:

- Continuous lights
- Light stands
- Umbrellas
- Backdrop (at least one)

Buying lighting kits is important to do when you are first starting out, and Studio Hut offers the 250W Continuous Lighting Single Photo Studio Floodlight Kit, a basic kit for home studio lighting setup. The kit comes with either a soft white umbrell a or a silver/black umbrella. Studio Hut has a large variety of backdrops, and they can easily be found on Studiohut website. Most photographers have a standard white backdrop and a 10' X 20' Solid White Muslin Photo Video Backdrop is a perfect item for someone creating her first home photo studio. The white background guarantees a professional look no matter where your studio is. The image below illustrates how you can set-up the equipment using the StudioHut kits in an easy and effective manner.

The image uses three continuous light kits and a backdrop. The perk of using continuous lighting is your exact control over what you want your photo to look like before you take your photograph. The main light provides the strongest output of light by adding depth with shadows; the fill light helps to reduce and soften unwanted shadows; and the background light helps to ensure your subject will not fade into the backdrop. Increasing the distance between the subject and the backdrop adds more dimension to the photograph. Also, subtle positional changes of the lighting kits can enhance studio lighting.

Studio Hut’s Light modifiers, such as umbrellas are additionally helpful, because they allow you to be more in control of your light source and help to produce a much more appealing image. If you are taking photographs of products, umbrellas help to ensure your item is evenly lit. Similarly, if you are doing baby photography, umbrellas create a soft glow that looks great in portraits. This beginning set-up is a great foundation for any home photo studio. As you begin to become more comfortable with the equipment, you can experiment with how many lights you use and where you put them to achieve the lighting effect you want.

Wireless Triggers in Photography

2010-01-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Wireless triggers are a godsend for location and studio photographers. Wireless equipment ensures that no one will trip on bulky wires and damage expensive lights and cameras. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, wireless products allow you to focus more on your subject than your equipment and give you more freedom to produce the image you want to create.

Wireless Light Triggers

The StudioHut Single Channel Wireless Flash Trigger Control (Transmitter and Receiver kit) uses a radio-frequency based system to trigger a flash unit. This is a great product for a location photographer with a mobile studio since it is a light-weight and easy-to-assemble product. Simply by attaching the transmitter to the camera, and the receiver to the flash’s hot shoe, you can trigger your flash from up to 10m away.

The StudioHut Wireless Radio Slave Flash Trigger (4 channel) is another radio system that is simple to use and a great deal. With this product you can use a slave flash to trigger flashes or strobes.

Wireless Camera Triggers

Have you ever seen a sports or nature shot and wondered how the photographer was able to get so close? Many times the photographer is using remote lighting tools, which you can buy and use too! StudioHut Wireless Radio Remotes allow you to trigger a camera from up to 100m away. Though you may be far away from your camera, you can control its shutter speed and focus settings. This is a great wireless product to use when photographing wild animals, basketball dunks, bicycle races, and other fast-paced action.

In addition, some shots are hard to take without camera shake. Products like the StudioHut JR Seri es Infrared Shutter Remote Controllers and Studio hut MA Series Remote Shut ter Release Controllers can trigger your camera with the guarantee of no blur. These are also great products for self-portraiture.

Photographs that flatter

2009-12-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

If you're taking portraits of friends, family or customers you want to photograph them in the most flattering way. Here are a few tips to help you take beautiful images of your subjects!

Soften the Light

Harsh, straight-on light can emphasize physical imperfections such as wrinkles or acne. A great way to minimize any surface flaws is to use a softbox. Softboxes decrease the intensity of a continuous or strobe light, creating a smooth, diffused light perfect for portraits. Particularly if you wish to get rid of unflattering shadows below the eyes, a softbox is a must buy. It produces even highlights and has a very natural look.

Shoot from Above

Shoot from above and have your subject look up at you. This angle opens up the subject's eyes and is extremely slimming. By shooting from above you also place emphasis on the subject's face. if you shoot with a small depth of field (i.e. 2.8), and blur everything but a person's face, you can create a very striking and focused image.

Bounce Flash

Similar to soft boxes, bouncing a flash softens your light source. If you are only working with a flash, this technique will not work outdoors, since you need to bounce the flash off a wall or ceiling. You can direct the flash so it will fire facing away from your subject. It is best if the surface that you bounce the light from is white, since a colored surface will tint your image. When bouncing your flash, have fun experimenting and seeing the different results you get when you point the flash in various directions!

If you are working with a flash and an umbrella, you can bounce your flash both indoors and outdoors. Using an umbrella will produce an even softer look than bouncing a flash off a wall or ceiling and give you more control over your light source. Since it's collapsible, you can carry it with you wherever you shoot with little hassle.

Talking with your Subject

Many people feel very uncomfortable having their photograph taken. Your job as a photographer is to relax them and ensure them they are in good hands. It's great to ask people what physical characteristic they like best about themselves. Most people will immediately start telling you what they don't like, which lets you know what not to focus on when photographing. Also, it's always important to engage the subject as you photograph him/her. By talking to them, asking questions and making them laugh you can take a genuine and unique photograph that highlights your subject's personality.

Studio Hut, Who we are!

2009-06-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Studio Hut Provides More than Just Photography Equipment

Studio Hut is the new online destination to satisfy your need for studio photographic equipment. We specialize in photography studio lights, lighting accessories, and backdrops. From sturdy and durable booms to high tech wireless flash triggers, you will find everything you need to take your studio photography to the next level.

Everything we do here at Studio Hut is guided by our core philosophy. First, we provide quality photographic equipment for our cost conscious customers. We know you want a good deal. But at the same time you want equipment that will take whatever you can dish out. You'll find both at Studio Hut.

Second, through these affordable products and services, we want to support emerging photographers. To us, photography isn't just an industry, it's a community and we're doing our best to nurture it.

Finally, because we are part of a community, we encourage newcomers with our great seminars and classes. Photography is our passion and we want to share it. That's what guides us here at Studio Hut.

We're the best at what we do. Why? Because we are photographers and we know what photographers need. Our company is based out of Austin, TX but we have satisfied customers from coast to coast and we stand by every product we sell.

So if you're looking for high quality photographic equipment and a company that understands your needs, you've found it. Check out our website (www.studiohut.com) and see what we can do for you!