Having the right gear for a photo shoot is crucial to its success. If you’re working in a controlled studio environment, the tools you need will vary significantly from those you’ll want if you’re about to brave the wild world of shooting on location. By taking some time in the planning phase to determine exactly what kind of photo shoot equipment you need, you can give the creative process 100 percent of your focus on the day of the shoot.
Here’s a brief overview of what a studio environment needs compared to a location shoot, and how you can adapt your tools to make the most of either space.
Photo Shoot Equipment in a Studio
The major selling point of a studio is the opportunity to work in a controlled environment. As such, you want to make use of photo shoot equipment that lets you take advantage of the workspace.
Lighting
Lighting is a key element of any photo shoot. Without ample sources of light, you risk losing your subject to darkness. In a studio environment, you’re working with all artificial lighting. This allows you to be more precise and exacting in your setups and create consistent lighting that you can control. Most studios make use of key lights, fill lights, and backlights to effectively light the subject. These are often combined with bounces or diffusers to help soften the quality of light when needed.
Backdrops
A good backdrop helps you set a tone without drawing focus away from your subject. The standard choice is something clean that can be a blank canvas for you to frame your subject. Lightz Out Productions in San Diego, for example, offers a double-cyclorama wall that creates an expansive, seamless background that can be easily lit to shift the tone or mood.
Of course, a plain wall isn’t the only option. Textured backgrounds can bring an element of interest to a shot, and chroma-keyed options allow you to add in graphic elements after the shoot.
Power Sources
Having consistent access to power in a studio can be a game-changer for a shoot. Being able to run lights, a strobe, monitors, laptops, and more without having to budget power gives you the opportunity to continuously use all the photo shoot equipment you could need. It also allows you to eschew additional battery packs, cutting down on the equipment you need to load in.
Sturdy Setups
Studios lend themselves to a more heavy-duty setup than shooting on location. Since you don’t have to worry about packing up and moving everything, possibly more than once, you can position everything just right before settling in for the shoot. Studios often also support a more vertical setup, allowing you to hang overhead lights or utilize booms to get equipment above a subject.
Photo Shoot Equipment on Location
Shooting on location means giving up a lot of the control a studio can provide. In exchange for that control, you add the dynamic and vibrant energy that only the real world can provide. Without the comforts of a studio, though, you need to carefully consider each piece of photo shoot equipment you bring.
Lighting
Natural lighting is the name of the game when you’re shooting on location. The trick is being able to account for how much you have and how much you need to add. Portable LED panels and battery-powered strobes can help create contrast and fill out dim areas, while smaller collapsible diffusers and bounces can be swapped in for their studio-sized counterparts. The main thing to remember is that the amount and quality of natural light you have changes over the course of the day. You need to be prepared to supplement or dampen it as needed.
Backdrops
When shooting on location, you’re often going to use the location itself as your backdrop. Whether you’re shooting in nature or the heart of an urban center, you’ll want to highlight the environment to add interest to your shoot. The local landscape or architecture offers a unique opportunity when building your composition. If you find yourself wanting a simple shot without the distractions of your environment, consider bringing a portable backdrop you can quickly put up.
Power Sources
Head to any shoot on location with an array of fully charged batteries or power banks ready to go. Since you’re running on a limited supply, you must be judicious with what kind of equipment you decide to use. Opt for more energy-efficient equipment, and only use what’s absolutely necessary to get the shot. Make sure you bring more power supplies than you think you may need. The last thing you want is to lose the perfect shot because you ran out of juice, so it pays to be overprepared.
Be Ready to Adapt
Shooting on location means having to adapt to whatever the world throws at you. You’ll need to have weatherproof gear or coverings to help protect your equipment from any unexpected stormy skies. Sandbags and stakes can be an important part of your toolkit, letting you stabilize any equipment you set up in unstable environments. Lens hoods can help dampen glare from the sun, while also providing physical protection to the lens itself. Above all else, it needs to be easily portable. Anything you bring with you should be able to adapt to your changing circumstances and be easy to pack up as soon as you’re done.
There is no one answer to what you’ll need when it comes to photo shoot equipment. It comes down to you to take stock of where you’ll be working and what you’re hoping to achieve. While shooting at a studio and shooting on location both present unique challenges, the best thing you can do for either is be prepared. With a solid plan and a thought-out kit, you’ll be able to capture captivating pictures regardless of where you are.
