If you’ve ever idly planned to set up a home studio but never got around to it or simply wanted to shoot in a studio but ‘knew’ you couldn’t unless you set one up yourself, well, Russell Masters has some good news for you: rent one!

    Though renting a studio may seem like something a photographer in a different sector, say outdoor or industrial, may want to do from time to time, it’s actually an excellent way for an amateur to significantly sharpen his/her indoor photography skills and technique.

    Masters’s very original how-to is pretty frank in stating “Just like you I have always found the thought of shooting in a studio exciting but have until recently never been brave enough to actually try. . . . the thought of putting ourselves in a high expectation situation such as a studio shoot is enough to ensure we never actually do it.”  Reading this interesting how-to will make you jump up and want to ‘do it’!

    The main advantage of renting a studio is the considerable variety of lighting equipment and reflectors plus props and backdrops.  Masters explains how to use the Web to find rental studios near you and offers tips and hints as to how to approach the session including advice as to how to engage a model or whether to bring along a friend.  

    One point I would like to add is that the first-timer make his/her booking in person, doing so when the studio is not occupied.  Then, spend five or ten minutes acquainting yourself with the studio you’ll be shooting in and also take a gander at the rental equipment that will be at your disposal so that you don’t suddenly parachute into unknown territory.

    If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll recall that it was about Nikon’s newly announced D600.  Well, the Nikon-Canon Love Affair that revolves around the oh-so-romantic line “Wither Thou Goest . . .” continues.  Canon has “followed” Nikon and released a rumour to the effect that their “EOS 6D DSLR camera will be the direct competitor of the Nikon D600”!  Which one do you like?