A Studio In A Box

During my musings on how I move forward with photography, I came across an email newsletter which I’d saved earlier this year. From Jack the Hat Photographic, a family photography business based in Cumbria, the email detailed latest offers on equipment. An offer on a studio in a box kit had prompted me to save the email. Popular with product photographers, a studio in a box is exactly as the name suggests. It’s a box, which is a self-contained studio. Hoping to spend more time creating photographic art, a studio in a box was on my wish list, so I decided to try it out.

I opted for a large box, with adjustable LED lights to the top, left, and right, and a selection of backdrops. When set up, the studio is a perfect size for a dining room table. Folded down, it compresses to a fairly big but lightweight carry case.

There’s plenty of room to work within the studio, and the lights range from dim to very bright. It’s useful being able to adjust them independently, creating different lighting effects within the box. The studio has a selection of backdrops in a range of colours, takes little time to set up, and is easy to dismantle. Being able to fold it flat means it doesn’t need much storage space either.

I stuck to basics for my first shoot, opting for macro pictures of dried flowers. The studio is very easy to use and being purpose built, everything I need – bar the actual camera kit – is within the carrier. I’m particularly pleased with the independent control of the box lights. Light is one of the most important parts of a photographer’s kit. While I favour natural light, having the option of adjustable lights is useful.

In my last post I spoke of the difficulty in generating ideas while being sleep deprived, and on the permanently high state of alert which comes with parenthood. The creative block remains, but I’m working on breaking it down one bit at a time. I continue to work on my new business model too. Some big decisions are to be made in the coming months. Whichever direction my new path takes, the studio in a box will be an important part of my kit. The Photographer’s Way isn’t always straightforward, but wouldn’t life be dull if it was?!