Are you wondering what to buy for a home photography studio on a budget? Have less than $150 to spend on lights, backdrop, and backdrop stand?
Not only can it be challenging to come up with the funds to start a new home photography studio — but it’s also hard to know what you’ll need to start taking your first photos!
Once you choose and acquire a camera and lens, you’ll want to put together the studio space where you’ll shoot.
In its simplest — a home photography studio starts with a backdrop, backdrop stand, and a light source.
You can start with a single key light and then add more supporting lights to create a three-point light setup eventually, including a key light, back light, and fill light.
I took photos using a singular key light for quite some time. Still, I recently wanted to jump into a more extensive setup, so I purchased the three products below from Amazon to put together a three-point home studio.
1. Backdrop ($13.16) — Neewer 6 x 9FT / 1.8 x 2.8M Photo Studio 100% Pure Muslin Collapsible Backdrop Background for Photography
I love this backdrop — especially for the price! Using a bright, front-facing light setup, I didn’t notice and shine-through.
Most fabrics and backdrops will claim to be wrinkle-free, but the reality is that many backdrops are going to need some steaming to get the wrinkles out. I highly recommend steaming your backdrops to get any wrinkles out, as the more you can perfect in pre-production, the easier time you’ll have editing your final photos in Photoshop and Lightroom.
Aside from a white backdrop, it’s also helpful to keep a black and green background for various photo style options — and a green background will give you the ability to produce green screen photos and video segments.
2. Backdrop Stand ($45.10) — Julius Studio Premium Photo & Video 10 ft. Wide Backdrop Stand (122 x 86 inch) Background Support System Kit with Spring Clamp
For being such a lightweight setup — this backdrop stand is pretty sturdy! The kit comes with clamps, stand, crossbar, elastic string clips, sandbags (without sand), and a carry bag, allowing you to quickly throw your backdrop fabric up, ready to go to steam for wrinkles and then shoot. I used this setup with a muslin backdrop to quickly grab photos of my husband, dog, and myself, and I love how the crossbar can be extended to a desirable width.
3. Lighting Kit ($57.99) — LimoStudio, LMS103, Soft Lighting Umbrella Kit, Day Light Color, 700 Watt Output Lighting with Tripod Stands and Carry Bag
I love this umbrella light kit! Super simple to set up, and for the price, you can’t ask for more; this will give you the options needed to be versatile in your entry-level work.
The kit comes with two taller light stands, a short light stand, and two white umbrellas, and two reflector umbrellas.
Piecing Together What To Buy for a Home Photography Studio on a Budget
After your backdrop, backdrop background, and lighting umbrellas arrive, you can section off an area in your home to dedicate as your studio space.
Since setting up your studio equipment will take a few moments of time, I’ve found it’s easiest to keep the setup put together partially always — so I have it ready quickly when inspiration strikes.
Set up your lights, and start shooting — then tweak for best results! Becoming a better photographer is much like all skills; the more you practice, the more you’ll make mistakes, find successes, and will become better along the way.
