BRING THE OUTSIDE IN

Can’t get to a suitable location for your shoot? Adam Waring shows you how to create a street scene indoors using a printed backdrop

- Adam Waring

Getting to suitable locations for a shoot can be easier said than done in these uncertain times – and for overseas locations you might as well forget about it. So if you can’t get to Japan, why not let Japan come to you?

With a pre-printed photo backdrop you can transform a home studio into all manner of exotic locations, from enchanted forest glades and tropical paradises to grungy backstreets or industrial scenes. These backdrops are usually made from hard-wearing rolls of thick vinyl, which unlike traditional paper backdrops can easily be wiped clean when you’re finished.

You’ll need some form of artificial lighting, as well as a backdrop support. A home studio kit, consisting of a pair of flash heads on stands, is ideal, enabling you to construct controlled lighting setups. You could also use a couple of flashguns, but whatever you use, take note that vinyl has a much more reflective surface than paper, so you’ll need to take care when positioning the lights to avoid glare on the backdrop spoiling your photograph.

For our Tokyo street scene we used a low-key lighting setup to create the feel of night time, and asked our subject to dress in ‘street’ garb and pull a series of moody poses – not difficult when the only choice of model you have to hand is a sulky teenager! We also employed a smoke machine to add some extra atmosphere to our shoot. Here’s how we got on…

HOW TO SHOOT A STREET SCENE AT HOME

1 SET THE SCENE