Some of the newer trends tend to be leaning more towards the urban or industrial looks. I personally love these looks and try to get at least one or two new backdrops for the studio each year, while removing one or two of the oldest. This keeps the studio's options fresh and changing and you force yourself to not shoot the same backdrop all the time. As a studio you want to provide a wide variety of options for your clients, but at the same time you do not want every photo you take to look exactly like all the others.

So bottom line - spice up your studio a bit with some fun backdrops, and have the old standbys on tap as well. White, Black, Gray all still need to be the go to back drops. That doesn't mean however, that you can't have an urban sidewalk or wood flooring looking backdrop hanging around to be utilized as well.

Here are a few links to some great deals on photography backdrops - some of these sales will not last long so make sure you take advantage while you can!

Westcott 9x20 Feet Wrinkle Resistant Cotton Background, High-Key White #139    US $129.90

Westcott Modern Vintage 5512 Polyester Background    US $99.90

JTL 48" Photo Tent Black White Backdrop #2948    US $58.50

Capaturing Couture Sofia Blue Sky 2in D/SLR CameraStrap #SLR20-SOBS    US $49.00

Photoflex DPMCK001 Solid 10x20 Dyed Muslin Background    US $129.95

JTL 60" Photo Tent Black White Backdrop #2949    US $84.50

FXhome Ltd Photokey 4 Pro Green Screen Removal Software #PHOTOKEY4PRO    US $299.00

Westcott Green Screen Software Kit with 9'x10' Green Screen and Free Bonus CD    US $129.90

Photoflex BackDrop Cross Bar Pole, Extends from 50" to 12'-6" #DPBP412    US $72.95

Photoflex DPMCK002 Solid 10x20 Dyed Muslin Background    US $129.95

Take it one step further and run a color transparency through your handy printer and you can get patterned backdrops. Ebay is definitely your friend on this one. I've listed a few of the better deals out there below:

900W Strobe Studio Flash Light Kit For Bowens Accessories Photography Lighting    US $434.48

750W Studio Strobe Flash Light Lighting Kit (3 x 250W)    US $394.79

1320W STUDIO FLASH STROBE LIGHT KIT 4x 330W SOFTBOX SET    US $620.08

1200W STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING KIT 4X 300W LIGHT STROBE SILVER REFLECTOR UMBRELLA    US $541.76

900W Flash Photography Studio Strobe Light Kit Softbox    US $423.76

540W STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING KIT 3 X 180W LIGHT STROBE + CARRY CASE    US $380.84

AHI Photo Studio Lighting Kit AHI-88 New    US $317.90

960W STUDIO STROBE FLASH LIGHTING KIT 4 X LIGHT SOFTBOX CARRY CASE    US $504.22

990W Photography Studio Flash Strobe Lighting Kit 3x 330W Light    US $488.12

Honl Photo Color Correction Filter Gel Kit HONL-FILTER2    US $19.95

So whats a hard working photographer supposed to do this holiday season when you start looking for Christmas gifts for yourself? Ebay!! Its the best place to spend that hard earned cash for great items that are cheap and will help grow your photography business in 2009.

Some of my best lighting buys have come from Ebay in the past and I am continually on the look out for new items that pop up every day - from new to used equipment there is a ton of great deals to be had on just about anything photography related.

I've listed a few holiday gift ideas below for your special photographer (or yourself!)

Canon EOS 550D / Kiss X4 +18-55 IS +75-300mm Twin Lens Kit * NO GST TO AUSTRALIA    US $824.98

Di980 E-TTL II FLASH + Macro Ring TTL FLASH for CANON    US $159.99

Dorothy William Merritt Chase repro oil painting    US $89.00

Peonies William Merritt Chase repro oil painting    US $89.00

Fishing Boats on the Deauville beach Courbet repro oil    US $89.00

One of the hardest things to do in the professional field is start your own business. If you take a cruise around the internet and search for home businesses, home based photographer is generally up at the top of the results. Its fairly easy to set up a small studio in your garage or basement (provided your wife doesn't kill you first) and start taking photographs that are passable as decent shots. The real tricky part is getting clients. Not many clients are up for traveling to your home and doing a shoot - especially if your home is creepy looking or your shooting in the basement. So whats the next step? Leasing studio space.

The search for studio space is one that I thought wouldn't take long, and for some reason I'm an idiot. Of course it will take you time, energy, and in the end lots of money. The overriding principle of business is location, location, location. Ask any seasoned business owner and they'll tell you that location is 80% of the final equation that will make or break you're business venture. So when your out looking for studio space make sure its in an area that needs and more importantly can sustain your photography studio. The best studio space you find might be in the worst part of town and as such will hinder you're efforts in gaining clients. Try and pick a space that is conducive to both clients that book by appointment over the phone, and those that are just walking or driving by your new space. If you take this into consideration when searching out studio space you'll be much better off in the end, even if you don't have the biggest or best space that you've looked at.

The next criterion you should look at when selecting studio space is the layout of the studio itself. Try to imagine how you would put together a floor plan while you're looking at the different spaces. If you can't easily envision the layout in your head as you're looking at the space then its not going to work out very well once you start trying to move in furniture and backdrops. Also take into consideration various needs of your clients. Is there a bathroom available? Does the space have access to hot/cold water? Is there enough room to build in a changing room? A props or utilities closet?

The biggest concern when looking to lease studio space and move yourself up into a larger location then your basement is the bottom line cost. How much is this space going to cost you a month, and how much are you willing to go in debt to have it. Most photographers that are starting out work a day job, then work as a photographer nights & weekends - much like myself. This leaves a quandary for which the studio space is based solely on the disposable income of whatever is left over after all other bills are paid from the day job's income. Depending on where you're located, the price per square foot of space for leasing will vary. In this particular area of the country it ranges from $5 to $10 per square foot for unfinished space. This means that a 1000 square foot unfinished space will run you $420 a month on the low end, and up to $850 on the high end. And thats just for the space, thats not including heat, electric, water etc.

If you're considering buying studio space the cost factor will be your biggest concern. Most new businesses take a loan out from the bank to offset the cost of leasing space. This is a good idea if you have the time to properly set up your business plan and you can get financing from a bank. I would highly suggest taking the time to come up with a business plan, financing from the bank, and then get the biggest space you can while staying under your budget. Keep in mind that most businesses loose money the first two years of operation.

If you've got a home studio and are looking for a lighting setup, my advice would be to start with either a one light setup or a three light kit. The one light setup is easy and simple to use, and won't take up valuable shoot space. The three light set up is a bit more professional, but takes up more room and has wires etc. Look for light setups that have manual power settings on them, as this will enable you to get a larger range of dynamic light from one source. I've listed a few auctions below that I found quickly scanning through Ebay.

Photo Video Studio Continuous Red Head Light 800w NEW    US $63.00

Photo Video Studio Continuous Red Head Light 800w NEW    US $63.00

650W Fresnel Tungsten Light Studio Video Photo Lighting +Bulb AS ARRI    US $195.00

32" 80cm Photo Light Cube Soft Box w/4 Color Backdrops    US $13.95

32" 80CM 5 in 1 Collapsible Light Reflector Board    US $20.00

42" 110CM 5 in 1 Collapsible Light Reflector Board    US $23.00

16'' PHOTO STUDIO TENT IN A BOX LIGHT CUBE PHOTOGRAPHY    US $49.45

20" LIGHT TENT KIT PHOTO STUDIO 115W 5500K BULBS 220V-240V    US $109.99

DMK Tungsten/Fluorescent Dual Continuous Light Kit New    US $120.99

900W Strobe Studio Flash Light Kit For Bowens Accessories Photography Lighting    US $434.48

Each color has its own unique problems and affects the way you work in your home studio. Specific shots will obviously require a certain color backdrop to effectively create the look you are attempting to achieve, but colors can always be done with cheap studio backdrops. The base wall layer in my humble opinion needs to be either white or black.

If you decide to paint your home studio walls black, you can do some unique effects. A black wall will allow you to drown out shadows more effectively then a white wall would, but there are still occasions where a pesky shadow will show in a photo, even on a deep black base coat. Be sure to paint the wall with a heavy coating of non reflective paint, the more coats the better. This will ensure less light bounce and an easier control of shadow. Obviously a wall painted a deep color will provoke a much more moody and somber type of photograph initially, but also works well for fun portraits with a closed in focus on the subject.

Painting your home studio wall white allows you to achieve various techniques that aren't available with a black wall. Turning up the strobes a bit will enable you to drown out any shadows and completely white out the wall to make that magazine look and feel for portraits. Conversely, a white wall on the home studio will allow you to play with shadow tremendously. Working a home studio with a large window and white sunbathed walls and subject is a without a doubt one of the best photographer setups. White walls also bounce light tremendously and act as bounce reflectors for any strobe or light source, so take care in creating your setup as you need to account for all bounced light.

In the end the choice is yours, but I highly suggest thinking about what type of shots you will be taking most in your home studio. I would tend to lean towards the white walled home studio, as I think it has more potential uses, but the black walls can come in handy if you do not feel like dealing with hanging backdrops constantly. Please comment below on your own personal home studio setup and vote in the poll!

[poll=2]