Update: Studio

Update: Studio
Hey,


So my housemate in my apartment is moving out and I will have an empty room.  I wont be here too much longer so I decided to build a studio in the room instead of finding someone else to live here.  This means I will be able to do more shoots.  Less travel time (almost none) involved, ability to do quick shoots like for my flower series and all and all a good idea I think.  I can also start doing grad photos in a studio which will pay back the cost of building it hopefully.


The room is basically empty now so what my game plan (it changes a little sometimes) is to build a basic plywood floor on 2''x4''s and have that be 8'x8'.  This is because there is carpet on the floor in the room which wont be so good for seamless paper so I will need the hard surface.  So that will make the floor smooth and solid (hopefully).  Then I have ordered a 9' roll of seamless super white paper.  The only catch is I will have to trim a little of the paper roll somehow to have it fit across the width of the room.  This isn't a huge deal cause I will only lose 3-4''s.  I would rather do that than order the 4 1/2' roll and lose half the roll.  It will fit across the length of the room however I think it would be best to go across the width. 


I will have the seamless roll on the floor and then attach the paper edge to the ceiling.  This is because I do not want to do any major damage to the walls or ceilings to hold the roll up and I don't want to invest in a background stand or autopoles right now.  So this means when I cut the paper when it gets dirty or ripped I lose more of the paper in one go but that is okay with me cause I just want simple and easy right now.  I still have yet to figure out how I am going to attach the paper to the ceiling.  I really don't care how as long as it isn't to destructive to the apartment.  I don't care if it is sticky tack or duck tape.  But I will figure that out and share how I managed to keep it up.  


As I build this with my "construction manager," I will take photos as we go so that I can keep everyone posted on the progress of the studio.  Also here I can share what is working and what isn't.  Additionally if you are wondering any of the finer details like, "how are you building the floor?" or "how are you going to trim the paper roll?" I will go into specifics as we build it.  The "construction manager" is a good friend (and one of my models) of mine who works at a lumber mill/wood shop that her family owns so she knows her lumber and more importantly construction.  So I have asked for her assistance because she has a hell of a lot more building experience than I do.   So with her, there is a better chance of making less mistakes (which would cost money) as well as she knows how to build things properly and effectively.  I could build the floor and such but I wouldn't have a clue if it was a cost effective way or if it was the smart way of doing it.  


So I am not sure how long all this will take but it should be fun so it wont matter too much on how much time it takes.  Also I can build it at my own pace since I am way to busy with University.  But I want to get it done before christmas at the latest.  Right now all I know is that I have to figure out the best way to attach the edge of the paper to the ceiling.  I might have to put up a thin piece of wood to attach it too since the ceiling is that stucco dry wall stuff.   


It is a fairly big dream/idea to do but it should be good and I will keep everyone posted on it's progress.


Wish me luck!


Tom