One thing I think you do really well is being relatable. You have a real talent for explaining the thoughts behind what you do and why you do it. Really cool to see your work in progress studio.
Man that one heck of a real working studio!! Thanks for the tour, I always love seeing other photographers working space! Also, loved the back story on the old digital camera!
Thank you for showing us around your fabulous studio. Love your easy going style John. Just found your channel, through one of Manny Ortiz's videos. Look forward to watching more. Best, from England, U.K.
That’s amazing! What a fantastic place. Congratulations. The wall to wall windows must put clients in a great mood as well as yourself, the view out of your studio is really cool, too.
Thanks Bob! Ahhh I hadn’t thought about it from the client’s perspective 🤦🏻♂️ great point. I love seeing outside and looking at the trains going by while I’m working.
This was an amazing tour, thank you for sharing your beautiful space! I had NO idea that camera stands like that existed, what a great idea, especially for ergonomics for someone who suffers from back or joint issues!
Brilliant place!! And well laid out, too. I envy you for all the space you have got. My very own studio is a bit more polished in terms of make-up-area, wardrobe and washing room appliances and it is in the very city center but yours looks much more practical and you do have such an array of great camera stands and wind up light stands. Really really nice. Makes me wonder if I should do a video of my place, too.
Had to move my studio I had been in for 6 years about 5 weeks ago. Very hard to find a place with a high ceiling. New places rent is good, but its smaller and feels cosy, but is a joy to walk into. Put in a wood floor and that made me happy. A friend who uses the studio off and on suggested I cover up my windows with backgrounds. From a practical perspective it made sense but the charm of the place was gone and I hated it and changed back the following day. The changing area is a good idea. My old place had a huge one but the current place is a bit pokey, however I think your idea will work very nicely for me. Like others have said, finding a reasonably priced but suitable place can be very hard. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏼 it would be a lot more practical for me to put up a background rack over there by the camera stands but it would KILL the mood, just like you said. I planned on my dressing area being slightly larger but that’s where the pipes are. 🤷🏻♂️
Cool tour. I've been salivating for a camera stand for several years. Chicago? Are those windows bullet-proof? Those Studio Titan camera stands that you have lights mounted on are awesome! If I ever hit the big lottery, I'll have to get me a couple. About the painted backdrop rack - couldn't you put another 3-rack behind (instead of on top of) the first rack? If the backdrops were rolled on backwards, they'd face the front and solve your problem. I don't know, just guessing. (I wrote that BEFORE I saw that you already did it.) hehe. Cool studio, but the best part about it is the awesome photographer, John Gress, who does incredible work!
Thanks Miley! Good on you for fighting that out so quick! It took me a few weeks. The studio Titan stands are great for sure. Ifs kind of crazy that if it wasn’t for mirrorless I wouldn’t have learned the joys of a camera stand.
Cool! I started with the WL 10,000 lights 32 years ago. Beat the crap out of them. They were awesome. I wish I had kept one now for nostalgia! Awesome studio!! Love all the touches and love the chairs!
John, you ask for homey feel advice... my idea.... find models favourite music and have that in the background, fresh coffee on tap. Maybe some magazines for the waiting around time.
Well.. 9 months ago, so maybe the studio got changed a lot. Amazing space. the only one thing that I maybe add, it is a full body mirror on the left of the make up station. Love it...
Look up Maker Pipe and you can create structures using EMT Conduit and it's AMAZING!! If you wanted a more secure structure for the changing area, shelving, rigs, etc. You can literally make anything with them. It's super great to have.
"Junior" lightstand - as you mention the big Manfrotto stand being "junior" it's good for people to know the what they consider standard size spigots at 5/8" (15.874mm) diameter is called "baby" in US studio jargon. The next size up is called "junior" and then there's "senior". As "bigger, taller" gives longer levers for forces (weight) to work on, tube sizes and strengths need to improve and that's where the larger sizes come in.
"Baby" is a 5/8" or 16mm diameter spigot, that´s why the lighting stands are called baby stands..."Junior" is a 1 1/8" or 28mm diameter spigot, that´s why that lighting stands are called junior stands.
John, I thought I will not be able to watch until the end such a video... (you know... kinda boring), but I was wrong 😀. Very nice studio. Thank you for being so open in sharing also financial details. It's great to see a "content creator" (hate that word) who is not trying too hard to be a celebrity, but just shares his knowledge and build trust with his audience. I appreciate that a lot. One idea worth considering is putting some diffusion fabric in the windows (maybe the same way backgrounds are hung, with some ballast stick at the bottom and a possibility to roll it up when needed). I have a huge diffusor (I've built the frame by myself and can now stick the diffusion fabric with velcro to it) - like 2,5 m x 2,5 m in size - that I put in my window and it makes wonders in terms of great soft light it provides. I wish you all the best in your new setup!
Thanks Marcin. I am always happy to share my mistakes, because maybe it will help others avoid them. I thought about doing that at some point too but I forget why I didn't do it. Maybe I was thinking about controling the screen glare but keeping the vibe. I actually have a 2.4x2.4m white scrim and frame in the case that I had the red chain sitting on and I am reallly looking forward to using in it this 3.6m space!
If you use chairs as props in your photos, then perhaps surround your table with 6 or more eclectic chairs that could serve dual purposes. I have to rethink autopoles. I've been hesitant to use them for stability reasons but since you have 6 backdrops on each set maybe they are stable after all.
I did think about that. If you look at the cgi rendering all of the chairs are different. I hear you about the poles. The tension levers are really the key. I don’t know if I could trip and fall into one and have it stay up but they are really good for the downward force.
Love the video John With the chains for the backdrops, how did you find them? I have the plastic ones and they have the same issue! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Aaron! Heres a link to a single unit with a metal chain: bhpho.to/3Iwx7s6 If you want a kit with both the poles and the rack with metal chains, I would buy this, but the poles will be chrome. Impact Deluxe Varipole Support System with Metal Chain Kit bhpho.to/3IJH9qa Here is a link to a 3 rack with metal chains bhpho.to/3knCqQI
Very nice studio John! I would like to know more about how you set your backdrop system on the super poles. I have exposed masonry in my loft and I’m unable to mount my background system; so I have to use a single background stand which doesn’t allow me offer clients more background options.
Good morning! It's nice to hear from you. You can mount these racks directly to bricks if you have drywall anchors (I did this in my last studio. If you can't drill into the wall then the Autopoles (veripoles) and the racks will work well, provided your ceiling is 12' or shorter. My ceilings are 12'2 but they still worked, even though the specs said they wouldn't. Originally I had two pavers from home depot under each one to help them span the gap. If the ceiling is higher than 12' then you can get extentions. If youre using paper and your ceiling is higher than 10' then you could consider the 6 rack from Manfrotto (amzn.to/3X55MRW), but when I had it in my 10' tall space the bottom backdrop was so low that it was always going through the heads of my subjects. In general I would suggest this set (bhpho.to/3IJH9qa) which has chrome poles- but regardless of what you chose to do, make sure you get metal chains. Heres a link to the black poles by themselves bhpho.to/3CriGSa and the rack with chains bhpho.to/3CI0Ev4 I hope this helps.
Oh right, you'll need two of these amzn.to/3ixsMKC The rack hopefully will come with the bolts, but if not they are standard metric bolts which you can also get at home depot. I forget the size, but I remember needing to get some there once. If the rack doesnt come with these little bumper for the bottom (it will make sense when you see it) you might need 4 super clamps.
John that’s a beautiful studio. I also moved out of my old studio and looking for a new place. What’s is the total square footage of your studio? Congrats and may the new place makes you a great living.
John your studio looks amazing. I have a 2 questions for you. If you have a time and answer I will be more than appriciate. I want to rent space like you have and invest for all decorations and lights, and I want to rent it hourly as a studio 1. What was a estimate cost for built the stuido you have now? 2. As a photographer do you think is there any demand for studio ? Thanks for your respond
John, the backdrop holder where you have three on one side and three on the other…are those the painted canvas drops? I haven’t found a good way to have them on a rack yet. It’s a lot of work taking one all the way down and installing another one to shoot different painted backdrops in one day. Very curious how you store your painted backdrops and what type of pipe you have them on that won’t end up sagging from the weight. Ty!
Thanks Paige! That rack is where I mount my gravity backdrops gravitybackdropsus.sjv.io/DK0Nmj. I attach them with gaffer tape to 2" PVC pipe when I buy at Home Depot and then cut down to the same width. My extra backdrops are are leaned up in the corner attacked to PVC as well so when I want to swap them out, its pretty easy.
Great point about having a "prime location" for our types of businesses is not necessarily = more business. Of course, it depends what type of photography niche we're into, but in my case, 90% of my projects are AT client locations, so a studio would be much more "nice to have" than "need to have".
i hear all of that. It's also nice to have a space to keep all your stuff. I went studio free from 2015-17 because most of my work was on location, but I felt like I had gear stashed in every room.
This place looks awesome! A few big, leafy plants would definitely add some life and help balance out the industrial vibe. Snake Plants and Fiddle-Leaf Figs are both relatively cheap for their size, hard to kill, and pair well with the modern aesthetic. Real is better than fake, but I’ve found some shockingly realistic fakes at places like Target and World Market.
Hi John, an alum from your Brooklyn workshop here. I have a large space with an 11' ceiling. What height would you suggest I hang my paper backdrop rack at? And second question, what are you using for the wood-like flooring platform you put in front of your seamless in some shoots? Is it a DIY solution?
Hi Mike! I would put it as high as possible. When I had a 10' ceiling it would often get in the way. Here is a link to a video about flooring.- ua-cam.com/video/rPHxVWHwU9s/v-deo.html
Where did you get the pocketed material for the PVC pipe for your dressing room... ? forgive me if I'm missing it in one of the links above. Also, how did you attach chains to ceiling? Thanks!
They are drapes that I had made for 3 studios ago but I think any drapes would do the trick. The Chains are sling over the pipes and then I attached the cains to them selves with these to create a loop around the pipe. www.homedepot.com/p/Nite-Ize-Steel-Big-Key-Ring-with-Carabiners-BRG-M1-R3/204778398
Damn sorry to hear that, do you think for a single person it would be a different story? I'm curious how you even find a place like that lol@@JohnGress
I didn't know he had a husband 😳 I been following him for years now wow learn something new everyday your photography fire bro no matter what your a awesome photographer 👏 😇😁
@JohnGress Absolutely love your studio john! Love what you did with the place. Congratulations and i wish i had that big of a space to shoot. Do you mind sharing where you got those cases you have hidden behind the backdrops? I'm looking for a similar type case for lighting and light stands for travel and for location shoots.
Hi John. Great space, but I think as a decorator you are a great photographer. The best part is having to set various scenes, but a studio has to have magic, a modern ambience and a good use of space. But it's all up to each person's taste. Good video and all the best to you.
wow!! looks awesome John 😍 a dream for me to have more shooting space… and not so limited in height as is my little home shooting area😅 Congrats, i hope you will be happy there and create more wonderful images & BTS vids to share w/us!! i appreciate all your efforts in creating your fantastic channel 🙏🏼
Well done in finding the place, I just love those industrial locations. Here in the Netherlands there aren't that many of these buildings. And if you find one, either the rent is astronomical, or they're about to be converted into apartments. Btw, so cool that you're also mentioning the metric system for measurements ;-)
Thanks! Since were the only ones using feet it's the east I can do! Spaces like this here are being converted to apartments too. Part of the reason why I was ok with moving to less than desirable neighborhood was because I knew it would be years before I was priced out of the neighborhood.
Studio stand - the link in the introduction to the video refers to a Titan stand without the dual axis arm that - I would say - is imperative. The Titan's price may seem titanic, but relative to the classic brands is really cheap. Even the $2K version with horizontal arm is cheap relative to the $6K base price for Foba, Linhof, Cambo, etc. (brands with great history and reputation). You'll need the horizontal arm to comfortably work with these stands. I would consider mounting an - say - A4 or Letter size tablet on the other end of the horizontal arm (or potentially a notebook computer as tether station). We often think our shots are perfect (e.g. sharp) on the small display when they are not on the larger display. In my "boom" other comment, I reference a boom arm in a parallelogram design and as that can carry some 26 lbs, I have considered a second one as a camera stand. It needs a junior stand on wheels and the advantage is that its feet are not in the way of my big feet. But, on the fence, I may need someone else to try this and make a video review about it, before I try.
Love the space! I've been searching for space where I live and am having no luck at all, everything here is boring office space that's grossly overpriced
Can't believe I never thought of just a plain box for modifiers still folded up in their bags. Love the pistol grip stand too, might have to keep an eye out for one of those.
Great studio tour. Love the space and all of your awesome tools and tricks of the trade. Always enjoy seeing the beautiful work you produce and now seeing your set-up I see your attention to detail and good workflow has yielded those great results.
Part of me would love to move to the US from Canada to simply buy a warehouse for less than half the cost of a condo here. It's really a nice place you have and I'm envious of how great a space you have. I used to rent a similar space like that a decade ago and stopped after a major injury and simply never got back into renting or owning a studio space since due to market here that more than tripled in cost from when I last had a space... I wish you all the best in your amazing space.
I think I would go with the IKEA Tobias chairs. They are about $105 each. Noticed you have blocks under your AutoPoles. Do you have the autopole extensions on them yet? They make them. Also they make Autopole legs/bases. For your changing room have you thought about something more permanent? I used metal studs which are easy to cut and screw into. Then got 4x8 sheets of corrugated plastic similar to what they make political campaign signs out of, to make a lightweight, inexpensive, sturdy walls. You can also use OSB wood panels or corrugated roofing panels in galvanized metal or plastic available at Home Depot or Lowes as inexpensive siding. You need to grab some sheer curtains off Amazon as well. If you haven't already, a neat edition to your Mole Richardsons is to build a dimmer switch into a very short extension cord and a 1 gang electrical box to control the output of power to your hot lights. Love the swirled door. That's gonna make a great background too. Great space. Thanks for the tour!
Thanks Lenn. Good catch on the bricks under the auto poles. The specs say they’re 12” tall which is 2” shorter than the ceiling. I put the paper one up first and then I set up the painted side and realized they were taller than I expected. Oh well. Maybe some day I’ll take out on the paper side.
This place is absolutely stunning 🤩🙌 A few large green leaf plants would really add some character and breath in some life. I really, really like this place and would lov to work such a place ☺
I found most of photo studio using white color as their wall and ceiling. What is your consideration for choosing the 'non-white' color as your studio set-up? Any pros and cons for choosing gray and bricks as your main background?
When all of the surfaces are white or light gray it is difficult to control the depth of the shadows because every surface in the studio reflects light.
Thanks! You caught me! I see in the video that I paused an looked at it because I couldnt remember who made it. I really want to get a Manfrotto Mega Boom!
One thing I think you do really well is being relatable. You have a real talent for explaining the thoughts behind what you do and why you do it. Really cool to see your work in progress studio.
Thank you so much Guy! I feel like I have come a long way since my first video in 2018!
Love that you have my attention from start to end. This are videos that we can relate to. Something normal and real.
Thanks Vanessa! I really appreciate the complements!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
@@JohnGress I noon , I appreciate your time and skills to teach.
The new studio is fantastic John! Everyrhing is so organized. I can't wait to visit.
Thank you so much Donnamaria! I would love to have you here!
Loving your new studio 👍
The old brick’s and windows gives it a nice character!
Thank you so much!
It's gorgeous, John!! Love the look of those old buildings. Congratulations!
thanks Stacey!
Man that one heck of a real working studio!! Thanks for the tour, I always love seeing other photographers working space! Also, loved the back story on the old digital camera!
Thank you so much! I was wondering if that was going to lill the vibe. =)
Thank you for showing us around your fabulous studio. Love your easy going style John. Just found your channel, through one of Manny Ortiz's videos. Look forward to watching more. Best, from England, U.K.
Awesome, thanks mate! That’s great to hear.
So glad I found your content. I opened a studio in Montana and you are amazing
That is awesome! I hope it helps!
Really beautiful space. Thanks for the tour!
Thank you. Thanks for watching!
That’s amazing! What a fantastic place. Congratulations. The wall to wall windows must put clients in a great mood as well as yourself, the view out of your studio is really cool, too.
Thanks Bob! Ahhh I hadn’t thought about it from the client’s perspective 🤦🏻♂️ great point. I love seeing outside and looking at the trains going by while I’m working.
thats for share master The New Studio look perfect 🙌🏻
Thank you so much! It's a dream come true.
Love the place and set up
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing your studio!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching.
This was an amazing tour, thank you for sharing your beautiful space! I had NO idea that camera stands like that existed, what a great idea, especially for ergonomics for someone who suffers from back or joint issues!
Glad you enjoyed it! Whenever I use the studio Titan stand I feel like I’m operating something for the space shuttle.
Congratulation on your new place.
Thank you so much!
Brilliant place!! And well laid out, too. I envy you for all the space you have got. My very own studio is a bit more polished in terms of make-up-area, wardrobe and washing room appliances and it is in the very city center but yours looks much more practical and you do have such an array of great camera stands and wind up light stands. Really really nice. Makes me wonder if I should do a video of my place, too.
That sounds like a great place and I am sure people would love to see it. Thanks Frank🙏🏼
Wow amazing space 😍
Thank you so much!
Very nice studio. Glad I discovered your channel.
Awesome, thank you!
Had to move my studio I had been in for 6 years about 5 weeks ago. Very hard to find a place with a high ceiling. New places rent is good, but its smaller and feels cosy, but is a joy to walk into. Put in a wood floor and that made me happy. A friend who uses the studio off and on suggested I cover up my windows with backgrounds. From a practical perspective it made sense but the charm of the place was gone and I hated it and changed back the following day. The changing area is a good idea. My old place had a huge one but the current place is a bit pokey, however I think your idea will work very nicely for me. Like others have said, finding a reasonably priced but suitable place can be very hard. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏼 it would be a lot more practical for me to put up a background rack over there by the camera stands but it would KILL the mood, just like you said. I planned on my dressing area being slightly larger but that’s where the pipes are. 🤷🏻♂️
Cool tour. I've been salivating for a camera stand for several years. Chicago? Are those windows bullet-proof? Those Studio Titan camera stands that you have lights mounted on are awesome! If I ever hit the big lottery, I'll have to get me a couple. About the painted backdrop rack - couldn't you put another 3-rack behind (instead of on top of) the first rack? If the backdrops were rolled on backwards, they'd face the front and solve your problem. I don't know, just guessing. (I wrote that BEFORE I saw that you already did it.) hehe. Cool studio, but the best part about it is the awesome photographer, John Gress, who does incredible work!
Thanks Miley! Good on you for fighting that out so quick! It took me a few weeks. The studio Titan stands are great for sure. Ifs kind of crazy that if it wasn’t for mirrorless I wouldn’t have learned the joys of a camera stand.
This is ace. Cheers for the walk around and insights. You’ve built an awesome space!
Thank you so much Thom!
What a loft! I have a similar empty space but in the cellar, i will definitely use you tips, thank you John💙💛
Thank you so much Elena🙏🏼 good luck!
Very nice studio!!!! Love it.
Thanks so much!
as I said on instagram... congrats on the new space looks amazing. love the high ceilings as I just have 2.8 m ceilings here.
Thanks Alex! I think mine are 3.6. It’s a dream come true.
beautiful studio
Thanks!!
Cool! I started with the WL 10,000 lights 32 years ago. Beat the crap out of them. They were awesome. I wish I had kept one now for nostalgia! Awesome studio!! Love all the touches and love the chairs!
They were good for what they are but thankfully we’re past that now! 😄
What a great space, John!! Have fun!
joe
Thanks Joe! It’s a dream come true.
That studio is much better, because of the higher sealing. 👍
Yes, true!
This is awesome
I hope to have a studio setup like this one day
Thanks! Anything is possible. It’s a dream come true for me 😊🙌🏼😊
Nice stuff, thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
I love it, great studio congratulations
Follower from Egypt 🇪🇬🙏
Awesome! Thank you!
Beautiful place, John! 😊❤
Thanks Vivi!
Really a interesting video... thanks for sharing... I miss my warehouse studio I had in Buffalo even more now! LOL
Thanks for watching! That’s too bad. There must be a lot of great spaces at a good price in Buffalo.
Great space! congrats!!
Thank you so much!
gorgeous place!! one day i will have my studio in PR!! thanks for the tour!
Thank you! It’s a dream come true. You’ll get there.
John, you ask for homey feel advice... my idea.... find models favourite music and have that in the background, fresh coffee on tap. Maybe some magazines for the waiting around time.
Well.. 9 months ago, so maybe the studio got changed a lot. Amazing space. the only one thing that I maybe add, it is a full body mirror on the left of the make up station. Love it...
Ha. Thanks! There was one there on day one but it fell over and broke, but There’s one there now 😄🙏🏼🙏🏼
@@JohnGress That´s nice... :D
What a great video! Some really good tips in there that I can try to squeeze into my own studio, which is about 1/3 the size of yours, lol.
Glad you enjoyed it! It's a dream come true. My last studio was about 1/3 the size so I can relate.
Look up Maker Pipe and you can create structures using EMT Conduit and it's AMAZING!! If you wanted a more secure structure for the changing area, shelving, rigs, etc. You can literally make anything with them. It's super great to have.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll look into it more.
The uneven floor... in UK we have something called self levelling compound.
Thanks we have that too. Maybe someday I’ll have it done.
"Junior" lightstand - as you mention the big Manfrotto stand being "junior" it's good for people to know the what they consider standard size spigots at 5/8" (15.874mm) diameter is called "baby" in US studio jargon. The next size up is called "junior" and then there's "senior". As "bigger, taller" gives longer levers for forces (weight) to work on, tube sizes and strengths need to improve and that's where the larger sizes come in.
"Baby" is a 5/8" or 16mm diameter spigot, that´s why the lighting stands are called baby stands..."Junior" is a 1 1/8" or 28mm diameter spigot, that´s why that lighting stands are called junior stands.
Congratulations 🍾🍾🍾
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
What a cool guy!
Thanks!
Congratulations John! Looks great🤩🤩 I love it🤗 greetins from Istanbul 🙌
teşekkür ederim! I really appreciate it 🙏🏼
John, I thought I will not be able to watch until the end such a video... (you know... kinda boring), but I was wrong 😀. Very nice studio. Thank you for being so open in sharing also financial details. It's great to see a "content creator" (hate that word) who is not trying too hard to be a celebrity, but just shares his knowledge and build trust with his audience. I appreciate that a lot. One idea worth considering is putting some diffusion fabric in the windows (maybe the same way backgrounds are hung, with some ballast stick at the bottom and a possibility to roll it up when needed). I have a huge diffusor (I've built the frame by myself and can now stick the diffusion fabric with velcro to it) - like 2,5 m x 2,5 m in size - that I put in my window and it makes wonders in terms of great soft light it provides. I wish you all the best in your new setup!
Thanks Marcin. I am always happy to share my mistakes, because maybe it will help others avoid them. I thought about doing that at some point too but I forget why I didn't do it. Maybe I was thinking about controling the screen glare but keeping the vibe. I actually have a 2.4x2.4m white scrim and frame in the case that I had the red chain sitting on and I am reallly looking forward to using in it this 3.6m space!
Congratulations John. Is there anything you feel you don't have that you want? What would you buy next for your studio?
Thank you. Probably more furniture options to use as props.
@@JohnGress Yes props are always interesting additions.
If you use chairs as props in your photos, then perhaps surround your table with 6 or more eclectic chairs that could serve dual purposes.
I have to rethink autopoles. I've been hesitant to use them for stability reasons but since you have 6 backdrops on each set maybe they are stable after all.
I did think about that. If you look at the cgi rendering all of the chairs are different. I hear you about the poles. The tension levers are really the key. I don’t know if I could trip and fall into one and have it stay up but they are really good for the downward force.
Love the video John
With the chains for the backdrops, how did you find them? I have the plastic ones and they have the same issue!
Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Aaron! Heres a link to a single unit with a metal chain: bhpho.to/3Iwx7s6
If you want a kit with both the poles and the rack with metal chains, I would buy this, but the poles will be chrome. Impact Deluxe Varipole Support System with Metal Chain Kit bhpho.to/3IJH9qa
Here is a link to a 3 rack with metal chains bhpho.to/3knCqQI
Very nice studio John! I would like to know more about how you set your backdrop system on the super poles. I have exposed masonry in my loft and I’m unable to mount my background system; so I have to use a single background stand which doesn’t allow me offer clients more background options.
Good morning! It's nice to hear from you. You can mount these racks directly to bricks if you have drywall anchors (I did this in my last studio. If you can't drill into the wall then the Autopoles (veripoles) and the racks will work well, provided your ceiling is 12' or shorter. My ceilings are 12'2 but they still worked, even though the specs said they wouldn't. Originally I had two pavers from home depot under each one to help them span the gap. If the ceiling is higher than 12' then you can get extentions. If youre using paper and your ceiling is higher than 10' then you could consider the 6 rack from Manfrotto (amzn.to/3X55MRW), but when I had it in my 10' tall space the bottom backdrop was so low that it was always going through the heads of my subjects. In general I would suggest this set (bhpho.to/3IJH9qa) which has chrome poles- but regardless of what you chose to do, make sure you get metal chains. Heres a link to the black poles by themselves bhpho.to/3CriGSa and the rack with chains bhpho.to/3CI0Ev4 I hope this helps.
@@JohnGress Thank you! My ceilings are right at 12 feet so I believe the Autopoles will work. How did you attach the Manfrotto rack to the Autopoles?
Oh right, you'll need two of these amzn.to/3ixsMKC The rack hopefully will come with the bolts, but if not they are standard metric bolts which you can also get at home depot. I forget the size, but I remember needing to get some there once. If the rack doesnt come with these little bumper for the bottom (it will make sense when you see it) you might need 4 super clamps.
John that’s a beautiful studio. I also moved out of my old studio and looking for a new place. What’s is the total square footage of your studio?
Congrats and may the new place makes you a great living.
Thank you so much Gaston! Its about 1500sqft / 150 square meters. Best of luck with your search!
@@JohnGress wow it looks so much bigger. You did a great job at maximizing the space.
Thanks! wide angle lenses help! But it does look big in person because it's tall and all one room.
John your studio looks amazing. I have a 2 questions for you. If you have a time and answer I will be more than appriciate. I want to rent space like you have and invest for all decorations and lights, and I want to rent it hourly as a studio
1. What was a estimate cost for built the stuido you have now?
2. As a photographer do you think is there any demand for studio ?
Thanks for your respond
Drinks from Costco… RESPECT! haha
I’m all about it!!! My fav drink is Kirkland La Croix! 😂🙏🏼
Great video, very beautiful ＋👍🔔
Thank you very much!
i love your work!
Thank you so much 😊
John, the backdrop holder where you have three on one side and three on the other…are those the painted canvas drops? I haven’t found a good way to have them on a rack yet. It’s a lot of work taking one all the way down and installing another one to shoot different painted backdrops in one day. Very curious how you store your painted backdrops and what type of pipe you have them on that won’t end up sagging from the weight. Ty!
Thanks Paige! That rack is where I mount my gravity backdrops gravitybackdropsus.sjv.io/DK0Nmj. I attach them with gaffer tape to 2" PVC pipe when I buy at Home Depot and then cut down to the same width. My extra backdrops are are leaned up in the corner attacked to PVC as well so when I want to swap them out, its pretty easy.
Great point about having a "prime location" for our types of businesses is not necessarily = more business. Of course, it depends what type of photography niche we're into, but in my case, 90% of my projects are AT client locations, so a studio would be much more "nice to have" than "need to have".
i hear all of that. It's also nice to have a space to keep all your stuff. I went studio free from 2015-17 because most of my work was on location, but I felt like I had gear stashed in every room.
@@JohnGress Exactly haha My wife would probably appreciate my not using 7% of our house for stacking gear all over it hahaha
😂
This place looks awesome! A few big, leafy plants would definitely add some life and help balance out the industrial vibe. Snake Plants and Fiddle-Leaf Figs are both relatively cheap for their size, hard to kill, and pair well with the modern aesthetic. Real is better than fake, but I’ve found some shockingly realistic fakes at places like Target and World Market.
Thanks Steve. I’ll check it out 😄
You are nice! congratulations
Thank you so much! 😃
NIce studio
Thank you so much!
Tx for the video, may I ask how wide is your background ? 2,2m or 2,7m ? Can't really say
2.7m. Thank you.
Nice! Looks like a 59 inch soft box 😱
75" / 190cm! Thanks!
Hi John, an alum from your Brooklyn workshop here. I have a large space with an 11' ceiling. What height would you suggest I hang my paper backdrop rack at?
And second question, what are you using for the wood-like flooring platform you put in front of your seamless in some shoots? Is it a DIY solution?
Hi Mike! I would put it as high as possible. When I had a 10' ceiling it would often get in the way. Here is a link to a video about flooring.- ua-cam.com/video/rPHxVWHwU9s/v-deo.html
how much is rent?
Where did you get the pocketed material for the PVC pipe for your dressing room... ? forgive me if I'm missing it in one of the links above. Also, how did you attach chains to ceiling? Thanks!
They are drapes that I had made for 3 studios ago but I think any drapes would do the trick. The Chains are sling over the pipes and then I attached the cains to them selves with these to create a loop around the pipe. www.homedepot.com/p/Nite-Ize-Steel-Big-Key-Ring-with-Carabiners-BRG-M1-R3/204778398
@@JohnGress Thanks John
What was it like having a live-work space, do you have a video about that?
I don’t have a video about that because I tried to keep it on the down low. I didn’t one it, but my husband hated living in a photo studio.
Damn sorry to hear that, do you think for a single person it would be a different story? I'm curious how you even find a place like that lol@@JohnGress
He accepted it when it was practical, but when we bought a house, I rented a studio. As a single person it's awesome!
Very cool thanks, would you ever do a video on how to find a place like that? I think a lot of people would be interested!@@JohnGress
I didn't know he had a husband 😳 I been following him for years now wow learn something new everyday your photography fire bro no matter what your a awesome photographer 👏 😇😁
Thanks Chris! You'll see him briefly in this video. I linked to the scene ua-cam.com/video/dCkgvhEzQo8/v-deo.html
May I ask what brand and size that really large octa is?
Elinchrom Indirect Litemotiv Octa Softbox (75”) Adorama howl.me/cjCnmmmWLgl Amazon amzn.to/3GZa45L B&H bhpho.to/3oOM4Oq
add some rubber plants - they absorb sound, clean your air and are super easy to maintain
Thanks for the tip!
Morning All!
Good morning!
Your tension knob on the pulley opposite side of your chains is too tight . That is why you kept breaking the plastic chains.
And if I loosened them the backdrop wouldn't stay in place and they would unroll until the backdrop was piled on the floor.
Studio = 🤤
Thanks Jordan. It's a dream come true!
@@JohnGress most welcome. It looks amazing!
my only question is wheres the bathroom😂😂
Down the hall!
I love it ! Can’t wait to see your work from there
Congratulations 🎉
Thank you so much Tammi!
@JohnGress Absolutely love your studio john! Love what you did with the place. Congratulations and i wish i had that big of a space to shoot. Do you mind sharing where you got those cases you have hidden behind the backdrops? I'm looking for a similar type case for lighting and light stands for travel and for location shoots.
Thanks! 😊 The two on the left are from SKB. Here is a video about how I travel with gear
ua-cam.com/video/DUu6nOsD47g/v-deo.html
Hi John. Great space, but I think as a decorator you are a great photographer. The best part is having to set various scenes, but a studio has to have magic, a modern ambience and a good use of space. But it's all up to each person's taste. Good video and all the best to you.
wow!! looks awesome John 😍 a dream for me to have more shooting space… and not so limited in height as is my little home shooting area😅
Congrats, i hope you will be happy there and create more wonderful images & BTS vids to share w/us!!
i appreciate all your efforts in creating your fantastic channel 🙏🏼
Thank you so much Andrea! It’s a dream come true for me 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Wow. Nice. Envious of you.
Thanks! I feel really lucky!
Nice!!!
Thanks!
Cool congrats. i going to get my mini fridge this month
Good choice! I don’t think the exact one is still for sale but I’m sure there’s a model 2.0
Thanks!
Well done in finding the place, I just love those industrial locations.
Here in the Netherlands there aren't that many of these buildings. And if you find one, either the rent is astronomical, or they're about to be converted into apartments.
Btw, so cool that you're also mentioning the metric system for measurements ;-)
Thanks! Since were the only ones using feet it's the east I can do! Spaces like this here are being converted to apartments too. Part of the reason why I was ok with moving to less than desirable neighborhood was because I knew it would be years before I was priced out of the neighborhood.
Studio stand - the link in the introduction to the video refers to a Titan stand without the dual axis arm that - I would say - is imperative. The Titan's price may seem titanic, but relative to the classic brands is really cheap. Even the $2K version with horizontal arm is cheap relative to the $6K base price for Foba, Linhof, Cambo, etc. (brands with great history and reputation). You'll need the horizontal arm to comfortably work with these stands.
I would consider mounting an - say - A4 or Letter size tablet on the other end of the horizontal arm (or potentially a notebook computer as tether station). We often think our shots are perfect (e.g. sharp) on the small display when they are not on the larger display.
In my "boom" other comment, I reference a boom arm in a parallelogram design and as that can carry some 26 lbs, I have considered a second one as a camera stand. It needs a junior stand on wheels and the advantage is that its feet are not in the way of my big feet. But, on the fence, I may need someone else to try this and make a video review about it, before I try.
What a wonderful studio !!
Thank you so much!
A lot of little gems throughout the video for new or prospective studio photographers (and experienced once too).
Thanks for saying that. I tried to focus on all the helper gear that wouldn’t make a full video tooI should have mentioned flooring too.
Nice Studio! Very well thought out. Great place for creativity.
Thanks so much!
Love the space! I've been searching for space where I live and am having no luck at all, everything here is boring office space that's grossly overpriced
I hear ya. I had to search far and wide. We have a lot of vacant retail space here but supply and demand aren’t leading to fair prices.
Terrific space, John! Appreciate the tour. Very helpful.
Thanks Patrick! Glad it was helpful!
16:36 if you build it out of pipe yourself (easy) you can put up three backdrops on one side and three on the other side.
Like the way I did it?
Can't believe I never thought of just a plain box for modifiers still folded up in their bags. Love the pistol grip stand too, might have to keep an eye out for one of those.
I think I figured it out when I ended up with some new garbage cans a few studios ago and had to figure out what to do with them!
Can someone help me find those j-hooks on Amazon? It offers me every possible hook form except the one I look for.
Maybe the one I bought is an exclusive home depot brand.
My first was the DSLR was Kodak DSC-315
I think you cheated by having an LCD on the back 😂
Great studio tour. Love the space and all of your awesome tools and tricks of the trade. Always enjoy seeing the beautiful work you produce and now seeing your set-up I see your attention to detail and good workflow has yielded those great results.
Thanks Pete! I am looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks and I hope you're having a Happy New Year!
Nice move John! Great studio. You know that elinchrom have these wall mounted bajonet so you don’t have to use a hook? Thx for this walk around.
Thanks Billy Bob. I didn’t know that and it would have been an improvement. Oh well.
Part of me would love to move to the US from Canada to simply buy a warehouse for less than half the cost of a condo here. It's really a nice place you have and I'm envious of how great a space you have. I used to rent a similar space like that a decade ago and stopped after a major injury and simply never got back into renting or owning a studio space since due to market here that more than tripled in cost from when I last had a space... I wish you all the best in your amazing space.
Thank you so much. Are you in Vancouver? I am sure my space would be cost prohibitive if i wasn't in the middle of the country.
That's a really good space you have there. I always enjoy your videos, your style feels like you are talking to a person, not lecturing them.
Awesome! Thank you! The space is a dream come true.
I think I would go with the IKEA Tobias chairs. They are about $105 each. Noticed you have blocks under your AutoPoles. Do you have the autopole extensions on them yet? They make them. Also they make Autopole legs/bases. For your changing room have you thought about something more permanent? I used metal studs which are easy to cut and screw into. Then got 4x8 sheets of corrugated plastic similar to what they make political campaign signs out of, to make a lightweight, inexpensive, sturdy walls. You can also use OSB wood panels or corrugated roofing panels in galvanized metal or plastic available at Home Depot or Lowes as inexpensive siding. You need to grab some sheer curtains off Amazon as well. If you haven't already, a neat edition to your Mole Richardsons is to build a dimmer switch into a very short extension cord and a 1 gang electrical box to control the output of power to your hot lights. Love the swirled door. That's gonna make a great background too. Great space. Thanks for the tour!
Thanks Lenn. Good catch on the bricks under the auto poles. The specs say they’re 12” tall which is 2” shorter than the ceiling. I put the paper one up first and then I set up the painted side and realized they were taller than I expected. Oh well. Maybe some day I’ll take out on the paper side.
This place is absolutely stunning 🤩🙌 A few large green leaf plants would really add some character and breath in some life. I really, really like this place and would lov to work such a place ☺
Thank you so much! It's a dream come true =)
Awesome tour!!!!! Also, how tall are you?!
Thanks! 6'4 / 1.93m
I found most of photo studio using white color as their wall and ceiling. What is your consideration for choosing the 'non-white' color as your studio set-up? Any pros and cons for choosing gray and bricks as your main background?
When all of the surfaces are white or light gray it is difficult to control the depth of the shadows because every surface in the studio reflects light.
Oh wow John Gress the Studio looks fantastic, much success to you and your Team always, thank you for sharing so much!
Thank you much Alexander. Happy new year!
14:53 Matthews. Nice Space!
Thanks! You caught me! I see in the video that I paused an looked at it because I couldnt remember who made it. I really want to get a Manfrotto Mega Boom!