What Color? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

02/26/2007 08:57:25 PM · #1

So, I am nearing the paintig phase of my home studio, and I have no idea which way to go. I know that there has been a discussion on wall colors before (still couldn't find it), but what about the ceiling? Do I go with bright white to give a nice reflection, or do I go with dark to take complete control of the light? And, what about wall colors? I am thinking a medium-to-dark hardwoods for the floor, but I have no idea what else.

Thanks for the help in advance.

I Enjoy Ham

Canon EOS-30D

02/26/2007 09:11:04 PM · #2

i hav eno experience here, but would say go with black for the cieling... if you need to you can just buy one of those uber huge reflectors and suspend it for bouncing purposes..

-Dan

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

02/26/2007 09:15:10 PM · #3

I use white on walls and celing for a clean, crisp look. I can control the lights without any problems and can use the celing for bounce when I need to. Granted, I painted my studio to best impress the clients and learned to light in that space - I didn't start with "what color can I light best".

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon

02/26/2007 09:30:35 PM · #4

Thanks Dan and Cindi! Anyone else want to weigh in?

Tranquil

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

02/26/2007 09:58:22 PM · #5

I know this will sound a little off topic but it is relevent, I swear!

How high is your ceiling?

Lee

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon

02/26/2007 10:03:47 PM · #6

9 feet. Here is a shot of the destruction.

I am a bit further along now. Also, all the popcorn has been scraped from the ceiling.

Tranquil

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

02/26/2007 10:07:41 PM · #7

Okay because the higher the ceiling than the more potential for it to be used as a giant softbox of types. The higher up the ceiling is means softer light if you plan to use it to bounce light off of.

I think it comes down to preference. I would say go with white, and if you find that sometimes it gets in the way of exposure you can always block it with a black piece of velvet. I believe that unless you are getting a lot of light bleeding out of your lighting system, the white ceiling will not pose a problem and will seem less imposing than a black ceiling. The alternative is to paint it black and then use reflectors off of the ceiling.

My 2 cents.

Lee

02/27/2007 03:04:53 AM · #8

Thanks Lee. That makes great sense.

Eric

Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Macro ED Zuiko Digital

02/27/2007 11:20:23 AM · #9

Any other opinions/experiences before I go out and buy paint?

daltonandclairesmom

Canon EOS-20D

02/28/2007 09:32:02 AM · #10

I was going to suggest either white or gray.

Tlemetry

Olympus E-300 EVOLT

02/28/2007 09:57:42 AM · #11

I would say white, you can still achieve black by removing the light sources.

Prof_Fate

02/28/2007 02:25:10 PM · #12

A nice photo gray works well - not as black, as well, black, but won't give color casts.
White is the other obvious choice.

IN theory, if you control the light properly it doesn't matter. How you're going to use the space, and the size of it may be more important.

virtuamike

Nikon D2X

Carl Zeiss 35mm ZF f/2.0 Distagon T

03/01/2007 12:14:56 AM · #13

White or grey. Anything that's neutral.

get04rit

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

03/01/2007 12:54:20 AM · #14

I believe you want a neutral gray called "Munsell N8". I work for a printing ink company and all of our color matching labs are painted this color.
I can't remember all the technical reasoning behind this, but I am sure if you do a little research you will find out.
Any paint store should be able to give you this color if you ask for it by the name "Munsell N8"