Photography studio set design
Thirty-plus built sets in one studio, planned one corner at a time. Learn the method for $197, or bring me your space — $697 on Zoom, or $2,500 a day at your studio.
Think you don't have the square footage? Almost every set here is a corner, not a room. Most of them are around eight by ten feet, and the camera never sees the rest.
Not sure which? Text 801-797-3156 with a photo of your room.
The idea
How to build a photography studio set in a small space
The mistake almost everyone makes is designing a room. A room has four walls, needs furniture on every one of them, and costs a fortune to finish.
A set is a corner with one good angle. Two walls, a light source, and everything within about eight feet of the lens. The camera never sees the rest — which means a 600 square foot rented space can hold five or six distinct sets that look nothing like each other.
Once you see it that way, the questions change. Not "can I afford a studio" but "which corner do I build first, and what does it earn back."
Start here
Photography Studio Set Design · The Course
$197Eight self-paced lessons. The corner reframe, choosing your first three sets, designing around light, sourcing, building the shell, the five styling layers, shooting one set four ways, and what each set earns back.
Written with photographs from inside the studio — including the ones nobody publishes: a set shot from the doorway showing its edges, the back of a freestanding flat, the storage that sits just out of frame.
First 25 students pay $97
In exchange for feedback on the lessons. After the first 25 it's $197 permanently — no sales, no relaunches at a discount.
Photography studio design, corner by corner
Layout and flow
Where sets go so they don't bleed into each other, where the client changes, where hair and makeup sits, and how she moves through the space without walking past your storage.
Light per set
Every set gets designed around a light source before a single thing is bought. Window, strobe or practical lamps — that decision changes the whole build.
Build order and budget
Which set to build first, what each one realistically costs, and what you can put off. Sets get built one at a time out of session income, not all at once out of a loan.
Sourcing
Where the furniture, wallpaper, linens and props actually come from — including the real lists used in this studio, and what's worth buying new.
Shooting it four ways
A set that only works from one angle gives you eight images. The same corner styled to shoot four directions gives you a full gallery and a longer session.
Turnover and storage
How to change a look in ten minutes between outfits, what gets swapped versus rebuilt, and where all of it lives when it's not in frame.
Option one
Zoom set design consult
$697Two hours on video. You walk me through your actual space on your phone — empty room, half-built studio, or the spare bedroom you're thinking about.
- Your space mapped into sets, with the build order
- A written plan sent after, not just a conversation
- A sourcing list with links for the first set
- A budget per set so you know what you're committing to
- Two weeks of follow-up questions while you start
Already bought the course? The $197 comes off — text before you book and you'll get a code.
Option two
Set design day at your studio
$2,500 per day plus travelI come to you and we build. Not a consultation with notes — an actual working day in your space, moving furniture and making decisions on the spot.
- Full layout planned and taped out on the floor
- One set styled and shot by the end of the day
- Sourcing list and build order for everything else
- Travel billed separately at cost, quoted before you commit
- Some studios book two days — one to plan, one to build
Quoted per job, since travel varies. Text with your city and square footage and you'll get a number back.
Read this first
Who this is for
This is for you if
- You're signing a lease and don't know where to start
- You have a studio and it photographs like a rented room
- Every session you shoot looks like the last one
- You're shooting in a home studio and want two more looks out of it
This isn't for you if
- You want an interior designer — this is designed for a camera, not for living in
- You want someone to build it for you rather than with you
- You're looking for a copy of this studio rather than your own
Questions
Photography studio set design FAQ
Should I start with the course or the consult?
The course, for almost everyone. It's $197, it teaches the whole method, and the price comes off a consult later if you decide you want eyes on your specific space. Start with the consult only if you're already mid-build and stuck.
How much space do I actually need for a set?
Roughly eight by ten feet per set, plus room to stand back with the lens. A 600 square foot space can hold five or six sets that look entirely different from one another.
How much does it cost to build one set?
It varies enormously depending on whether you're sourcing secondhand or new, which is exactly why the course and the consult both end with a budget per set rather than a single number. Most photographers build one set at a time out of session income.
Does this work for a home studio?
Yes, and it's some of the best use of either option. A spare bedroom or a basement corner can carry two or three real looks once it's planned around the camera instead of around the room.
Is this only for boudoir photographers?
No. Portrait, maternity, branding and product photographers book it too. The principles are the same — the props change.
What do I need ready before the Zoom call?
Measurements of the space, photos of every wall, and a note of which direction the windows face. If you have a floor plan, send it.
When does the Zoom consult get scheduled?
After you book. You'll be asked for the times that work and you'll have options back within two business days. Fully refundable before a time is confirmed.
Do I get anything in writing from the consult?
Yes. A written plan with the layout, build order, sourcing list and per-set budget comes after the call. The call isn't the deliverable.
How is travel charged for an on-site day?
At cost — flights, a hotel night and ground transport — quoted and agreed before you commit to anything.
Is the founding price on the course real?
Yes, and it ends. The first 25 students pay $97 in exchange for feedback on the lessons. After that it's $197 permanently — there won't be a discounted relaunch later.
Will you work with a photographer in my city?
Yes. No protected territory, and set design isn't the thing that makes two studios compete anyway.
Can we do set design as part of a mentorship day instead?
Yes. Set design is one of the six topics in the mentorship day. The difference: a set design day builds sets, a mentorship day fixes the business with your sets as part of it.
Can I just come see the studio?
That's effectively what the workshop is — the morning walks every set with the reasoning out loud before anyone picks up a camera.
Send me your space
Text SETS with a photo of the room and the rough dimensions. You'll get an honest answer about what it can hold — including whether the $197 course is all you need.
Or text 801-797-3156 if you'd rather just ask.
Blushed Boudoir · 629 S State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111