Can I use my conservatory as a studio?

[candidrachel]

I really am clueless with regards to studio lighting but I want to know if its feasable to use my south facing conservatory as a studio. At certain times of the day and especially on a cloudy day the lighting is really soft and diffused. I have reflectors, off camera flash triggers, brollies, lightstand and speedlight.

Do I need to block out the light from the windows?

I have my camera gear stored all round the house and its would be better to store it all in one place and also it looks more "pro" for when the window cleaners come round

[zona5101]

I am sure you could use the space...depending on how big it is will determine how many people you can get in the shot! The light coming through the window can be a problem and also a blessing. Use it for natural light shots, block it when you want more control of your flash or if doing some low key type of shots. My 2 biggest frustrations are not enough room to move the subject far enough for no shadows/out of focus onthe backdrop and 2) ceiling height limitations where I can't get softboxes and umbrellas as high as I'd like.

[autofocus]

I echo what bruce said above. Actually, they say (whoever they are) that the best window light is a northern exposure. But you can't turn your building around, so you have to work with what you have. The areas in our house that we've used for photographic purposes face due south. When it's really bright midday sun we always have to diffuse that light, or block it totally. We've used several layers of shear curtains to soften and diffuse that type of light, and it works reasonably well. On cloudy overcast days it can be wonderful though.

[jdepould]

You shouldn't have a lot of trouble with color balance, since flashes are generally calibrated to daylight. One thing to watch out for would be glass if there are a lot of windows: you can get funky reflections with the light source in the glass.

If you need diffusion rolux is the best option, though sheer curtains also work well.