Mammoth
Chapter06

Setup Guides

Chapter 6 · How we run events

Setup Guides

A playbook for everything we build. Same measurements, same settings, same look, whoever is setting up. If you figure something out, write the recipe down so the next person doesn’t have to.

Setup standards

Booth to backdrop

8 ft

Any closer and a white backdrop turns into a gradient.

Aperture, booth

f/10

Repeatable looks come from repeatable settings.

Zoom

Precise mm, every time

On white, zoom in a touch so the bottom corners don’t go gray.

Backdrops

Steamed. Zero wrinkles.

Wrinkles are the fastest way to look like a rental.

Cables

Custom length, taped, hidden

Zero visual clutter, zero tripping hazards.

Stands

Flat base, never tripod legs

People run through random spots in your setup.

Full-body portraits

8 to 10 ft of clean floor

In front of the backdrop, before anyone steps in.

Proof

Photo and video of every finished setup

Required. Attach it to the event.

The recipes

  1. Setup guide 01 · Hosts · ~6 min

    The Portrait Booth

    The core recipe. Eight feet, f/10, a measured mark, and light people can glow in. Find the wall, then the mark. A ~6-minute recipe for Hosts.

  2. Setup guide 02 · Hosts · ~4 min

    White Stretch Backdrop

    A pillow-cover stretch fabric over a frame. Steamed on the frame, squared, then a corner check. A ~4-minute recipe for Hosts.

  3. Setup guide 03 · Hosts · ~5 min

    Velvet Backdrop

    Our signature look. Sewn panels, steamed, no wrinkles, and a hairlight to make it a portrait shoot. A ~5-minute recipe for Hosts.

  4. Setup guide 04 · Photographers · ~6 min

    Headshot Studio

    Key light on a boom, close and overhead. A second boom for the hairlight. AC power only. A mirror before the camera. A ~6-minute recipe for Photographers.

  5. Setup guide 05 · Photographers · ~3 min

    Roaming Photos, Fully Wireless

    No power, no cables, no tape. Set up anywhere in the venue in minutes and move when the party moves. A ~3-minute recipe for Photographers.

  6. Setup guide 06 · Hosts · ~3 min

    Outdoors

    Weight, wind, sun, heat, and signal. Plan for all five before you say yes. Ask the five questions on the planning call. A ~3-minute recipe for Hosts.

  7. Setup guide 07 · Hosts · ~3 min

    Kit Check, Before and After

    Everything present, clean, charged, and tested at real distance before you leave. Packed the way it came when you are done.