Studio Backdrop Suggestions

[xrrr]

I am about to do my first studio session with some willing volunteers in a couple of weeks. I will be shooting for stock so want good old high key images.

I don't have a dedicated (and expensive) white background and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for cheap alternatives. I have two studio strobes I can dedicate to the background.

I was thinking about either a couple of bedsheets, a load of flip chart pages or a roll of paper but...

The bedsheet will crumple and I am worried it will look a bit crap on the ground.

The flip chart pages will need taping down and I am sure I will need to PS out the seams on all the shots.

I would have thought that a paper roll would be the best but they are £35 and at 2.7m wide I will have a storage problem with it.

I have found this narrower 1.35m paper on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Colorama-Arctic-White-Backgr...

But it is the same price as the wider paper

Does anyone have any experience in this area or know a good supplier for something cheaper?

EDIT: P.s. I don't have a background stand and don't want to spend £100+ on buying one!

Edited by xrrr on Saturday 4th September 22:59

[andy-xr]

You can get a backdrop support stand for about £50 on ebay. It's 2 sturdy stands and a telescopic pole that can take a full width Colorama. Or I guess you could build your own.

3/4 papers should be fine, more than 2 people though and you'll need to put them fairly close to the backdrop, which if you're blowing out say stop and a half over could spill onto your subjects or affect shadows depending on how you're lighting.

I've always had problems with fabric backdrops....creases like f*ck

Check the size of your lightsources and what they'll do for light distribution for full lengths, or be prepared to dodge/burn them later in PS

Places to shop:

Karlu
Warehouse Express
Calumet (they do their own version of Colorama and it's a bit cheaper)

Edited by andy-xr on Saturday 4th September 23:15

Edited by andy-xr on Saturday 4th September 23:33

[Simpo Two]

If you have a spare room just explode a bucket of white paint in it, done

Failing that use background roll - mine is ceiling mounted using a length of copper pipe left over from some plumbing, held between two brackety things. The background will need to be bigger than you think. If you take your photography seriously, sooner or later you wil have to pay for stuff, so you may as well buy it now, get it over with and save yourself hours tarting up bedsheets in PS

[xrrr]

Simpo Two said:

If you have a spare room just explode a bucket of white paint in it, done

I forgot to mention it needs to be portable :-)

eBay has a 1.6m wide backdrop with stand for £50 so I am probably going to get one of those. Thanks

[andy-xr]

xrrr said:

Simpo Two said:

If you have a spare room just explode a bucket of white paint in it, done

I forgot to mention it needs to be portable :-)

Depending on how portable you mean, a HiLite (spit on me) might be a better option, and you'll just have to put up with the difference in floor lighting

http://www.lastolite.com/hilite-backgrounds.php

Feckin awkward to dismantle though

I just moved into a new studio yesterday and had a full width Colorama in the car, there wasnt much room for anyone else though and I wouldnt want to have to do that on a regular basis

Edited by andy-xr on Sunday 5th September 10:09

[frankowvette]

Hi,

Vinyl is much better value than paper.

You could just get a roll and find a make do means of supporting it, will pay for itself time and time again vs paper, also can be had in 2m widths here:

http://www.bessel.co.uk/acatalog/Vinyl.html

[xrrr]

andy-xr said:

Depending on how portable you mean, a HiLite (spit on me) might be a better option

A hilite would be perfect but it is a touch more than I wanted to spend. I have ordered a £50 stand and foldable white backdrop from ebay. That will do me until I work out if my stock images are good enough to warrant the extra cash outlay.

So far I have spent almost £700 on extra gear for this session so another £250 was pushing it as the room hire is going to cost me another £100!

A 2m vinyl roll would be great but transport and (mainly) storage would be troublesome!

[ian in lancs]

Simpo Two said:

If you take your photography seriously, sooner or later you wil have to pay for stuff, so you may as well buy it now, get it over with and save yourself hours tarting up bedsheets in PS

X2!

[xrrr]

Just reporting back...

I bought this in the end for £50 from eBay:

andy-xr said:

I've always had problems with fabric backdrops....creases like f*ck

Tell me about it



This was the "Quality non woven backdrop.". Bull. But I was kind of expecting it. I tentatively tried to iron it but it was too ste and would have melted! The stand is reasonable quality though.

For £35 with postage I bought a 1.35cm Lastolite from Warehouse Express instead. Much better!



I ummed and ahhed about the 6x7 hilite for most of Tuesday evening and decided I would invest when sales from this session (and the next) pay for it. I think my day job is rubbing off!

Thanks for the help guys.

[Simpo Two]

xrrr said:

For £35 with postage I bought a 1.35cm Lastolite from Warehouse Express

1.35cm, ideal for the macro thread

[xrrr]

Simpo Two said:

xrrr said:

For £35 with postage I bought a 1.35cm Lastolite from Warehouse Express

1.35cm, ideal for the macro thread

LOL yes I agree but the bigger sizes won't fit in my car!

EDIT: Doh, just spotted my typo

Edited by xrrr on Thursday 9th September 20:52

[andy-xr]

xrrr said:

andy-xr said:

I've always had problems with fabric backdrops....creases like f*ck

Tell me about it

[ian in lancs]

andy-xr said:

xrrr said:

andy-xr said:

I've always had problems with fabric backdrops....creases like f*ck

Tell me about it

That has cheered me up after a crap week.. Thanks!