Backdrops??

[SugarMama]

What suggestions do you all have for portrait backdrops? And I am talking like, something from Joann Fabrics or Michaels craft store....not "professional" backdrops. I'm cheap ok? LOL

[Saralonde]

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=950

http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/chaep-diy-muslin-photography-background

Hope this helps!

[Nicole]

Saralonde picked out the relevant links for backdrops, but if you're looking for other studio gear on a budget (like lights, etc), you might want to check out the DIY Photography Gear (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=550) thread as well :)

[clockdoc]

If you are doing simple head and shoulders portraits of one individual, you can create a very nice painted background out of a 4 foot window shade. Or use the same plain shade as the backdrop and create a backdrop in Photoshop. Here is a test I tried using a snapshot from a Kodak CX6330 and onboard flash. The subject was positioned about 4 feet from a plain wall. I then took some 2 X 3 inch countertop sample chips and scanned them into my computer. Using Photoshop I extracted the individual and placed him on the different backgrounds. The chps can be blurred to suit your taste.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8359753@N07/544262165/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/544262165_9bcf487a6b_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="100_2128_test_1" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8359753@N07/544262169/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1422/544262169_7d5c3edb02_m.jpg" width="166" height="240" alt="img006+Tommy_test_2" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8359753@N07/544262173/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1152/544262173_5beff43900_m.jpg" width="168" height="240" alt="img007 +Tommy copy_test_3" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8359753@N07/544262185/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/544262185_fcd1d0ae4d_m.jpg" width="166" height="240" alt="img008+tommy_test_4" /></a>

[Saralonde]

Really interesting idea, Lee. Never would have thought of countertop sample chips!

[rikkersc]

I use king size flat sheets (the thicker, the better) in solid colors. You could also use smaller sized sheets depending on how big you needed them. They are easy to store and I get them on clearance and pay hardly anything at all. This works great especially for black since the sheet I have creates a really dark black.
I have also bought fabric and the fabric store in colors I needed. I usually look in the clearance section for fabrics first and hope they have a decent size and color.
Also, I use tablecloths. I buy the large oblong ones ( as big as I can get).
I have a really pretty muted earth tones one, and also a gold one, which is great for certain effects. I bought a piece of sheer pink fabric that I hang over the gold so it is a little subdued, it makes a great background for "little girl" shots. Tablecloths are cheap especially after major holidays. You can even get ones with certain themes or styles that are hard to find on other fabrics.
There are so many possibilities with these options and they are a lot cheaper than professional backdrops.

[Nicole]

Great idea with scanning in the counter top samples. The end result looks really great :)

[Jack]

Counter top samples! That is great. Quick! Everyone raid the local home improvement store!

I like the second shot the best, the one with the darker background. I think this works very well.

Thank you for the tip.

[angeleyes216]

What suggestions do you all have for portrait backdrops? And I am talking like, something from Joann Fabrics or Michaels craft store....not "professional" backdrops. I'm cheap ok? LOL

I went to walmart and bought some satin material for a dollar a yard in black, cream and blue...made nice backdrops.