Backgrounds for studio shots

[uridiscence]

So this question has been asked more than once I am sure, but I am bringing it up again.

What are you using for traveling backdrops? I have two "sheets" basically that came with my studio kit and they just aren't cutting it for me. They are too thin, are impossible to iron or steam, and I just hate them. I do have a roll of white paper, but it's super heavy and way too long to travel with and I always go to my client's homes for shoots.

So what are you using for traveling backdrops? I need something that is portable, compact/foldable, and wrinkle-free.

What's working for you?

[candleman]

i'm having a similar "problem"
considering an old school tiedyed muslin because the wrinkles hardly matter. and the width of the portable stand is easily adjustable.
but that look just doesnt gel with my style of portraits, and the way i'm selling myself.


i have a roll of grey paper withportable stands.. but its always a bit of a painful task asking them how big their room is ane me worrying about how much space i'll have.

it does boil down to how many people you want to shoot at once though.

[uridiscence]

True and I'm primarily doing shoots with babies, so I don't need need all that much for a backdrop. The sheets are working ok, but I spend so much time in Photoshop getting all the wrinkles out and the sheet comes out with a gray tint instead of bright white because its so sheer.

[zona5101]

maybe one of these...
collapsible background -
you'd need a stand and a cross arm or other support...

[oldwolf]

blow out the background with a flash and/or use a long enough shutter speed to blow out your background if you're trying to get a white background.

you could also move the subject far enough away from the background to blur it out as well.

we have white, mottled grey and black muslin. very wrinkly but the black isn't as bad because it's a heavier fabric. we also have white and grey 107" rolls of seamless paper. we have a steamer that we can take with us to use on the muslin but have to arrive a bit earlier to steam most of the wrinkles out.

another suggestion is to roll your backdrop up.

[uridiscence]

Thanks guys. I think I might have to start rolling them because I don't have an off-camera flash yet.

[private]

I use Diamond cloth and I LOVE LOVE it!

DIAMOND CLOTH WHITE-Backdrop Outlet

I was talked into seamless paper BUT its a PIA to carry around. So, I am switching my colors to Diamond cloth - slowly - after all, I gotta get a FF camera! but for black i love my microfleece blanket

[sartracker]

For Christmas my kids (6 of them) made me a take apart backdrop stand (plastic piping) and sewed 3 backdrops so that they slide on to the stand all together. They are lightweight, a little like velour and they drape beautifully. Each backdrop can be pushed together or spread completely out with very little wrinkling and the stand is wide enough for the other backdrops to slide to the side out of the picture. The colors are gold, darkish green and a deep red. There's room for a few other colors. I have a beige muslin that isn't wide enough so because the material could be a little see through in some situations I'm going to cut it and add it behind the other backdrop material.

So far, all my shoots have been on location and the material I used at Christmas was too wrinkled so I ended up replacing the background with the same color and a little texture in Photoshop. The stand is a little cumbersome for some places but I think it would be possible to drape it over a door or something else if necessary.

My kids are awesome to think of something so special for me. My 2nd son has a degree in communications, emphasis on photography and video so he helped the others decide what was needed. He has answered many of my questions but I prefer to try and figure out things myself so don't ask for his help unless I'm really stuck. I am stuck less and less as I read and practice!
Haven't had a chance to use it yet. Might try this afternoon, it's just so darn cold, I'd rather stay in my nice, warm house.

[Swisstony10]

I have two backgrounds, both of them Lastolite collapsible ones. I've got a plain black velvet one which is really nice - the creases don't show, because you deliberately don't light it (I just use a small head with a snoot or a grid (or both) as a hair-light to pick the subject away from the background;



and



The other one I use is a mottled/patchy double-sided one - the pattern is kind of blue on one side, and depending on how I light it, it goes from a very deep blue to a pale sky blue, and on the other side it's the same but grey, so if I use a gel I can get the pattern pretty much any colour.

Russ.

[Frank_Martinez]

I don't even travel with backdrops. Gelling a background light can create any backdrop color of you can imagine. Therefore turning whatever wall into a backdrop. Also, if you are shooting in your client's home, that's the perfect time to shoot environmental/living quaters portraits.

All I recommend is that you learn how to control your lighting.

I usually travel with one camera bag that contains my three leses, my camera body, gels, and two sb's, One light stand, one umbrella, one softbox. And a 5 in 1 reflector. This coveres 90% of any home assignments I do. In special circumstances I bring out the three big boy studio lights. But rarely do I need it.

If you feel the need to bring backdrops, wrinkles are not a problem. Just make sure you have a good enough DOF to negate any detail from the backdrop.

Here are some photos I took earlier this year with the same idea in mind.









You'll be amazed at what you can pull off with a kitchen cabinet, someone's curtains, or a white wall.