Backdrops?

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EllieJay

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Hi, completely new to this! A friend has asked me to take some pics of her and her kiddies - I did some of my own kids against a blackout blind which worked amazingly as a backdrop but can't find any big enough so decided to invest in a proper backdrop... but have no idea what is the best thing to go for! There seems to be a lot on offer and after finally deciding on what I thought I needed one of the reviews said it was too heavy and bent the stands so now back to the drawing board! If anyone could offer any advice I would be extremely grateful. Thanks!
 
There are so many different options like:

Cloth - hard to keep creases off.

Vinyl - expensive and heavy limited colours

Paper - as vinyl but a bit cheaper, although not as long lasting.

What budget did you have in mind, plain or with a picture?
 
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Thank you - not sure - have just got a white blind for the ones I have done so was thinking something like that... maybe a pinky as it's mum and 2 girls but then again might clash with whatever they wear? Do you need new paper each time or does it last a little while? Is there anywhere that I can get lightweight vinyl? As for budget the cheaper the better, but wouldn't mind if it lasted for a while.
 
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Paper does last if you are carefully and you do have a large choice of colours.

Once decide you need to work out what size you need and if you have enough space to use it.
 
If only one of several reviews (if that is what you meant) found it 'too heavy' for the stands, it might be worth wondering if the stands they used were very cheap and just not up to the job. Quality of stands varies a lot. You can get heavy duty stands, though even some of those are not advised for vinyl. Of course if the backdrop is indeed heavy you still have to carry the thing about and store it.

The best ones I have seen used were stretchy cloth. they may have been Lastolite brand. As they hang it pulls creases out due to the slight stretch and you can pull any remaining out and clamp it to the stands at the sides. No steaming needed. When storing backdrops they tend to be gently stuffed into bags rather than folded, as the creases are causal and not in big regular squares.

If this is a one off, maybe see if your friend has a painted or suitably patterned wall somewhere in the house or garage, move furniture etc away and use that.
 
It might be worth discussing what your clients intend to wear. You are right to co-ordinate with the backdrop. They might also want to make sure they do not clash with each other - if all of them just wear their favourite item of clothing it could look quite messy visually if there is a wide rainbow of colours, stripes, patterns etc.

Another thought is you may wish to make use of features of the house in addition to or instead of the backdrop. Depends a lot on the building.

Grey backdrops can look very classy, are easier to light if you wish to and don't show dirt so much. They can be lit lighter or allowed to fall darker by removal of light. Grey does not clash with anything. It would also get you away from the stereotyped pink for girls stuff, which will limit the backgrounds re use for any other set of people.

If the photos are going to be displayed in a room, you might also need to take the rooms colours into account so that the background of the photo and the stuff the clients are wearing will not clash with the decor of the display room when its hung.
 
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Thanks for all your replies. I am thinking of going for the bessel one and hoping for the best - I have been using a 5ft blind on the stand and it was no trouble so hoping it won't be that much heavier! The plan was to save a fortune on school photos doing it myself so will use it for at least that each year if not my nieces ones too. The next questions I have are:
1) Am I better going for 2 x 4 or 2 x 3 - the ones the school have are full ones so I would need them standing up and love the seamless look! The 2 x 4 would be heavier and a little more expensive, but is it worth it?
2) I would go for the double sided - but do I want black and white or grey and white?!

Thanks so much for your help.
 
When I have saved up a bit I am also thinking of going for the Bessel vinyl. I am going to get the grey and white one but want the 2 by 5m so it is long enough for adults as well.

I have a 2.7 by 6m cloth which is wide and long enough for both kids and adults but is creased.

With the grey one you can use gels to make it a different colour.


View: https://youtu.be/fgtssUAjygA
 
sep9001 said:
When I have saved up a bit I am also thinking of going for the Bessel vinyl. I am going to get the grey and white one but want the 2 by 5m so it is long enough for adults as well.

I have a 2.7 by 6m cloth which is wide and long enough for both kids and adults but is creased.

With the grey one you can use gels to make it a different colour.
Click to expand...

I have a 2.7 x 6m grey vinyl from Bessel I bought years ago. It is heavy, but the stands I bought from Bessel at the same time have been holding it up for the last 4 years in my attic studio. I've also rolled it out full length in village halls and even had a motorbike on it once. Just vac and mop it clean after :). Any creases can be removed with a hair dryer, and the shooting side is textured so it provides a matt finish. Joe is right (and I love his YouTube channel!) - grey is the best and can be white, black or any colour you like although if you work in a small space like me, a black one can be useful (I just chuck a 3x6m black muslin over the grey vinyl when I need to). I've never felt the need for a white one, as I can just throw about 2.5 stops more light on it than on the subject to make it white. of course you can't do this for full length as there's no way to over-light just the grey floor to make it white and not the feet and legs :) For that - you will need a white one.

If you know your way around Photoshop, a mid grey is also ideal for overlaying a texture. You'll keep any shadows from the grey this way - just place the texture on a new layer on top of the image shot on a grey background and set the blend mode to "overlay" or "soft light". Put a white mask on it and use a black brush on the mask to remove the texture from your subject (or use the quick select tool to select your subject, switch to the mask on the texture layer and fill the selection with black) The floor on this one was done this way:-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/owenlloyd/15866534629/in/dateposted/
 
look at the lastolite bacdrops on e=bay they fold up
 
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