ebay background stands - worth a punt?

rampanthamster

rampanthamster

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I rather fancy the idea of doing more formal portraits and as such am considering getting a little background kit sorted. Would some of the 30 - 40 quid ebay stands and cross bar kits suffice for now?

I'd also be leaning towards getting a grey cloth background as i gather it's rather easy to make it black (feathering the light from your softbox by angling it across the model more so that none of it hits the background) or white (placing a bare speedlight firing directly at the background).

so something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photo-Stu...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item3363de13a0

Any thoughts?
 
Basically you get what you pay for. But would have thought that they would be solid enough to support a cloth background.
 
I bought one and felt that it didn't go as high as I would have liked and wasn't very stable - as allready said, you get what you pay for
 
i've got the calumet in drummond street only a ten minute walk from me but a quick check of their website shows that the supports they sell are far more pricey....I realise you get what you pay for but..
 
rampanthamster said:
i've got the calumet in drummond street only a ten minute walk from me but a quick check of their website shows that the supports they sell are far more pricey....I realise you get what you pay for but..
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Do you have to have a goalpost support system? What about a collapsible backdrop, like the type photosel do for £50?
 
domino1999 said:
Do you have to have a goalpost support system? What about a collapsible backdrop, like the type photosel do for £50?
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ohhh, that does sound tempted actually. I'm going to look into those. I take it they do grey ones?
 
rampanthamster said:
ohhh, that does sound tempted actually. I'm going to look into those. I take it they do grey ones?
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Not sure, you'll need to check their website. I know they come in black, white, green and blue (with optional trains), not sure about grey though.

The only thing I'll add is that the cloth is quite creased, due to the way it's folded away, but since you're talking about either keeping it black or white for portraits, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
 
rampanthamster said:
I rather fancy the idea of doing more formal portraits and as such am considering getting a little background kit sorted. Would some of the 30 - 40 quid ebay stands and cross bar kits suffice for now?

I'd also be leaning towards getting a grey cloth background as i gather it's rather easy to make it black (feathering the light from your softbox by angling it across the model more so that none of it hits the background) or white (placing a bare speedlight firing directly at the background).

so something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photo-Stu...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item3363de13a0

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have a PhotoSel one very similar to that, but with a three-section crossbar. It's very sturdy and has held some very heavyweight backdrops (I've picked up some heavy-weight clith roll-ends from fabric shops). It also held some very heavy curtain material as a temporary curtain whilst I was decorating the bedroom!
 
You should consider the following points...
- have you got the space to put a up a goalpost support system?
- have you got the space to store it (stands, crossbar, backdrop etc.)?
- have you got the time/patience to put it up / pull it down?

The beauty of a collapsible background is that it's up in a matter of seconds (a few minutes if you want to add a train) and folds away relatively small and flat for easy storage. Perfect for someone like me where space is a premium.

Darren
 
yeah thanks darren - i suspect i will go for the pop up option to begin with. I'm liking the idea of the white/black ones on ebay...
 
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