home studio backgrounds...advice pls!

antihero

antihero

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Paul
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Hi all,

As per the title, I'm setting up a small home studio for portrait use. I' ve got the lighting situation sorted for now (using strobes and umbrellas for now), but I'm doing my own head in trying to decide on a background.

Black and white are what I will be using (for the time being) and the max width I can go to is 2.7m (8ft high ceiling). Unfortunately the floor is carpeted...does that rule out paper (will it punch through)? Vinyl is a bit too much for me at the minute, so my other options are a collapsible background or muslin.

I can't leave everything in situ and will have to pack away after use.

Just looking for advice to help me decide the route to go down.

Many thanks

Paul.
 
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Hi Paul,

I have just setup my own home studio in a small area room using studio lights but the backdrops (one black one white) are both cloth from a material shop like the one you have in Preston on Corporation Street. The black material is ideal because it doesn’t crease, the white however does crease but that is easily overcome by using a couple of lights to light the background and eliminate the creases. Obviously the cloth backgrounds are not troubled by being run over carpet.

If you use vinyl or paper you will need to put some rad surface between it and the carpet to avoid punch through. I have seen a simple hardboard setup that was made from off the shelf hardboard from B&Q 2ft x 4ft and then taped together on both sides of the joint with the next 2x4 panel using duct tape, Thus it folds away as a 2x4 ready to be unfolded to 4x4 6x4 or 8x4 depending on how many panels you duct tape together.
 
Thanks Mark, I was thinking about using cloth for black backgrounds (£28.50 delivered from Colourscape) and white paper for high key (although I do now realise I would need to put something down to stop punch through).

Now just to find some stands that are up to the job (without costing a fortune!)

thanks for your help.....btw, have you got any shots from your new setup yet?
 
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Please post up what you find in the way of cheap backdrop stands as I'm also looking to put together a cheap backdrop setup for my garage :thumbs:
 
Check ebay, I think I got a cheap (but usable) backdrop stand, with a white and black cloth background delivered for 60 or 70 quid I think..
 
finally decided to go with a Lencarta background system and Lastolite white paper (and will sort out the black at a later date)

thanks all for the input
 
put some hard board under your paper if you cut some it in to strips then gaffer tape together so you can fold it up when you have finished for easier storage
 
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