Non woven material or Muslin backdrop?

White or grey: Paper for quality, vinyl for longevity

Black: Genuine velvet for quality (but if you think vinyl is expensive, don't even think about velvet) :) cotton (muslin) as a very good second best

Non-woven 'fabrics' are just junk
 
vinyl isnt exactly cheap but it lasts and can easily be cleaned.. non woven muslin is cheap nasty, once dirty almost impossible to get clean or crease free.. as said paper on a roll is a good low/mid priced option just tear off the section once its got a bit dirty or scuffed.. it all depends as well if its a permanent fixed studio setup or for portable use.. if permanent then a white wall is just as good. if portable a lastolite highlite may be an option.. as mentioned depends on size you need too.
 
I have vinyl and muslin.

Vinyl by far the better option. Muslin creases no matter what.

I just use a wall mostly now.

Shaheed
 
honestly you would be better off popping to tesco and getting a kingsize white bed sheet . i picked up a couple of those backdrops just to see what they were like.. binned them after one use.. and worse the green one they dye started coming out of it as soon as you touched it..

you may as well just buy the stand on its own for around £20, you can pick up sets of a dozen clamps for under a fiver and get a white cotton bedsheet.

ive been down that budget route and its just not worth it.. consider first how wide you need to go ( are you looking at single or group shots ) are you looking at taking the "studio" out with you to locations or setting up in a room/garage/shed/insert building of choice at home?

what lighting options do you have /are you thinking about ( umbrellas, softboxes, flashguns , triggers etc etc.

is this for hobby use or do you plan or shooting " pro" portrait /consumer work?
 
youve link the same product. what you need to consider is what your going to be shooting first because of size of backdrop 2m x 3m isnt very big if you have subject standing then allowing for hooking over the stand then its around 6 feet in height by 9feet 9" wide. so enough width for 2-3 people but height could be an issue as it would be a tight crop to top of the head.

if you draped it the other way then at 6 feet across ( 2 people max before you risk going beyond the edges of the backdrop.)

and if you want people sitting or lying on the floor you have to consider what your going to have across the floor too.

better to go to big and have excess rather than to small and end up squeezing people in.
 
As above, but also
You need space between the background and the people you're photographing, and the more space the better.
But, the more space there is between them, the "smaller" the background becomes, because of perspective distortion.
And, the smaller the amount of shooting space, the more need there will be to use a fairly wide angle lens, which will allow you to be closer to the subjects but which will increase the perspective distortion.

In short, unless you are able to use a long focal length lens in a large studio, that background will be far too small. And it's junk anyway.
 
i think its one of those issues where there are very few corners to be cut.
its really down to what you intend to use if for ( are you planning on offering portrait shots to the buying public or is it more for perosnal hobbyist use ? )
Also what equipment do you currently have in way of lighting, stands, umbrellas, reflectors, etc etc. and how much space do you have /where do you plan to shoot?
is it for a permanent setup or for portable use to move around or take to peoples homes.
Portrait shooting isnt my thing ive done a few and have managed to get away witha couple of off camera flashes two umbrellas, reflector and a cheap muslin backdrop but the post procesing involved to tidy up the background when you havent got space/distance between the subject and the background is a nightmare. thrown away the muslin now and i have an off white ( almost 18% grey ) wall at home i shoot against when doing a few single person head and shoulder shots.
so i guess the questions are what are you shooting
where do you plan to shoot. ( head and shoulders shots/full length shots/group/family shots/ baby shots/ total mix/ model/nude/boudoir shots /high key/ low key etc etc etc)
what current equipment do you have
how much space do you have if shooting in a fixed location
once youve worked out your list of requirements then maybe look again at what you need in terms of the backdrop and see where you can go from there
 
the above is cheap nasty muslin too.
i can only suggest checking out here pregnancy portraits
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=p...ih=747#q=pregnancy+portraits&spell=1&tbm=isch

might give you some ideas as alot more tend to be dark backgrounds than white.
also continuous lighting isnt the best way to go and you would be better with an off camera flash ( or two ) and some wireless triggers.
also are you thinking about having your subjects sitting or standing

a couple of basic guides here but might be useful to you

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-shoot-an-indoor-maternity-session/

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2...s-for-pregnancy-photos-shell-cherish-forever/
 
dean messenger said:
honestly you would be better off popping to tesco and getting a kingsize white bed sheet . i picked up a couple of those backdrops just to see what they were like.. binned them after one use.. and worse the green one they dye started coming out of it as soon as you touched it..

you may as well just buy the stand on its own for around £20, you can pick up sets of a dozen clamps for under a fiver and get a white cotton bedsheet.

ive been down that budget route and its just not worth it.. consider first how wide you need to go ( are you looking at single or group shots ) are you looking at taking the "studio" out with you to locations or setting up in a room/garage/shed/insert building of choice at home?

what lighting options do you have /are you thinking about ( umbrellas, softboxes, flashguns , triggers etc etc.

is this for hobby use or do you plan or shooting " pro" portrait /consumer work?
Click to expand...
Your advice has really helped! As a very active seller on Ebay I wanted to check out the options and ALMOST ordered a non woven version - I have plenty of white sheets so will now purchase stand as you advised - and CLOTHES pegs can be used as clamps me thinks!
 
I've been using 6m x 3m muslin white and black backdrops from phottix. This size gives plenty to play with to drape from the back and on the floor in front with space for models to stand. For high key a couple of shoot through umbrellas take care of any creases in the background and for low key minimizing spill avoid creases showing too much. Very little if any editing needed.
 
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