Paper and Vinyl Backdrops

[JennyGW]

I've been looking around for the best backdrops, paper and vinyl. I have about 2m width available and I'd like to occasionally be able to do full length portraits.

The floor is smooth concrete.

My plan was to use 660g vinyl white as my main backdrop and extend this for full length. I've got a backdrop drive system on the way that takes up to 4 rolls.

I wondered if I could use the vinyl backdrop along with the paper backdrops so it works as a floor. Is this possible/practical, please?

Also wondering where the cheapest place to buy them might be. The best price I can find is for a 2.72m x 11m at £44.40 including VAT and delivery. This is from Viewfinder photography - who can also cut to requirement.

Anyone know of a better price anywhere, please?

Many thanks,
Jenny

 

[Lyope]

I buy a lot of my paper from www.creativitybackgrounds.co.uk who supply a 'car friendly' 2.08m x 11m size which seems to be just right for much of what I do.

Either that, or if it's a rush job, I pop into Calumet and take a hacksaw

 

[JennyGW]

I buy a lot of my paper from www.creativitybackgrounds.co.uk who supply a 'car friendly' 2.08m x 11m size which seems to be just right for much of what I do.

Either that, or if it's a rush job, I pop into Calumet and take a hacksaw

Thanks, Lyope, they look pretty good. Is there any difference in the quality of the papers between suppliers? Like the amount of reflectiveness? Are they all anti-reflective (if that's the word!)?

 

[Lyope]

No worries, Jenny. Generally speaking, if something's being marketed as a photographic background paper, then it'll be designed to be reasonably consistent in colour and to respond predictably to studio lights. Unlike (say) photo printer paper, it ought to be reasonably matt in appearance so as to soak up rather than reflect the light.

I've never found much of a difference between papers from any of the suppliers I've used. Mainly, it comes down to cost, size and availability of the colour I want.

 

[JennyGW]

No worries, Jenny. Generally speaking, if something's being marketed as a photographic background paper, then it'll be designed to be reasonably consistent in colour and to respond predictably to studio lights. Unlike (say) photo printer paper, it ought to be reasonably matt in appearance so as to soak up rather than reflect the light.

I've never found much of a difference between papers from any of the suppliers I've used. Mainly, it comes down to cost, size and availability of the colour I want.

Many thanks, Lyope, just what I needed to know

Do you find paper very durable when used on the floor? It'll be laid on smooth concrete. Trying to work out If getting vinyl is worth it.

 

[Bassit]

Hi jenny, i did a shoot at the weekend with a paper background on a bare concrete floor and it would be expensive to work this way all the time, the dust off the concrete floor isn't really controllable so ends up all over the backdrop, spoiling your photos, i will probably have to chop off the 4m that was on the floor because its just too dirty to use again, any unevenness of the floor will show up on the backdrop when walked on and will show up like on tracing paper.

I guess you are getting the idea by now, i am going to put a cheap wood floor (B&Q 2.5sqm, £12ish a pack) down just for this, so i can mop it and have some control over the dust, mines in a garage by the way.

You can also buy floor paint or a varnish of some type to seal the concrete but they aren't that cheap an option.

And to answer your question, no i don't think a vinyl backdrop would work as good as any of the methods mentioned above, more so if there's any uneven floor which would wear holes in uneven parts, but vinyl might be ok short term.

 

[JennyGW]

Very much thinking out loud here.

Hmmm. I've been dreading any need to put in a fixed flooring because I can't. Our concrete floor is very new and just about perfectly smooth. One option I'd been considering was putting down a lose vinyl floor.

I saw a video today of some guys who are using a vinyl floor backing as their backdrop and they loved it. So, how about running a vinyl flooring as my back backdrop to my actual floor and creating an infinity cove on the way. Then I could use my remaining three slots for paper.

Your thoughts?

Just took another headshot booking and need to get a move on.

 

[Lyope]

Infinity curves, cycloramas or whatever you call them are *hard* to DIY properly. You need a really good chippy / plasterer who knows how to do this well, or it just won't work. Buying them ready made is super-expensive. You'll also need a decent supply of white paint and the patience to re-do it regularly. Even if I had my own huge studio, I think I'd not bother. Cheaper to hire somewhere with one and let someone else worry about it.

Paper is cheap - and way more convenient than most other solutions. So what if you have to chop the odd couple of metres off after a long shoot? If I'm putting paper down on an uneven floor (think office meeting room carpets) then I sometimes get a couple of pieces of thin plywood under it for the model / subject to stand on. As long as they know where it is and don't stand on the edges, it works okay for an impromptu shot. Particularly if they're wearing pointy heels or something.

 

[JennyGW]

Infinity curves, cycloramas or whatever you call them are *hard* to DIY properly. You need a really good chippy / plasterer who knows how to do this well, or it just won't work. Buying them ready made is super-expensive. You'll also need a decent supply of white paint and the patience to re-do it regularly. Even if I had my own huge studio, I think I'd not bother. Cheaper to hire somewhere with one and let someone else worry about it.

Paper is cheap - and way more convenient than most other solutions. So what if you have to chop the odd couple of metres off after a long shoot? If I'm putting paper down on an uneven floor (think office meeting room carpets) then I sometimes get a couple of pieces of thin plywood under it for the model / subject to stand on. As long as they know where it is and don't stand on the edges, it works okay for an impromptu shot. Particularly if they're wearing pointy heels or something.

Hi Lyope, I probably didn't express myself very well. I meant, the hanging vinyl would naturally form a cove. I was thinking I could lay any paper on top of this.