Perspex tile thickness? And colour

mikeplow1961

mikeplow1961

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Hi all

I'm thinking of getting a Perspex sheet to use for the odd child portrait shot. It won't be having any heavy use, just on top of a vinyl or muslin backdrop now and again with a child sat or laid on it.

Is 2mm thick enough? I've been quoted 21quid by a local plastic company for 1m x 1m in clear.

Also, am I best with a clear tile or a white one?

Advice gratefully received.

Merry Xmas to everyone.
 
Depends n the base, 2mm isn't a lot and at 1m sq I would have thought it be very flexible, thus prone to breaking.
 
could get 5mm but would be dearer, if your base is white then you might get away with clear assuming that your trying for the reflection in the shot if otherwise go for white or a polished black acrylic hope this helps.
ps Have a good un
 
2mm is fine. I use it over vinyl for nursery and pre-school work and I've never had a break or crack yet in two years. I replace it every 2-3 weeks in heavy use due to scratches and shoe skid marks. Just make sure you don't put directly over carpet (even shortest pile stuff) lay some click together flooring under the vinyl if you do have to setup on carpet.
 
Thanks for the tips guys.

It will always be used with a click flooring under the vinyl so I'll try the 2mm one and see how I get on. If need be I will buy a thicker one further down the line but it's going to get very light use while I see what the results are like.
 
Picked up a 2mm 1m x 1m piece of clear Perspex from a plastics supplier a few miles away. While he was cutting it I asked him how easily he thought it could be cracked given the sort of use it would be getting. (Ie, light portrait use laid on vinyl or muslin on top of click flooring or hardboard.) He laughed and said if it cracked when laid flat on top of a hard surface he would not only replace it free of charge at any time in my lifetime but that I could have a half share in his business too. He then took an offcut and showed me just how far it would flex with no problem so I'm very confident that 2mm will certainly not crack under general use.

Bribed the munchkin to give me ten minutes this morning to try it out and pretty pleased with the results. I know No 3 is a bit dark as I didn't lower the fill light when she decided to lie down.


IMG_9831a by mikeplow1961, on Flickr


IMG_9846 by mikeplow1961, on Flickr


IMG_9835 by mikeplow1961, on Flickr

It's not as reflective as the results I've seen in some portraits on here but I assume those were using a white piece rather than a clear one? It certainly helps ground the subject though. I'll try it with a low key background tomorrow hopefully.

Question for others using perspex sheets. Do I need a white one to get more reflection or can I increase it using lighting method?
 
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You will get more reflection if you increase your background lighting... at the moment you are shooting with either subject lighting only or minimal background lighting if you do have any. Personally I prefer the level of reflection that clear perspex (acrylic) gives as well as the option of other coloured backgrounds. It grounds the subject whilst clearly defining where the subject ends and the reflection starts :thumbs:
 
Glossy white tile board and the like will give you a higher reflective finish, but at a price of course.
 
V8burble said:
You will get more reflection if you increase your background lighting... at the moment you are shooting with either subject lighting only or minimal background lighting if you do have any. Personally I prefer the level of reflection that clear perspex (acrylic) gives as well as the option of other coloured backgrounds. It grounds the subject whilst clearly defining where the subject ends and the reflection starts :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Yes, it was only subject lighting, nothing on the background. I haven't dismantled anything yet as I was going to try some low key tomorrow but I'll add a strobe on the background first and try a few shots. Thanks for the advice. I quite like that it's quite muted too though, just enough to ground the subject.
 
Tried the sheet with the black vinyl this morning and the effect was much more pronounced.


IMG_9902 by mikeplow1961, on Flickr

If anything, it was a little too pronounced so I darkened it a bit in PP for this one.


IMG_9899a by mikeplow1961, on Flickr

Harder work with the low key backdrop though, the perspex seems to quickly become statically charge (ISTR using perspex in physics experiments with static electricity at school) and attracts dust like nobody's business. Will have to pick up some antistatic wipes.
 
Yes, and watch what you use to clean it with as many cleaners will craze it on contact. I just use a damp cloth :)
 
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