Vinyl, Paper or cotton???

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Bugler77

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Hi all,
after a little advice please. I am looking to purchase a backdrop to use with studio lighting for some high key photography for solo and family portraits.

Can anyone give me any advice on a type to go for that is suitable for high key. From what I have read so far Paper seems a little disposable and easily damaged, Vinyl is hard wearing and wipe clean and coton is cheaper and washable but how good is it.

I have a background stand which I have used with a black coton backdrop so I am looking for something to use on this stand but just not sure which one is best.
 
This is one of those questions that you can be pretty sure that any 3 photographers will come up with at least 6 different answers:)

Here's my take on it...
Paper - easiest and best but most expensive in terms of replacement
Vinyl - will do a good job provided that it's a smooth surface and not shiny, but a lot of the vinyl backgrounds now being sold for photography don't have those qualities. It can also be heavy
Cotton - cheap and lightweight, works fine if care is taken to stretch it tight to avoid creases, but not as easy as the other 2 options. It won't be cheap for much longer as the cotton price has more than doubled, so you should buy it now if you decide on this option, prices will at least double (if you can get it at all) sometime soon.
 
Yes you are right, there are many qualities depending on what you are doing... If you are shooting 50-100 kids or toddlers a day, paper is not going to last 5 minutes and it is expensive to have to cut off the last couple of metres every hour. I've used the same length of vinyl for a year without having to cut off any, it just gets a good clean every now and again through the day. Thick vinyl lays flat without any problem, just don't put it directly onto carpet or it will walk like a rug does. If you have to onto carpet lay cheap click together laminate flooring down first, works a treat. I'm not saying you SHOULD use vinyl, I'm saying it depends on what you are doing with it. As said, it is heavy though so you need a good support. I bought mine (3m x 6m) for £70 from a marquee and vinyl cover manufacturer.
 
If you are shooting 50-100 kids or toddlers a day, paper is not going to last 5 minutes and it is expensive to have to cut off the last couple of metres every hour.
Click to expand...

However, if you're just using it for home use, or photos of family & friends, get paper. Easier, lighter, cheaper :)
 
Thanks for all the replies, I dont think paper will be the option for me as the prices I have seen so far expensive for a disposible product and I am also thinking of storage.
Which narrows it to vinyl or cotton, I also see the same storage problem with vinyl but like the hard wearing concept. This then leaves me with cotton..

I have also been advised about the lastolite knitted background, anyone had any experiance with these? Below is a link and one of the reviews is that it does not shoot white but I would be using studio flash onto the background to get a high key so I dont think this should be a problem for me, or would it?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-lastolite-knitted-curtain-background-3x3-5m-white/p1519195

Also this background would be lighter than cotton so more portable and does not crease, so no ironing or pp work.

I am a complete beginner when it comes to studio flash so please correct me if I am wrong on anything.
 
paper's about £35 a roll posted, and if you're careful with it, a roll will last you a good long time with amateur use :)
 
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