Advise me on a backdrop setup

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eurotrash

Senior Member
I've been contemplating the purchase of a black and white backdrop for portraits and also general everyday item photography. Thing is, I know absolutely NOTHING of backdrops and there seems to be a lot of choices judging by what I'm pulling up on Amazon and the popular camera websites as well.

Is there a good article or something on the particulars of backdrops, price ranges, gear, etc?
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
For black, almost any fabric big enough can do as long as you don't try to light it up too much. And white well, you're usually better with a roll of background paper and 2 lights to make it very white. It all depends on the space you have to use the backdrop and how big is the shooting space.
 
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FastGlass

Senior Member
I use a 5x7 collapsible Botero background with white on one side and black on the other. Great for head shots. You could save money and get an 18% gray background and depending on how you use you're lights that background can look white, gray and even black. I also use a Photoflex pro background stand kit and Backdrop alley muslins. The quality and price on backgrounds you will find are all over the place as with the reviews. I like the products I use. The muslin background is a reversible type and it's a 20' length. I bought the longer option because I can double it up seeing it's not as thick as others. Only a problem if shooting against something that will luminate it from behind. I hear some people use seamless paper but my take on them is they might be hard to transport if doing on location shoots. Another option is to shoot using a green screen and later digitally apply any number of backgrounds. Photographers that shoot our schools individual portraits use them now and seem to come out pretty good. Good luck choosing. I found it hard to choose with all the options that are out there. The best advise I can give is to not go cheap, cheap. With photography, you get what you pay for.
 
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Mfrankfort

Senior Member
Something that doesn't reflect a lot of light. Cowboy studio has some pretty decent cheap ones. I built a stand out of PVC from home depot for 20 bucks, and got some fabric from Joann's for around 20.
 
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Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
I use black a lot but my new favorite is grey, depending on how you light it can be grey, white or even black. Stobe behind subject with gels any color you want. very versatile.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Muslin is arguably the best material for backdrops in photography, but they come with a steep price tag. At least here in Calgary they do. So....I made my own backdrop out of bed sheets,,,one black and one grey. I had them sewn back to back, making them versatile for almost any situation. I use two light stands with a break-down bar to hold the sheet up (which I made).
Another material to use is tie dyed cotton. I even use corrugated poster board for some of my shots. Other materials I use are natural backdrops (on location) and foam board back drops for smaller subjects.
Use your imagination to come up with backdrop ideas. :)
 
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eurotrash

Senior Member
John P said:
How big of a backdrop do you need?
Click to expand...


Uh...I'm not entirely sure. I would assume the most amount of people would be 2 at one time. Probably just headshots, but cannot rule out body shots as I've done several before. I just don't want to buy twice and cry twice, you know? I want something serviceable for many years but also don't know how much money we're talking about here.

I know I need some sort of collapsible stand for the drop, the fabric sheet itself and some clamps (honestly, I have a thousand woodworking clamps that would suffice) That's it, right? Simple as that?


Grey sounds like a real good idea, however I don't own any dedicated lights, something I also know nothing about at the moment. I'm not sure that would give me instant satisfaction up front. White and black seem to be the basic standard colours to use from what I've seen.
I currently have one speedlight which is usually enough to get what I need done, but am looking into dedicated light sources in the future.
 
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K

Krs_2007

Senior Member
fotojack said:
Muslin is arguably the best material for backdrops in photography, but they come with a steep price tag. At least here in Calgary they do. So....I made my own backdrop out of bed sheets,,,one black and one grey. I had them sewn back to back, making them versatile for almost any situation. I use two light stands with a break-down bar to hold the sheet up (which I made).
Another material to use is tie dyed cotton. I even use corrugated poster board for some of my shots. Other materials I use are natural backdrops (on location) and foam board back drops for smaller subjects.
Use your imagination to come up with backdrop ideas. :)
Click to expand...

@photojack , when you get a chance can you post a picture of the light stand with break-down bar. This is my next project.
 
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John P

Senior Member
The reason I asked, is that everyone has different needs. I have a backdrop stand and 4 10x20 foot muslins. But I also have a 5x7 foot collapsible backdrop.
Although my larger muslins get used quite a bit. My smaller collapsible gets used about 80% of the time.
 
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John P

Senior Member
The collapsible that I have now is very inexpensive (under $40), but double sided. I went cheap for the first one to see if it would work for my needs. Turns out it is very nice, and I couldn't be happier. It is well built and will last for years to come. And folds up like a reflector.

In fact my next photography purchase, will be another collapsible backdrop. While they do not fit all of my needs. Mine gets alot of mileage.

I don't know if it is OK to post a link to the one I use.
 
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Mfrankfort

Senior Member
Post a link. I always do, and no one yelled at me yet. haha. I built a backdrop holder for 20 bucks at H. Depot out of PVC. I just hang a ironed sheet from the top, and clamp it at the bottom.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Krs_2007 said:
@photojack , when you get a chance can you post a picture of the light stand with break-down bar. This is my next project.
Click to expand...
Sure, no problem. If you want better pictures, just ask. This is from my "My Gear" file folder. I store pictures of all my gear for insurance purposes.

back drop.jpg
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Just to add to what I've already shown you Kevin, here's a few more pics. Hopefully you can see what I've used and how I made this break down bar:
JT2_2069.jpg

JT2_2070.jpg

JT2_2076.jpg

And this would be another way to use your reflector, by clamping it to the break down bar. Use it as a small back ground or, to reflect light onto your subject. (usually only used in a studio setting)
JT2_2079.jpg
 
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eurotrash

Senior Member
carguy said:
I have this backdrop stand - picked it up slightly used on ebay for < $40.
Amazon.com: SP2000 Backdrop Background Support Stand For Muslins Scenic Backdrops and Chromakey Greenscreens or Bluescreens: Camera & Photo
Click to expand...


This is more along the lines of what I was thinking of buying, obviously with some sort of drop in addition. At least, that's what I see at my local shop.

Yes, I've used a small reflector as a backdrop, but sometimes just need the extra spacing of a larger sheet. That's why I thought that it might be a good investment. However rare I might use it, it would come in handy when I do need it. Most of my shooting happens outdoors though..
 
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