# What backdrop width do you prefer?



## lance70 (Jan 19, 2016)

Hello, I need to purchase another roll of seamless paper and wondering what size you prefer or find yourself using most often. I was using the 53" width but think I may go wider.... thank you


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## tirediron (Jan 19, 2016)

The wider the better is my preference.  I use 53" when I have to travel with it, but 107" is much better if you don't have to haul it around.  I don't think I've ever heard a photographer complain, "Damn, that background is just too wide!"


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## Didereaux (Jan 19, 2016)

Simple.  You use the width that does not show the edges for your shot.  You a portrait shooter?  You can use a less wide.  full length, large objects then you use larger.   Also depends on where you are going to use it. An 8 footer ain't gonna work in a cubicle or elevator, and an elephant won;t gain much from a napkin.   What can you afford?   Rather than risking getting bad advice on the net about something like this spend a few minutes analyzing the problem first.  I'd bet 9 times out of 10 you will get your answer, and it will probably be the best one.


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## Buckster (Jan 19, 2016)

I use 107" (9').


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## Derrel (Jan 19, 2016)

The standard nine foot wide seamless is the easiest to use for people work. The half-width rolls are very demanding unless the subject is a very small product, or a fairly static, single-person shot. Half-width paper means that you almost always will need to use a telephoto lens length, because a wide-angle focal length lens shows such a broad angular view BEHIND the subject that the lens will "see" right off the sides of the paper on even  a half-body type shot.

For people work, if you need a lightweight travel-ready backdrop that's inexpensive, tough, and easy to work with, look into king sized microfiber fabric blankets, like the ones sold through Target stores. King is 108 inches by 90 inches, and although it is not "tall enough" for most full-length uses on adults, these do work well for 3/4 and half-body shots, and for groups posed in conventional, formal poses. You can brush these to get the knap all going one direction, randomly, or in swirls. They do not reflect much light when strobes are fired onto them from angles, unlike paper. These can be folded or rolled and transported in very little space.


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## tirediron (Jan 19, 2016)

For single-person work, I REALLY like Lastolite's collapsible backgrounds.  When used with the (admitedly expensive) magnetic support, it makes for a very easy-to-transport and set-up system that takes up virtually no storage space.


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## astroNikon (Jan 19, 2016)

^^ as stated, the Wider the better.
I always have a problem with height though, my ceiling is just too low.


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## Buckster (Jan 19, 2016)

tirediron said:


> For single-person work, I REALLY like Lastolite's collapsible backgrounds.  When used with the (admitedly expensive) magnetic support, it makes for a very easy-to-transport and set-up system that takes up virtually no storage space.


Interesting!  I hadn't seen that magnetic support system for it till just now when you posted it.

I have the very background you linked to, the  6'x7' Washington/Dakota Lastolite Collapsible.  I've been setting it up between two regular light stands, clamping it every few feet up and down them, then sand-bagging the stands.  Then I usually pull out the train and gaff it to the floor try to keep a nice smooth sweep and floor.

In any case, the magnetic support looks very interesting indeed.  Do you have and use this with the 6'x7', and if so, how well would you say it works?

First, of course, is the question of how strong the magnets are.  I know that my collapsible is pretty heavy.  I remember thinking when I first got it that I thought it was a little odd that it actually had 2 different fabrics to make it reversible, which of course makes it twice as heavy.

Second, the situations in which I use this particular BG are usually where things can easily get jostled a bit by people walking around.  I sandbag all my stands, tripod and so on, but I wonder about how secure the BG itself is if jostled a bit while hanging there.  I guess that's really another question about the strength of the magnets, really.

Is there more that secures it at the top than just the magnets?  Perhaps the type of spring-loaded clamps found on an extension arm?  Do you use additional clamps or tape or anything to secure it more, either / or at the top or anywhere else?

Anything you could share on your experience with this would be really appreciated.  I'm very interested in this.  Thanks again.


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## tirediron (Jan 20, 2016)

Buckster said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > For single-person work, I REALLY like Lastolite's collapsible backgrounds.  When used with the (admitedly expensive) magnetic support, it makes for a very easy-to-transport and set-up system that takes up virtually no storage space.
> ...


 Apologies to the OP for the slight derailment:  I LOVE this system.  It's expensive, but sooo convenient.  It works very well, and I can set up a corporate headshot session in quite literally 3 minutes flat.  I use nothing other than the magnetic bar which is more than strong enough to hold the background (rare-earth Nd magnets I believe), but I don't know that it would hold up to a lot of jostling; removing the background only requires a moderately firm pull.  If I were setting up in a situation where I thought it might get bumped or jostled, then I probably would put a couple of clamps over the bar and onto the bacdrop (mine is the one without the train).


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## Buckster (Jan 20, 2016)

tirediron said:


> Buckster said:
> 
> 
> > tirediron said:
> ...


Thanks for the update.  That's good info to know.

Is yours reversible, with two separate pieces of cloth, one for each side?


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## tirediron (Jan 20, 2016)

Buckster said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > Buckster said:
> ...


 Yes; a dark patterned blue-grey on one side and a patterened middle grey on the other.


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## lance70 (Jan 20, 2016)

I went with a 107" in white and gray


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## KmH (Jan 20, 2016)

lance70 said:


> What backdrop width do you prefer?


That depended on what it was I was shooting.
I used 140" wide, 107" wide and 53" wide seamless paper.
I used 10' wide and 20' wide cloth backdrops.
For some car shoots I used a 40' x 40' x 20' light box, and a lot of lights.


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