Backgrounds

[smoke665]

For the studio portrait photographers out there. What are you using as your backdrops???? Over time I've picked up an assortment of everything from paper, to cloth, to painted canvas. Storing 10x20 back drops is a PITA especially when your studio does double duty as your garage. I thought hanging them from overhead with roller up chains was the answer, but invariably when they get rolled up there are creases/waves to contend with. I end up spending an hour or more steaming or ironing the &^*% things. Painted canvas in the larger sizes is way heavier than I want to deal with on a regular basis. My seamless paper seems to be the most trouble free, but since the decline in brick & mortar stores the shipping can get pricey on a 10' roll. I may end up having to go that route though.

For those that use paper do you use a separate floor sweep? The advantage of the cloth was I could throw it in the washer if it got dirty, but with the paper, all you can do is tear it off and throw it away.

 

[Don Fischer]

I am not a pro but have done a few portrait's for friends. Every one was shot outside. I'm sure on the wrong day that could be a problem. But I saw a set up a guy had one time, he brought outside, inside. Built a big room and set up different area's with different outdoor scenes and looked like a great idea to me.maybe the down side is he needed studio lights! Just a thought! Some people can really get creative!

 

[adamhiram]

That's a great question, and I prefer to keep things as simple as possible: a few rolls of neutral seamless paper, a dark gray painted canvas backdrop when I want some texture, a good set of gels to add color, and grids for my flash to shape the light if I want a circular spot/gradient. I don't use a separate floor sweep, as I rarely do full body shots; on the rare occasion I do, I either try to salvage the sweep or just throw it away. For what it's worth, it's been 6 years and I haven't used up a single roll yet.

• Gray seamless (Savage): This is my go-to for almost everything. Blast it with background lights and it goes pure white, flag the key and fill lights and move it further back and it's black. Throw a grid spot on it behind the subject and it's perfect for headshots. In most cases the 53" wide roll works great and stores easily. At some point I picked up an 86" wife roll for group shots and wider creative work, but it hardly gets used. For anyone wondering, "Fashion Gray" is the color I use.
• Black and white seamless (Savage): Sometimes I just don't feel like doing the extra work to change gray to black or white, and the shipping price didn't change whether I ordered 1 or 3 rolls at the time, so I picked up 53" wide rolls of black and white ("pure white"). Not really necessary, but again, this width roll stores easily and it definitely saves time when I want a pure white or black background.
• Hand painted canvas: I picked up a dark gray hand painted canvas backdrop when I want some texture, and have gotten a lot of use out of it. These can get pretty costly, but Savage had a 5x7 option that was relatively affordable, especially when compared to more expensive options like Gravity Backdrops or Oliphant. I almost always use gels on this.

Here are some reference charts I put together using flat lighting on a gray canvas backdrop with different gels at different flash powers.


Gels - Greens & Blues by adamhiram, on Flickr


Gels - Yellows & Reds by adamhiram, on Flickr


Gels - Correction Filters by adamhiram, on Flickr

 

[smoke665]

@adamhiram I know that like me your studio space shares other daily living functions, and ease of setup and take down is the number one priority. Normally I can be setup and dialed in within 45 mins, if I don't have to spend 2hrs ironing/steaming the %$&#@ background.

I'm somewhat the opposite as I do more full body than head shots. 10x20 backgrounds are a requirement for FOV. I have have the muslin rolls on roller hangers mounted to the ceiling. I don't know if it's the temperture changes or the material, but over time it gets a "waffle" appearance. The painted canvas does fairly well rolled, but they're %&%$# heavy, especially in the larger sizes. The 107"x36" paper rolls stay nice in the rolled up and the weight isn't a significant factor. I guess I need to just bite the bullet and pay the freight, as you say ordering multiple rolls will help.

I see you also use Dean Collins Chromazone background lighting methods. Been an advocate for many years.

 

[adamhiram]

I see you also use Dean Collins Chromazone background lighting methods. Been an advocate for many years.

I remember our discussions about this from a few years ago! I still use it for basic adjustments or as a matter of convenience, but more often than not, I fall back on using the background shade I want and light it separately. For a white background, it's easier to just use white and use lower flash power to get it to pure white, meaning faster flash cycle times. For black it really depends on the lighting I am using; I don't have that much space to move the background further away, and it's easier to use black seamless than to flag everything and hope I can get it to pure black in post-processing. I even have a roll of duvetyn/commando cloth when I struggle to get it to pure black, but it's heavier and tends to pickup a lot of dust and lint.

I don't know if it's the temperture changes or the material, but over time it gets a "waffle" appearance.

I wonder if it might be the humidity. I think I recall you using your garage as studio space, which may make controlling humidity difficult. We have a forced air HVAC system in our home that keeps the humidity relatively low. Storing paper rolls vertically instead of horizontally helps to keep them smooth too, although that could be a challenge with some of the wider rolls you have.

I guess I need to just bite the bullet and pay the freight, as you say ordering multiple rolls will help.

Check Amazon for pricing - their prices are higher, but they include free shipping. A 107" wide roll of seamless from B&H is $73 plus another $60 to ship (to NJ). Adorama is $73 but $170 to ship (what?!). Occasionally a site will have a flat shipping cost that doesn't increase with multiple rolls or even free shipping, but that doesn't happen too often, and I question whether those are intentional decisions or mistakes made with the listings. But right now, Amazon is $110 with free shipping.

The painted canvas does fairly well rolled, but they're %&%$# heavy, especially in the larger sizes.

I can't even imagine what a large canvas must weight. This was the aftermath when I had to stop short a few years ago with a 5x7 canvas in the trunk/back seat. I have since reinforced the end of the storage tube and secure it better before traveling.


20180710-DSC_8974a by adamhiram, on Flickr


20180710-DSC_8962a by adamhiram, on Flickr

 

[Strodav]

I have a "frame" that collapses and stores in it's own bag. It has all the needed stands, bars and clamps to hold backgrounds in place. It's very convenient for taking to client's homes or offices. I use several different types of backdrops, some mentioned above. For fabric backdrops, I don't fold them, but scrunch them up back into their bags. I usually throw them in the dryer on wrinkle release before use, A hand steamer is also useful.

I prefer taking portraits outdoors (I love natural light) and I've found a few spots over the years that work. For me, the trick is a fast portrait lens, a reflector or two and getting the subject far enough in front of the background to blur it. I've tried using my frame and backgrounds outdoors and, for some reason only known to angels, it's always windy enough to cause problems.

I admit to "cheating" in Post Processing every once in a while, usually in PS. I'll duplicate the original in another layer. Soften or blur a layer then use a soft brush to merge the sharp subject with the now blurred background. I've also used a diagonal gradient to adjust lighting to make it look more like a sunrise or sunset shot and warm up the shot a bit. Sometimes you just have to play a while to get the result you are looking for. In any case, I show the client several versions to see which one(s) they like.

 

[smoke665]

I remember our discussions about this from a few years ago! I still use it for basic adjustments or as a matter of convenience, but more often than not, I fall back on using the background shade I want and light it separately.

My three main choices are white, black and gray (primary). I use Chromazones primarily for tints/shades, taking a gray background to white is not that difficult, but going to black is not so easy. Even the slightest of ambient light in the area will cause problems getting that 4 1/3 stop difference for pure black.

I wonder if it might be the humidity. I

I'm thinking that's what it is. The garage is in a finished basement, so it gets some cooling/heating, but there's no air circulation.

But right now, Amazon is $110 with free shipping.

I saw that, I wonder how paper rolls would work being stored horizontally on the roller hangers?

This was the aftermath when I had to stop short a few years ago with a 5x7 canvas in the trunk/back seat

OMG Adam I thought my luck was bad, I can't image what that mistake cost.

 

[smoke665]

I have a "frame" that collapses and stores in it's own bag. It has all the needed stands, bars and clamps to hold backgrounds in place. It's very convenient for taking to client's homes or offices. I use several different types of backdrops, some mentioned above. For fabric backdrops, I don't fold them, but scrunch them up back into their bags. I usually throw them in the dryer on wrinkle release before use, A hand steamer is also useful.

I prefer taking portraits outdoors (I love natural light) and I've found a few spots over the years that work. For me, the trick is a fast portrait lens, a reflector or two and getting the subject far enough in front of the background to blur it. I've tried using my frame and backgrounds outdoors and, for some reason only known to angels, it's always windy enough to cause problems.

I admit to "cheating" in Post Processing every once in a while, usually in PS. I'll duplicate the original in another layer. Soften or blur a layer then use a soft brush to merge the sharp subject with the now blurred background. I've also used a diagonal gradient to adjust lighting to make it look more like a sunrise or sunset shot and warm up the shot a bit. Sometimes you just have to play a while to get the result you are looking for. In any case, I show the client several versions to see which one(s) they like.

I also have a collapsible frame for travel, but the convenience of having the backdrops over head where you can roll them down and back up out of the way is a real time saver.

I also do a lot of outdoor portraits, with natural settings. Backgrounds are useless outside, and unless it's a very calm day studio lights with large modifiers are out. Most times a speedlight either barebulb or in a Gary Fong Lighsphere are my choices. The speedlight is a little easier/quicker to gell for ambient light.

All of my keeper shots go through editing, LR first then into PS, back into LR.

 

[smoke665]

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