holiday backdrop for portable studio

[peterlyons]

<p>I'm shooting a corporate holiday party at a country club on Saturday, and am trying to come up with some kind of backdrop or props to add just a touch of holiday flair. This is for a studio that will be setup on-site for people who'd like to pose together. My initial thought is to use a white seamless, but I think that alone will be too plain. I'd love to dress it up some and make it classy but festive. Any thoughts are most appreciated!</p>

[gia_hillenbrand]

<p>I am so glad you asked this questio - I, too, was wondering the same.<br>

I recently had an on-location shoot and agree the white was too plain. Even with poinsettas.<br>

(I even considered replacing the background in PS)<br>

Perhaps a golden master, or greenish blue, or reddish grey?<br>

There are some cheap topieries at places (fake), and maybe someone you know has a plush chair (like a santa one?) and one person can sit in it and others stand around?<br>

(my mind is thinking of some classic 50's photos)</p>

<p>I am interested in the responses to your very good question....</p>

[peterlyons]

<p>Gia the chair sounds like a good idea. :-)<br>

Doing some thinking for myself too.<br>

In addition to the other gear I'm going to rent a ring flash, and will setup a second backdrop at a 90 degree angle to the white seamless. The second backdrop will be wrapping paper, and I'll be able to shoot people right up against it, getting a little crazy/festive. Maybe I'll bring some garland to drape over their shoulders or around their heads if they really want to let their hair down.<br>

Someone stop me if this is too over-the-top for a corporate party. Just trying to make it fun for everyone.</p>

[rffffffff]

<p>Ring flash can be murderous lighting on less photogenic subjects... be careful there.</p>

<p>My current thought is to use a black cloth backdrop with a net or carefully strung christmas lights in front of it... then move the subjects very forward on the backdrop, probably at least 8 ft away, and shoot maybe at f/2 or f/2.8 with very careful posing so that everyone is on the same focal plane, but yet I have a really out of focus background.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Scout the location before the shoot. You may have a decorated fireplace or Christmas tree in an area that you could take advantage of. Also, speak to the banquet hall manager and ask for suggestions while you look at the sample images on the wall in and around the hall office.</p>

[peterlyons]

<p>Yeah, Robert, I'm ditching the ring flash. I like your idea of the background lights.<br>

David, I scouted today. Beautiful venue, but my corner of it offers nothing for me to work with. It's going to be up to me to create my own "pretty"!</p>

[gia_hillenbrand]

<p>I liked your wrapping paper idea for fun - you could do a serious and fun - could make $$ off both.</p>

<p>one for the office, one for the scrapbook or facebook...or silly pics for the company website..who knows :)</p>

<p>whatever you choose, please let us see a sample of one done when ur finished...thx :)</p>

<p> </p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>I would suggest that you avoid the wrapping paper, it's likely to be too reflective. My personal choice would be a large canvas, perhaps with a chair and small table with a gift-wrapped package (angled to the lighting), or a small decorative Christmas tree, or snow globe....something festive. You could use some cotton on the floor for snow and an ornamental reindeer like you might find in someone's front yard. You might also want to bring some mistletoe for the guys to hold over their date's head. Have fun and try to keep it simple and catch the guests before the bar has been open for very long for best results. Good luck.</p>

[gord_hayes]

<p>Just did this last night, picture with Santa at the school craft fair.<br>

Get 2 4x8 sheets of faux brick wall paneling make a frame and secure the panels to it, an area carpet from home and a couple of artificial trees and your done. Took me 20 minutes to put it together.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[nanc1]

<p>How about going to a dollar store and picking up some Santa and Elves hats for the wild and crazy ones.<br>

I've made little topiary Christmas trees using tomato cages turned upside down and twist tied the top three wires at the top together and bought 4 maybe 5 green pine garlins and wrapped it around the cage and twisted some branches around the frame.<br>

Then poked the bottom into an outside pot(into dirt) but for this you can just have it sit on the floor.<br>

Very light to carry around.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Gord, nicely done.........</p>

<p>The space would be good for a fat Santa in a chair with a kid. You could even take an older sibling or two and pose them behind the chair on either side of Santa. If you were shooting couples, you could simply move the trees in a bit to help close the frame.</p>

[kari_abate]

<p>I would go with a clean, simple look. Sets can look overdone. Portrait photography should focus on the people -- not the stuff in the photo.</p>

<p>If you have access to a plain wall, hang a huge wreath on it and then pose your subjects about 6 or 7 feet in front of it. Let the wreath fall off soft. (Do a search on corbis.com for "people christmas wreath" for great examples of this.) If you want to go for a fun, playful look, you could have people pose with the wreath as a "frame" around their faces.</p>

<p>You could also just hang a wreath with a ribbon over a roll of white seamless paper (ie: tie the ribbon around the wreath and clamp the long end of the ribbon to the backdrop stand).</p>

<p>Another idea: go to a fabric store and find a nice piece of fabric (ie: decorator fabrics come in wider widths) that has a red/white pattern or gold pattern, etc. It doesn't have to *be* Christmas fabric to *look* Christmassy. A pretty damask would be perfect.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>