Backdrop questions

[mindy_van_hecke1]

<p>So I made the mistake in my first studio foray of trusting the advice on the internet that its fine to just use a sheet. Wrinkle city! It was a post processing nightmare to try and get them looking good. Now I want to get it right with the backrounds from the beginning. I struggled with wrinkles and size- she was a dancer and was fully extended and it was hard to keep away from the edges of the backdrop so my questions are:<br>

<br /><strong>1. Size</strong>- I will do <strong>family photos</strong> and kids, so how big do I need? I love the pattern in these <br /><a href="http://rockthedrops.com/?p=383" target="_blank">http://rockthedrops.com/?p=383</a> but the biggest size they have is 60x96, will this be big enough? What to you think is the ultimate size for family photos in a studio?<br /><br /><strong>2. Material-</strong> I want to do one cool pattern and one plain white. What <strong>fabric</strong> have people used that <strong>doenst show wrinkles and seams</strong> (since so few come in 108" besides muslin)? Anybody with experience with velour, crushed velvet, felt, flannel,..... I would love to hear about and see your backdrops! The only things I see in 108" fabric is muslin and it seems wrinkly to me, so I am expecting some sewing.<br /><br /></p>

<p>http://mindyvanhecke.smugmug.com/People/Dancer-Rachel/untitled-shoot-1235/1189873314_rMvZi-M.jpg</p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>Hi Mindy,<br>

All fabrics wrinkle. I have a muslin backdrop, and a smaller black velour backdrop, and both wrinkle heavily. Some muslin backdrops, depending on the pattern, look fine with the wrinkles, especially if you're using a shallower depth of field that doesn't put it in sharp focus. But the handiest thing to keep around when you have backdrops, especially if you're not going to keep them hung up all the time, is a handheld fabric steamer. They work great.<br>

As far as sizes, if you're going to be doing family photos of more than a couple of people, look at 10x20 ft. backdrops. If you're working in a smaller room and aren't going to be doing full body shots, you could work with 10x10, but you won't have much of a sweep at the bottom. I use a 12 ft. wide backdrop stand. Since your subjects need to be at least four feet away from it to avoid shadows, you need alot of width. A 60" wide backdrop is only going to help you with something like headshots. My portable black backdrop is only 6 ft. wide, and it's very difficult to keep the edges out of the photo.<br>

Some people have gotten muslin and dyed it themselves, but with mixed results. It's worth it to purchase a few good backdrops.<br>

Your other option is to get paper rolls. They're heavy and a bit cumbersome, however, so it's good if you can leave your backdrop stand up if you have the room to do it.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Any fabric is going to show wrinkles and seams. So if you can't deal with wrinkles and seams, you go to canvas and seamless paper. These are easier to deal with in a studio, because you can keep them rolled up.</p>

<p>Otherwise, for muslin, the handheld steamer works to some extent, as well as keeping it rolled. Also, Magic Sizing helps. But these don't get all of the wrinkling out--it is just the nature of fabric.</p>

<p>I'd also go with 10x20s.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>When I started at Photo School we had to work in the studio for the first term and the first 'prop' I was told to make was a sheet of paper with various greys painted on it, it was back in B&W days and colour prints were just appearing, though I know some had done it much much earlier but not really on a commercial basis.<br>

OK the interpretation for you of that is something with some body that doesn't wrinkle, you should have starched the sheet perhaps :-), and you roll it up after preparing it rather than folding or bundling it. You have weights at the bottom to hold it taunt and unwrinkled.<br>

You could probably still get away with the sheet if you put it well out of focus and it would equate to to my backgrounds. Alternatively if you light the background strongly it could go to the right of your histogram and even the shadows in the folds would appear white. You don't always need to put the background out of focus in the camera becuase in PP you can duplicate the image, blurr one copy, and use it for the background while keeping the basic shot sharp for the subject. This doesn't really work if the subject has hair sticking out all over the place :-)</p><div></div>

[jaydesi]

<p>I use my wife's <a href="http://www.jiffysteamer.com/esteam.asp">eSteam steamer</a> to remove the wrinkles from my muslin backdrop. It works great!</p>

[kevin_delson]

<p>Keep in mind, color, texture & size will all play a role in (HOW) you employ back drops.</p>

<p>Black for instance, covers a multitude of sins.<br>

So does white if you intend to blow it out.</p>

<p>When you get into visible textured color, a little thought must go into the shoot.<br>

The typical "masters" back ground is painted with a out of focus look. This does not mean you want it (in) focus; so aperture choice & lighting is critical to get it to look right...not to mention what the subjects are wearing.</p>

<p>I am well known for my extreme bias against rolled paper back drops.<br>

here is why, but by all means try them and judge for yourself:</p>

<p>1) They are reflective regardless of color..even black! (i.e) Minimal light trapping.<br>

2) They tear too easy when used in a sweep configuration.<br>

3) Heavy.</p>

<p>If you are limited in studio size, there is a old trick you can use.<br>

As long as the subject has back drop behind them, you can always (CLONE) in more to the edges. (i.e) make the backdrop larger..even textured back drops.<br>

This is important when cropping is required.</p>

<p>Lastly; avoid anything labeled "photographic backdrops", unless you want to pay a premium.<br>

Visit your local sewing or material store...your choices are endless in texture, material type, color and patterns.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I simple keep the subject far enough from the background and shoot with a portrait length lens at a swide aperture and the wrinkles disappear because the backdrop is not in focus. It only takes 3-5 feet away to drop the background out of focus. You dont' want the subject up against the background any more than you want them up against a wall. Another trick is the crumple your background up in a ball and stuff them in a bag for storage. That way the wrinkles are random and not big obvious creases whether the fabric was neatly folded. You can also drape the fabic -- use some big A-clips to pull it up in the center or maybe two spots, each about a third from either side of the picture, so that the way the cloth is hanging becomes part of the picture. As for size, I have a couple of 5x7 foot backdrops that are good for one or two people in a head and shoulders shot. I also have some 10x20 foot that are good for full length and groups. They get hung 10 wide with the 20 foot length coming toward the camera to provide a floor as well as backdrop. The extra size isn't always necessary but gives lot of flexibility, including the draping I described above.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>I thought after I wrote my above that while you can burn out a white background if you have control over your lighting you can 'black' out your black background by limiting the light falling on it. But you will need some sort of blinds or 'barn-doors' as used on spot lights to achieve this control. Separation of subject from background helps with the fall-off of light with distance as you must have noticed with flash shots where the flash is at the camera.</p>