Background?

Deli · Feb 28, 2010

Hello everyone,

I need advice on which background I should buy next. About two month ago I bought a Savage background Port-a-stand kit from B&H and I love it but I need a wider background for a family portrait b/c the one that came with the kit is not wide enough. So I wanted to see what you recommend. My budget is about $100 and it has to be at least 7' wide (enough for 4 people side by side) and I would like it to be a dark background. Which one would be better for family portrait muslin or canvas background?

This is the kit that I bought from B&H
Savage | Background Port-A-Stand, Travel Case, Paper | 6203750

Thanks-Deli

Derrel · Feb 28, 2010

Muslin is lighter in weight and less costly than canvas. Most people are going to purchase a muslin that is either nine feet or twelve feet wide, and somewhere between 12 and 20 feet long. THere are lots and lots of places that sell muslin backdrops, like Steve Kaeser Enterprises, Backdrop Outlet, just to name two long-time sellers. There are dozens and dozens of eBay and web-based sales outlets handling muslins.

As far as a dark backdrop, that make sense. Dark gray colored backdrops can be colored with gels over the lights in many situations. If you want people to be able to stand on the backdrop and have it go back and upward smoothly, the longer backdrops are really the most-flexible to work with.

KmH · Feb 28, 2010

I'm a big fan of seamless paper myself (no wrinkles). They make 9 foot wide rolls.

Normal muslin/canvas backdrop sizes tend to be 10 feet wide and 20 feet long.

I'm not sure your Savage setup would handle the weight of a canvas backdrop.

When using strobed light, by controlling the light output, shutter speed, and subject to background distance, you can make a backdrop just about any shade of gray between white and black, or darken and lighten a colored background.

What type of lighting do you use?