Experimenting with coloured backgrounds.

[DanOstergren28 3]

I suppose, but is it really significant? The convenience of being able to get virtually any colour (or multiple colours) from one roll of paper is a nice benefit when compared to the cost, storage and transport of many rolls.

Ugh, whatever.

Sorry Dan, I'm not trying to be argumentative or discount your opinion, I'm quite genuinely curious as to what you see as the benefit to using actual coloured paper vice gelling. I grant there are subtle differences, but even if my own work, I generally have to look twice to remember if it's paper or gel.

I'm done talking with you about it.

 

[pixmedic]

colored seamless (or muslin) is indeed a great way to do different backgrounds, especially if you only want to use one light.
if you are like me , and prefer multiple light setups, gels are a great (and inexpensive) way to experiment with different colors without having to buy a roll of each color you want to try.

personally, I do almost everything in either black or white backgrounds.

 

[tirediron]

I'm done talking with you about it.

Okay... Dan, sorry if I somehow offended you, Grandad, sorry for derailing your thread.

 

[runnah]

Gels are good in a pinch. You'll never get the deep color or properties of a solid background.

I honestly only like black, white and gray backdrops.

Good work tho grandad.

 

[Granddad]

OMG!
she reminds me of pauley perrette. (Abby on NCIS)
I am in love!

She does, doesn't she? And she's single! (A little older than she looks in this photo.) Edited to add: And she's intelligent, loads of fun and a great model!

I could discuss paper vs gels but it's late, it's Christmas Eve, I just had 3 glasses of wine with our next door neighbour and I'm off to bed. Maybe in the morning? And yes, now I look at the photo again (with the aid of the fruit of the vine) that halo is pretty awful. It was an experiment, more work needed. Merry Christmas All.

Mark

 

[runnah]

OMG!
she reminds me of pauley perrette. (Abby on NCIS)
I am in love!

She does, doesn't she? And she's single! (A little older than she looks in this photo.) Edited to add: And she's intelligent, loads of fun and a great model!

I could discuss paper vs gels but it's late, it's Christmas Eve, I just had 3 glasses of wine with our next door neighbour and I'm off to bed. Maybe in the morning? And yes, now I look at the photo again (with the aid of the fruit of the vine) that halo is pretty awful. It was an experiment, more work needed. Merry Christmas All.

Mark

You're going to bed with your next door neighbor?!

Good on ya!

 

[tirediron]

Gels are good in a pinch. You'll never get the deep color or properties of a solid background.

I honestly only like black, white and gray backdrops.

Good work tho grandad.

Really?

 

[runnah]

Ya really. I can tell that's a gel right away.

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with that but it would look different with paper.

 

[tirediron]

... it would look different with paper.

Fair enough... I've got no issue with the anti-gel set, I'm just curious about why people like one thing and not another. Coloured paper is great, but for me, it's too much of an investment, and too much trouble to move around.

 

[pixmedic]

... it would look different with paper.

Fair enough... I've got no issue with the anti-gel set, I'm just curious about why people like one thing and not another. Coloured paper is great, but for me, it's too much of an investment, and too much trouble to move around.

Its ok tirediron...
when these young folks get to be our age, they wont want to carry around all that extra stuff either.
it will be all, "gels? yup. loves me some gels..got a dozen of them right here. so easy to carry. doesnt throw out my hip"

 

[Granddad]

• Gels. I have a set but I've never used them. I used to shoot dancers almost exclusively and they move around the set too much. Since I started expanding my range and became interested in using them I can't find them. My wife packed my studio up earlier this year (she wanted the dining room back) and she has no idea what I'm talking about or where they might be. I may have to stump up £20 or so for some new ones.
  
• Seamless paper. I'd love to have a go with seamless paper. However, it's not cheap and I have a self made rule that my habit has to be self financing. I've invested in more lights so I can rotate their use (two started smoking during all day shoots) and now I'm saving for a new computer that will handle the latest version of Lightroom. My old laptop is slow enough with LR 3.1, a faster processor would cut my time in Lightroom in half.
• Space. As I said above my dining room is my studio. Sometimes it stays up for 3 or 4 days but eventually it has to be packed up again and muslin backdrops work well for this. Both my black and my white backdrops fold up and fit in a single shopping bag. Seamless paper rolls have to be stored and I don't have anywhere to put them in the house where they'd avoid getting damp.
• Creating coloured backgrounds in PS is more practical for me. I have an unlimited range of colours and I enjoy the creative processing almost as much as the actual photography. Even so, I appreciate that the effect I can achieve would be different and I'd love to try both gels and paper. When we move (been here 20 years) space for a permanent studio will be one of my priorities - though it'll have to double as my wife's dance studio!
• In the interim I'd love to be able to rent studio space so I could have all this stuff + props (I covet a chaise longue) but I don't want to be tied down to having to generate more business it in order to pay for the rent. I fear that if I had to do marketing and chase business and drive to the studio every day (at least 10 miles, we live in a village in the sticks) it would become WORK and I the passion I have for my art would fade.
  
  Anyway. I need to go cook Chinese dim sum for Christmas breakfast (No Runnah, not for my neighbours, they stayed at their house with their mum and dad and 2 kids. ) It's a tradition. Merry Christmas to all!

 

[DanOstergren28 3]

I was just presenting an option. For me, seamless rolls aren't a huge pain, and I was making my suggestion based on the lengths that I will take to create what I think is a good photo, and for me that is great lengths and even greater sacrifice. It's not a job to me, it's my essence. It's my life. I understand everyone has a different perspective, but like I said I was only making a suggestion from where I see things. Gels are great, but anyone can still suggest them without attempting to discount my suggestion in the process.

Also, Granddad, if studio space is something you want to use at some point, you can rent studio space for a daily or hourly fee, and a good handful of them provide lighting, props, and even seamless backdrops. It's not completely outrageous to pay for something like this, as it's an investment going towards creating something you love, and from my experience there are a number of studios that are affordable to rent for a day. You don't have to rent a studio out month to month or through a lease. The big shot photographer I interned for in NYC rented studio space by the day. It's not uncommon. Or, you can wait. And possibly keep waiting.

 

[tirediron]

Agree with Dan on the 'as-needed' rental. That's what I do; it would cost me about $3-4000/month for an appropriate retail space, renting by the hour at $20/hour, I pay less than a tenth of that figure.

As for gels, don't get stuck on having to buy photo gels if all you want is colours (if you want ND, or CTO/CTG for lighting, then yes, you want photo-specific gels). My favorite source of gels is a box of old OHP transparency blanks I found when cleaning out an office about ten years ago - they are in all the primary colours and work great. Additionally, cheap & cheerful gels can be made from plastic report covers that kids use in school.

 

[Granddad]

I understand that it's only a suggestion, Dan. It's a suggestion I'd like to take the time to explore - along with gels or coloured OHPs or whatever. As for rental studios, there's one in Lincoln (about 15 miles) and they charge £40 - that's C$72 or US$62 an hour. There's no competition for them. I checked online, in the big cities where there is competition you can rent a photo studio for about a quarter of that price ... but that's 2 hours drive each way. Thus I make do with what I can do on a budget and I enjoy myself without stressing about where the money is going to come from.

 

[tirediron]

Have you called dance studios, lodge halls, etc? Really, all you need is space; if it comes with backgrounds, etc, that's great, but also adds to the price. The one actual rental studio in my area goes for $25/hour, with a four hour minimum.