If you could only have one backdrop?

[LJay]

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a backdrop for portrait photography. I mainly shoot families with children. So far I have been doing this in outdoor locations, which is usually preferable for visual interest and natural light. However, sometimes I think it would be useful to have a backdrop for indoor use. I would bring it with me to people's homes, so it would need to be portable. I think it would be most useful in photographing infants because from what I have experienced they are more comfortable indoors and they tend to visually get lost in photos with a lot of other things in the background. Another consideration is my space. I live in an apartment, and drive a compact car so the backdrop would need to fold up.

So my question to you, fellow photographers; since I currently only have resources and space for one backdrop, what color & material should I choose?

Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

With careful lighting, you can make any backdrop apear to be be any color or tone. Although that is much harder to do when working in a make-shift studio (in someone's house for example).

I typically use black or white backdrops. For babies, you can usually get away with smaller pieces so bed sheets might be a cheaper option. They are also easy to clean, which is important when shooting naked babies.

 

[Green Li]

I don't know what your budget is, but you might want to check out amvona.com. They've got pretty good deals on backdrops.
I own few solid color and painted muslins from their collection: Muslins
You may find that you could go for more then one backdrop