 Amber Mizer |
Homemade Background Help Needed! Ok, I thought I could rig up my own background, but could really use some insight from those of you who have done this. I bought some fabric... just 3 X 9, but that should be fine since my first shoot is a preschool, so it will be head and shoulder shots. I should have enough fabric to keep the kiddos 6 feet away from the backdrop, but I get my practice photos back today and will know for sure. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how to mount this stupid cloth! lol It's not muslin, canvas, paper, or any other "traditional" material. It's just a nice looking material that has a little bit of texture to it. It's kind of heavy, too, probably about the same or a little less than canvas, I'm guessing? Anyway, to shoot the practice shots we rigged it up on a piece of baseboard trim that we had lying around and slid it through an industrial light stand. This is not going to work for the actual shoot, though. I need something that is going to be extremely portable and hopefully inexpensive. What do you guys suggest? Can I go to Lowe's or another home improvement store to buy some parts that would work, or should I just bite the bullet and buy some pro background equipment? I'd really rather use my spending money on camera equipment, but if pro background equip is going to make a big difference, that's what I'll do. Any and all suggestions are more than welcome! Thanks in advance, Amber
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I think by the time you Mickey Mouse a homemade background stand and then wrestle with it a few times you could have probably bought a background stand. Bacground stand kits are relatively cheap (under $200). All you need to do with your background is sew a sleeve in one end so you can slide the background stand rod through it. I also suggest that for future backgrounds you stick with muslin. It's cheaper, lighter, and generally comes in larger sizes than other materials. And when it comes to backgrounds, bigger IS better. It's really a pain to be shooting on a background that you have to constantly be worring about the positioning of your subjects so you don't see the edges.
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Dave |
Since it is hidden for the most part, I have used 2" pvc to construct a "frame" upon which to hang backdrops. . .cost. . .about $10.
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H |
Go to the fabric store and buy 5 yards of 108" muslin, either works. Then buy a bottle of liquid rit dye and a bottle of fray check. Fray check makes the unfinished edges of the fabric not unravel. Find the two unfinished edges of the fabric, and apply the fray check according to package directions. Let it dry. Next, in your kitchen sink run the water until it is as hot as can be only fill it 2/3 of the way full. Add l cup of salt and stir with a black plastic spoon. Then add the dye. Roll your fabric up scrunching it as you go to make a random pattern. Get the fabric wet in the other side of the sink. Place the wet muslin fabric in the dye bath. DO NOT stir it. If you stir it you will not get the two toned effect. Wipe up any spills right away with a wet paper towel. Set a time for 30 minutes for light color, 45 for medium color, and 60 + minutes for a darker color. Put on rubber gloves and drain the sink. Run warm water over the fabric squeezing all the dye out. When the water is clear, or close to it, put the cloth in an old grocery bag and take it to your washer machine. Add detergent to warm water and wash the fabric. Dry and then you will have a professional looking background for around $35.00. I did one for only $14.50 yesterday because muslin was on sale for 1/3 off at Hobby Lobby and I printed a 40% off any one item coupon on their website and used that for the dye.
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