 Heather Deabay |
A Backdrop with NO Wrinkles?? I opened a "mobile" portrait studio back in October, more to feed my love of photography than anything else. But the business took off! I am trying to find a backdrop that won't wrinkle. Is there such a thing? Right now I am using standard muslins, and it is become more and more a pain in the butt. Not to mention on my last shoot (two pugs), one of them decided to "christen" my black muslin...,the client was sincerely apologetic ... but needless to say I'm looking to replace ASAP. I was wondering about seamless paper, which I know would be tough, since right now I don't have a studio so I need to be "mobile", and I was also looking into vinyl or canvas. I don't really know where to start. So any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. I am also wondering the best place to purchase. I've ordered from ImageWest and Denny in the past and have been completely satisfied with the service I have received. Thanks for helping me out and Happy Holidays to Everyone and their Families!
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Heather, If it were me, I would try white fiberglass drapery material. It’s fireproof; maybe this makes it a safe bet for mobile usage. I don’t think fiberglass can stain. It might also prove to be wrinkle-free. What I know about the subject, you could put in a thimble then drop it in the Pacific Ocean for the entire splash it makes. Happy holidays, Alan Marcus
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John H. Siskin |
Hi Heather, The great thing about seamless is that it is cheap enough to throw away. You don’t get that great painted look, however. What about bundling your muslin into a ball so it is evenly wrinkled? Then if you move the subjects further from the muslin and use a wider aperture, you should be able to make it look even. What aperture are you using now? Alternatively, canvas is much stiffer so it won’t wrinkle, but it is also heavy! Thanks, John
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Mark Feldstein |
I'm not quite sure why you want to replace the black background that got dog christening. Why not just wash the thing? Throw some stuff called Nature's Miracle in with it, let it soak a while and then wash and dry it like it was a sheet. Nature's Miracle is available in most pet stores, including Petco and PetSmart, among other places. It removes all traces of pet odors so you shouldn't get repeat performances. ;>) As for wrinkled muslins or muslin/canvas combos, you could do as John suggests. In fact, I use most of my backgrounds out of the parachute bag, hang them on a wall and start shooting with a uniform set of wrinkles and creases. Two things you can do if you don't like that particular look: First, you can add bigger folds to it by hanging it with wrinkles and taking clothes pins in the back of it to fold it into itself and then clip it. The second thing that seems to work with muslins and cotton backgrounds is carry a spray bottle with water, just plain water. Hang your background and apply misted water where you want to remove wrinkles. Wait 5 - 10 minutes and set something else up while it dries. Or, just mist it and take a hair dryer to it and watch those wrinkles disappear. You, of course, can't do this to plastic, fiberglass or vinyl-covered materials, and it works really poorly with paper backdrops. Take it light. Mark
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Desiree C. Preckwinkle |
Hi Heather, I am sorry I do not have any advice for you but rather a compliment. I went to your gallery and website and you take nice photos. I was curious where you got the template for your webpage? I am looking for a template program to make my own cards (or just inserting photos into the template) Thanks Hope you can help. Desiree
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W. |
http://www.lastolite.com/hilite-backgrounds.php
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Maureen Dwyer |
Hi Heather! The easiest method I've found for on location shoots are the hand painted backgrounds from Les Brandt Backgrounds. I just ordered 2 and they are great! You just put them on a backdrop or light stand - no need to carry all the backdrop stands and poles with you on location. Maureen Dwyer, Harrison, Ohio
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Kathy C. Tugwell |
Hi Heather, You could also carry a hand held steamer. they work really well on wrinkles. I agree with the answer about throwing away the backdrop because of an accident. Just wash it. Also go to bossbackdrops.com they have a wrinkle free backdrop. Good luck with your business. Kathy
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James B. Hewin |
Heather... I am often disturbed by wrinkles in the muslins I use. One solution is to light the background separately. This works best with lighter color muslins, especially white. I use 2 mono lights aimed at the muslin from behind and slightly out of frame of the subject. If it's just a head shot, you can get away with one mono light aimed at the background from directly behind the subject. The trick is to get more light on the muslin than you do on the subject. If you use adjustable light sources, set the ones aimed at the background at full and the ones on your subject to half, then meter for the subject. If you use non adjustable light sources, set the lights close to your background and set the subject lights further away from the subject and meter for the subject. This effectively washes out the background to a pure white with no wrinkles. If you still have a few visible wrinkles here and there they are much easier to retouch in post processing than when the background is lit the same intensity as the subject.
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Heather Deabay |
Thanks for everybody's help! It is greatly appreciated. Everyone on this site is so helpful (unlike some of the other sites I visit) My only concern with just washing the backdrop is that I photograph a LOT of pets, so I didn't want it to happen again because I have heard that dogs have a keen since of smell. I did buy some of the Nature's Miracle that Mark suggested, so I'm going to give that a try and see what happens. Thanks again to everyone and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and best wishes in the upcoming New Year!
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Anne Harb Photography |
Hi Heather, Here is what we did at Sears about wrinkles: Hide them! Go from behind and gather one or more pinches about the size of a golf ball and twist a rubberband around them. It makes a sweeping drape effect that hides wrinkles. Of course this only works with solids. Also try storing them overnight in a large sleeping bag type roll.
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L. W. |
Try Phototek backgrounds in a bag. First, the backgrounds come in many colors and are reversible. The backgrounds are made from a fabric that doesn't wrinkle easily. Roll them up and throw them in the bags for location shoots. The backgrounds are washable and lastly, they are reasonably priced. Go to the B&H Website for pricing.
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