photography backdrop grey or black...where to get? Resommendations?

[haring]

Hey guys!
I am looking for a set of backdrop, grey or black. Where do you get backdrops nowadays? I know it is not too trendy nowadays... Recommendations?

 

[removed account4]

i have a seamless stand and got rolls of fabric from the fabric store, its is really cheap

 

[bdial]

You can also get rolls of background paper from the various usual suspect suppliers. Stands are't essential if you have a large enough area in front of a wall, put the roll on the floor and tape the end on the wall.

 

[M. Axel Wikstrom]

You can also use a white background. By lighting the subject and moving further away from the background (without lighting the background) that white background will appear gray or black. Keep the lights close to the subject. The further the lights are away from the subject, the lighter the background will appear.

 

[AgX]

i have a seamless stand and got rolls of fabric from the fabric store, its is really cheap

The first place I would be looking at would be a fabrics surplus store. The hue as well the shine are important.

 

[jtk]

Many of us, of a certain vintage, pursued commercial studio photography after seeing use of background rolls in Blow Up.

 

[Helinophoto]

I find grey to be most versatile, depending on how much room you have in your studio.

The grey can be made both dark and light grey, depending on mood, or even black, if you have the room to put the model far enough away, or have flags and blockers that prevent too much spillage.
I have tried to make my medium grey backgrounds white before, and they get white, but not pure white.

Grey is also much better to use with gels.

Get grey

You can get rolls of background paper from any large photo-store I would assume.

 

[removedacct1]

Savage Seamless backdrop paper, "studio grey" is my go-to favorite. Seamless paper can emulate the smooth curve of a cyclorama if you're careful how you implement it, whereas a fabric backdrop can't easily do that. Paper is cheap, and you can cut off damaged sections as you unroll it through use. Expect to spend about $40 for a 4 foot wide roll, 36 feet long. Wider rolls are more expensive, obviously.

 

[AgX]

Many of us, of a certain vintage, pursued commercial studio photography after seeing use of background rolls in Blow Up.

In West Germany there was that idea that many people turned to professional photography after watching this movie, but in spite of some attempt I did not find any substantiation to it. This is the very first time I learn of an actual effect.

 

[jtk]

Don't know anything about commercial photo studios in the former "west Germany"... but that Blow Up background roll episode was significant to a lot of us in California when talked about motivations for our professional decisions LOL.

 

[tedr1]

To answer the OP question, B&H Photovideo in NYC has a pretty good stock of the Savage papers in most sizes and color www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[Luckless]

What space are you working in, what other equipment are you working with, and what are your overall goals? Plus, what is your budget to work with?

There are loads of pros and cons to various options, and the best choice really depends on different factors. Having access to different backgrounds gives you different options, and there is lots to be said about having black, approx mid-grey, and white on hand to give you flexibility. Grey is great if you have the lighting gear to be flexible with how much light you're putting on it to make it anything from black to white, but if you're aiming to crush the background completely then starting with black to begin with makes controlling spill far easier.

If you're not needing excessively wide, then I like working with paper back grounds from a photo supplier. (If I'm working really small stuff, like table top, then I honestly just go ahead and buy poster board from a local arts and crafts supplier rather than spending the extra cash on rolls of photographic background stuff.)
If you're backing a wider space in a larger studio, then I've found cotton fabric gave slightly fewer headaches if combined with a decent commercial grade steamer. (Getting a good black took some trial and error at a local fabric store. First few we tried ended up with an excessively awkward to work with sheen that highlighted in weird ways. Black fabric was also always a pain to keep tidy looking. Do not let anyone with glitter near black fabric in a photo studio...)

While you can overlap paper on really wide spaces, I've found it to be overly at risk of getting crinkles, and that kind of diminish their value. Fabric felt more fault-tolerant with carefully made seams, but a full black back drop was horribly annoying

 

[Luis-F-S]

To answer the OP question, B&H Photovideo in NYC has a pretty good stock of the Savage papers in most sizes and color www.bhphotovideo.com

+1 where I’ve always gotten mine