Home › Forums › Photography › roll up background mounted high up on wall???
Tagged: background, Photography
- This topic has 16 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
04/01/2018 at 12:34 am #36812
So I’ve got a tiny condo that is completely filled with bins and furniture that came before the bins. I’ve already read one thread where people think it’s more realistic or authentic or believable or whatever to not have a perfect background. I see the point but disagree. My problem is that the ONLY wall against which I can do photography has an ugly baseboard heater and an outlet with things plugged in and a bookcase on the other side which means I have to spend extra time taking my photos, propping my mannequin up on a bin to raise it up and also make sure it’s between obstacles. That also means I have to crop my photos, and that I can’t do 1:1 photos so I also have to rotate then crop which takes forever in eBay on my laptop. Also my mannequin leans but that’s another rant. My gf bought a set of those paper backdrops (wood, bricks, etc) to use but my problem is still the baseboard heater, and also it covers up the screw that I use to hang items on hangars that I can’t put on the mannequin.
idea 1: I imagine the perfect solution is a roll-up backdrop like you see in portrait studios or like those maps/projector backgrounds in grade school that rolled down but then stowed away above the chalk board. Has anybody tried this? Buying recommendations? Then again, what about when I need to hang something on a hangar? I imagine I’d have to put the hangar on something like my stand-up steamer but that wouldn’t be much of an improvement over what I have now.
Idea 2: I’ve thought of using a white painter’s tarp and just nailing it to the wall but it would be ghetto looking and not retract out of the way easily. Benefit would be I could drape it underneath the mannequin and block out both the baseboard and the carpet.
idea 3: I could tape/glue the backdrops we already have to a large piece of cardboard which would make them infinitely more useful. Getting them out and laying them flat is a struggle and I crease them every time and may tear them eventually. Having them on a hard backing would make it easier to do flat lays but also make it easier to do wall backgrounds.
Besides figuring out new things to sell this is my biggest headache at the moment. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
-
04/01/2018 at 12:56 am #36816
What do you sell?
For most items (and for safety purposes), I would think you can prop them up against a white door. The mannequin is portable, so when you are using it, put it in front of a white door. As for clothes, get an over the door hanger on which you can hang clothes you do not put on the maneequin. Clean backgrouds are actually very important because presentation matters although things do sell when in front of other kinds of backgrounds.
-
04/01/2018 at 1:09 am #36818
Right now strictly used clothes, mostly women’s. I’ve tried moving my mannequin around but I run into space problems. I’ve got an over the door hangar for bedroom door but there isn’t enough space on either side of the door. I also bought stick on hooks for my closet sliding doors but again not enough blank white space (doors are rough and stuff is stacked up even in my bedroom. seriously i’m out of space) Also lighting is an issue. Bedroom is the only room that gets sun (when I ever get sun) and I end up having to shade objects to keep from getting bleached out. (I almost think I need a frosty filter screen for my window) My light kit is set up in the living room which is where I’d like to do my photography. I think if I can figure out the background that works there I’d be in a much better position.
I think I’m stuck between trying to come up with something perfect and saying “screw it” and having all sorts of things in the background.
-
04/01/2018 at 1:28 am #36819
The mannequin is good but not mandatory. How about in front of your bathroom door or even better, why not get a white board or two from a store such as Target, Walmart, The Dollar Tree or $.99 Cents store. These can be easily taped up when you need to take pictures and taken down. Also, check the lighting and filtering features on your phone. They can be very helpful in turning a dark picture into a well lit picture and final lighting touches can be done within the ebay listing.
On another note,it might be of benefit to see if there are items you could put on sale (that maybe arn’t moving or gaining views) in order to move them out of your space. This might help with clearing your space as well as give you an organizational opportunity.
-
This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by
AdventureE.
-
This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by
-
04/01/2018 at 8:22 am #36826
For a good portable solution we have used the paper and cloth backgrounds. In both cases we taped the thin background to a 1/2″ metal conduit pipe we got at HomeDepot. We made two large 6″-8″ “S” hooks out of a white coat hanger. We then find a place to hang the “S” hooks [nail on the wall, the shower curtain rod, stick up Command Strips etc., etc. and hang our back drop. When done, we roll up the back drops on the metal tubing and lean up in the corner and put the wire hooks in a drawer.
Also we have used an old movie screen in the past. It rolls down into it’s own metal case, flips verically and stores away. When we needed it Raise the rod, flip it sideways and pull up the screen, place on the top hook and then raise it up. You can adjust a movie screen up and down at both the top and bottom. That screen was about 4×5 ft or 5×5.
But figuring out how to roll backdrops up for storage and unrolling them allows the most flexibility. We have dark ones, light ones and several textured ones. Also you can buy a wooden handrail at home depot that comes I think up to 10 to 12 ft. long and cut it to the length you need. Roll up every thin backdrop onto a metal or wooden dowel like core and just hang and unroll as needed. Then place your stands, bases and mannequins in front, shoot, then roll everything back up.
Hope this gives you a little food for thought.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
-
04/01/2018 at 6:22 pm #36845
MDC, funny you mention old movie screens. That is what I have been using recently, the smooth backside actually. The advantage is that it is hardy, as I need to clean it daily due to the grim some of stuff like car parts and industrial items, that I sometimes sell, leave behind as I move them about.
The problem I’m having now is the set-up isn’t tall enough for certain things, like lamps and golf clubs and such. Ironically, I just tried one of those taller vinyl backdrops (see pics), but I’m not pleased with it. I may need to just try a different design. The one I bought has a 1″ blank area between the 2 designs forcing me to put something (a metal bar) to cover this blank space. As you can see in the sample pics, the background to me seems a bit distracting. I do have an all white one coming; we’ll try that for the taller items.
-
-
04/01/2018 at 3:40 pm #36840
I have a roll of Savage brand photo background paper mounted on a curtain rod for my photo backdrop. It works great as when I’m done I just roll it back up and it’s out of the way. Just make sure if you go that route that you buy a couple of small spring mount clamps to put on when it’s rolled back up or it will unravel.
-
05/23/2018 at 9:08 pm #40857
You may want to explore flat lay styling if wall space is limited. You can do this on any clean surface with good lighting even if it is your bed, dining room table, or floor. A white backdrop is still nice. A heavy white wrinkle free blanket or screen is nice.
-
05/24/2018 at 1:38 pm #40931
White Blackout cloth.
https://www.joann.com/roc-lon-budget-blackout-white-white/2117232.html#q=white%2Bblackout%2Bcloth&start=1Cheap, 54″ wide, super durable, and you can get any length you want.
Mount it to a pole and roll/unroll as needed.
You could also make a frame out of 2×2’s and stretch/staple the blackout cloth onto the frame. This would be a super light and easy movable back drop.
-
06/26/2018 at 4:11 pm #43629
I found a double rod curtain rod set at Big Lots for under $30. I put it high up on my picture wall and permanently (with clips so not really) attached a cheap white sheet I got on Amazon on the back rod and have a rolled up wood panel background sheet on the front rod. It works great. I mostly just use the white sheet background but my girlfriend likes using the wood background sometimes for certain light colored items. I don’t see an easy way to post a pic but you get the idea.
-
08/05/2018 at 8:38 pm #46863
I am looking for a white background that is about 3′ X 5′ so I can take pictures of larger items with a white background.
I can’t find anything like that on Amazon. There are all like 8′ X 10′ or larger. I need it to be stand alone – preferably right out of the box. I don’t mind paying up for this, I just can’t find anything like it.
I may have to make this a DIY, but I am not sure how to set this up so it can easily be put up and taken down. Does anyone know if those poles they sell for the 8′ X 10 would work for something like this? I would like it to be free standing on for stairs landing because that is a good place for light and can be out of the way.
Mark
-
08/05/2018 at 9:20 pm #46866
Have you every thought of just buying a roll of white craft paper? Or a roll of blank newspaper? Then you can just tear off pieces as you need it.
-
-
08/05/2018 at 9:28 pm #46867
So just lay it on the floor? Or do you mean it could lean against the wall?
Ideally, I would like it to be like those 8′ X 10′ that are held by the poles. That way I could do clothes on mannequin or put larger items on the floor and still have white under them and behind them. If I just laid the background on the floor, I wouldn’t have the white background behind it.
-
08/05/2018 at 9:51 pm #46870
Im sure there are more professional ways, but craft paper can easily be taped to the wall. Use it and then tear it down to be used as packing paper.
We buy rolls of unused newspaper for $2 a roll at our local paper.
-
-
08/05/2018 at 9:45 pm #46869
I am looking for something like this, but not nearly as big. Something in the range of 3′ X 5′ or 4′ X 6′
-
08/05/2018 at 10:00 pm #46871
Ok, now that I looked at that one closer, I see that it is adjustable. But, it doesn’t say how small it can go. So I looked up adjustable and found this one:
I think this is what I want and at a much lower price. The Height is Adjustable: Min 3.5 ft. – Max 8.5 ft. The Width Adjustable: Min 4.5 ft. (2 cross bars)- Max 10 ft. (4 cross bars).
I think I just solved this! I just need to get a white backdrop in that size range. That shouldn’t be too difficult.
Mark
-
08/06/2018 at 9:04 am #46893
Check out Cowboy Studios and also B&H Photo Supply. Cowboy is the least expensive. They have stands, backdrops, light bulbs, diffusion shades, etc., etc. and so does B&H. They have everything under the sun for photography and product photography.
-
This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
MDC Galleries & Fine Art.
-
This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
-
-
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.