DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> White Paper Backgrounds
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 11 of 11, (reverse)
AuthorThread
04/12/2010 03:10:38 AM · #1
I recently purchase a wide, white background roll of paper. I think it is great. Super bright, cheap and disposable. However, I find that even after, or during, one use, the paper becomes extremely dirty from shoes, floor, etc. When working with kids, this is extremely difficult, as I not only have to worry about the kids' feet, but also my own as I try and position them where I would like them to stay. Needless to say, the section of paper that I used today was trashed by the end of the session. So what methods are there to increase the life of a roll of paper? Or is it hopeless, and should just be cut off after each session?
04/12/2010 03:25:10 AM · #2
When I use a roll of backdrop paper for a shoot,mostly self-portraits, I try to clean or at least sweep the floor in the area where the backdrop will be. Then I wear either socks or slippers (so long as feet don't show) only on the paper, and use one of those big, cheap magnetic dusters to brush off loose debris etc whenever I leave the set to check camera settings etc. I don't wear shoes. If I am moving around the set a bit, I usually put down bits of masking tape so I know where to stand.

As for kids...hmm...I don't have any, but I would suggest having someone else wrangle them. If they're your kids, get your significant other to control them. And if you are shooting someone else's kids, then a parent or guardian should be the one to make sure the child behaves on set. It's your job to get the shot and likely do the directing too - and ensure your equipment doesn't get knocked over because you had to deal with an unruly child. I once watched a shoot with children on a backdrop, and the photog never so much as stepped out from behind the camera.
04/12/2010 05:57:21 AM · #3
Originally posted by traquino98:

cheap and disposable

Originally posted by traquino98:

should just be cut off after each session?


There's the answer. Paper backdrops are meant to be disposable and most studios that use them tear off the paper after each shoot, and just recover the cost of the paper from the fees for shoots/rental.

However, when you start disposing of the paper after each shoot in your personal studio, suddenly paper doesn't seem as 'cheap' an option as the price of the roll originally suggested.

So besides the methods that Susan suggested (walking around in socks and dusting a lot), the only other option you have if you want to keep the same roll of paper going is spot editing during post-processing.

You'll find that frustrating after a while and it's impossible to keep the paper in good condition if you're using it regularly: besides unruly children, models often wear high-heel shoes which not only dirty the paper, they tear it too.

What I eventually did was get a wide roll of PVC (3.2m x 8m) that is usually used in the printing industry for printing some types of outdoor advertising. The beauty of this stuff is that it's tough and very simple to keep clean. You can wipe it off with detergent after each shoot and it stays spotlessly white. And as an added bonus, it's black on the other side, so if you reverse it you now have a black backdrop for your studio. No more paper troubles...

Here's a shot of it in my garage studio:

(see the black of the reverse side at the top where it rolls over)

I'm not sure where you'd find this stuff in the States, but if they have it here in South Africa, I guarantee you'll be able to find it somewhere over there (try commercial suppliers to the advertising industry).
04/12/2010 08:53:02 AM · #4
Tygerr, that roll of flexible PVC looks like a fantastic solution, and what a bonus, it being black on the other side too! I have a friend in the printing business, I should ask her about it.

Sounds like an even better solution than something else I've worked with, though not so much as a backdrop material but as diffusers. Floating floor. It's a thin, white, semi-opaque, slightly spongey stuff that is placed underneath interlocking interior floors to keep the floor as level as possible. Generally comes in a 4-ft wide roll from home improvement stores, might be worth trying out. Only problem is, it does have slighty ridges in it so could produce shadows. But I would think it pretty tough to tear or punch holes in with heels.
04/12/2010 10:04:15 AM · #5
We found a big piece of the white stuff used for dry erase boards, price fairly reasonable (4x8 or so) that I lay down on the floor in front of the white paper.
04/12/2010 11:05:18 AM · #6
I tuck mine under white tileboard from Home Depot, Lowe's etc. I have used the same roll for months now and have yet to have torn a single foot from it. It does reflect but they can easily be dodged out if you want.

04/15/2010 04:58:28 AM · #7
White background doesn't worth any effort !
04/15/2010 09:22:50 AM · #8
Originally posted by tonyar109:

White background doesn't worth any effort !


Did you mean to say, "All your base are belong to us?"
04/15/2010 06:50:33 PM · #9
Originally posted by Phil:

Originally posted by tonyar109:

White background doesn't worth any effort !


Did you mean to say, "All your base are belong to us?"


LOL! :)
04/15/2010 07:55:01 PM · #10
Can't STOP LOL!! Best thing I've read all day...
04/23/2010 10:03:11 AM · #11
White vinyl source for US customers.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/29/2024 12:42:00 AM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/29/2024 12:42:00 AM EDT.