Photography Backdrops?

Question

In a photography video I saw in class the other night, the lady used a vinyl pull down window shade and used several colors of paints and made a beautiful backdrop. Has anyone seen this video or used this idea to make a backdrop? I'm on a budget and thought this might work and allow me to paint, my other hobby.

Answer 1

Basically, what she has done is update the ancient theatrical scenery method of drops and flats, which has been used by portrait photographers almost since photography was invented - "Here Mr. Johnson, put on this hat and hold this gun and let me pull down the drop of Africa's veldt and we will get your vacation picture taken here in Chicago."
The problems are the paint has to be compatible with the material (canvas on stage) and if the drop is rolled up, the paint must be flexible enough to not chip or peel. The alternative to rolling is to mount on lift bars so they can be hoisted up and away. And, of course, the painting has to be done well and appropriately so that if realistic it matches a view someone would be in front of and if abstract does not clash with the sitter.

Answer 2

I've painted many backdrops. And you can get a plain white painter's drop clothe and "tie die" it. That's kind of cool. If you have room and the inclination you can build sets. Find some scrap lumber and build an old country store, just the front entrance, or it could be a saloon with swinging doors. If you're willing to paint and do some carpentry work you can do a lot of backgrounds for nothing more than your labor.

Answer 3

I haven't seen the video, but somewhere on the web, I've seen instructions for painting your own backdrop. I believe they used three colors of paint and a textured roller. I've been meaning to do this, myself. i probably won't use a shade because it seems too small, but a large piece of muslin or canvas.

Answer 4

I have done this myself. I have used the splatter effect with bright primaries for children's backgrounds. I have used a sponge with pastels to make more sophisticated looking backgrounds also. You can create very professional looking backgrounds on a budget and also get kudos when people realize you have done all this yourself. I no longer do photography(too much time spent on the road) but in many instances it generated business for me because it was 'proof' of my creativity. You can also create drapes and covers using big cotton sheets that match your backgrounds and help with larger posed shots of families, etc. One of my most popular, even with adults, was a paint splatter effect like the childrens background, but done on a large, thick, black sheet. It had a lot of contrast and was, generally, just a fun background for informal group shots.

Answer 5

Go http://www.johnsonbackdrops.com/