What do you use for a white photography backdrop?

[lucyanna girl]

We need something that can be put up and taken down fairly easily and hopefully won't cost a lot. For black we use a black velvet type king size blanket clipped to the top of my drapes (approx nine ft high) with another spread out on the floor in front. It photographs well, a little hard to keep the one on the floor smooth but not too bad.

Is fabric a good texture for a white background? I'm thinking foam board as a reflector.

There is not an extra room to dedicate to a studio so our living room has to double as one. I keep telling myself that I remember when the most successful photographer in our area did the same thing. I would take my children to have pictures made and he and his wife would push the sofa aside and take them while their two babies played in the other end of the room. Of course he was considerably less expensive in those days.

Thanks for any advice.

Penny

[Suburbanmom]

I use a sheet of white muslin. I think they are on the expensive side, but I was lucky and had someone give it to me. I would imagine that any kind of white fabric would work fine, just make sure it's not reflective at all.

To smooth out the floor, I use a sheet of plexiglass. I usually have to photoshop and remove the edge, but I like the effect. It gives the floor some dimension with a little reflection and keeps the fabric smooth. You can get the same effect with a melanine board, but then you can only use it for the white fabric. If you use plexiglass, you can use it for all your backdrops. It can get scratched up after a while, so you have to photoshop the scratches out, or go buy a new sheet of plexiglass. I get mine at Lowe's or Home Depot....whomever is cheaper.

http://amyhenkel.zenfolio.com/img/s6/v6/p815996989-3.jpg

http://amyhenkel.zenfolio.com/img/s5/v4/p620282904-3.jpg


Good luck with your venture! I have been using my living room as an in-home studio for about 3 years and am having the time of my life.

[lucyanna girl]

Thanks so much. Your pictures are great, really cute to use the big tea cup.

Penny

[NateNLogansDad]

I love the plexiglass reflection! I really want to set something up in the house this year for fun and I love that idea!

[alan]

I use a Lastolite HiLite. Think of a big, white, pop-up tent into which you shine a couple of strobes.

You get results like this really easily:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3417/3586438361_d0f14eb5c1_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3598132383_e446d1f9a3_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3598132223_cba07aabcf_o.jpg

It's does need a decent amount of space, as you can see from this picture of the setup for these photographs:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3599004468_755140142b_o.jpg

It also gives a great starting point for edits, as can be seen in these photographs:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4213481591_05d4fdc31e_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4213481369_272220f0bd_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/4213480373_c37e0e28a8_o.jpg

regards,
/alan

[MICKEY88]

I use my greenscreen