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Tinker-Tubes I found a pdf of plans for studio "stuff" light stands, back drop holders, light boxes, all made from pvc pipe and fittings. I didn't check the link to see if it was valid,,, perhaps a google for tinker tubes would work.
Boy, this thread has been going on a few years ;-)
Seen this on a photographers web page that looked nice. Simple to make.
Frank, I agree, but if you want to take it a step further often high end commercial shooters have a cyc or at the least a perfectly smooth wall which would be painted. While a cyc is an expensive proposition, framing a small wall, or just using an existing one, and very carefully plastering it smooth will give you a far better look than seamless background paper and even most fabrics. For still lifes I often would buy 4x8' masonite and paint the smooth side. You can also make your own cyc with masonite.Originally Posted by Frank Petronio
Paint can deliver a cleanness of tone that seamless can't. Especially if you use an ultra flat paint like a ceiling paint. The trick being a smooth wall and a smooth paint job.
For that matter, in the wonderful 80s and even later, I would buy a rolled sheet of Formica (Nevermar, etc. are similar) and use it for a tough, perfect background. Or the infamous 1/8" Plexiglass, milky white or black or even with patterns in it for that "Tron" look.
I hardly ever used seamless and hate the stuff. Even now, with models for catalogy things, when I am forced to use seamless what I do is painstakingly get it perfect, and then try to keep the model way, way in front of it so I can keep it out of focus and hopeful hide it through- over or under-exposure.
Seamless is crap.
If you can work on a smaller scale, art supply art boards, like the mylar-coated $3.99 flats that are 36" square, are great for one or two uses. Likewise artist's papers, etc.
And of course the old standby, black velour. One of the background houses that sells seamless paper has a product called "Ray-Valour" that was inky black.
Sometimes odd materials are best - concrete, wood, rusty metal. Edward Weston used a silver mixing bowl on it's side with the subject nested inside - looked great in B&W.
And our forum's master, Christopher Broadbent, paints his own backdrops, even incorporating the potential lighting into how he feathers their light to dark areas. That is really the right way to do it.
For lesser folks, you can buy, rent, or paint your own canvas backdrops.
Muslin never looks good IMHO. Not unless you're doing a Biblical epic at least.
Formica has it's uses. It's good on table top sweeps but has a somewhat shiny surface. I used to use it a lot for silos or for when the product was messy, splashes, pours, sweat, liquids. It doesn't provide the depth of color saturation that a painted surface has and obviously unlike paint there are limited color choices. However Formica also has many other surfaces, faux woods, stones, etc. However none of these work as well as the real material especially if you're working close to the surface.
White plexi, milk plexi, or matte white plexi have great uses. The most obvious being under light gradations and a clean almost surgical look to them. They're used a lot in cosmetics, pharma and even small electronics shoots.
Someone mentioned that seamless imperfections are ok if they're really far away and out of focus and I have to disagree with that, they'd need to be way out of focus and so far away as to require such a wide sweep of seamless to makemup for the shrinking width of it with distance. So if you're going to use seamless make sure you hang it straight and smooth.
The thing with any background is that it needs to work with the subject that you are shooting so don't limit yourself to seamless or fabric.
A sheet on a stretcher for people, a canvas on a frame for flowers.
Examples here. The garden spray bottle is for misting over the the paint-job to create arial perspective so you can shoot at f45.
Hang it in the dining room between shoots.
Last edited by cjbroadbent; 2-Mar-2011 at 05:47. Reason: Bad link
Chris, nice backgrounds.
I agree.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Aerial not arial. Sorry, too late to edit.
Yes, seamless is for the birds - a hangover from the eighties.
Here's the link for the Tinker Tubes PDF... http://www.software-cinema.com/page/13/tinkertubes
I did make my own support system using 40mm tubing. I'll see if I can find the designs or any photos when I turn on the home PC next.
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