backgrounds...

[Rhys]

I'm largely an event photographer with no real use for a studio (although there is one I can hire) so I have a portable studio on the offchance it's needed. I did have 2 x mogul hotlight heads and 4 x edison lamp heads plus some shoot-through umbrellas - which I sold today. In a year I hadn't used them so I just offloaded them to a camera club member.

My big question though - I have an impact background stand and 2x cloth backdrops. again I haven't used them in a year. I might need a portable backdrop sometime though. Thus - should I offload the background stand and cloth backdrops and replace them with a pair of Botero type backgrounds and a stand? I feel that they would be lighter and would take up less space.

[ColColt]

I don't know if this helps but you can now get digital backdrops-should be pretty light and include some backgrounds from the "old masters".

http://www.owens-originals.com/cdrom/OM%20II.html

[Rhys]

I don't know if this helps but you can now get digital backdrops-should be pretty light and include some backgrounds from the "old masters".

http://www.owens-originals.com/cdrom/OM%20II.html

Actually a chroma blue or chroma green background is a neat solution. I actually have a chroma blue cloth for my studio. They're a neat idea but getting them evenly illuminated is a pain.

[ColColt]

I wish I could remember the name of that place where I got a couple of backdrops from when I was doing wedding and portraits. I had a large16x20 or something close to that size, of a white one and it couldn't have weighed anymore than a box of Kleenex. So much you could do with it and take it virtually anywhere...nearly in your bag. One woman did the whole setup and it was her business. If you wanted lightweight, this one reigned supreme...wish I could recall the place but, it's been about 10 years ago. Westcott made several muslins I had that were super but, muslins aren't lightweight and I'm not sure they're even in business anymore. If you were into the "old masters' type of backgrounds, they had what you needed.

[Rhys]

I quite like the self-erecting, folding backgrounds. They pack down very small. Only downside is the cost.