Muslin
25.02.06, 14:24
Post 1 of 3
Hello everybody,
I'm a new member of this community and I'm really happy to be here. I would like to have your opinions on the "backdrop" subject.
As I'm living in small appartment, I don't have any special room available to install my photography accessories in a permanent way.
So, everytime I want to make a photography shooting, I have to move all my things everytime (backdrop stand, lighting, etc.)
I want to buy a black muslin but I'm wondering which one is better : the 100% cotton one or the dyed one
(hand painted ?).
My main concern about this is that I don't want to spend a lot of time to take the creases out of it before taking my pictures.
What is your recommendation for this purchase ?
Thanks to you all,
Nat
I'm a new member of this community and I'm really happy to be here. I would like to have your opinions on the "backdrop" subject.
As I'm living in small appartment, I don't have any special room available to install my photography accessories in a permanent way.
So, everytime I want to make a photography shooting, I have to move all my things everytime (backdrop stand, lighting, etc.)
I want to buy a black muslin but I'm wondering which one is better : the 100% cotton one or the dyed one
(hand painted ?).
My main concern about this is that I don't want to spend a lot of time to take the creases out of it before taking my pictures.
What is your recommendation for this purchase ?
Thanks to you all,
Nat
Sure do Nat.
Get thick dowels, about 1" or more depending on the length and weight of your backdrop. For a small one 1" diameter. Take your muslin backdrops and attach each to one of the dowels. It works best to use duct tape to attach first. Line the edge to be attached with the duct tape on both sides, overlapping along the edge about 1/2 inch so the tape matches up. This will give it strength and keep it straight, droop and wrinkle free for the next step. Then take take that edge and staple gun and staple through the tape and fabric onto the dowel. It works best if the staples run parallel to the rod. Then roll the muslin onto the dowel keeping it tight, straight and wrinkle free. I usually did these in 9 yard lengths so I could also take them all the way out as a floor and background drop. If they got soiled I could just cut off the length. If you attach another dowel to the other end it works as a weight as well as a handle for out in the field when you need a white surface to reflect off of for mirrored subjects like cars and metal. It just takes two people to help hold it, and you can draw it out as far as you like. It's a perfect tool for shooting in the shade to brighten a shot.
Anyway, back to your apartment drop. You can buy eye hooks and regular hooks at the hardware store. If you are lucky you can find eye hooks that are on pivots, these are great. You can also find mechanisms that are used for drawshades if you want to get more sophisticated, but not needed. Low tech is always the best.
Screw the eye hooks into each end of the dowel rod. Then, attach the hooks to the ceiling at the distance of the rod you have chosen. I liked 10ft rods because it gave a lot of shooting room (also great for the height on outdoor shoots), but for an apartment portrait studio 6" would be good. If you have things lined up right you can just roll out how much muslin you need and then suspend from the hooks. OR you can attach looped wire to the eye hooks and suspend that way. If you take the time to roll your muslin up clean and smooth your wrinkles will be very fine and you can use an iron on steam setting or a steamer to pull them out quickly prior to a shoot. You can also hang the backdrop the day before a shoot and most of the wrinkles will be naturally pulled out just from gravity.
Hope this helps with ideas.
Get thick dowels, about 1" or more depending on the length and weight of your backdrop. For a small one 1" diameter. Take your muslin backdrops and attach each to one of the dowels. It works best to use duct tape to attach first. Line the edge to be attached with the duct tape on both sides, overlapping along the edge about 1/2 inch so the tape matches up. This will give it strength and keep it straight, droop and wrinkle free for the next step. Then take take that edge and staple gun and staple through the tape and fabric onto the dowel. It works best if the staples run parallel to the rod. Then roll the muslin onto the dowel keeping it tight, straight and wrinkle free. I usually did these in 9 yard lengths so I could also take them all the way out as a floor and background drop. If they got soiled I could just cut off the length. If you attach another dowel to the other end it works as a weight as well as a handle for out in the field when you need a white surface to reflect off of for mirrored subjects like cars and metal. It just takes two people to help hold it, and you can draw it out as far as you like. It's a perfect tool for shooting in the shade to brighten a shot.
Anyway, back to your apartment drop. You can buy eye hooks and regular hooks at the hardware store. If you are lucky you can find eye hooks that are on pivots, these are great. You can also find mechanisms that are used for drawshades if you want to get more sophisticated, but not needed. Low tech is always the best.
Screw the eye hooks into each end of the dowel rod. Then, attach the hooks to the ceiling at the distance of the rod you have chosen. I liked 10ft rods because it gave a lot of shooting room (also great for the height on outdoor shoots), but for an apartment portrait studio 6" would be good. If you have things lined up right you can just roll out how much muslin you need and then suspend from the hooks. OR you can attach looped wire to the eye hooks and suspend that way. If you take the time to roll your muslin up clean and smooth your wrinkles will be very fine and you can use an iron on steam setting or a steamer to pull them out quickly prior to a shoot. You can also hang the backdrop the day before a shoot and most of the wrinkles will be naturally pulled out just from gravity.
Hope this helps with ideas.
26.02.06, 13:49
Post 3 of 3
Hello Wen,
Thanks for your help on this, I really appreciate it. I'm new in here and think that it's great to have people that share the same passion as me and do whatever they can to help others.
Bye,
Nat
Thanks for your help on this, I really appreciate it. I'm new in here and think that it's great to have people that share the same passion as me and do whatever they can to help others.
Bye,
Nat