View Full Version : Impressed so far.
I asked for a sample square of a polypropylene backdrop to be sent up a while ago and after seeing how it seemed to defy creasing ( or at least iron itself back into shape ) I bought a roll of white.
I have used it once, yesterday , deliberately with no lighting on it and it seems to take on a very even ( almost neutral grey ) colour and texture and doesn't impart a colour cast. I will experiment more with lighting on it this weekend to see how it spreads light.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9582534/B%20A%20and%20A10-21-2010%2013-07-40.JPG
old dog
21-10-2010, 4:09pm
looks pretty good Andrew...no creases sounds very good to me. I bought some black velvet type material but alas, it does crease a bit.
Graeme, I deliberately creased the 50mm square sample very very harshly and it "sprang" back into shape sitting on the desk over night.
It is even a lot more forgiving than paper and doesn't seem to be as reflective.
I forgot the details on where I got it from before. ------- http://www.vanbar.com.au/catalogue/index.php?item1=STUDIO&item2=BACKGROUND&item3=SYNTHETIC&brand=
thanks! Looks good, how does it perform with proper lighting?
That looks extremely interesting Andrew, I have been considering vinyl, but this is a lot more affordable.
What does the durability seem like?
Kym, I haven't tried it with light full on to it yet, from the one or two shots that I took with some light spilling onto it the material seems to diffuse it well.
Lani, the pictured sample measures approx 65 x 55 mm and that little piece has been screwed up, folded in 4, rubbed on a dirty floor, then cut with scissors and torn by hand. :D
After sitting by itself for a while it seems to return to somewhere near original shape. It also takes a fair amount of effort to tear it by hand ( just before the photo was taken ) along the line of the scissor cut.
Think of an indestructible "chux" dish washing cloth that is quite "stiff".
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9582534/backdrop10-23-2010%2011-25-30.JPG
elyshiamadison
22-10-2010, 12:30pm
That looks like an affordable and great background..... might have to get some to test as well! Whats the weight of it like? Nice and light or quite heavy?
It is quite a bit lighter than a roll of background paper the same size. It is no effort for me to lift it, the aluminium core and roller assembly into place with one hand, a roll of paper generally requires two hands.
It isn't the ideal solution for a backdrop / flooring but it does seem to offer a fair bit of bang for buck so far.
Rattus79
22-10-2010, 1:28pm
I actually located a company in cairns that has chromakey fabrics of various thicknesses held in stock the other day. I'm waiting for them to get back to me with a price. I dunno if they're going to make me get a full roll or not. Hopefully they'll do cut lengths for me.
fabricsplus.com.au (I think)
elyshiamadison
22-10-2010, 3:47pm
I think for the very low usage that I would be doing - it would be more than sufficient :) And much better than the remnant t-shirt fabric I have been using!
Might put in an order on Mon.
One thing that I forgot to mention is that if you try to order this item from Vanbar's site as I did the freight cost applied is RIDICULOUS and I rang them and insisted on ordering over the phone with the full amount including freight stated.
The difference between their proper freight rate and the internet calculator is around the $120.00 mark :eek: It cost me $35.00 Melbourne to here ( fair price ) but obviously other locations will be more or less depending on distance.
elyshiamadison
23-10-2010, 9:48am
Geez! That is a huge difference ;)
I went through to the end stage of ordering last night - 3mtrs of background (I really don't need a full roll!) and one flash diffuser, freight was $15 (not too bad) but if I wanted aus post was $30....
As a follow up to the background testing I photographed a young lady, Miriam, today and concentrated on getting lighting correct on her and the backdrop using only two lights.
Using a main light and fill light set to spill some light on to the backdrop it retains a fairly diffused nature.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9582534/Miriam10-28-2010%2009-03-52.JPG
Turning one light into a purely backdrop light and cranking up the power to "blow" the background while using another to "fill" the subject from the front proved the case for this material. I had to apply very little processing to the backdrop section to keep the whole lot looking clean ( the exposures weren't perfect to start with) and it seems to keep a fairly true colour to it all through the shot.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9582534/Miriam10-28-2010%2009-22-13.JPG
elyshiamadison
27-10-2010, 4:17pm
Nice!
Mine arrived today - I went with grey.... we'll see if it's capable of being used for high key, like This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDGn4VzEOlU)
It's an odd texture, not something I would have thought would work for a background!
elyshiamadison
31-10-2010, 8:22pm
I @ M I posted my pics over in This thread (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?67907-Turning-a-grey-background-almost-any-colour&p=712247#post712247) Seeing as what I was trying to achieve was the different colour backgrounds.
So far I LOVE the background - and your right it's incredibly light! I do think though I will order another in Black - just so I can play with coloured flash gels on the backgrounds and get good deep colours ;)
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