Hey -

Just curious...  Up until recently, I've only used the 5 ft wide seamless..then for some dance sessions, I got the 10ft wide... it's really difficult to work with simply because of the length..   Do you all use the 10ft or the 5ft for sessions?  (on the 5ft, I can squeak out a 3/4 length but that's about it...)

Also, do you have a lot of colors or are you gelling the b/g's

thanks!


Julia

HI,

  Usually I don't use seamless paper for anything but product shots for the very reason you mentioned. Bulky and a pain to use. Instead I went down to Jo Ann Fabrics and bought 3 pieces of 3 yard lengths of their 107" wide bright white muslin and dyed one piece black, one blue and left one white. All can be packed into a duffel and that doesn;t take too much space in the car. Once I dyed them I stitched a loop in the "top" side to run the cross bar through and ta da!

  Eventually I want to play with this fabric and some cold water dyes with sponges and spray bottles to see what happens.

R_L

Cutting it down to 7 or 8 feet for singles is possible if you are working alone.
But 5 feet is usually only good for headshots and still life.   Possible but hard.
My black fabric is actually 15 ft wide. 

Colors go with the basics.

Be careful,  fabrics can often just look Cheeze Louise.

The 10' (I think it's 9' actually) paper is really easy to use IF you have a proper support system for it.  At first I was using a fairly inexpensive Manfrotto/Bogen background stand oh boy, it was a real pain to use the paper.  Raising/lowering a roll was just about impossible for one person (always got creases in the paper) and during a model shoot I just couldn't change colors (alone that is).

Eventually I invested in the Manfrotto/Bogen Autopole system with the three rolls holder system.  There's a gear/chain arrangement that allows you to EASILY change back and forth between three rolls and I love it!

Fabric is also a pain... almost impossible to keep wrinkles out of it and it's quite hard to find widths of more than 8' - 9'.  And again there's a problem in changing from one to another quickly during a shoot.

For me now, I almost always use paper rolls.

Eldor

Ask the model or escort to help put the seamless up?

Tf PSMIT-  Time for putting some muscle into it.

I use the 9' wide stuff.  Have about a dozen colors and still gel them.  I have two clamps suspended from my ceiling.  One side has a short chain and the other side has a Bogen mini-clamp.  At the end of the chain is a piece of metal electrical conduit.  So I just slide the paper over the conduit and hoist the other end up and stick it in the mini-clamp.  It can be done by myself, but I usually have the model or her escort hold the conduit up for me until I can slide on the next roll.  If you're pretty short, it can be a bit of a hassle.

Paul

Thanks Everyone -   that was about what I was figuring on....I'll just have to get used to it : )

So, I have bright white... I was thinking about gray and another color to go with -  red? blue?  any preferences? 

Thanks!

Julia

gee whiz, doesnt anyone just nail gun a 9x12' dropcloth to the cieeling anymore???? throw some paint around, maybe a little glue.

(good ole testors red label)... hey it does say for plastic models!!!

hey i have 67 posts! whoopieee!!!