How to Start a Photography Business - Basic Backgrounds, Backdrops & Accessories

Basic Backdrops & Accessories

The basic backdrops that you're going to need to get started is very simple. To get started, you really only need one, and the one that I would start with is a basic white vinyl. And you can pretty much pick these up at any crafts store. They're going to run you around $20 to $30. They come in 6-foot widths and I would probably get it cut 12 to 15 feet long. That will give you enough room when you want to adjust the position of the subject or whatever, but I would go with that. And there's a couple of different reasons I would start with white . You can get some really great shots on the white and just save them like that and the subject will stand out. It will look clean and pure. It's a very nice look.

Photographers refer to this as a high-key shot. Now the other reason, my main reason for telling you to use the white vinyl is because it's going to make your life easier when you want to cut out that image and post-edit into the software that I'm going to go over with you on how to do this. And then you can take that subject and put it into any digital background, any digital prop that you want. It's very, very powerful. But the white vinyl makes a nice backdrop for that.

Black is my second choice for the same reason. You can get some really great shots on the black. You can print them and they can look fantastic. And the other thing is when you cut out an image on black, and if you're putting it into a black background, once you're cutting it out, it will blend easier. It will look nicer. So that's another reason for using the back. But you can still do it with the white.

The green is my third choice. You don't have to have a green, but green will make it easier to cut out as well because it's a solid, so I would go with green for my third. My first would be white. Second would be black. And the third would be green also known as Chroma Key.

Now you're going to need a stand for these backgrounds to hang them from. So let's go over them real quick. I would go with an 8-foot wide stand. Now you can go to any photography supply store for stands and backdrops. I'll link to some different backdrop stores in the Resources Section. But you can get a stand at any one of those locations and they're pretty inexpensive. But you want to make sure it's portable. If you want to do it the least expensive way, and I think it would be just as good, you could build one yourself.

It's very simple. It's going to basically be PVC pipe that you would buy at a Home Depot or a Lowes or any hardware store. But it's nice because it's portable. You can take it apart real easy. There's no sharp edges. It's really, really universal. So that's what's nice about that. But you need a stand. And you're going to want it at least 8-foot wide and the height should be you're at least 4- to 6-foot high. So that's what you want to look for in a stand. But you're going to need a stand. And then the accessories are pretty simple. Just some spring clamps to secure the backdrop. It makes it easier when you're attaching the backdrop to your stand. And there handy to have around for other things you might need them for. If you're in a certain location, you might take that clamp and secure your backdrop to a chair or whatever. But the spring clamps are and easy to use and very universal tool you're going to see that you will probably use over and over again.

The white poster board is for filling in your shadows and directing the light. Now if you're outside, you may see that the sun is on the one side and you want to bounce the light to the other side. You're going to use white poster board for that. Or maybe you have an overcast sky and you see that you need some fill on the other side, and you'll just bring that poster board around to the other side. Or maybe you're inside and you see that your lighting is really bright on the one side, but you want to fill in the other. This is so much easier than using a two light system in the beginning. We actually use only one large soft box and a white wall in our studio. It works very well. You're going to use that white poster board. Now they do sell reflectors and you can buy a professional reflector. They're not that expensive. But the white poster board will give you just about the same results.