Errection Problems - What To Do?

Kintarō Hattori

In the long run I'll get myself a flash but for the moment I want to try and use the natural light in my living room to take some portrait photos. I'm on the top floor of an apartment complex and have a large sliding door which opens out onto a balcony. This gets lots of natural light in the evenings.

Currently if I take some photos I'm naturally enough going to have lots of clutter in the background, so I'd like to try and avoid that. I was thinking if I bought a neutral colour bedsheet I could use that as a backdrop for the portraits. My ownly issue now is how to keep it up. I can't go drilling holes in the ceiling to insert hooks and the like.

How can I prop up a sheet or something similar to serve as a backdrop? I reckon it could work but the issue is how to get the sheet up and keep it there.

Below is the first proper photo I've taken in the new place. This was taken just to the side of the sliding doors as it was the area with the least clutter (there's a radiator there I know!). I would have liked to have taken this directly in front of the doors but there would be too much clutter in the background.

So does anyone have any ideas?






Apologies if the title is childish/offensive. I thought it was humerous.

jpb1974

Buy a few lengths of 2x1 (few euro a length) and some nails (or screws if you want to disassemble it) and put together a basic frame/support rail to which you could attach the sheet..

jpb1974

Or have a shop around for a cheap backdrop support rail similar to this

(Note - not my image - sourced from www.westbuy.ro)

Kintarō Hattori

jpb1974 wrote: »

Or have a shop around for a cheap backdrop support rail similar to this

(Note - not my image - sourced from www.westbuy.ro)

Thanks that might be perfect actually, I didn't know you could get such a thing. I'll google it in a while. Preferably though, hehe I want to do this on the cheap. Just looking on eBay and they seem to be around the €80 mark.

jpb1974

Aye... lots of them on eBay at around the price you mentioned.

If your woodwork skills were anyway decent you should be able to knock together a DIY version in about an hour or two for under €15. I'd recommend a couple of supports between the 2 right angles formed at the joins between the uprights and the top horizontal bar for stability purposes.

Kintarō Hattori

jpb1974 wrote: »

Aye... lots of them on eBay at around the price you mentioned.

If your woodwork skills were anyway decent you should be able to knock together a DIY version in about an hour or two for under €15. I'd recommend a couple of supports between the 2 right angles formed at the joins between the uprights and the top horizontal bar for stability purposes.

They might suddenly become excellent! Ideally though, and I know it's asking a lot. I'd like a support that I can easily dismantle as space in an apartment is tight at the best of times. I don't mind something being very basic, such as the sheet being 'propped up' so it can easily be put away.

If it works out for me I can invest in a proper support down the line.

elven

Maybe instead of hammering wood together with nails/screws, you could try using pipes and joins?

Kintarō Hattori

elven wrote: »

Maybe instead of hammering wood together with nails/screws, you could try using pipes and joins?

See this is why this forum is so great, another great idea. I literally couldn't think of anything.

Barname

Viagra?

Kintarō Hattori

Barname wrote: »

Viagra?

Interesting but probably not going to work in this instance.

DaireQuinlan

Yeah I remember seeing something like that somewhere

http://www.diyphotography.net/pvc-backdrop-light-stand

is a quick example of the sort of hardware you can get and how you can bung it all together.

Kintarō Hattori

Very interesting site Daire, thanks for the link.

PabD

Here is another option.

http://www.diyphotography.net/super_easy_hardware_store_light-backdrop_stand


It would be made even simlper if the living room is narrow enough.

peter1892

jpb1974 wrote: »

Or have a shop around for a cheap backdrop support rail similar to this

(Note - not my image - sourced from www.westbuy.ro)

I got one of those myself from an ebay seller in China. Took about 3 weeks to get here, it was €60. It's not the strongest but it works well. It came with two backdrops which are OK but not very big so I got some material from IKEA & used that instead.

It's about 6 feet 6 inches high and around the same width so fairly handy for use in the home.

oshead

Something you could try. Here in a Previous post is a backdrop support I put together last summer, it's still standing now. Built using PVC piping from B&Q and liberal use of Gaffer tape to secure it to the walls. The backdrop was a sheet of Lino which I've since replaced with 2m x 4m black out blinds bought in IKEA (one black one white). I've also since got a pair of Elinchrom BxRi 500w strobes as my main lights.

hbr

How about a retractable clothes line?

http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/special_buys3_12636.htm

Or perhaps a shower curtain rail. The telescopic types don't need
mounting screws.

Kintarō Hattori

oshead wrote: »

Something you could try. Here in a Previous post is a backdrop support I put together last summer, it's still standing now. Built using PVC piping from B&Q and liberal use of Gaffer tape to secure it to the walls. The backdrop was a sheet of Lino which I've since replaced with 2m x 4m black out blinds bought in IKEA (one black one white). I've also since got a pair of Elinchrom BxRi 500ww strobes as my main lights.

hbr wrote: »

How about a retractable clothes line?

http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/special_buys3_12636.htm

Or perhaps a shower curtain rail. The telescopic types don't need
mounting screws.

Thanks guys, both excellent suggestions. Thanks to everyone else who's posted with other ideas too. I now have lots of options to think about where before I had none. Much appreciated.

If you have anymore suggestions please keep them coming.

TinyExplosions

you could use this or this, particularly for sitting portraits, in conjunction with a white bedsheet or similar.

Or, use the ikea Stolmen range, as they don't need fixings and can give you floor to ceiling stuff if you need it

Kintarō Hattori

TinyExplosions wrote: »

you could use this or this, particularly for sitting portraits, in conjunction with a white bedsheet or similar.

Or, use the ikea Stolmen range, as they don't need fixings and can give you floor to ceiling stuff if you need it

You sir/madam are quite possibly something of a genius. For the moment these might very well do the trick. Plus the good lady works for IKEA so discount is to be availed of.

When I have more time/a bigger place I'll get round to building one of the DIY units mentioned here.................... or if the stuff from IKEA doesn't work!

one2one

A lot of great ideas here, well done everyone, will be trying some out myself.

On a side note, what could I use as a backdrop (on the cheap!) for the time being?

jpb1974

Those IKEA clothes rails look proper handy... no feckin online shopping though... bah :mad:

Kintarō Hattori

one2one wrote: »

A lot of great ideas here, well done everyone, will be trying some out myself.

On a side note, what could I use as a backdrop (on the cheap!) for the time being?

I reckon a cream colour bedsheet or two might do the job. In the link oshead posted he used some lino.

TinyExplosions

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

You sir/madam are quite possibly something of a genius. For the moment these might very well do the trick. Plus the good lady works for IKEA so discount is to be availed of.

When I have more time/a bigger place I'll get round to building one of the DIY units mentioned here.................... or if the stuff from IKEA doesn't work!

Man, it's a good thing my lady doesn't work for Ikea -I'd be broker than I am now

I think the main downside with the clothes rails stuff is that it's not all that sturdy, but for sticking in your apartment, I reckon it'd do a grand job

rowanh

That Rigga clothes rach looks great, its a pity its not about a foot taller though, they are on ebay uk for 10 sterling though no price for postage. That slightly modified with a super king bed sheet sounds like a really good budget solution.

PabD

one2one wrote: »

A lot of great ideas here, well done everyone, will be trying some out myself.

On a side note, what could I use as a backdrop (on the cheap!) for the time being?

I get all my stuff here www.hickeyfabrics.ie

They have red, green, black and white (some others iirc). They are approx 2.5m wide and something like €5/6 per meter.

Just stitch both ends (put a loop on one end) and the perfect backdrop.

The sell the fabric dye stuff as well if you want to make your own,

eightcell

Call the A-Team?
If you are into a more hands on "project" approach here is a set on flickr.
He has nice detailed shots!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamparkerphotography/sets/72157610797797669/