Lighting and Backdrops without breaking the bank

[THoey]

Anyone have any particular sites they have used to purchase lighting and backdrop equipment? Looking to spend $200 – $300 dollars, but don’t want something made out of balsa wood either. Am I asking too much?

[fluffybunny]

http://www.mpex.com

I’ve bought a few things from them (umbrellas, stands, triggers).

If not them the big two (adorama or b&h)

[ravnostic]

For backdrops, I often use flat sheets purchased at WalMart for 6-8. They work pretty well, come in lots of colors. For smaller shoots I drape a pillowcase over an artboard.

[Farktographer]

For backdrops, I often use flat sheets purchased at WalMart for 6-8. They work pretty well, come in lots of colors. For smaller shoots I drape a pillowcase over an artboard.

Wrapping paper also works well if you want a multi-coloured out-of-focus background for smaller set-ups.

[THoey]

Did some more web searching and I am thinking about making her one. She can buy some mulsum and do the material dying to get the colors she wants. I can follow the ideas mentioned in the following two pages:

http://www.lifeisaprayer.com/articles/photography/diy-greenscreen
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=82382

[caradoc]

For backdrops, I often use flat sheets purchased at WalMart for 6-8. They work pretty well, come in lots of colors. For smaller shoots I drape a pillowcase over an artboard.

One can often find stuff at various clearance houses, too – bolts of upholstery material, curtains removed from old hotels/motels, etc.

I try to stay away from raw muslin in the sizes needed for larger backdrops – it tends to get expensive quickly, wrinkles easily, and my washing machine won’t handle it anyway.

[Farktographer]

*Note to self to post a new (relatively cheap) lighting setup I bought

I’ll come back here when I get home and get some photos uploaded. Basically I bought a manfrotto umbrella adapter so I could use my tripod as a light stand and a cheap umbrella – it is the lighting I used for my AvO submissions this week (the backdrop/ground was just my bed).

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