creating a backdrop

As heartofglitter said - and nice linkage! - this is a pretty popular topic here.

I'm not 100% clear on what you're after, though - do you want to replicate a doll-size environment indoors or do you want a neutral background? You could always post a photo for critique as well if you find you've almost got what you want!

 

Right now I'm using a cardboard sewing cutting board that I've stood on one end. Over that I've thrown legnths of material so it pools on the ground & creates wonderful folds.

The last back drop I used was a length of black-on-black paterned material over the whole thing, letting it pool in front. Then over that I used a lt. purple fabric over the middle panel and the end hidden behind the black fabric. I also threw some black tulle over the purple for a differnt look.

I also discovered that the baskets that are made to sit on the stairs, when turned over make the neatest seats to pose the dolls on. Especially when you hid them under the material that's pooled in front. This may not be practical for anyone else 'cause the lenghts of material I used where 5 yards plus in length. (gotta love that fabric stash! )

I hope that this was what you were askinng about & has been some help.

Morgan

 

I recently figured out how to find a very cheap and effective backdrop for your photos. Simply use.... wrap-paper. Yeah. The one that comes in rolls and which you usually use for wrapping up presents. Choose any pattern you like. ^__^

I hope it can be helpful to someone~~

 

Good idea! I also like to use wallpaper, you can get cheap random rolls of paper in sales at hardware shops and scrapbooking paper is awesome, in Paperway you can find flocked paper and metallic paper, it gives the back ground some interest and tactility.

 

Great idea! I'll try it!

 

Aaah, I adore that second photo with the striped background. Great idea.

How do you get the paper so smooth? Is it attached to foam core board or something?

 

Very nice, the scale is excellant

Lovely pics!

-Seeker

 

Great idea! I'll have to try that.

 

Those pics look great, kaiohon!

As a person whose bedroom sucks as a picture setting, this is a great tip XD

But, yeah, like Glace Leau asked, how do you keep the paper like that? what do you attach it to?

 

2 Jescissa
Wow! That's a great idea, too! Thank you! I will have to try that!

2 Glace Leau and himitsu
Thanks a lot!
In the first photos I took some UHU-tac (the "gum" that is usually used to attach the doll's eyes) and just temporarily sticked the end of the paper to the table top/ I then rolled out as much paper as was needed and left the roll-end of the paper on the floor.
In the later photos I did it the other way around. Rolled out as much paper as was needed and through the rolled end over the back of the chair so that the roll lies on the seat.

2 Seeker
Thank you. ^__^

2 Yuu-Hanabusa
Thanks and please do and post your photos here~

2 nessa
Will be waiting for photos~ ^__^

 

Cool, i'll try it! I suppose cloth would work as well, right? Might give some interesting textures too. XD

 

You'll want to make sure it isn't see-through. Even in the slightest, it will look really weird. Also, you'd have to be careful and make sure it doesn't wrinkle.

 

Hmm.. nice. Too bad it looks awful with flash. You need to have a few lights to eliminate the shiney look on some wraping papers when took pictures.

 

I use wrapping paper or larger rolls of scrapbooking paper they usually don't have the shine that wrapping paper has.

 

I try to decorate cardboard, and make it look pretty...lmao.

 

I take those folding project boards and use them- Cardboard is one of the best resources out there. All I need is that one board (5 bucks), a stapler or tacks, and what ever fabric I find from Wall-Marts/Hancock's Fabric clearance. If it's not outside I won't spend any more then 5 bucks on backdrops at a time.

 

Hey Guys!
-*Mods please delete if needed i checked for related topic, i didnt see one*-
So the biggest problem for me is Background when im taking pictures. I seem to mostly use my hallway... i almost can never find anything else to make the background??? Places in my house just aren't good for taking pictures or photostory's...
But, i was wondering where you take pictures at, or what do you use for your background?
-Anna

 

Things you can use are large sheets of paper (to get a studio effect) or even just a piece of fabric to use as a background.
There's alot of people that build sets and such, printing out 'wallpaper' to put on cardboard etc.

 

I use fabric. Black or Navy velvet is great for absorbing light, and I like fabrics normally used for furnishings to create the look of elaborate wallpaper.
Large sheets of cardboard also work great for cheap plain backgrounds.

 

I usually use the walls of my house wherever there's good lighting @.@ There's different colours on the walls (though most are neutral tones like beige), like the beige mentioned and pink and blue, so they add some difference. Sometimes I will take pictures in front of a couch to change the colour too, if I want a solid colour. And that's for indoor photos.

Outdoors, however, I use everything *-*. Mainly in front of flowers / trees / gardens, and sometimes just in the grass, and sometimes even on the concrete patio in my backyard. All are pretty simple, yet pretty varied backgrounds.
Even going to other places, like parks and other public areas, can give amazing opportunities for beautiful backgrounds. From a simple hallway wall to a concrete wall of an old building to a simple garden, backgrounds vary so much!
One last note, I prefer simpler backgrounds, because when they're too cluttered they take the attention away from who I'm photographing (and to my boy, all eyes OFF him would be horror!)

Hope that helps!~

 

I take artists canvas at Michale's use the coupons or wait until on sale then put fabric on it and use thumbtacks to secure. It's cheap, easy to do and can be changed or get others and make a whole series of backgrounds.

 

A high quality piece of black velvet is your friend. I waited until the nice stuff went on sale at my local JoAnn's and bought a nice large piece. Just be sure to pick up one that seems to suck up the light, a shiny velvet wont work for making those nice jet black backgrounds.

 

I tend to use a colored fabric that contrasts my subject. That's what I follow, unless you're trying to create a certain atmosphere, then you'll need to plan accordingly.

 

I dont really have a place where i can take pictures either. the inside AND outsire of my house is ugly!
so i usually just use the wall as a background. mostly my rooms wall. i printed maaaaaaaaany pictures (mostly BJD) so it makes a bit of ... color

 

I use a variety of backgrounds for different purposes. More about this slightly later...


I'd like to thank shugbugg for starting this thread, though, because I love the basic premise: What do you use for your backgrouds? As opposed to simply, "do you use backgrounds?"
The question in the title presumes that the photographer considers her or his backgrounds when shooting, and I love that! The importance of this is impossible to overstate. Thanks, Anna!


Back to what backgrounds I usually use:

​

• For "studio" backgrounds, I use...

...either a 100x70cm panel of artist's foamboard, the type used for passepartouts, with black cardboard on one side and medium grey on the other. To this, I can attach a variety of "wallpapers".

...or, draped fabric of some colour, texture, transparency etc. that I deem suitable for the shoot at hand.

​

• For in-scale "indoors" scenes, I usually use scale props, such as a 1/3 scale shoji screen bought from Yahoo! Japan.

​

• For outdoors scenes, I use either...

...suitable landscape features that can be made to look in-scale with the dolls

...or, "forced perspective" shoots where I use a VADS to place the doll against the background in such a way as to make it plausible for the eye that the backgound is in-scale with the doll.
Oh, and VADS stands for "Voice Activated Doll Stand", a.k.a. "assistant".

​

I have some other thoughts on how to make backgrounds that I hope to be able to showcase in upcoming shoots ... I'll update this post as and when I try them out!

 

Normal settings ie outdoors and and your home work well but I love making props like couches and what not

 

Mostly walls, floor tiles and carpets when I'm shooting indoors - and naturally props if applicable.
For outdoors - anything goes. It really depends on the size of the doll and the atmosphere I'm going for, but I tend to choose darker settings. I also try to avoid crammed or overly colorful backgrounds (unless I am planning to convert the scene into sepia or B&W) because they steal the attention away from the doll.

 

for indoors, it sort of depends on what i'm doing, if it's a photostory or a proper shoot. walls, bedsheets, blankets/quilt covers, home deco stuffs or whatever props i can find.
my 2 tinies have an entire shelf they call home, complete with furnishings. so if the photostory is on them, i use that shelf sometimes.
for a more studio-like feel backdrop, i use 2 types of satin cloth, one white and another burgandy. white, cause it's easier to photoshop. burgandy, when i want a darker or a more classy feel.

outdoors, it depends on where i am. if it's during a meet at a cafe, then we use anything from the seats, to even the menus. lol
or if it's a natural surounding like a park, then whatever natural setting can be found. i'd prefer something less cluter though.

 

mostly against the wall...or just on the floor or table

 

I love love love black velvet. But lately I've been having too much fun with patterned tissue paper! I clip it to a piece of foamcore and set it about three feet behind the doll and it makes for very cool affects!

velvet -



tissue paper -



And this was the plastic wrap that the new dryer came in! And it's laying on top of the old dryer, falling over the edge!

 

I tend to use stark white foam board taped together to make fake 'walls' around my subject (w/ one for a 'floor' beneath their feet), or display boards like the kind I used to use in high school for science fair projects. I have some large paper on a roll and various fabrics, but I find it irritating looking for things to hang it on or having to adjust fabric underneath my subjects.

 

I'm not a background person, mostly because my photo areas are kinda limited. I just make sure there's nothing going on that could easily be submitted to failblog, or something. Like, if my dolls happen to be near the litterboxes (by chance) I don't want to overlook a cat going to the bathroom behind everyone - which is why it's super important to pay attention to what's behind your subject. (luckily the cat thing never happened!)

 

I usually use random nooks and crannies around the house that look good in scale to my dolls. If none of the areas in the house work for the kind of shot I'm aiming for, I'll throw together some super ghetto set using a length of whatever solid fabric I have laying around, a prop or two (when needed), and a couple pieces of furniture to drape fabric over so the set's a little more 3D.
That wrapping paper idea sounds really clever though. I might give that a try...

 

I am in the process of making backdrops with the tri-fold foam board. There are three sides to the tri-fold so will make 'scenes' with wallpaper, fabric and any embellishments that work. I want a window (possibly basal wood - something really light weight) and my hand dyed silk will be used for the window treatment.

Hoping to come up with a way to make this so I can change each section out with a different scene.

 

My husband and I have been shooting little mini videos that are supposed to be set in a medieval/fantasy world, and we've pretty much been using corners of our apartment for it. I think the same kind of concept would work for dolls, just take a small corner or sectioned off space, drape fabric or whatnot for walls, find whatever props you have that are to scale or fit what you want, and just keep the shots close enough that it looks like the section you're photographing is exactly what you want: a location within a location. I'll have to try it myself once my doll gets home. It'll be fun experimenting though

 

I don't think I have any additional suggestions, but can provide pictures of the various types in action. Brace yourself for picture overload.

My standard is black polyester velvet. It gives a nice, clean black background. However, it also makes your dolls look as though they are suspended in a featureless void, which isn't always what you want. As all my dolls are HUGE, the piece is about 150cm x 150cm. This means I have enough to reach high enough that their heads aren't peeping over the top of it (about 1m) and also enough to cover the floor. I have sewn a "channel" across one end and thread a piece of dowelling through it. I then suspend the dowelling from two chair backs, forming a nice, flat sweep. If you use polyester, the chances are it won't show much creasing. If you have cotton, which has better light absorbent qualities and you don't get irritating little areas of sparkle, you will need to iron it. Yes, you need to invest a good 10 minutes with your backdrop before you hang it as every crease catches the light.



I have used wrapping paper, but found two problems with it. Firstly, the shiny surface reflects the light and looks unconvincing. I have some paper with perfect, in scale books on it that I was going to use for a study set. However, when lit, it lookeed just like what it was; shiny paper with photographs of books on it. So I now use only matt wrapping paper, which is rather pricey.

Second problem is that wrapping paper is too small to use with Big Boys. You could carefully tape two sheets together, but then you will need to hide the join. Or you could just use it for head-and-shoulders shots.

Wrapping paper shot (matt paper, just enough to fill that bit of wall). I stuck it to a big piece of plywood with White Tac. The rest of the wall was covered with random objects that I felt added to the hallucinogenic theme and fitted the overall palette of the shot. That is my kitchen clock and some fabric sunflowers.




Wrapping paper, screwed up and straightened again (sorry for the OT figure. I haven't used this with BJDs yet).



And two A1 sheets of black card taped together. A hole was cut in the card and I printed out a large picture of the moon on plain white paper. I stuck this behind the hole, punched some small holes with a needle, and backlit the lot so that the moon and stars shine.



Another type of backdrop that fits with my theme is loosely-draped cloth. I again suspend that piece of dowelling between two chairs, then I drape the cloth over it and pin it into place. Again, with big dolls, you will need a fair-sized bit of cloth, at least a metre. More if you are covering the floor too.



And it is also a matter of just having a think about what sort of background you want and then using your imagination to find something that will fit. For this set of photos, I wanted the feel of a barren, empty space, perhaps outdoors. And I found these two bits of wood and breezeblock in a skip.



And trying to create an outdoor scene indoors is a right royal pain. I scoured a local forest for bits of bark and twigs and fallen leaves to build this set. I had insects crawling all over the carpets for days. It is placed against the usual matt, black backdrop.

 

Brilliant overview, that! Very helpful, and my shopping list for background materials just expanded a bit...

One way of solving this that empirical testing shows actually works is if you have the wrapping paper glued to foam board or other stiff backing, spraying it with a flat clear overcoat, e.g. Testors Dullcote (MSC being better saved for dolls), will reduce its shininess enough to make it useful as simulated wallpaper.

I doubt however that this will work without the rigid backing, since rolling the paper up again once the spray has dried will in all likelihood cause it to crack and fall off as dust.

 

Madam MauMau: Oohh I love all your examples, but the one with the moon is just brilliant. What an effect you created. Very creative and inspritional, I'd say.

 

! always have that problem too, I'm going to defiantly try the wrapping paper!

 

I have bought some scrapbooking papers in different colors and prints. I took two or four papers together to create a backdrop and used double-coated adhesive tape and put it up on a cardboard. It's better to use tape instead of glue on the paper, glue makes the paper get wrinkles.

 

I'm building backgrounds at the moment. Currently I'm working on floors. So far I've built a black and white scaled tile floor out of foamboard and contact paper. I cut out the black and white squares and stuck them to the foamboard. This is what the floor looks like:



On the opposite side of the tile floor I am currently making a scaled hardwood floor out of black and wood panel contact paper. After that I plan to make nice wall so I won't have to use fabric for the background. Check out Blastmilk's photos for really nice backgrounds she's made:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blastmilk/collections/72157621735334823/

 

I haven't seen any pictures of these in use yet, and they are rather expensive, but there are re-positionable scenes here, for various size dolls to use as backgrounds in pictures!

I mostly have tinies, so I second (or third) the scrapbook paper!

 

Im made a post about creating a spiral staircase as a backdrop. The material is pretty easy to gather, the question is, whether or not you have the patience and time to do it XDD

 

For great photo backdrops, I have purchased a room box or a photo light box with four different colored backdrops. If you need pics of them let me know. But I like having a light box so I always don't have to be chasing after day shots when I work!
Hope that helps!
thanks!
heather

 

I love this thread it's inspiring me Im tempted to get out of bed and go make something any more tips?

 

wow, I've never thought of using wrapping paper, but that's a great idea!!
Thanks a lot

 

This was really cool and helpful, since I take the majority of my photographs indoors! ^ ^

 

Has anyone tried out those pre-printed fabric backdrops? I always thought they looked incredibly cheesy in real-life portraits, but think they might be fun for dolls. In fact, I ran into a good deal for it recently and ordered a few.. Probably won't receive them for a while yet, but really curious whether others have used them with good results.

 

I had a select few of my images printed as 20x30 posters
at Costco. The cost was a reasonable $9/ea. Here is one
of the resulting images.



Tom

 

I'm using a warping paper for smaller dolls (mine's are pullips)

 

I received the fabric backdrops and was fairly happy with them. There's a bit of a learning curve for me on using them. Ran into lots of unexpected challenges such as unexpectedly distorting the backdrop and not realizing it until post processing and not able to pose dolls as easily, but all in all fairly happy with the purchase. It's getting a little addictive though, every time a new idea for a shoot pops up in my head, I think: hey! that particular backdrop would be perfect for it!

Result from first attempt:

All the New Things by norahyah, on Flickr

There are so many things I'm unhappy about with this shot but overall, I think the backdrop experiment was a success.

 

I use dollhouse mniatures free printable from internet and print it out on big A3 papers. It works good for msd. I also make floors this way.

 

Thank you all for these great ideas! I have learned a lot from them.
I love the idea of using wrapping paper

 

This thread is very helpful! I'm especially grateful for MadamMauMau's tips because like her I almost only have big dolls. It gets quite irritating when the only way to get a full body shot without a cluttered background is to bend over your doll and shoot from above...
@MadamMauMau: Your pictures are gorgeous btw!
I've ordered several pieces of foam core, big enough for my huge guys (100*200cm) so hopefully I can take some great pictures soon.

 

MadamMauMau, I love your moon and stars the best, it's beautiful!

^_^; Well, I'm a beginner and I have a few 1/4th sized BJD's.
I recently put a maroon fitted sheet over my love seat/small couch in a photography experiment
I have a black curtain over the window behind my couch, and wood paneled walls.
I edited with the program "Paint" and edited the pictures by "painting" the wood black to go with the curtain.

I liked that my dolls could stand, pose, "walk", sit, and even use the corners of the couch as a backdrop.
Here's a link of the photo-shoot:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?582723-1-4-AOD-Outlaw-Star-Photo-Shoot

I hope this helps someone, but next time, I may use my taller/bigger couch!

 

I use a lot of different ones, but my favorites are Savage Seamless Paper (26" wide). They come in rolls and when it gets dirty, you just cut the dirty part off, it's paper! Comes in all sorts of colors too!
Here's a white one:
http://www.adorama.com/SA26121.html
And a black one:
http://www.adorama.com/SA261220.html

Just tape them on the wall and voila! Instant seamless background!

 

I mostly use printed canvas backdrops from a few companies in Asia, different themes, depending on the need (outfit). They work great and easy to use. But when Tessa came to live with me, I made her a whole room almost 5 feet wide and about 2 feet deep. Walls are made from the foamboard, upholstered with fabric by sticking pins into the sides of the boards, into the foam Window is made from very light wooden shadow box, bought in Michaels store, with printed picture inside and two cross bars (thin planks). Floor is fabric with parquet print. Here is how it looks with furniture and partially decorated walls (more work to be done).


DSC_0486 by iverai, on Flickr

It takes space, but thankfully I had an empty corner. To take photos I use photo box lights with 4 daylight bulbs in it.

 

That wrapping paper idea is ingenious! Thanks! That saves a lot of money since it's cheap and easy to come by!

 

This is so helpful!!!