Grey muslin background

joel222

joel222

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Lee
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I'm going to buy a grey muslin background. I would like to know wether you are supposed to light it or not in general portraiture. I'm assuming if any light, it would not be over exposed like a white one as that would make it pointless to use grey. So what about the creases, do they show up much?
 
I use recently got a mid grey vinyl background. I haven't lit it directly but tend to vary how close the subject is to the background to allow more or less light to fall on it under but I do intend experimenting with gels and lighting it separately for effect. I think creases will be a problem to be honest.
 
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Well, if you have enough lighting power you can light it to be white, no problem.
Or you can leave it unlit, in which case it can end up anywhere between slightly darker than reality and almost black.
Or you can light bits of it, with or without gels. And yes, the creases will show, badly, unless it's lit to pure white, and especially if you light it from oblique angles.

Paper is more expensive and less portable than muslin, but it does avoid the crease problem.
 
You can eliminate creases by increasing subject distance and using shallow depth of field too.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. If I was to buy a roll of paper would I have to cut the piece of that I use every time or roll it back up as long as it's not damaged. I would also like to buy some gels. Would you recommend the paper over the muslin for image quality?
 
I prefer muslin in 10' x 20'. You can also get a hand held steamer to "iron" it while hanging prior to use.
 
joel222 said:
Thanks for the quick replies. If I was to buy a roll of paper would I have to cut the piece of that I use every time or roll it back up as long as it's not damaged. I would also like to buy some gels. Would you recommend the paper over the muslin for image quality?
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Roll the paper back up when not in use. It shouldn't get damaged if it's just the background (no one is walking on it). Canvas is also an alternative, but paper makes most sense to me (for grey).
 
Personal preference but cant stand muslin! The creases just annoy the hell out of me plus you cant iron it!
paper roll all day long! just make sure you measure the height so you dont end up with a massive roll you cant store anywhere.
 
I've gone completely the other way with cloth backgrounds I store them scrunched up in stuff sacks and as long as they are well out of focus it isn't an issue - or light at a very oblique angle (still out of focus) for a mottled look. In some cases I've even had them completely in focus as I found it enhanced the image I was aiming for. The worst thing is of course the dreaded 'regular' folding crease which does indeed look terrible.

Paul
 
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