365-16 Presenting the (fairly) portable backdrop

I've been hunting for a cheap and portable way to make my own backdrop. Then the other day, I ran across this guy's design.

I did make some modifications to his plans:

1. My crossbars are 60", not 54"

2. At the bottom, instead of elbows, I used T-sections. The bottom of the T-section will go into a base that I've not built yet that will allow me to set this up without leaning against a wall or corner. The base consists of two more T-sections, two 2-foot sections for each end of the T and a 3-inch section for each to connect the frame's T-section to the other one.

3. He suggests using flat sheets, but trying to put on on this frame by yourself is difficult at best, especially if you're taking it into the field. So, I'm going to use queen-sized fitted sheets, which _just_ make it over the corners. Then, I'll use the binder clips to pull it taut (or make it wavy--both are options.) This will require making holes in the corners in one end of the sheet to fit over the T-sections into the base.

4. I'm not doing this, but another option would be to use much longer sections for the crossbars, then turn the whole thing sideways for a much wider frame. I may do that down the line if I get space for a studio. This is a spare bedroom that isn't quite big enough to handle it right now.

5. I will likely paint the whole thing black eventually.

As the original person noted, you'll need either a hacksaw or PVC cutter to cut the pieces. Lowes sells it as 5' or 10' pieces, while Home Depot sells it only at 10'. I got lucky and convinced a guy at Home Depot to cut it for me, but it appears they normally wont do that.

After I get the kinks ironed out, I'm going to cement certain sections so I don't have to put the entire thing together from scratch if I take it someplace.

Total cost for frame was less than $20, including my modifications. I'm going to Goodwill to see what sort of sheets they have, but I'll likely have to buy a black and a white fitted sheet, at least.

However, a set may work better if you intend to do full-length shoots. As you can see, the frame won't work as well if you're shooting that way. However, if you buy a set of sheets, the flat sheet could go on the floor under the frame.

Last issue: transportation. I cannot immediately think of a bag large enough to fit all this. It has to handle slightly larger than 5 feet poles, which is far more than the softball bat bag I use for my lights and stands can handle. If I need to, I could cut the 60" pieces in half and use T-connectors to put them back together, but that only gets me down to 42" min length. Any suggestions?

Taken on: December 9, 2008

Tags:

365days

portable backdrop

sheets

DIY

cheap

I mean cheeeeeeap

strobist

580ex bounced off ceiling

1/60 at f/4

ugly

but I was in a hurry

Tokina 12-24mm f/4 « less

Sets appears in: • Most interesting • 365

Groups appears in: • Strobist.com • 365 Days

Stats: 5,567 views / 3 comments

close tools panel

Badge creator

Use Flickriver Badge Creator to create a badge linking to your photos, your group or any other Flickriver view.

You can place your badge on your Flickr profile, Blog or Website.

Add to your iGoogle or Netvibes page

Flickriver widget for iGoogle or Netvibes can display almost any Flickriver view - most interesting today, by user, by group, by tag etc. Once added to your personalized homepage, just edit widget settings to select your desired view.

Clickr on one of the buttons below to install:

Embed on your Web site

To embed this view, Copy and Paste the following HTML code:

Black background (preview):

White background (preview):

Firefox and Chrome addons

Adds a 'Flickriver' button to your browser. While viewing any Flickr photos page, click on this button to open the same view on Flickriver.

Install in Firefox
Install in Chrome

Search plugin

Add 'Search on Flickriver' to your browser's search box. Works with Firefox and Internet Explorer. Install search plugin

"View on Flickriver" Greasemonkey script

A Greasemonkey script that adds Flickriver links to various Flickr photo pages - user photos, favorites, pools etc, allowing to quickly open the corresponding Flickriver view.

Also, allows quickly viewing any Flickr photo on black background in large size.

Install "View on Flickriver" script

Bookmarklet

While viewing any Flickr photos page, click on the bookmarklet to open the same view on Flickriver.

To install: drag and drop the following link to your Bookmarks toolbar.
IE users - add the link to your Favorites under the Links folder