what colour of backdrop?

[djlb]

hi all,

when doing portrait photography how does one decide upon the colour of backdrop to use with a particular subject?

[RobertCummings]

Styling and lighting an image are part of what makes you a professional photographer. Each backround will change as you add or subtract light from it and choosing a pleasant backround that fits the mood of the image is a subjective decision. There are no rules. Just don't have your subjects select it (that's why you get the big bucks) (then they don't need you except as someone to push the button) ( you also don't want to match their clothing - it's impossible)The experimenting is fun. Maybe start with a black curtain and a white cyclorama. I use a large piece of linoleum hung on the wall backwards streaming onto the floor and painted white. Cheap and durable. It is lit from above with two strobes hitting the ceiling and exposing the wall at the same f-stop as the subjects. We repaint it once a month and keep a rug on it to keep it clean when I drop another backround down or use the black curtain. I have gels for my backround light and use them to change colors of the cyc and several other painted canvas drops. Fuguring out a style that suits you and that your customers will ask for is hard but very enjoyable. Every few years, I seem to get tired of whatever I've been doing and throw everything out and start over with new backrounds and different ligh placements. My fear is getting to predictable (static).
thngs are gettin' better. http://www.robertcummings.com

[djlb]

Thanks Robert,

When i started looking at portrait lighting, background etc I thought it was quite straight forward. i now realise i couldn't have been more wrong, and the reason it looks simple is because those that i have observed make it look easy! there is alot to learn...and like u mention, pushing the shutter button is the simple part. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Ron]

I look at what they are wearing and work with backgrounds with tones that will blend.
I try to stay away from just painted or paper backgrounds as much as possible because I like more of a homey or "location look" rather than a canvas studio background look. I also select backgrounds not only by color of what they are wearing but also the style. If they are conservative, in classic clothing styles, I select backgrounds that have this look, if they are more radical, trendy, then I try to select backgrounds that work well with this look. If they are bright, I select bright colors, if they are dark, I tend to lean that way. Main rule, you don't want to select a background that clashes with the subject (and or) their clothing.