Category Archives: Photography

How to create the ideal Home Studio?

How to create the ideal home studio

At Studiobackdrops.com, we are constantly taking feedback from you to improve our products. We work with a wide array of professional and amateur photographers and try to solve their issues and everyday challenges. One question that is frequently asked is – how to create the perfect home studio?

Photography equipment is a long-term investment that might not explain itself when you are trying to make a purchase. We have consulted several professional photographers who have been working with our products to answer this question.

We want to go step by step and guide you with products that will make sure your home studio fits your needs.

1. Backdrops

Let’s start building our home studio with the most important product – the backdrop. Self-portraits, video, product shoots, food blogs – every kind of creative shoot needs a backdrop that enhances the subject.

At Studiobackdrops.com, there are 3 main categories of backdrops you can choose from. Paper backdrops, Muslin backdrops, and Hand-painted Canvas backdrops. To know which backdrop will suit your personal and professional needs better read here.

Any backdrop you pick can be easily stored and put away for later use. The muslin can be folded and stored in a dust-free area. The paper and canvas backdrops can be rolled up tightly and kept upright if needed.

Tip: To remove wrinkles before or after usage you can use a simple steam iron.

2. Backdrop Stand

A backdrop stand might not be a justified purchase at first glance. But it is good for preserving your backdrops. It also makes the process of shooting photos/videos much easier. In a home studio, you would need a backdrop stand that can be broken down and put away for later use.

The AriesX backdrop stand is made of two tripods and an extension rod. It comes in an easy-to-carry bag that also doubles up as a storage bag. The tripod can be folded to reduce the amount of space it takes. The extension rod can be separated into 3 or 4 parts.

This stand reduces the time and pressure that builds up when you are creating a setup. Once the stand is in place, you can put the backdrop up and create the rest of your set around it.

3. Light Setup

While natural sunlight may seem the best option for clicking images, it is not easy to control. It also requires a lot of modifying and editing later. One of the main benefits of a home studio setup is that you can easily modify the light while you are creating your setup.

To make sure your product is evenly lit you usually need two sources of light – a main and fill (or background and a foreground light). We would recommend the AriesX Quark 400 3 Light Kit or the Muon 600 2 Light Kit.

The AriesX Quark is meant for beginners as it is easy to use, has intuitive programming, and is smaller in size. It is the better option if you are learning about lighting on the go.

The AriesX Muon 600 Light is best suited if you want a workhorse. It delivers the precise power output every single time you click the flash and delivers it for long periods of time.

The difference between the two kits is very small. They come in easy-to-carry travel cases. Both can be stored away very easily in almirahs or lofts.

4. Tripod

One of the biggest problems of creating professional-level photos/videos is the stability of your image. You might need to create a time-lapse or change things around in your set frequently to get the desired result on camera.

However, if you don’t have someone to assist you or to hold the camera in the right place, then a tripod is necessary for a home studio setup. When your frame is stable you can easily make the minor improvements you need to your subject.

Our AriesX Heavy Duty Tripod and AriesX Professional Tripod work with a wide array of cameras and mobiles. (Mobile holder sold separately) It ensures that the quality and consistency of your image are constant.

These are some of the very basic products that will help you achieve the ideal home studio. Each of these products come with their own added benefits. They are easy to work with and will last you for a long time if you do some regular upkeep.

We hope this comprehensive guide will help you make a better choice when it comes to picking the right product. For any more queries, please contact us.

What Backdrops to choose? Paper or Muslin?

Great Backdrops Make your Images Shine

Photographers always tend to see beyond the model when studying images that they like. One thing that always catches their interest is the background of the image. A good backdrop choice must always compliment both the model and the garments. However, the intent of the photographer is always to pick backdrops that don’t stand out to a layman noticing the image.

Depending on the type of photography, whether it is a portrait session, product shoot, or a reel video, different types of backdrops are suited to each. There are two main types of backdrops normally used by photographers, Muslin Backdrops and Seamless Paper Backdrops. Both these types of backdrops have existed for decades and are immensely popular.

Muslin vs. Seamless Paper Backdrops

We stock 3 different brands of Seamless Paper Backdrops, Superior Seamless, Savage, and Trulite. All 3 of them are Made in the USA and are made to be really easy to use and give you consistently good results.

Both Superior Seamless and Savage Seamless Paper Backdrops have a thickness of 145 gsm and are available in 3 different sizes:- 4.5ft x 36ft, 7ft x 36ft, and 9ft x 36.

Trulite Seamless Paper Backdrops have a thickness of 125 gsm but most people can’t even tell the difference between 145gsm and 125gsm. Trulite Seamless Paper Backdrops are available in 4 different sizes:- 4.5ft x 18ft, 7ft x 18ft, 9ft x 18ft & 9ft x 32ft.

We stock over 120 different colors in Seamless Paper Rolls so that you can choose the color that you like and best fits your images. Seamless Paper Rolls are a product all studio photographers swear by, 4.5ft rolls are perfect for on-location portraits, and 7ft rolls are perfect car-sized backdrops.

Muslin Backdrops are made from premium 100% cotton and are dyed to make single color backdrops or textured muslin backdrops. Single Color Muslin backdrops are available in 3 different thicknesses of cotton and 1 wrinkle-resistant variety made from a cotton-poly blend. The 3 thicknesses are 165gsm(Solid), 190gsm(Deluxe), and 210gsm(Canvas). The Textured Muslin Backdrops are created by dyeing and processing them by different techniques. The main types of textured muslin backdrops are Handpainted Mottled, Crush Dyed Mottled, 3D Mottled, Washed Mottled, Solid Mottled, and Reversible Mottled.

Advantages of Muslin Backdrops

Both types of backdrops have a variety of advantages over each other. The primary advantage with muslin backdrops is that they are extremely portable and are hence perfect for on-location shoots and carrying around for those spur-of-the-moment portrait ideas. Muslin backdrops are also very rugged and take a whole lot of abuse before becoming unfit for use. While we don’t recommend washing these backdrops, you can easily spot clean dirt with a sponge and neutral non-abrasive detergent.

Due to the nature of the cotton fabric, it develops natural wrinkles. While a lot of photographers prefer shooting muslin backdrops with these wrinkles as it adds depth to the image, you can easily get rid of them with a steam iron. Alternatively, you can hang them overnight and spray some water on the wrinkles and gravity does the rest. All of our backdrops are made to strict international quality standards and with some tender love and care, they can almost last a lifetime.

Advantages of Paper Backdrops

Seamless paper isn’t as portable as muslin backdrops due to the size of the rolls and the need for a stand, but seamless is the backdrop most photographers use when shooting high-key lighting. The clean, smooth look that seamless paper provides makes it easy to white out a background for that immaculate appearance that is currently all the rage in advertising imagery.

Some clients want a crisp photo background in their commercial portraiture; for this look, seamless paper is the way to go. There’s no need to iron wrinkles as with muslin. When seamless paper gets dirty or creased, you simply tear off the soiled portion and unroll more for a perfectly clean background. If a particular color is needed beyond the basics, Savage’s Widetone paper comes in dozens of shades from Tulip pink to Sky Blue, making seamless a great choice for achieving an exact color. It really just depends on what you’re shooting. Both muslin and seamless paper have their strengths and weaknesses, but either will give great results when used properly. I enjoy using both in order to have the utmost versatility.