It sounds odd. Almost every photograph has a foreground, middle-ground and a background. So, why do you need a background - or even a range of backgrounds - when they come free with every photograph?
The simple reason is 'control'. You get to control the environment the subject matter is located in and you get to eliminate stray, distracting elements that would otherwise detract from the subject matter. However, there are a bewildering array of products out there - how do you prevent having a room full of little-used backgrounds, stands and a bag of miscellaneous 'grips'? Money is always tight, and background systems are not cheap. But here's how to avoid the pitfalls.
First - be honest with yourself. What sort of background system do you need and how often will you need it? If you need to lash up a studio in the back room once or twice a year, a well-ironed bedsheet and either some gaffer's tape or clamps will do. On the other hand, if you photograph a steady stream of people or things, you need something more permanent. On the, er, third hand, you might move from location to location and need something consistent, in which case a permanent installation is next to useless.
The next step up from a bedsheet is either a dedicated cloth background, or a seamless roll of background paper from
Colorama. Although white and black seamless papers are available in 1.4m x 11m, most choose 2.8m x 11m rolls, which are available in a huge range of colours, as well as black, white and several shades of grey. Factory-made background cloths - often canvas or muslin - are usually 3m x 6m. Many cloth backgrounds are painted to give a mottled effect and are often washable. Expect to pay around £30 for a 1.4m seamless roll, £50 for a 2.8m roll and anything from £80 to £250 for a background cloth.
The advantage of a seamless background is in the name - it's seamless and makes for a simple, uncluttered background that is always popular (think David Bailey or Richard Avedon). The other side of the coin is this can look very boring, you go through a background surprisingly quickly, and when you think you are rolling out nine square feet of squished tree every time you photograph something, this is hardly environmentally chummy. Cloths offer a more sculpted background, but can go in and out of fashion, and can get dirty and creased.
Both background systems require a method of support. If you are building a permanent studio, go for a pair of Manfrotto MN-059WM background hooks and the MN-046 'EXPAN' background paper holder (Manfrotto also makes hooks to support three or even six backgrounds at once). These will happily support 2.8m backgrounds, because they come supplied on a cardboard core. For core-less background cloths, you need an MN-047-2 aluminium core as well. A semi-permanent system uses the MN-059 supports with little spigots, a pair of MN-035 'Super Clamps' and a pair of MN-032 'Autopole' (akin to builder's acro props), although these are not practical for domestic use, because you end up leaving little black rubber ring marks on the ceiling. For use anywhere, the best scheme is a Manfrotto MN-314B kit (or similar), which includes two lighting stands, a crossbar and clamps in a bag. This is a freestanding option, but you might want to consider sandbagging the stands to prevent the whole, top-heavy caboodle falling over.
More modern systems exist, too.
Lastolite make a range of backgrounds that use the company's innovative collapsible system, first used in its reflectors. Recently, Lastolite's range of dyed collapsible backgrounds (with and without a train) have been joined by the
HiLite and a new collapsible
black velvet version. The HiLite is particularly clever; by having a reflective white vinyl background with a diffused layer, it allows the photographer to pump light into the rear of the HiLite without overpowering the subject. This means the subject can be far closer to the background than usual. The black velvet is also clever, in that it doesn't seem to crease. The two collapsible backgrounds can be supported from a single background stand (Lastolite makes its own
1109 stand with clamps top and bottom, while the HiLite can either be supported by the
Manfrotto 314 kit or even free standing. The only downside with all three Lastolite devices is the collapsible mechanism is a pig to use until you are familiar with it.
If you are going to buy just one background, which one should you buy? Strangely, we'd recommend going for the black velvet background first. Why? Because if you pump a lot of light into a black background, you can turn it grey or even white. You can also put gels on your flash and turn that black background to almost any colour you'd like. You can do the same with the dyed collapsible (we recommend the 'Washington/Dakota' dark and light grey version), but the painted effect will play a part in any images you make.
There's one last feature you'll periodically see discussed - Chromakey. The bright blue and green Chromakey backgrounds are used by video studios to allow the subject matter to be easily superimposed against a different background, allowing journalists to report from a hotel room while displaying the Moscow skyline, for example. This is of little use for most photographers, but the strong green or blue colour does make it easy to make clipping paths of your subject. Few of us cut out or subject matter enough to justify owning a dedicated Chromakey background, though.
