I'm not fond of typical backgrounds in portrait photography. I've always just used whatever my surroundings provided or placed the model in front of whatever I felt like.
Now I've been hired for a more formal situation -- a Father/Daughter dance!!!! If you asked me if I'd be doing this 20 years ago ...
Anyway, I have a friend in the portrait sales biz and she offered to set up a rental or borrow of some different backgrounds, but I'd like to have something just in case this sort of thing happens more than once (God forbid ;).
Any recommendations for getting started with (non-cheesy) backgrounds and stands that are somewhat portable / collapsible?
I just ran into someone doing as location shoot -- she had two inexpensive light stands (I plan to use my microphone stands) with a cross-beam of conduit with holes drilled in it (you could use PVC pipe too). She then used some cheap clamps (I got some 2/$1 at the "dollar store") to hang a big piece of velvet. It is possible that the velvet will be the most expensive component ... a light-medium blue is pretty common if you're only going to get one piece to start.
I just ran into someone doing as location shoot -- she had two inexpensive light stands (I plan to use my microphone stands) with a cross-beam of conduit with holes drilled in it (you could use PVC pipe too). She then used some cheap clamps (I got some 2/$1 at the "dollar store") to hang a big piece of velvet. It is possible that the velvet will be the most expensive component ... a light-medium blue is pretty common if you're only going to get one piece to start.
Velvet is massively expensive... And not very wide.
If you're getting a backdrop, if say invest in one that's big enough to do full length shots as well as portraits. Especially for a dance, many times people want the full length to slow of the dresses. And for little ones, it's cute showing the size difference between dad's and girls.
Also be a little careful, you don't want anything to flimsy, because school shoots they're not exactly treading carefully. The heavier stands are, well, heavier, but you don't have people knocking/pulling things down as easily. Better to do it right than skimp and regret.
While it is tempting to go the "cheap" route and jerryrig something together, I strongly suggest you either continue to borrow the backdrops, or spend a little money and get a stable bg system stand. The "simplest" way to get what you want is to visit a fabric store and get 2-3 yards of cloth. Resist getting the super cheap muslin (in whatever color) because it looks like crap unless you iron it. It gets dirty really easily so it needs to constantly be laundered. To hang the backdrops, you can either sew in a pocket across the top for the rod, or you can get a set of shower curtain hooks with little clamps on them (easier than making a series of holes in the cloth).
You can also look into paper backdrops. They come in a ton of colors, and you just keep rolling it out when it gets dirty/torn. This can get expensive, but it also comes in a rainbow of colors.
Unless you're going for a reflective look, whatever material you choose should be matte.
Finally, you need to decide what size you want. If you're just doing headshots, you can get away with a pretty small background. But if you're shooting full body of anyone taller than 5 feet, and they spread their arms for a pose, their arms will extend past your background, especially if you have them standing 2-3 feet from the bg to avoid shadows. You also have to decide how tall you want to have it, remembering that when you step back from the subject, the height of the backdrop will be lower, ending up behind their head.
