Photography gradient background

[Michael Anderson]

graduated background gently sweeps back from horizontal at the bottom and roughly 45° at the top. The curve is very gradual. I use some pieces of ⅛" Baltic birch plywood and a sheet of Formica to make the support for the graduated background.

Thanks for the tip Bill, that’s helpful. Was struggling to get a proper smooth curve—I hadn’t even thought about supporting the paper. D’oh! I think I also need to diffuse my primary light source more, which I think will help mitigate that horizontal band. Foam board is a good idea as well.

 

[Mike "Ob" Obuchowski]

Hi everyone,

Following the Louisville symposium, I haven’t done a ton of actual turning; however, I have spent a lot of time cleaning, reorganizing, and planning. Planning for ways to get more serious about the craft. One of these ways is to improve my photography setup. I think it was Emiliano A or Bill B that said something along the lines of “your piece is only as good as its photograph”. The more involved I get, the more I realize this is true. So…one of the ways I am trying to improve my photographs is to get a proper gradient background or two. That said, they are expensive. I realize this is an investment, so I’m willing to pay for worthwhile backgrounds, but I’m wondering about this site, and if anyone has purchased through it/them:

Gradient Color Photography Background Gray Black Backdrops For Photo Studio

Do you like Gradient Color Photography Background Gray Black Backdrops For Photo Studio?

www.buy-backdrop.com

The prices seem almost too good to be true; although this usually screams “run away”, that’s not always the case. I like the offerings in larger sizes, but am not sure if the quality is there. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help!

I ordered it...don't waste your time or your money....gonna try to get the creases out.....nothing I can do about the stains.....
Very disappointed!

 

[Tom Gall]

I ordered it...don't waste your time or your money....gonna try to get the creases out.....nothing I can do about the stains.....
Very disappointed!

What the heck is that? Definitely false advertising! I guess for $8 they figure you won't pay to return it. I've got a better looking tarp under my car to catch oil drips.

 

[Bill Blasic]

When ordered from a reputable company they come in a hefty tube and are creaseless. I ordered 2 and they came in separate tubes.

 

[John Dillon]

You're right about those prices. I believe the material is probably different than most offerings. Many years ago a woodturner/photographer recommended a #09 gradient background (dk. gray to white). I still have it. I'm sure they are available from other sources, including Amazon, but here are two links. (Can't believe Photo Tech is the same price as when I bought from them 12 yrs. ago. B&H is a great company - my go-to for most items).

Vinyl Backdrops & PVC Backdrops | White Vinyl Backdrops | B&H

Buy Vinyl & PVC Backgrounds from top brands like Westcott, Savage, Flotone and Lastolite. Visit us for unbelievable prices, selection and service.

www.bhphotovideo.com

PHOTO TECH INC - VARITONE graduated backgrounds 1.800.525.6486

Varitone graduated background panel. Available in 10 vivid colors.

phototechinc.com

Thanks for sharing Tom. Just got mine ordered from BHphoto............

 

[Michael Anderson]

I ordered it...don't waste your time or your money....gonna try to get the creases out.....nothing I can do about the stains.....
Very disappointed!

Thanks for the posting Mike. That thing is abysmal. At least it was only $8 but still. Geez.

 

[john lucas]

The graduated backgrounds from B H photo are dream and worth every penny.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I've ordered graduated backgrounds from both B&H (Flotone) and Photo Tech (Varitone); as far as I can tell, they are identical. The last time that I ordered from Photo Tech, due to a winter storm in Wisconsin, it was drop shipped directly from the manufacturer, Superior Specialty Papers in Chandler, Arizona. It's conceivable, given the similarity, that they also make the Flotone backgrounds sold by B&H and Adorama.

While it's possible to fix scratches in the graduated background with the healing brush in Photoshop, it's less work, in the long run, to avoid creating the scratches (small felt disks or even construction paper serve the purpose just fine).

Don't buy from Phototec. They are the seller I bought from that never shipped my item. Sent multiple emails and never heard from them

Stuff happens. In my limited experience ordering from them, I haven't had any problems. However, being a one-man operation, their response time to email doesn't rival B&H.

 

[Paul May]

Hi everyone,

Following the Louisville symposium, I haven’t done a ton of actual turning; however, I have spent a lot of time cleaning, reorganizing, and planning. Planning for ways to get more serious about the craft. One of these ways is to improve my photography setup. I think it was Emiliano A or Bill B that said something along the lines of “your piece is only as good as its photograph”. The more involved I get, the more I realize this is true. So…one of the ways I am trying to improve my photographs is to get a proper gradient background or two. That said, they are expensive. I realize this is an investment, so I’m willing to pay for worthwhile backgrounds, but I’m wondering about this site, and if anyone has purchased through it/them:

Gradient Color Photography Background Gray Black Backdrops For Photo Studio

Do you like Gradient Color Photography Background Gray Black Backdrops For Photo Studio?

www.buy-backdrop.com

The prices seem almost too good to be true; although this usually screams “run away”, that’s not always the case. I like the offerings in larger sizes, but am not sure if the quality is there. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help!

Hi Michael, I use an ESDDI photography tent kit I bought off of Amazon for less than $30. It has different colored background you can use and has an incorporated LED top light. I added some inexpensive LED sidelights that can be color adjusted. I focus stack my photos so that everything is in focus. It works nicely for what I do.

 

[Nathan Roper]

Thanks for starting this thread Mike and for replying with what you ended up going with. I'm working to ramp up this fall and also recognize the need for much better pictures. Seems like I'm behind on the camera front as well. I really don't want to get into the weeds with camera and lights and all the set up but do want to improve the end product.

I also need a solution that can go up and down without much trouble. I'll probably be doing this on my kitchen island since I don't have a dedicated space it can all stay out.

I think a roll of solid paper is going to be a better option for me over the gradient sheet since I will need to move things around and I have two young boys that I'm sure will want to help.

 

[Lennart Delin]

Thanks for starting this thread Mike and for replying with what you ended up going with. I'm working to ramp up this fall and also recognize the need for much better pictures. Seems like I'm behind on the camera front as well. I really don't want to get into the weeds with camera and lights and all the set up but do want to improve the end product.

I also need a solution that can go up and down without much trouble. I'll probably be doing this on my kitchen island since I don't have a dedicated space it can all stay out.

I think a roll of solid paper is going to be a better option for me over the gradient sheet since I will need to move things around and I have two young boys that I'm sure will want to help.

As I recommended before, IKEA roller blind makes a very nice wrinkleproof background. I painted it a mottled grey. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/fridans-black-out-roller-blind-white-10396944/

 

[Nathan Roper]

I saw you had mentioned that and think its a genius idea. For the effort it would take to go buy one and paint it I think I'll probably end up with a roll of gray paper. If I already had one, or if ikea was a bit more accessible to me, I'd consider going that route.

 

[john lucas]

Seamless photo Paper works well. They come in fairly wide rolls but you can cut the roll to shorter widths with a handsaw.

 

[Michael Ogden]

You're right about those prices. I believe the material is probably different than most offerings. Many years ago a woodturner/photographer recommended a #09 gradient background (dk. gray to white). I still have it. I'm sure they are available from other sources, including Amazon, but here are two links. (Can't believe Photo Tech is the same price as when I bought from them 12 yrs. ago. B&H is a great company - my go-to for most items).

Vinyl Backdrops & PVC Backdrops | White Vinyl Backdrops | B&H

Buy Vinyl & PVC Backgrounds from top brands like Westcott, Savage, Flotone and Lastolite. Visit us for unbelievable prices, selection and service.

www.bhphotovideo.com

PHOTO TECH INC - VARITONE graduated backgrounds 1.800.525.6486

Varitone graduated background panel. Available in 10 vivid colors.

phototechinc.com

I agree with Tom regarding B&H. I've never seen "junk" on their site. I've bought a ton of photographic equipment from them. Never a bobble.

 

[Nathan Roper]

I ended up buying the roll of gray paper off amazon. I took some pictures with that and found my lighting situation was still lacking so I found some chinese soft lights off facebook marketplace and let them sit for another few weeks. I decided to spin up a website over the weekend so it was time for pictures. I cut a section of the paper and used the two light stands to hold it open on the floor. Keeping the lights really close and pointing straight down I took some pictures with a samsung phone that isn't connecting to the cell network anymore. I think the pictures turned out really well. I have a lot of box elder right now and with it being really light wood I felt like the grain was getting washed out so I fiddled with the light settings and some of them turned out better.









Anyway, I got the pictures taken that I needed to and got my meager amount of finished bowls loaded into the website. This is all new to me so I don't know how it'll go from here but its been kind of fun to figure out.

 

[Greg Just]

I purchased a back drop from B&H Photo. Reasonable prices.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Curious, I asked my brother to make me a background for this picture:

Here is the result. He spent maybe 5 minutes on this so it could be better (more gradient, less tabletop). He has Lightroom but did this in Photoshop instead.


I haven't started selling bowls yet so I'm not sure what direction I will go, but I'm thinking the photography route will give the best results.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Curious, I asked my brother to make me a background for this picture:
View attachment 56476
Here is the result. He spent maybe 5 minutes on this so it could be better (more gradient, less tabletop). He has Lightroom but did this in Photoshop instead.
View attachment 56475

I haven't started selling bowls yet so I'm not sure what direction I will go, but I'm thinking the photography route will give the best results.

The backdrop I am familiar with was referred to as a seamless when I purchased a roll about 25 years ago. With the seamless there is no line between the table and the wall.

 

[John K Jordan]

The only way I know to avoid a noticeable line or discontinuity between the flat surface and the back is to use a curved backdrop. I still have commercial gradient and wall-sized backdrops but haven't used them in decades.

For small things like woodturnings I far prefer a piece of mat board from a local framing shop if I don't want to make the drive to the big supplier, thick enough to show no wrinkles and thin enough to bend into a gentle curve. Mat board comes in 1.5 zillion colors and many shades of grey. I don't like to use a gradient backdrop but if I want a gradient I adjust the lighting. I keep several at hand but most of the time choose one of several neutral or nearly neutral shades of light grey. One nice thing about grey will sometimes pick up a bit of color from the wood.

That, and the reflection of the light from the mirror are evident on this quick shot.
Wormy American Chestnut. Lights is from two diffused photo CFLs.


This one asked me nicely for a different type of lighting, and for some distinctive shadows.
If I shot it again I'd tone down the green a tad. Lighting is LED plus incandescent with a diffuser.


I don't always follow the "rule" some have of always banishing conflicting shadows. The is room for many variations. Experiment.

JKJ

 

[Steve Tiedman]

The only way I know to avoid a noticeable line or discontinuity between the flat surface and the back is to use a curved backdrop. I still commercial gradient and wall-sized backdrops but haven't used them in decades.

For small things like woodturnings far prefer a piece of mat board from a local framing shop if I don't want to make the drive to the big supplier, thick enough to show no wrinkles and thin enough to bend into a gentle curve. Mat board t comes in 1.5 zillion colors and many shades of grey. I don't like to use a gradient backdrop but if I want a gradient I adjust the lighting. I keep several at hand but most of the time choose one of several neutral or nearly neutral shades of light grey. One nice thing about grey will sometimes pick up a bit of color from the wood.

That, and the reflection of the light from the mirror are evident on this quick shot.
Wormy American Chestnut. Lights is from two diffused photo CFLs.
View attachment 73207

This one asked me nicely for a different type of lighting, and for some distinctive shadows.
If I shot it again I'd tone down the green a tad. Lighting is LED plus incandescent with a diffuser.
View attachment 73208

I don't always follow the "rule" of some to always banish conflicting shadows. The is room for many variations. Experiment.
JKJ

@John K Jordan , that mat board, is it the the same as used in picture framing, to build up mats around the image? Or is it foam core board? Thanks.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Reading back through these older messages, there was talk about using smaller lens apertures (higher f-stop number) to get full depth focus of your piece as you photograph it. Careful about the lens characteristic of diffraction, which is a gradual softening of the focus as the lens aperture gets smaller and smaller. Personally, on my 1.5x crop factor DSLR, I try to limit my aperture to no smaller than about f/11 because of diffraction. You can't overcome this, it's the nature of the beast. More here-

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-lens-diffraction-in-photography

Lens-wise, on my DSLR, anything from 50mm-100mm is great for what is essentially tabletop still life photography. "Tabletop photography" is probably a good search term to use to learn more about photographing your work.

 

[John K Jordan]

@John K Jordan , that mat board, is it the the same as used in picture framing, to build up mats around the image? Or is it foam core board? Thanks.

It's the same mat board as used in framing. I have a mat cutter and have done a lot of framing so I had plenty of mat board on hand.
It's flexible enough to bend and for small things, can make a great seamless background. I first used a piece of light grey as a backdrop for this little Cocobolo lidded box, clamped to a chair to make the curve, using soft natural light through the windows, (There are 5 windows in my piano room!)



The problem I had was the light changed a lot, sun moving, clouds and all. And was worthless at night!
So I built a 2x2x2' photo cube to better control the light. (Lighting is King!)

A PVC frame holds the mat board so it's flat on the bottom and curved up in the back, somewhat like on the chair.

I used pieces of PVC tubing and fittings to make the frame (press-fit so it can come apart easily).
The thing usually stays on my table saw, but can be taken down or put up in a couple of minutes.
I used safety pins to make folds on the edges of the white cloth to allow the PVC tubes to slide in and hold the cloth sides in position.



The two photo CFL lights on adjustable stands let soft light through the cloth sides. The small LED light on a flexible shaft, sometimes direct, sometimes bounced, can control highlights and shadows, depending on my mood at the moment. I often tape several layers of white tissue to the front of the small light or fasten a photo flash soft box (from Amazon):



Note that if using multiple lights, it really helps if they are all the same color temperature (for most photos.)
And before shooting a photo I turn off ALL the other lights in the room to prevent clashing battles between light colors!
I keep mat boards in a variety of shades, darker or lighter as the mood hits me. I mostly prefer shades of grey, some with subtle tints.

Nearly all of my turning photos I post here and elsewhere are made with this setup, usually with a Canon DSLR on a tripod. (Although cell phone cameras these days can be amazing - I use my Samsung in a pinch.)

Note that you can find photo boxes on Amazon and elsewhere, but none I found suited me.

If someone was interested enough to twist my arm I might be talked into giving more details (when I get time).

JKJ