Cycloramas

[lavenlaar]

Hey all

Im currently in the process of taking my photography to the next level, but am in the need of or quote for a large COVE CYCLORAMA.

Is there anyone that;
a) pre-makes these anywhere around the world
b) can give me a quote in Australia to build

any help will be appreciated.

cheers
Brendan
Torquing Media

[PhotosGuy]

How big do you need it to be? What do you intend to shoot in front of it, & how much depth to the studio do you have?
I've never seen plans for a cyc, & you'll have to repaint the "scuffs" a lot, anyway, so be sure that you really need one.

Paper can just be unrolled a bit more & is cheap. If you start with the wide shots & then move in, it works fairly well. I assume that you've already tried that?
Consider it just another expendable item & include it in your billing. ;)

"Inexpensive" vinyl white cove video: studio setup for a large white background (http://www.prophotolife.com/2008/06/26/quick-video-3-studio-setup-for-a-large-white-background/) - pro photo life

Some non-traditional cheap background suggestions (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=521911)

[lavenlaar]

thanks for the reply

This will be setup in a warehouse studio and be used for vehicle shoots, so was thinking around the 10mx10m (30'x30') not to forget that is the extremities around the outside not the inside of the cove.

Im going to read the links now get a bit more insight.

Cheers
Brendan

[Mark1]

Cyc's are not hard to build. The back can be a regular wall, 2X4's and drywall. The floor 2X4's and plywood. If you are shooting cars you will need to just use the cement floor. The hard part is the cove, the transition from wall to floor. And that is not that hard when you know some tricks. But for the transition it can be plywood cut into shape to support the drywall. You can get a good size cove from it. Just cut out a circle the size you want the cove to be. You can get 8 supports from one sheet of plywood. To make the drywall bend, put it in place then give it a small spray of water. Not constant spray, just take a spray bottle and wet ( NOT SOAK) the surfaces, lay it in place, and let it be. In the mourning it will be a nice transition. When dry just mud the drywall like a regular wall, paint and done. The floor can be covered in many different ways to hide the seams.

An average carpenter can build a cyc without any problem.

I have seen pre-made coves for sale at places like B&H. But they are way way pricey! It can be cheaper to make your own then tear it down when done.

If you are game to do it yourself, PM me for more detailed info.

[Palladium]

see this link

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwizard/wkshps/photo/cyc/cyc.html

[Palladium]

here's a time lapse video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQ1l2Quy0o

here's another video from a kit (This is a Pro Cyc System 4QS and it is being built within a larger cyclorama that is a Pro Cyc System 5)
http://www.procyc.com/product.php?intID=8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJsDmyqI2Yk&feature=related

[Mark1]

see this link

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwizard/wkshps/photo/cyc/cyc.html


Exelent link....but talk about over built!

[PhotosGuy]

but talk about over built! Sometimes we'd paint ours several times a day, so keep in mind the weight of 500 coats of paint. ;) This will be setup in a warehouse studio and be used for vehicle shoots, so was thinking around the 10mx10m (30'x30') You're going to need the vehicle some distance from the cyc for lighting, so that would be good for 1 car. Check out the studio here:
http://www.1880studios.com/

[lavenlaar]

@ Photoguy - maybe just a dumb no-related question, but what is used to manouvere the cars without scuffing the base boards ? Or do you just go very slowly & carefully?

[Mark1]

http://www.tirebooties.com/ or something like it.

[Karl Johnston]

http://www.youtube.com/user/shirtlessapprentice

good video channel to subscribe to
video 21 is about c-ramas

[PhotosGuy]

@ Photoguy - maybe just a dumb no-related question, but what is used to manouvere the cars without scuffing the base boards ? Or do you just go very slowly & carefully? I'm not sure what you mean by "scuffing the base boards"? The cove? We never got close to it as some of our studios were so long that we could unload a transporter inside for security cars. Once the car was in place, we'd use a roller to touch up the paint on the floor.

[Mark1]

I think he means "scuffing" as simply tire tracks from getting the car in place. Your answer covered the question.

[lavenlaar]

ok thanks for all of that guys ..

I went looking at properties yesterday, 1 had great exposure at a floor space of 320sqm and another had 340sqm...
Situation : 320sqm is $50k / yr rent + taxes and 340sqm is $30k + taxes.
Problem: 320sqm would require less advertising as along a main road and has access to 5 car dealerships right next door ! The 340 being cheaper & larger floor space option is in the middle of medium industrial. Therefore spending more on advertising to get potential clients to me ! But it's cheaper to start out with ...

Also - what would be the minimum size for a vehicle cyc ? I was originally looking at 12m x 12m (144sqm) but that will not leave me enough room for what my intentions were going to be .. could i possibly scale it down to say 10m wide x 8m deep or is that too shallow ?

Cheers

[TheeGreatPumpkin]

http://www.bastiansolutions.com/blog/index.php/category/infinity-wall-studio/

Here is a link to a studio that I just built. Ours is 27'x27'x19' high. It too went into an existing warehouse. We went with Pro Cyc out of Oregon, the 3 series I believe. The system worked very well and came with complete instructions on how to build the walls and everything. Took two guys about a week to get the base wall up, and we are still painting coats of white on it. Check back soon as I will be adding information about lighting and additional pictures of the completed studio.

We have not put a car inside as of yet.. but I would say that our space is really pushing it. For the proper effect of the cyc wall to take place, you need to be about 10ft from each wall. The wall needs to be as evenly lit as possible and the product needs to be lit separately. I would say, build bigger than what you need, but with the system from pro cyc (http://www.procyc.com/home.php), you can add pieces later.

[PhotosGuy]

could i possibly scale it down to say 10m wide x 8m deep or is that too shallow ? IMO, bigger is always better. You might want to do small set-ups for other jobs around the edges while you're setting up a car.
I assume that there are no studios in the area that you could rent as opposed to cracking that $50,000 a year nut? You need at least one $1,000 job a week & still won't be breaking even, just covering one expense. Thought about the astronomical utilities bill you will have?
Maybe you could rent to other photogs? Here is a link to a studio that I just built. It looks good. Where are you located?