What to do when your tired of switching stuff around in your studio.

[Fabian9931]

Well, my studio is my basement. I got tired really quick of switching backdrops. I use savage 9 foot wide seamless paper as my back drops. The other day I was taking some shots of myself with a black background and I wanted to switch over to chroma green. I was actually debating on calling it a day because i know it would take me alittle less then 10 min to exchange to a different backgroung. It goes like this, put camera down. Roll paper up. Clamp sides and tape middle so it won't unroll. Lower one side of the stand (I'm a one man team), go to the other side and lower that side. Raise background paper and place it on the floor. Open the long cardboard cylinder. Pull different color background out. Remove plastic sleeve. Remove center support bar from background you just took down. Place center support bar in the new background paper. Grab the background paper, lift and place on stand. After fighting for a min or two because its 9 feet long and you have to get the little stick in the hole while your 4 feet away and every inch you move, moves the end about 5 inches. So after you get it on the stand, you raise one side of the stand, raise the other then cut the tape and unroll and clamp. Pick up camera and now your ready.

This is alot of work, maybe for some of you it's not, but for me it is. I wanted to find a way to have my 3 backdrop papers up without having to store it every time I don't use it. This way all I do is roll it up and roll it down. Instead of going to the store and purchasing a 200 dollar or more kit. I kinda made my own.

Being that I have it in my basement and my beams are there for support, I decide to do the following.

I went to the last open area where my joists are right at the wall. Below is one side, and the next pic after that is the opposite side.





I wanted to mount 3 backdrops on this open area. After starring at this for about 15 min, I came across an idea that would work. I grabbed 3 10 foot pine circular rods. Here is the pic below of the rods and 2 of my backdrop paper



Grab 2x4 wood and cut to fit snug between the joist. Then 4 screws, 2 on each side. On a 45 degree. 3 Holes down the top side of the 2x4 evenly.





Then at lowes I purchased these hooks that are threaded and come with a nut, a big washer and 2 inch rings. 6 of each.



With my 2x4 and the screws ready. I screwed it to the joist. Stuck the hook and threaded the nut with the washer. Then the rings on the hooks like below.

one side


other side

[Fabian9931]

Then did the same on the opposite side with the other 2x4 piece. Same with the hooks, rings and washers. Make sure you measure correct so the 10 foot bar will reach no problem.

After that I just tested a wooden rod like below



Then removed the rod and placed all 3 wooden rods in the backdrops. One wood rod per roll of paper.

Then simply installed the paper with the rods on the rings and bingo! see below

before


after




The best thing about this is obviously saving the money by doing it yourself, backdrops are all up and ready. But also my backdrops are closer to the wall. giving me an extra feet. Meaning my subject will be a foot further away from the background if needed to be. The reason why is because my stand wouldnt let me put my background flush against the wall because of the tripod legs. The legs pushed out the center rod about a foot away. Also if needed that you didnt measure correctly, you can level the backdrop yourself with the threaded nut. Raise one side or lower it. YEAH BABY! No stands, I can either sell my backdrop stand kit, or keep the stands for future strobe/speedlight purchases.

[Fabian9931]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post this thread, if not please have the mods move it to the correct location, thanks! And by the way. I should have black first right? This way when white is blown out or green is on. its that much further away for subject spilling. or no?

[jeromego]

just curious, how do you roll them back up?

[Fabian9931]

Originally Posted by jeromego

just curious, how do you roll them back up?

With my hand on the center. Roll, move to the sides and clamp.

[picturecrazy]

Originally Posted by Fabian9931

With my hand on the center. Roll, move to the sides and clamp.

My friend's dad attached a cheap electric screwdriver to the roll and wired them to switches. Works like a charm and easier than reaching up.

[FlashZebra]

use 3/4" electrical conduit - available in 10 foot lengths for a very accommodating price. Likely a lot less expensive that long "pine circular rods" (and lighter weight).

Enjoy! Lon

[Fabian9931]

Originally Posted by FlashZebra

use 3/4" electrical conduit - available in 10 foot lengths for a very accommodating price. Likely a lot less expensive that long "pine circular rods" (and lighter weight).

Enjoy! Lon

Are you talking about steel electrical conduit? because the grey pvc will just bend and crack. The steel conduit weighs alot more then the wooden rods. The wooden rods weighs about as much as wooden broom handle without the brush part.

[Benji]

See this site http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/pro...CleanList=true

Scroll down to product 045 which is a steel bracket that holds three paper backgrounds at the same time (045-6 holds six of them. ) To raise and lower the paper rolls see product 046. These devices slip inside the cardboard tube that your paper is wrapped around. You pull the chain to raise or lower the backgrounds. The chains come in different colors so I put a black chain on my black paper, a red one on my red paper etc. Simple quick and easy.

Benji

[Fabian9931]

Originally Posted by Benji

See this site http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/pro...CleanList=true

Scroll down to product 045 which is a steel bracket that holds three paper backgrounds at the same time (045-6 holds six of them. ) To raise and lower the paper rolls see product 046. These devices slip inside the cardboard tube that your paper is wrapped around. You pull the chain to raise or lower the backgrounds. The chains come in different colors so I put a black chain on my black paper, a red one on my red paper etc. Simple quick and easy.

Benji

Nice benji, thanks for the reply, but for me the bracket that holds 3 paper wouldnt work for me because I am limited with height being that i am in my basement and i dont have 8 ft ceilings. so having it set up one behind the other instead of on top of each other, it gives me another 5 inches or 12 inches depending on how you view it. but thanks for the link.

[FlashZebra]

Originally Posted by Fabian9931

Are you talking about steel electrical conduit? because the grey pvc will just bend and crack. The steel conduit weighs alot more then the wooden rods. The wooden rods weighs about as much as wooden broom handle without the brush part.

Yes, the 3/4 inch thin walled steel electrical conduit.

Weigh them. I think you will find the steel conduit is lighter (very thin wall).

A 1.75 inch diameter (guessing diameter from the images), 10 foot long, wooden rod weighs significantly more that a 0.75 diameter, 5 foot long wooden rod (about the dimensions of a broom handle).

By my very rough calculation the 10 foot wooden rod would weigh about 8 times more than a wooden broom handle (assuming the broom handle is made out of a wood a bit more dense than pine).

Enjoy! Lon

[Fabian9931]

Originally Posted by FlashZebra

Yes, the steel electrical conduit.

Weigh them. I think you will find the steel conduit is lighter.

Enjoy! Lon

no possible way, according to specs, 10' electrical conduit weighs at 42.5 lbs at 100'. so if you do the math that makes it 4.25 lbs per 10'. The wooden rod is no where near that amount , But the conduit is much stronger of course.

[butugly]

Thanks for the post its given me some good ideas for when I finish building my studio,
maybe the site should have a "Money saving ideas" area.

[Fabian9931]

Originally Posted by FlashZebra

Yes, the 3/4 inch thin walled steel electrical conduit.

Weigh them. I think you will find the steel conduit is lighter (very thin wall).

A 1.75 inch diameter (guessing diameter from the images) , 10 foot long, wooden rod weighs significantly more that a 0.75 diameter, 5 foot long wooden rod (about the dimensions of a broom handle).

Enjoy! Lon

we might be talking about 2 different conduits.

[TMR Design]

Hey Fabian,

My studio has a ceiling height limitation as well and although I'm using autopoles I've done something similar to what you're doing.

The bogen bracket and other background support systems are nice but they have the rolls of seamless stacked one on top of another and that makes the bottom (even the middle one) too low for a good deal of shooting.

My 9' wide seamless hangs horizontally as well with Super White closest to the wall to give me maximum subject to background distance for when I'm lighting pure white backgrounds and this helps me eliminate wrap and unwanted return to the subject area. In front of the white is Super Black and then the most forward holds Thunder Gray.

I then have a secondary 53" wide shooting location that I use for sitting portraiture, head shots, etc. and in that location I have Super Black, Chroma Green and a spare rod I use to hang pieces of fabric and interesting backdrops.

I've chosen to use 3/4" gas pipe for my horizontal cross rods and I use the end caps so that the rod can't wiggle it's way out of either side and come crashing down. The gas pipe is incredibly strong. It doesn't bow or flex at all. The 1/2" gas pipe is used in the 53" shooting area and it also does not bend or budge.