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Photographic backgrounds come in many types and sizes. For a new photographer the different types can be daunting. In this article I’ll walk you through the main points you should know before buying.

Cost
First off, how much do these cost? Prices vary depending on the size and type of background, but if you’re a savvy shopper you can usually find amazing deals on backgrounds on eBay. There are lots of backgrounds to choose from there. I’ll try to give you a typical retail cost with each type.

Sizes
Backgrounds are available as small as just a few feet across to the more group friendly 12×24 foot sizes. If you plan to do head shots only, you can get away with a smaller 5×8 foot background. For full body shots, you’ll want the extra length that a 20 foot long background provides as the subject will be standing on the background. My advice here to is get the biggest background your budget will allow. You never know when you’ll want the extra size.

Muslin
Muslin is a type of cotton similar to what bed sheets are made of. It’s lightweight and usually washable depending on the dye used. Muslins are a staple of studio portrait photographers. A 10×24 foot muslin will run you about $70 at Adorama. They come in three varieties:

• Solid color - Just as the name implies, these are one consistent color.
• Tie dyed - Again, as the name implies, these are tie dyed to produce a mottled and marbled appearance. These are probably the most common.
• Painted - These specialty muslins can have all kinds of scenes painted on them by hand. You’ll pay quite a premium for this.

Seamless Paper
These are big rolls of paper in various colors. These are especially great for doing high key portraits with white paper. You have no wrinkles to worry about so the background is nice and clean. When the paper gets scuffed up from people standing on it, you simple tear some away and unroll a little more. My local camera store here in Austin sells 10 foot wide rolls for about $35. I haven’t found a source for these large rolls online due to shipping issues.

Canvas
Like muslin, but tougher and heavier. They also have the added price tag to match. You can usually add at least $100 to the muslin price. Unless you’re a pro, you probably don’t need a canvas background.

Velour and Velvet
These types of backgrounds are usually used for low key, black background photos. The big advantage to these types of fabric is that they don’t reflect the light of the strobes very well. They soak it up. Without that reflective surface, you can’t see the background, even when it’s very close to the subject. This means you’ll get a true black background. The downside is that they are expensive at about $110 for a 6×7 foot background. If you’re looking to do a low key shot and have the space, putting a little distance between your subject and a black muslin or paper background is a good alternative.

Chroma Key Green or Blue
You’ve seen these before, this is the blue or green screen like they use to make movies. A chroma key background is a solid green or blue that is vivid and not likely to be found in clothing. This way the color can be stripped out of the photo in a photo manipulation program and replaced with another background.
While you won’t see many pro’s using these, if you’re a hobbiest on a budget, getting one chroma key background and a CD full of digital backgrounds can be an acceptable alternative to having a room full of expensive backgrounds. You can get these in muslin and they cost the same. If you like doing home videos, this can be a great way to do green screen effects there too.

So there you have it, all about backgrounds. If you noticed something I missed, hit me up in the Sublime Light forums.