Backdrop Stand Recommendations & Considerations [Photography]

In my photography hobby days I went to great lengths to attempt to use backdrops without using a backdrop stand.

I would drape a sheet over the back of the couch or staple/tape blankets to the wall..

All of this, becuase I was unaware of how cheap and easy a backdrop stand is to buy and use!

What do I use?

I use a stand from Cowboy Studio which is very versatile.

You can see the Cowboy Studio backdrop stand here.

9114 System (20′)

Height is adjustable from 2′ 7.5″ – 10′

Max width is 20 ft, minimum width is 6 ft, you can adjust from 6 ft, 10ft, 20ft

Cross bar consists of eight sections, making it simple to adjust the width

46.5″ long when closed

Crossbar has max width of 21’ 7” if using all 6 poles

How this works is this:

For $130 (the most expensive option of the ones discussed in this article, cheaper alternatives listed below) you get: 3 tripods (essentially that’s what they are), 6 poles that are each a few feet long, and 2 carrying bags. You use one tripod on each end and the third tripod can be used in the center for additional support.

The poles interlock with one another so that you can choose your width. The drawback is that the minimum width is 6 feet, which doesn’t sound too big but it can be when you take into account the tripod legs add additional width to it, making it require more like 8-9′ of space, minimum.

(Side note to anyone who is struggling with the minimum width – I found a way around this ;). The set comes with 6 poles, one of which has a hole to be used with the 3rd tripod in the center. If you use the pole with a hole, you can use an end tripod in the hole instead of in the center, and cut a few feet off the width).

I chose the backdrop set I did because it’s the most versatile and if I need to do a large group I can go up to 20′ without having to buy another set later.

Please keep in mind with this backdrop stand that there is a pole designed to go in the center when it’s at the maximum height. For this reason (combined with the fact it can’t likely hold a ton of weight) it’s not ideal for storing/carrying rolls around the pole. If I am using a roll, I leave the roll end on the ground and clamp the loose end to the pole :). Works perfect.

The stand with all 3 tripods in use + all 6 poles.

If you want to cut some expense out, you can get just the 10 ft stand for $86 or the 12 ft stand for $9 more!

If this is still sounding too expensive for you here is a much cheaper and very versatile backdrop stand. While the above stand is extremely easy to travel with (fits in one “golf bag” sized bag), this stand is a little more versatile in that it has more width options and can go down to 5′ instead of 6. For $40 you can avoid duck tape goo on your walls and obnoxious shadowing on your backgrounds!
I went through so much peril attempting to use makeshift backdrop stands that if I had but known, I would have just bought the dang stand years ago, haha.
Oh well, live and learn.

I’d like to just note real quick here that there are 500 million other stands out there.. this is just what I’m familiar with!

Now if you need help figuring out what to buy to start with off-camera flash, give this article What Equipment You Need For Off Camera Flash Photography [With Links] a gander!

If you have any questions or other recommendations, such as what you use and why you like it, post in the comments!

-Christine
Duluth Family Photographer

Digital Backdrops

What is one great way to ruin a photo?  A wrinkled backdrop!  I recently did a session.. I had planned to use a non-wrinkled white backdrop but had to swap at the last minute.. it looked okay at a glance but when I pulled up my photos I quickly realized how wrinkled it really was.
When you have a wrinkled backdrop there are only a few things you can do: You can keep it wrinkled You can edit the wrinkles out (what most people do) You can use a digital backdrop I haven’t had much luck with digital backdrops in the past.  I feel they often times look very fake and cheesy.  However if you search long enough you can find ones that look more natural.  So much faster than editing the wrinkles out!  I will post a sample of my before and after photo using the straight out of camera image (I did edit a flyaway hair but everything else is unedited) and then the edited version with a digital backdrop, starting with the unedited.

^This is the original, unedited version.. notice the no good, wrinkley backdrop and how distracting it is.
^This is the edited version, used with a digital backdrop.  I could edit wrinkles out by hand but this method saved me a lot of time! If you would like to use a different, digital backdrop but don’t know how to do it I have a tutorial for changing backgrounds/doing face swaps here.

-Christine Ann Duluth Photographer {Website} {Facebook}