Wide backdrops for school group photography

[csedgbeer]

Hi All

Venturing into school photography for my local primary, I'm normally a wedding photographer.

I've got s studio setup which I just use for temporary shoots, just 4 lamps and a 3m wide white cloth drop on a couple of stands which works fine for what I need.

But for the group shots I'm going to need a wider drop as it will need to be say 6-10 children wide (is that a measurement!)

What is "normal" for this kind of setup, I know my existing 3m wide setup wont be enough, or for that matter my stands be up to much more. If you have wider drop do you have a middle stand as well? It's only 6 classes so I dont want to break the bank buying the kit.

Just wondering, have done a lot of group shots before with hundreds of people, but normally at a wedding when i'm hanging out of a window!

Thanks

Chris

 

[MidnightUK]

To give you a visual idea of some set ups:

Combining these 2 seems to take it up to 6m wide and no mention of a centre support, however I doubt you wish to pay this much from what you have said.
£203
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/lastolite-solo-background-support-3m-15334717
plus an extra £48
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/lastolite-solo-heavy-duty-background-support-extension-2m-1533473

This sets doe have a centre stand (6m wide)
£170
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/wexpro-6m-wide-background-support-stand-1529672/#product-tab-overview
£325 (7m wide), this one is 3 point too.
https://luxs.biz/products/luxs-7m-extra-wide-heavy-duty-portable-background-kit?taxon_id=2

However someone I assisted used to use an ordinary backdrop set, combined with the crossbar and one support from a 2nd set and secure them very firmly in the middle. He then used a 10' or 12' by 20' backcloth that had been seemed down the longest side, thus creating a very wide backcloth. This was a successful system and viable, but for his other behaviours which caused it to become a risk: Very wide backdrops can be unwieldy and unstable even indoors where there is no wind, unless adequately secured. It is ultra important to secure them with heavy or multiple sandbags and in addition, if possible, to tie the support stands, particularly the middle one to some stable object. In the past I have tied one to a very securely mounted basket ball hoop already bolted to a wall. Do not secure anything to anything electrical such as light fittings or to anything that shows risk of pulling out of a wall. You really really do not want all this to tip over on to anyone.

If it starts to fall a long backdrop will be near impossible to stop due to weight and length. I express all this caution as I secured said backdrop to the basket ball hoop against the will of the photographer I was assisting. My doing so was the only thing that stopped the backdrop being knocked over and falling on people later in the shoot, as he had not brought any adequate weight bags.

I stopped working with the guy as his safety standards were far short of acceptable.

If secured with thought and care though, I see no reason to have problems indoors with a long run backdrop. Personally I would be hesitant to use one outdoors.

Oh I forgot to say, the setup was for photographing large groups of young dance students.

 

[csedgbeer]

the backdrop will be against a wall with benches for the kids to stand/sit on a few meters in front of it, thanks for that, thats given me some ideas, i've got a 3m wide by 6m cloth, i'll just use the 6m end as the widest part

just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing something obvious about using wide backdrops!