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Using seamless backdrop as bounce


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Have you used a seamless backdrop as a bounce? I am thinking about using a 5x7 seamless backdrop as a bounce instead of a 4x4 diffusion frame since the seamless is bigger and should yield a softer light than a 4x4.

 

Have any of you tried using a seamless backdrop as a bounce? I'm not sure how reflective a seamless backdrop can be. Just throwing this out there before testing it out on a job. Any input will be greatly appreciated!

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5x7 is bigger and softer. white bounce is white bounce. the bounce return will be a little harsher than beadboard but softer than foamcore, because the seamless paper has a shiny texture to it. you may also want to meter the opposite side to find out a relative transmission rate. (subtract the light going through the paper from the light hitting it, and measure the bounce.) totally unscientific, but it works.

 

for fun you might try color paper for color bounces

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Thank you all for the reassurance! We have a collapsable seamless backdrop: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/541110-REG/Impact_BGC_BW_57_Collapsible_Background_5.html I'm not using paper, but that's a great idea Robert. It's a cheap way to get a cool or warm bounce.

 

I have to transport gear around NYC. Part of my reasoning is that it will be much easier to transport a collapsable seamless than a 5x7 piece of foamcore.

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I'm sure up in NYC you can probably get fabrics cut to size for super cheap. Just put some Grometts in them yourself and you'll have a travel collapsable fabric bounce kit... of course... be wary of how much heat you throw into the fabrics.

I used to this that in Phila, hit up fabric row, grab some like light rose tinted fabric and bounce a light into it to get a warmth-- a kin to using a cosmetic gel pack but softer. Size becomes an issue; of course; but can work well

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Seamless paper?? Highly impractical; it will rip in no time. Just get your hands on some bleached muslin. A 12'x12' piece folds up to almost nothing.

I remember once putting grommets in a 20'x20' shower curtain. My "professional opinion" is that by the time you've bought the grommet kit, set up the work station, hammered the thing out for an hour, and bashed a couple of fingers, you could have just rented one that was made in a factory.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Seamless paper?? Highly impractical; it will rip in no time. Just get your hands on some bleached muslin. A 12'x12' piece folds up to almost nothing.

I remember once putting grommets in a 20'x20' shower curtain. My "professional opinion" is that by the time you've bought the grommet kit, set up the work station, hammered the thing out for an hour, and bashed a couple of fingers, you could have just rented one that was made in a factory.

Where's the best place to buy muslin in LA?

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