I love to save a buck, so much so that I’d roll around naked in a bed of cash if it wasn’t such a disturbing cliché. So whenever a bargain or DIY situation comes my way, I’ll usually try it. This is very true for photography equipment, which can empty my wallet almost as fast as my wife.
A case in point: muslins, those wonderful and versatile backgrounds that can cost hundreds of dollars. If you’re a ‘photog’ on a budget like me, you’d rather spend that kind of cash on lenses, lighting, or a Nintendo Wii. Hey gotta do something with the kids during off hours.
How does a high-quality, hand-painted, fabric muslin for 20 bucks sound? That line is always an attention getter. Drum roll please…Amvona is the answer. Well, actually “Are you kidding, a $20 muslin background sounds friggin’ great!” is the answer, but Amvona are the folks that can provide it. If you have never EBay’d you’re not a true photographer on a budget. In addition to providing affordable, new and used camera gear and accessories, EBay is the home of Amvona, a company that offers several, actually lots and lots, of online auctions of among other things, muslin backgrounds.
I must admit to being skeptical at first, but after reading the information in their many auctions and customer feedback (a must if buying on EBay), I decided to take the plunge. I won a blue, hand-painted, 10x12, 100% cotton fabric background for a whopping 16 bucks. See the sample above. Amvona muslins feature 4-inch loops for background stands on one end, and five 1-inch plated eyelets for ceiling mounted rail systems. Their hand-painted backgrounds are not washing machine safe, but can be hand washed and lightly ironed. Don’t be surprised if the color is slightly different than their auction sample image, these are hand-painted and will vary. The one that arrived had a brighter blue appearance, which I actually like better.
Being a man of little willpower, I also bid for a white, high-key background. These are more popular and I lost three auctions before prevailing by winning at the wallet-splitting price of 26 bucks. Unlike the hand-painted variety, this white muslin is machine washable, but also includes the 4-inch loops and metal eyelets. So for two 10x12 fabric backgrounds, I paid 42 dollars. Since I won multiple auctions Amvona discounted my shipping slightly, which came to 27 dollars, and they were on their way after a quick 69 dollar Paypal transaction.
I did not spend less than 70 dollars for two backgrounds in vain. Both muslins arrived quickly, and well packaged. I must admit that the white, high-key background material is a little thin, and I wouldn’t recommend draping it in front of dark walls or objects unless it was folded at least once. Otherwise, for the price, these can’t be beat. I’ve also included a sample of the high-key background.
As a budget conscious photographer my background hanging system consists of two large, rubber coated ‘C’ hooks (the same kind I use to hang bicycles from my garage ceiling to save space) and a 10-foot, hollow, white metal bar. All items can be found for around 15 bucks at Home Depot. Simply screw the ‘C’ hooks into the wall studs (less than ten feet apart and about eight feet high) and suspend the 10-foot tube between them. Drape the muslin over the tube and enjoy an instant photo studio background. The ‘C’ hooks provide a couple of inches of clearance from the wall, and multiple muslins can be suspended, just push the ones not being used to the sides.
Do yourself a favor and check out the
Amvona EBay auctions. If these prices are still too high for your budget, I suggest hitting the local Goodwill or thrift store and pick up some used bed sheets for a few dollars each. These make acceptable backgrounds when using solid colors or muted patterns.
Jeff Schewe who was personally involved in the development of the recently released Adobe Camera Raw 4.1 posts a detailed explanation of the application’s new tools on PhotoshopNews.com. Here is an excerpt.
