Taking Better Family Photos

When choosing a kid photo backdrop, a professional photographer needs to contextualize the decision. Children, especially young ones, are going to do kiddie things. Likewise, the parents are paying for photos that set a certain tone. Your selection of backdrops should reflect these realities, and here are 3 ways you can make sure you'll always have the right one for every shoot.

Materials

Particularly when it comes to dealing with kids, the choice of materials for a backdrop is critical. If you have a studio and customers are coming to you, it's best to use canvas backdrops. They're very heavy, and that will provide the durability required for when a kid inevitably gets a bit rough with it.

The downside to canvas, though, is that it's too heavy to transport. Also, you can expect visible creases if you fold it. If you do go with canvas for a mobile setup, find a way to carefully roll it.

Most people who go out in the world for shoots use muslin for a kid photo backdrop. It's a lighter material that doesn't crease as easily. On the downside, it will take less abuse before getting tears in it. If you elect to use muslin, it's best to keep a few spares.

Coloring Options

To color backdrops, companies typically use either paint or dye. Canvas takes up paint better, but both materials will handle it. Muslin is an excellent choice if you want to use a simple tie-dye technique to create a cloud background or something more varied. If you want the background to have textures or sparkles, canvas is a much better choice because the threads have the necessary depth to hold onto those materials.

Size

Backdrops are sized by width and length. Standard widths are usually between 5- and 7-feet, and standard heights are between 7- and 12-feet. You'll need a wider backdrop to accommodate more people in a photo. Longer backdrops are means for full-body shots.

A 5-feet wide and 7-feet long backdrop, for example, is best for close-up portraits. Something much wider, like 12 feet, would be reserved for a group photo.

Unsurprisingly, wider and longer models tend to be harder to handle. If you have something like a 12-feet wide and 20-feet long one made of canvas, you might need several people to assist you with deploying it. Accordingly, you'll want to have heavier stands to accommodate the added weight.