I’m putting together a provisional (cheap & quick) studio setup, to get on with photographing ceramics & sculpture in the first instance but the option to reuse for portrait work would be a plus.
What should I look at in terms of backdrops? Are the cheap ones from amazon viable? There is a good haberdashery locally who have rolls of fabric - what should I look for if I enquire there?
I’m a competent DIYer but want to avoid false economies and, if poss, too much redundant kit when I upgrade. I also need to crack on with it asap!
What is your advice?
Upholstery fabric is thicker than most fabric you would use for garments. It is used for furniture, like couches, so it needs to be pretty durable. It is a bit more expensive though, so YMMV depending on how expensive your local fabric store is.
As for doing flay lay, that is just what works best for the types of products I am shooting these days. It is kind of nice in that backgrounds are super easy. I usually shoot against a vinyl, patterned backdrop on the table (I got mine from Ink and Elm). One thing it does limit though is the types of props I can use. Lots of stuff looks great in a picture…but not necessarily from the top down.