MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR BACKGROUND

If you’re not quite sure which backdrop is right for you, first consider your lighting system. If your lights are not the best or you prefer to work in more natural or ambient light conditions, then you need to choose a background that offers more contrast intrinsically.
If you are dealing with high powered lights that could easily wash out your background, choose a darker background to begin with to help counteract this effect.

Reflected light determines the darkness, clarity, color, and detail of your images. In general, the better your lights, the more oomph you’ll be able to draw out of your backdrop. You can use spot lights from the sides or back and leave other areas of the backdrop unlit to achieve variation when using the same cloth, and you can use gels to shift color cast.

By shifting your lighting spots and varying the distance between your lights and the background, you can often draw vastly different effects from your background or muslin.