Black Background Material

[MSMoore]

Howdy

I'm trying to learn the name of the black material Jennifer Turner mentioned during her presentation at the monthly March 2007 Dallas PPA meeting. I was unable to attend the meeting. However, a colleague who attended said she was discussing her techniques for shooting babies with a black material the babies lay on that aborbs light and that can be washed. This material is supposed to be available at JC Penney or Target.

Anyone know the name of the material she mentioned?

I have my first baby shoot tomorrow and want to attempt some of this kind of portraiture.

Thanks

[CallMeAl]

I had actually called Jennifer this morning for the same reason. The backdrop that she recommended is a black blanket available through JCPenney's catalog. She recommended a full size and the catalog number of the item is #RN720-390ID. She said it was through the catalog, but I'm going to check my local store first and see if I can save a little time and get it quicker.

Good luck...and let us see how your pics turn out.

Craig

[Wil_Bloodworth]

You can never go wrong with black velvet. It absorbs ALL light like a black hole! You can even use it to black out windows if need be. I'm not saying it would be cheap... but it is a very popular option.

- Wil

[MSMoore]

Originally Posted by CallMeAl

I had actually called Jennifer this morning for the same reason. The backdrop that she recommended is a black blanket available through JCPenney's catalog. She recommended a full size and the catalog number of the item is #RN720-390ID. She said it was through the catalog, but I'm going to check my local store first and see if I can save a little time and get it quicker.

Good luck...and let us see how your pics turn out.

Craig

Found it...last two characters in the item # are 1D ...rather than ID

Found here Material is called "Vellux" They offer a jet black. Gonna run up to the mall and check it out.

Thanks!!!...and I'll share the pics once I photoshop the behooties out of them and get them to where I enjoy looking at them (smile)

[MSMoore]

Originally Posted by ParkImaging

You can never go wrong with black velvet. It absorbs ALL light like a black hole! You can even use it to black out windows if need be. I'm not saying it would be cheap... but it is a very popular option.

- Wil

Thanks Wil. One thing my colleague mentioned was the material could be washed. I hadn't thought of that...but little babies could mean lots of wet material ...and perhaps other "matter" (smile) I'll check out the velvet also.

[CallMeAl]

That was one of the key points that Jennifer made that night at the meeting. Velvet didn't take to the daily washing like the Vellux blankets. It turned into "crushed velvet" to use her terms. And the pee and poop factor was something else she specifically mentioned. She recommened the full size blanket because it was big enough to rotate as accidents happened during a shoot, but small enough to be manageable.

[Texun1]

The only reason I know this is that they have signs on every corner. Hancok fabrics is going out of business. That is at least at the corner mall at Frankfort and Midway in Carrollton. Maybe they have something that you can pick up at a decent price.

[MSMoore]

Originally Posted by Texun1

The only reason I know this is that they have signs on every corner. Hancok fabrics is going out of business. That is at least at the corner mall at Frankfort and Midway in Carrollton. Maybe they have something that you can pick up at a decent price.

Thanks Bill. There's a Hancock Frabric place about 7 miles down the road from...right next to mall with JC Penney.

Gonna head down there first thing in the morning. I found Vellux this evening in several somewhat pukey colors...but not jet black.

I was also gonna look for a bright white to experiment with high key.

I'm very excited. A very nice business owner in a good DFW location is giving me an opportunity to display my prints to upscale mothers-to-be on a permanent basis.

Anyone have any wisdom about how to not mess up my opportunity? I'm exploring new territory and don't want to fall off a cliff (smile).

[Moses on the Street]

Isn't Vellux the same as microfleece, which you can get at any Target for about fifteen bucks for a queen size?

[BKing]

Hard to find black in stores though.

[DoctorWu]

Originally Posted by Moses on the Street

Isn't Vellux the same as microfleece, which you can get at any Target for about fifteen bucks for a queen size?

Nope, not the same as microfleece. The blankets you find in most hotels are Vellux. Sort of a fake velvet.

[MSMoore]

JC Penney had a dark blue vellux. The jet black was only available through the catalog. I ended up getting black felt from JoAnn's Fabrics which worked ok for this shoot. Overall, I thought I got some good shots for my first shoot of this kind. It was definitely a learning experience. I was able to take a post pregnancy mom, worn out from night time baby duties, and give her that glamour look once again with the help of Dr. Photoshop. I'll post the before & after image here. Since it was a mom-nursing-baby shot, I need to edit it a bit. Baby became an open fire hydrant when he was turned sunny side up (smile). Will post some pixels in a few days when I get a moment.

[MSMoore]

Here are a couple of images from this shoot...a couple of my favorites. I ended up with about 50 (out of 140) that I really liked. One of my "really" favorite shots was baby nursing. However, I'll wait and see if mom is comfortable with that image in a public location. This is probably not the correct place for C&C...but go for it and I'll be appreciative.

Kind regards,

[MSMoore]

Here's a before & after shot that I really liked. C&C welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks!

[xseption]

Originally Posted by MSMoore

Here's a before & after shot that I really liked. C&C welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks!

I definitely prefer the before shot ... love the angle and lighting ... on the after shot, maybe just a little too much processing for my tastes ... of course, if Mom likes it then it really does not matter what I prefer