Like most of your camera gear, picking up a photography backdrop is a very personal choice. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that you can just throw in the background and expect it to magically improve your photos.

A good backdrop will complement the general aesthetic you’re gunning for and make up a huge chunk of your shot’s personality. On the other hand, a bad backdrop selection will take away the attention from your subject, making your composition feel cluttered and busy.

The buying decision for a backdrop gets even trickier when you consider other factors such as the look you want to get out of your backdrop, the material, size, and obviously, how much you’re willing to spend.

So if you’re planning to set up a studio for your photography business, or a professional looking to elevate their portrait photography game, you’re going to want to stick around. In today’s guide, we’re rounding up five of the best photography backdrops you can get for any budget.

Now, every photographer will have the basics – a white, gray, black, etc. you’ll make your money back x1000 just shooting headshots with those and I’ll go in-depth on that below. But I want start with the backgrounds that I gravitate towards, which sometimes aren’t the most affordable, but as a portrait photographer I’ve experimented with many of the affordable options and I’ll detail those below.

But let’s start with the one you likely won’t be getting. It’s like the most expensive package as a photographer, it’s kinda there for display purposes, to set context and help clients understand the value of your work…

#1 Oliphant Studio Backdrops

Oliphant Studio has a special place in the history of photography. There’s nothing on the market that’ll be as iconic and as prestigious as anything that comes out of Sarah Oliphant’s studio, and for many portrait photographers, owning an Oliphant backdrop is the holy grail.

You see, some of the best portrait photographers of our time have shot the most recognizable portraits in the world with an Oliphant in the background. Annie Leibovitz, Mark Seliger, Steven Meisel and Norman Jean Roy are only a few of the legendary names who have become frequent clients and collaborators. What makes an Oliphant Studio backdrop, like the 8 x 12 ft S-83 Wheat Style Drop so special is that there’ll be nothing quite like it once you pull one out of their shelves. Each drop is meticulously hand-painted to achieve fantastical abstracts or elegant scenes on the canvas.

There aren’t a lot of pieces to their collection to buy off the shelf, so a lot of the time, clients will do a custom order and directly collaborate with Sarah and her team to come up with something that is truly one of a kind and completely aligns with the photographer’s vision. Renting one is also an option, and will run you up to $750 per week. Buying one off of their collection will generally range in the thousands, and the aforementioned custom-order route is also a popular choice among professionals.

To learn more about why and what makes Oliphant backdrops so special, take a look at Peter Hurley’s “day in the life” episode inside Sarah Oliphant’s studio.

#2 Gravity Backdrops – The Best Alternative to Oliphant Backdrops

Every high-end photographer wants the “Oliphant” look, but they often don’t have that Oliphant money.

Enter: Gravity Backdrops.

Gravity Backdrops have blown up in recent years offering painted canvas backdrops for cheaper than you can rent them from Oliphant. That’s right, rent.

With over 100k followers are Instagram, I’d start your search there where they curate work done with their backgrounds and post it there. I’ve commented on their posts looking for the same background used, and they’ll generally help you find the one you’re looking for (though it likely won’t be exact as their is some variation because they’re all custom).

There’s no escaping it, we got to talk about honest to goodness, painted canvas backdrops. For the untrained eye, painted canvasses may come off as cheesy muslin relics of the ’80s. Sarah Oliphant, and Gravity Backdrops know how to differentiate themselves from that. And for the true artists, there’s no real substitute for the mysterious allure of layer upon layer of paint on canvas responsible for their regal personalities and rich textures.

So if you think you’re at the level where you’ll need to burn some serious budget on a hand-painted canvas and go all-in with your portrait photography business, I recommend looking up what Gravity Backdrops have to offer. I wouldn’t get just one, look at their promotion packages and and you can get a package of 3 starting around $1000 depending on the size. In comparison, a single large is about $700 after shipping.

Here’s a little primer: they’re a relatively new player in the painted canvas backdrop market, based in Europe, ships worldwide, and are producing high-end backdrops that looks and feels just like the ones you’ll see on Rolling Stones, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar… you get the idea.

They offer an incredible collection of backdrops at such reasonable price ranges that they quickly became a favorite among some of the best portrait photographers of today. You’d have to shell out €600 or about $700 to own a Large + (8.9 x 9.8 ft), but owning a Gravity Backdrop is still more economical than renting a hand-painted backdrop from more prestigious studios, and the perfect Oliphant backdrop alternative. Here’s Matt Granger gushing over his new set of hand-painted backdrops from Gravity Backdrops:

https://youtu.be/v6u_KvkiBKk

#3 – Lastolite Backdrops by Manfrotto – The Best Alternative to Gravity Backdrops

I’ve since moved over to primarily using hand-painted canvas, but that isn’t where I started. I wanted the look, but I didn’t have the money, and I didn’t have the space. I also shot a lot on-location and traveling with rolled canvas and setting it up is no easy feat, and it’s time consuming which lowers your $/hour.

Enter: Lastolite Collapsible Backdrops.

Savage makes some pretty good ones too, but the Lastolite gear by Manfrotto’s quality is top notch. Here’s the thing. It’s not actually hand painted – it’s printed on.

Kinda loses a little luster when you talk about it, and it isn’t as sexy looking in a studio, but it certainly delivers in terms of images.

I’ve found that you can “add” a little texture in post with a little sharpening, a little adjustments to clarity… but to me, it’s best used when you blur the background a little. You can still get that painterly look, at a fraction of the cost.

One of my faves is the collapsible tabacco/olive background, the same of which I used for my pug Benji (whom recently passed away 😞):

Yes, I’ve moved on to hand painted backdrops, but I still have all my Lastolite backdrops.

They’re great for shooting on-location headshots. Much, much lighter. Much easier to travel with. Setup time is much faster.

Now, since the popularity of these backgrounds have blown up, a lot of competitors have entered the space. The most popular on Amazon of which is Kate Backdrops, delivering similar backgrounds for half the price.

I don’t have any of their “painted” collapsible backdrops, but I do own one of their plain white/gray and the quality is solid. I’d say right behind Lastolite and better than the other competitors on Amazon I’ve tried.

I’ve also ordered one of their hand painted backdrops for about $200 shipped (cheaper than Gravity), and it looks great. Not Gravity Backdrops great, but it’s still pretty good for the price.

#4 Lastolite EzyFrame Vintage Background Kit

Now the one big disadvantage of the standard 5’x6′ collapsible backdrop is that you can’t shoot full length. Well Lastolite has a few options for full length with one of their “EzyFrame” backgrounds.

Manfrotto’s Lastolite EzyFrame Vintage Backgrounds offer the best of both worlds in terms of portability and quality. The 6.5 x 7.5 ft frame + backdrop kit gives you that sought after, elegant painterly look to your portraits without the luxury price tag and the hassle of elaborate setups on location. It’s also large enough to let you capture group shots or introduce a lot of movement in your portraits. The backdrop featured here is the “Olive” variant with that beautiful, aged and grungy feel to it, which should be a hit when you’re going for more moody portraits.

They also have a large 8×12 granite background if you want to deliver full length photos, here’s one of me on it:

The Lastolite EzyFrame kit comes in just under $500, which includes the backdrop itself, the aluminum frame and a handy carrying case. There are cover-only options for around $300 each, letting you switch up your backdrops with the other three covers in the collection quite easily.

Here’s Sarah Newman presenting for Manfrotto, showcasing her natural light portraits shot with the EzyFrame system.

https://youtu.be/82ern_lWFks

#5 Savage Seamless Paper (the pure white will be a money maker for you!)

Ask anyone in the industry about the most cost-effective photography backdrop option out there and they’ll point to a roll of seamless paper. It’s super easy to use even for absolute beginners, comes in pretty much any color you can think of and offers smooth, clean backgrounds for any of your portrait, fashion, and product photography work.

Pure white can deliver the classic, yet modern, Apple-esque pure white background. And of course you can control the light to deliver shades of gray, and even a black background.

This classic backdrop is made from dyed, non-reflective, high quality paper that is wound on a cardboard core. Seamless paper also comes in many different sizes, but if you’re working in a tight space, I recommend getting an 86 in x 36 ft Seamless Paper from Savage as it’ll give you more wiggle room than a 53 in x 36 ft roll. If you have the space though, go for a 107 in. roll especially if you’re going to be shooting a lot of whole body shots and small groups.

Savage has been delivering outstanding photographic tools since 1937, and their seamless paper offerings are nothing short of professional-grade. Depending on the size you’re planning to get, Savage Seamless Backdrops can be had for as low as $20 to around $90 for the larger variants.

Here’s John Gress’ incredibly helpful video about how you can set up your seamless paper in four different ways. Highly recommend checking it out if you’re new to working with studio equipment.

#6 Savage Black/White Collapsible Backdrop

Now what if you’re thinking of starting a headshot photography business. Because you won’t always be able to drag a CEO inside your studio for a quick executive portrait, you’re going to have to invest in gear that’ll let you be a little more mobile. If that sounds like you, then a collapsible backdrop like this Savage Reversible Black/White Backdrop may just be what you need to get the job done.

This is what I started with. You’ll make your money back x1000, and that’s what you want for your photography business.

A collapsible backdrop disc quite literally pops out of your bag and can be set up in a minute on location. It’s a godsend for portrait photographers that need to get in and out of a corporate shoot as quick as they can. Having reversible, black and white sides means you can crank out professional portraits in an instant. There are of course more options to choose from other than a black/white disc, but if you’re just starting, you won’t go wrong with a timeless black/white background for your portraits. They’re quite easy to maintain, too! Just a simple wipe down with a damp cloth will get it ready for the next shoot. You won’t be having problems with accidental tears or worry about storage space as you would with seamless paper.

It’s approximately 5 x 6 ft in and collapses down to just a third of its size. For a little over $160, you’ll also be getting an aluminum light stand, making this collapsible backdrop an awesome deal.

Have a look at some of Miguel Quiles’ work done using Savage collapsible backdrops here if you’re interested in getting one of these amazing pop up backgrounds.