Cheap Photography Studio Backdrop Mount

This is my first instructable and is being written after the fact, so in-progress photos will not be seen. Instead, thrill to the exciting hand-drawn schematics! This instructable will show you how you too can create a quick, effective photography studio backdrop mount for around $10.

Step 1 Justification?

My girlfriend and I have been dabbling in photography for about a year now and were looking to set up a backdrop mount in our house. The requirements for creating this mount were threefold:
1. It must be cheap (the mounts I've seen for sale online were insanely pricy)
2. It must be able to support the kinds of backdrops we had in mind, such as rolls of seamless professional studio backdrop paper
3. It must be unobtrusive, so we can walk through that part of the house without having to smash through paper like a football team at the superbowl.

Comments

[supkrod]

I just put this together in about an hour. It went together with out a hitch. Instead of eye bolts in the ceiling and measuring to find studs I used plant hooks the kind that come with an expanding catch that goes through the ceiling and you tighten it in. That worked great. I didnt want to spend the extra 4 bucks but there were eye bolts that had a nut on the end, put one of these through the cap with a larger hole and maybe some lock tight and youve got a swiveling eye bolt. Thank you for the idea.

[tbugg]

Hang two of them, one right next to the first, a couple inches higher, then you can have your white and grey seamless hung at the same time and don't have to switch them out when you want to change the background. That's my plan, once I get the storage room in the basement cleared out...

[theresanovak]

Oooh, ahhh! That looks so cool! I'll have to think about how to use this in my basement with the drop ceiling. Maybe it could mount to the wall.

[edji]

Very great. I will probably make one for me. Thanks for the idea. Instead of cutting the PVC pipe in the middle (step 5), I think it would be better to cut it near one end of the pipe (but inside the chain part...) That way, it will be easiest to replace the backdrop.

[reedzilla]

yep, I'm sure that would work just fine too....one of the reasons I cut my PVC in half was to be able to fit it in my car for the ride home from the hardware store, so if you have a big enough vehicle that shouldn't be an issue :) thanks for the comment and good luck!

[YakDriver]

This was a great idea and I just finished building your rig in my garage. After ten years of procrastination, I have cleaned the garage to allow both cars inside and the result has been a very workable indoor studio for days when I don't or can't use the outdoor settings. My thanks for the tips. Harry

[reedzilla]

awesome, glad it worked out for you!

[jtobako]

how about making it more like a window shade (sans the spring) so that it's a little easier to roll up? instead of screws into the pvc, how about a ring or larger piece of pvc so that the paper can be taped onto the pole and rolled up without risking wrinkles.

[reedzilla]

the larger piece of PVC idea might work...I'm not too worried about wrinkles on the part that goes down onto the floor (plus, the paper's long enough that if it does get trashed near the bottom I can cut it off and have a fresh area to work with). Rolling and unrolling the paper with the design I posted is pretty easy (for me at least; I'm around 6'9"); it has a little bit of space to spin around the pvc pole. The ring idea you mentioned would be cool to implement with some kind of crank around one side....hmmmmm....

[TangMu]

I think all pvc should be cut with the aid of a bear suit, or at least the eyepatch