I’ve always really liked the richness that a textured, mottled backdrop brings to a portrait. Take for example this striking portrait of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor by Jay Books. While this would still be a striking portrait against a plain colored backdrop, the texture on the wall just made it that extra bit more elegant. Annie Leibovitz uses backdrops like this made by @oliphantstudio to shoot actors, politicians, and other people of note. When I started to find out how I could acquire such a backdrop, I was startled how much such a backdrop would cost to purchase and ship (no one really makes these in this part of the world). I started to explore making one myself which does seem like a bit of a daunting task to someone who doesn’t really know how to paint well (that’s why I like cameras — they’re much easier to operate).
It was, therefore, a bit of a revelation (obvious, really, but it took me a while) to realize that the imperfections in an industrial concrete wall can have a similar effect. Knowing Geoff Ang and shooting at Raw. at 48 Niven helped me recreate portraits with the same feeling, much to my delight. By controlling how much light hits the grey concrete wall, you can control how dark or light you want the walls to be. Putting gels over lights pointed at the wall can simulate mottled backdrops of different colors. Sample images from my first shoot at Raw. below.
While I haven’t quite given up my quest to acquire or make my own mottled backdrop someday (soon), I’m really thrilled to have found an accessible alternative to it for now. 😌
