Portrait Background Tips

Impact Portrait Background Review

By Jim Harrington

This portrait background review is for the Impact Collapsible Background 5'x7' black on 1 side, white on the other.

I purchased mine from B&H, the trusted source for all things photography and video.

I'm new to portrait photography, at least in a studio setting. This is my first background for studio portraits.

This portrait background consists of a cotton cloth, stretched across a rectangular metal or fiberglass ring, with rounded corners. The biggest advantage of this design is that it is portable and self supporting. It can be leaned against a wall, unlike other clock portrait background which must be hung from above.

The 5x7" size is just right for portraits of 1 or 2 persons standing, with the background cloth in the vertical position. In the horizontal position it is large enough for upper body portraits of 3-4 people.

For the traveling portrait photographer this item folds up (with a little effort) and can be transported in it's carry case.

Both black and white portrait backgrounds are possible by reversing the item. The cloth is black on one side and white on the other. Out of the box, the material show some wrinkles but the material is cotton and the wrinkles can be ironed out or, wide apertures can be used to render the background out of focus.

I recommend this portrait background for those with a small studio where large cloth backgrounds take up too much room. It is also good for traveling portrait photographers.

Also see my