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I have bought cardboard, but it gets crinkly quick. also tried black velvet.

Is there some sort of plastic people use, without going all out and buying the proper photo stuff?

leaf,

Why cloth with shine?  I would think the less reflective the better (for the background, that is).

Regards,
Adelaide

I use sheets of this type of foam used for chiildren's crafts.  I prefer it over paper, because it I can clean it up, and prefer it over fabric, because the shadows don't have harsh textures.  It also comes in many different colors. 

Hi,

I use background roll paper, it comes in rolls and I like the 3meters wide as it can be cut in smaller pieces for small objects and used all 3 meters wide to people shots.
It comes in a variety of colors to choose from but the "Artic White" is the must have from them.
This rolls are not so expensive so I do not complain much about throwing some away when it's get dirt.
I also use some white plastic sheets to shoot over a glass table and those allow me to use light from behind the background. very usefull for shadow free white isolations.

all of these are great for backgrounds, you need to keep your options open for each shot. Be creative and have fun.

I bought a 8ft by 4ft sheet of white formica from a DIY store for about $40. It curves beautifully and sits on top of a folding table (also bought a DIY store for about $35).

As JC photo says it is very durable, wipes clean and is big enough for larger objects and smaller children or babies. I also use a table top kit, but find it too small. I tried paper for a while, but really prefer a hard and durable white surface that bends to give a beautiful curve that avoids nasty corner shadows.

black and white velvet.

Duvetyne AKA Commando Cloth. 16 oz is the standard weight/thickness for duvetyne in the motion picture industry. It's fire retardent. Also spelled Duvetine and one place

Looks like it's just under $10 a yard at this site. Others I saw $14 a yard. Theater supply place had it for $2.99 a yard, with a 10 yard minimum.

http://www.filmtools.com/duv54rolx50y.html

No I'm not selling it, I just got a piece free and it's pretty heavy and looks interesting. First I'll have to iron it and then get out the lint brush.

How's that for reviving an old thread? 

I have one spare room painted white all over, included the ceiling for bouncing. If it gets dirty at some point, just paint it over there.

You can also try a restaurant supply house. They usually have white paper rolls for covering long dining tables for events.

I myself just buy seamless from Adorama though.

That craft foam will work for very small objects.

chumley,
EXCELLENT suggestion. Makes practical and economical sense (cents)
Thanks for sharing that!

Cranky MIZ
The voice of reason

.

I have two plain white Kingsize flat sheets from out local supermarket £7 $14 each, these are sewn together to make a 9' x 18' backdrop, works great, washing and ironing is the hard part

David