Photography for Photo Showing : Tips and Tricks!

Today's topic will be all about backgrounds.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions, and what I've found to work. If you have different methods that you like, awesome!

BGs are a huge component to a nice photo show entry. It shouldn't be distracting, but it should complement the model's color.

Types of backgrounds:
There are two main categories, realistic and studio (best word I could come up with, lol). This post will be about the studio type, as that is what I use, and what is going to be the easiest to start out with.

For studio backgrounds, I try to use a single color. That way it isn't distracting. Dark grey has been my favorite to use so far. I would stay away from bright/strong colors, like a royal blue, because it gives the model's color a weird hue. Try not to use a white background, as the model's white markings will be very difficult to see. Even light grey has that problem.

I prefer to use matboard, but towels and blankets work just as well.

Example of a matboard BG: 

Example of a towel BG:

(Yes, I know that this is a brighter colored blue background. This model's show photo needs updating! Just wanted to show what a blanket/towel would look like.)

(I will try to update this post with real photos of my setup later, once the weather cooperates.)

The next post will be about how to position your model, so you can show off their conformation well!