Review - Lastolite Collapsible Photo Backdrop

Lastolite are have a growing selection of great backdrops, but are they worth the money?

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I've used these backdrops for a few years and they've become indispensable. They're not cheap though, and some shooters might get bored of using the same themes. If you're doing mobile portraits however, they could be just what you need.

As portrait shooters, most of us would love to be out in the field shooting beautiful models on location, with a talented team of creatives helping us turn our vision into reality. Back in the real world though, most of us make ends meet any way we can, and this might mean offering a mobile photography service. Backdrops come in myriad formats and sizes, and some people choose to create their own, but each approach comes with pros and cons. With their collapsible backdrops Lastolite aim to give photographers high quality and super convenient backdrops.

Traditionally the choice was between seamless paper and muslin backdrops. Seamless comes in large rolls and anything longer than about 4 foot is tricky to transport. Muslin on the other hand, can be moved in a bag, but then it needs steaming on location to fix creases. Lastolites backdrops are as portable as muslin, but stay appear taut when expanded, thanks to the material used and the firm fit of the fabric on the frame.

They fold up and expand similarly to reflectors, though it takes a bit of practice. Once you get used to it though, they can quickly be opened out and placed vertically against a wall, allowing you get shooting very quickly indeed. Each product comes with a different design on each side, and Lastolite have added new designs to the collection over the years. They're about 210cm high and 150cm wide. More than enough for wide shots. I've even shot couples and smaller groups in a pickle.

The bad news is the price. They're currently about 200 dollars on B+H. Are they worth it? Absolutely. If you need to shoot volume, or at short notice, you could do a lot worse than pick up 2 of these. giving you, and your client, a choice of 4 backdrops. I'll leave you with a few examples of my work with these. As you see, I'm a huge fan of the "rusty metal" backdrop.

They're currently distributed by Manfrotto and available from Amazon, eBay and B&H. The price is the only drawback I can think of, but that's not enough to stop a recommendation. These are simply superb products for the mobile photographer.

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All photos by me except the two product feature shots, courtesy manfrotto.com
My shots were all taken with Nikon D750 and lit with various Godox flashes.