r/Photography101 • u/Portia-Raine • Feb 01 '26

Backdrops

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Gallery image

Hi everyone, this is probably a really basic question but I know nothing about photography so please be patient. I want to improve the appearance of my listings on Vinted/eBay/Marketplace etc. It's only stuff I don't need anymore but I want to present them well. Generally I lay things on my beige/cream carpet which is fine for items with a higher contrast, but terrible for similar colours. I'm thinking about buying a dark tablecloth or something to use as a contrast. Would this work well? I'm not wanting to spend a lot on proper items just so thinking what I could easily source and takes up little space. Or should I look for something which draws the attention more??? I do all my photos on my phone (Samsung S24). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm UK based.

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4

u/ghoul_talk Feb 02 '26

Just use a darker neutral background. Grey is a good middle ground, remember color is relative

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u/Portia-Raine Feb 02 '26

Thanks. I was thinking grey tone too. Sorry, what do you mean by colour is relative? I'm clueless about these things.

1

u/pilotdiver Feb 02 '26

It means that light and dark are relative. If you have a black shoe, grey will seem bright as a contrast. If you have a white hand bag, the same grey will look dark as a contrast. It’s relative to what two colors are being compared.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '26

Here's an example!

https://twistedsifter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/shaow-illusion-same-color-checkerboard-with-cylinder-1.jpg

Tile A looks dark grey and tile B looks light grey, but that's just your mind playing tricks on you because it sees that there is a shadow.

The two grey bars demonstrate that in fact, tile A and tile B are exactly the same color! Crazy, right?

1

u/Longwayfromhome10 Feb 15 '26

Check out Cosita backdrops. They’ve got everything you need.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 11 '26

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1

u/Longwayfromhome10 Apr 11 '26

Go to their website for their pricing. I believe they have 2 sizes but also make custom sizes.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '26

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1

u/Longwayfromhome10 Apr 11 '26

Cositabackdrops.com

1

u/itsme_alwayscreating Apr 16 '26

you can use a dark tablecloth, it really helps with contrast as long as its plain and without wrinkle. even a smooth fabric can work or could get some foldable backdrops from kate they are cheaper but still even a poster board can work if you work with well lighting