The Belle Drape Muslins
The Belle Drape Muslins are a series of muslin backdrops that start at $29.95 for some small, solid colors and go up to $159.95 for a 10x12-foot scenic. I used a plain white that every studio should have, a scenic, and a new custom series background that I really fell in love with. Most pros, myself included, will have a large selection of backgrounds, especially if they shoot high school seniors, where you can never have enough backgrounds! I can tell you that even the scenics are faithful to the sample photos seen on Adorama's website, something I've not always seen to be the case. I would like to see them a little more wrinkle-resistant if possible, but that's an issue I have with most muslin backgrounds.

This image of Jess Parker was created with just one light and a silver reflector from beneath to bounce light back up into the eyes. I applied a Portraiture plug-in (www.imagenomic.com) and again used a Kubota Action (www.kubotaimagetools.com) for the tone. All images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and a variety of lenses.

Technical Specifications
Flashpoint II 2420 Monolight
Power Output: 1200 ws
Guide Number: 320
Angle Of Illumination: > 55°
Color Temperature: 5300-5600K
Recycle Time: 1-5.5 seconds
Modeling Lamp: 250w
Other Features: Built-in umbrella shaft holder; continuously variable power output control for the flash tube and proportional control for the modeling lamp
Price: $424.95; the kit with stand and umbrella is $464.95

For more information, contact Adorama Camera, Inc., 42 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011; (800) 223-2500; www.adorama.com.

Steve Bedell has been a portrait photographer for over 25 years. To subscribe to EPhoto, a free e-mail newsletter with tips for photographers, contact Bedell at sb@stevebedell.com. Also ask about his lighting DVDs.