Photography Stand for Quilts
 

I'm thinking about buying a telescopic stand to take photographs of my quilts outside. I don't have a good wall in my house that shows my quilts well.

I know nothing about these stands and how much I should spend on one. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I can't answer re recommendations as I'm unfamiliar with that type of stand, but I do pose a question ---
Are they sturdy enough to hold the weight of a quilt?
Just something to consider if you haven't already done so....

I wait for a day without moisture on the grass. Lay the fished quilt on the grass and take a picture.

That's inadequate for entering a picture in a show. I need a stand for outside.

I like to put mine over the clothes line, fence or a bench outside for the sunlight when I can. Inside is a bit tricky

I'm sorry I don't belong to the guild any more, but we had one that was used regularly for photo taking. I wonder if you could contact a company that rents the quilt hanging frames at a quilt show, they might have a good suggestion.

I have one I bought on Amazon. It will telescope out and up to hold a king size quilt. We use them at guild and have several different brands. All are a pain to set up and take down even the new ones. Before you buy read the reviews. Amazon has most brands. Some are designed to hold paper backdrops. You want the canvas backdrop stand. I use the large diameter cafe hooks hooks to hold a quilt if it does not have a sleeve. I don't see why so many think it's needless to buy one. I use mine a lot. It makes a great background to display a quilt at many functions.

I bought one and like it alot. It's quick and easy to set up and take down. I bought shower curtain loops with pincher clips on them to slide over the rods and hold the quilts by the clips. Mine is "Vu-Pro" and comes in it's own zipper bag. It wasn't cheap, but not exorbitantly out of reach, either, somewhere between $100-300, if my memory serves me right.

our guild has a portable stand--many quilt designers and guild program presenters have the same kind. It's basically a stand with 2 legs(adjustable) with a rod at top. You need a hanging sleeve on the quilts. It comes in hard sided carry case. Not sure of exact price but I seem to remember someone saying over $200.
I do see why one comes if Very handy for picture taking.

I have one, a Vu-Pro that I purchased on Amazon from Owen's Originals. They don't seem to have it on Amazon anymore. I paid about $80 but that was years ago. I have used it to photograph quilts indoors and out. It's easy and relatively quick to set it up, but the legs need to be on something hard and level, and it tips easily with a quilt on it if there's any wind. (Ask me how I know.) I bought curtain clips so I can clip the quilt to it without having to thread the pole through a sleeve. I used mine for the picture in this post. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...m-t307314.html

JENN, this is the one I have used for years.
https://owens-originals.com/vu-pro-9...upport-system/

Daffy

That's the same one I have. These are the clips I use - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dont know if this will work for your purposes or not but do a google search of quilt racks, frames, design walls made out of PVC pipe. I can attest that the 1 inch PVC pipe works great for a design wall that can be taken apart and put up quickly and easily. I made one as I don't have a free wall in my home that would hold a design wall.
I couldn't get the link to work.

Dunster, thank you for that link. No more basting temporary sleeves on the back of my quilts!

Daffy

Think of another direction: https://hollyknott.com/stq/shooting.htm

Shooting your quilt indoors gives you much more control. Your best outdoor light is about sunset. Earlier than that washes out your colors. With indoor light, you can shoot anytime. The cost of the setup is similar. I used to photograph plants as a hobby and food as part of my business, so have some amateur experience. The quality of the photo is in the quality of the light, as most any camera will work well these days. The cost of the bulbs has decreased so that they are affordable. The last bulbs I bought were day light, full spectrum, compact fluorescent. That was about three or four years ago, so do your research on what is current. I bought the bulbs from 1000bulbs.com (I still have two, unused, in the box, so the label was still still there.) I think they were about $5.00 each and you will need several.

One other note - the bulbs wouldn't fit the older light fixtures that I already had (clip on aluminum lights used in the garage). The base of the bulbs is too big. I had to buy new ones, but they were available at Home Depot. That's just to say don't buy the fixtures before the bulbs arrive if going this way appeals to you.

bkay

I agree 100% with bkay's info. Shooting outdoors is such a crap shoot, if you shoot in full sunlight, the quilt gets washed out and you get shadows. If you shoot in shade or cloudy conditions, you end up with bluish tones. I've found the best conditions are bright overcast clouds, but I still get bluish tones. I've found sunset is a good time, but I still get shadows, and the light is more gold. If you have Photoshop or a similar photo editor, you can compensate for this, but a lot of people don't.

I've used Holly Knott's setup (link in bkay's post above) several times with success. It's a very affordable option.

I was told by a judge's aid at Paducah that 99% of quilts entered in national shows always use a professional photographer when sending in the picture. A close up shot is usually required too.

The problem with shooting indoors is finding a ceiling tall enough for big quilts. I have that where I live now, but didn't at my previous house.

I have a Polaroid one that is fairly easy to set up and take down. I have some big clips to hold the quilt. It works fine indoors although lighting is important to get a clear picture. You might want to invest in some lights, too. I tried it outside and it is really too light to set up on grass. I thought I had it all set, with nice pine trees in the background, when a very light wind blew it over. I just couldn't get it to stay upright. I haven't tried our paved driveway yet. I still find two well trained (they don't let it sag on top) men to be the best holders for photos. My latest alternative has been my neighbor's porch railing.

I have one of those telescopic stands . There great but you need two people to hang your quilt ,and
a latter its a pain....:thumbdown:

I put the quilt on mine then raise it up alternately one side at a time. I can do it by myself. My stand has four legs on each stand. The bigger the quilt the more unstable it is. Most of the photography stands are not made for king size quilts, especially the inexpensive ones, but will work if if on level surface out of the wind. I did find one stand that was made for quilts, on a website, so there are some out there.

We use this type to display our quilts for Quilts of Valor:
https://www.quiltdisplaysolutions.co...-stand-w-case/

I think this is the type I have. It's wonderful (made in USA). I can get a quilt up by myself, even with my severely arthritic hands.