Portraits with a busy background

I'd like to take some portraits of my daughter in her new High School uniform during the holidays. Problem is, I don't really have anywhere in the house with a blank backdrop. I plan on using my lounge which gets lovely golden light in the early evening. But, what to do with the background? Do I use the furniture and have her sitting on it, or try to hide it?

I'm really not sure how best to do this. Any and all ideas welcome, because if I don't get these pics, Mrs Ted will place my camera, not too carefully, somewhere where it will hurt very much

How about the garden Ted, better background than wallpaper and furniture.....just a thought

If not the garden, can you rig up a back drop to hide some of the furniture - a sheet or something? Any of the family got a bare wall you could borrow instead?
If Mother Ted wants these photos so much maybe she'll help move the furniture for the shots?

Or out on the street something a little more natural for a school kid?
Ya know plodding the street to school.

Well if kids walk to school these days i dno

Garden...all concrete

Backdrop...Yep, I'm looking into that and will probably end up going that way.

In the street...she might feel a little conspicuous being the only girl in uniform during the holidays. But I might take her up to the school. 'Tis an idea

Thanks guys.

School even beter I was gana suggest that but u cudnt get into mine dureing hols as they used to lock bbiigggg iron gates LOL

They might lock the gates here, but I'll take a drive up and look. The front entrance doesn't look to have a gate on it...if memory serves me right.

fairy snuff Happy shootin!

You could hang a backdrop on the washing line Father Ted and sit her in front

Sit her as far away from the backgound as you can, and use a wide aperture to throw it out of focus. Your 50mm at 1:1.7 would be ideal. In fact, you might find 1:2 or 1:2.8 would be better because at 1:1.7 the DOF is so limited that accurate focussing is critical.

G

That's a good idea! Didn't think of that.
Then I could use some of the potted plants as props!

I thought of that, but figured the furniture would still be there, just out of focus. Would the shorter DoF be enough to significantly disguise furniture 2m behind the subject?

You can get decorators' dust sheets made of tan/khaki Hessian type material at very modest cost from B&Q or Homebase. You can use as is or dye and then use George's suggestion of out of focus background.

White might be a little difficult to control I'd imagine.

Mike

Think we still have some of them in work...I'll raid the stores tomorrow.

You old green fingers you

Mrs looks after that stuff. Would have liked a garden but budget wouldn't stretch that far. So, it was either a decent terraced house with no garden, or a little box with a garden. Hey, with UK summers, we figured the roof would be better