Hand Painted Backdrop Brands Compared: Oliphant, Gravity, Chasing Stone

Oliphant Studio, Gravity Backdrops and Chasing Stone all paint photography backdrops by hand, yet each one sells them in a different way: Oliphant rents and sells from its Brooklyn studio and paints custom commissions, Gravity Backdrops sells finished canvases, painted in Europe, from a large stock, and Chasing Stone paints rollable backdrops and flat lays to order in Orange County. Chasing Stone is my studio, and every Chasing Stone backdrop is hand painted in Orange County, California, by me, Jennifer Kidd, the founder and artist. Because I paint each canvas myself, I look at other painters' work with real respect, the way you might study the light on a cliff face that someone else has photographed beautifully before you. I wanted this to be the fair, careful comparison I wished I could find when I began.

Quick Answer

Comparing hand painted backdrop brands comes down to how you want to buy. Oliphant Studio, based in Brooklyn and painting backdrops since 1978, rents from a collection of around 3,000 backdrops, paints custom commissions and sells individual pieces. Gravity Backdrops sells finished canvases from a stock of more than 20,000 in eight sizes, priced in euros from €275. Chasing Stone, founded in 2018, paints every backdrop to order in Orange County, California, in three approximate sizes from $497, and also makes flat lays.

How Were These Hand Painted Backdrop Brands Compared?

Every statement about Oliphant Studio and Gravity Backdrops in this guide comes from that studio's own website, read on October 29, 2026, and anything I could not find there in so many words has been left out. Prices were checked on October 29, 2026, so please treat them as a snapshot and confirm them on each studio's site before you buy. Gravity Backdrops lists its prices in euros, and I have kept them in euros exactly as Gravity shows them, since a converted number would quietly become untrue as exchange rates move.

This comparison is written as prose rather than a chart, because the three studios sell in such different ways. Oliphant prices rentals by usage and rental period, Gravity prices finished canvases by size, and Chasing Stone prices each colorway by size and paints it once you order. A grid of tidy boxes would flatten the very differences that matter most when you are choosing.

Chasing Stone is one of the three studios being compared, and I want to say that plainly. I have described Oliphant and Gravity only in the terms they use for themselves, and I have tried to be clear about where another studio may suit you better than we would. A backdrop is a long relationship with a single piece of canvas, so the right choice is the one that fits the rooms you shoot in and the images you hope to make.

What Is Oliphant Studio, and Who Is It Best For?

Oliphant Studio is the category's reference studio for hand painted backdrops, and its offering centers on rentals, custom commissions and a store of individual pieces. In its own words, "Since 1978, Oliphant Studio has been a pioneer in the photography industry." Its About page describes a team that works both on location and in its Brooklyn studio, "which now houses a collection of around 3,000 backdrops, featuring everything from Irving Penn-inspired designs to intricately recreated cityscapes and nature scenes."

Sarah Oliphant writes on the studio's About page that she moved to New York in 1976 after finishing graduate studies in theatre set design at the University of South Carolina. She describes her lucky break as the day the photographer Michel Tchevekoff asked her to paint a realistic sky with an airbrush for a still life shoot happening the next day. The studio describes its services as running "from initial design concepts and detailed color renderings to the finished piece."

Oliphant rental rates are set by how the backdrop will be used rather than by its size, over a standard rental period of up to three business days. As of October 29, 2026, the published rate for one to three days is $575 for film, TV and digital work, $465 for advertisement, print, display and event work, $365 for editorial and publication work, and $365 for students with a valid ID. Oliphant offers a 10% discount when three or more drops are rented simultaneously for the same shoot.

Oliphant offers courier delivery across all five New York City boroughs for an additional fee, and domestic shipping for all bagged drops and rolled drops up to 14 feet, with a $30 packaging fee per backdrop. The Oliphant rental FAQ states that international shipping is not available at this time for rentals. The studio also welcomes in-person viewing by appointment, with up to six backdrops viewed per visit.

Oliphant also paints custom backdrops, and clients may choose between a commissioned rental, painted to their specifications for one-time use and then returned to the studio, or an outright purchase. The Oliphant customization page describes a consultation with Sarah about tonality, vignette effects, degree of saturation and the treatment of backdrop edges, with progress photos sent during painting, and notes that pricing depends on drop specifications, size dimensions and degree of difficulty or complexity.

For photographers who want to own an Oliphant backdrop, the Oliphant store lists individual pieces, each with its own dimensions. The pieces available to buy on October 29, 2026 were priced from $800 to $3,500. The store's FAQ offers free ground shipping within the United States, which does not apply to custom orders, and states that all sales are final.

An Oliphant rental suits a production that needs a painted backdrop for a few days, particularly in New York, where courier delivery reaches all five boroughs, and the custom service suits anyone who wants a piece designed in consultation with the painter. A photographer outside the United States who hopes to rent should know that Oliphant does not currently ship rentals internationally. The studio's long history is a part of photography I admire deeply.

What Does Gravity Backdrops Offer, and Who Is It Best For?

Gravity Backdrops sells finished, ready to ship painted canvases, priced by size and shipped worldwide. In its own words, Gravity offers "more than 20,000 hand painted backdrops, all unique and ready to ship." Its About page names Mimi Stojanovic as the founder, dates the studio to 2012, and gives an address in Serbia, and its site describes "academic artists painting fine art cotton canvas photography backdrops," handcrafted in Europe and shipped worldwide.

The Gravity returns page states that the backdrop you order and see on its website is the exact one you will receive, and the site notes that a colour checker is included. Gravity's listings name each canvas by number, colour, texture (low, mid or strong) and size, and a few canvases are double sided. Choosing a Gravity backdrop is therefore a matter of browsing finished pieces and picking the one you want.

The Gravity size guide lists eight formats, each with a starting price for a single canvas, shown in euros as Gravity lists them and checked on October 29, 2026. XS measures 3.9 by 7.9 feet, from €275; Standard measures 5.2 by 8.9 feet, from €330; Mid measures 6.2 by 8.9 feet, from €385; and Large measures 6.9 by 8.9 feet, from €440. Large+ measures 8.9 by 9.8 feet, from €660, and XL measures 8.9 by 13.1 feet, from €880. The two largest formats measure 8.9 by 16.4 feet, from €1,100, and 8.9 by 19.7 feet, from €1,320.

Gravity describes its canvases as "custom-made duck canvas blends," listed elsewhere on its site as 15 oz Italian cotton duck, painted with multiple layers of acrylic paint. Gravity explains that it uses acrylic paints exclusively, "which keep the canvas flexible and prevent cracking even when rolled." Each Gravity backdrop is rolled on a cardboard tube and then placed in a hard plastic tube for shipping.

The Gravity shipping page names FedEx Air as its carrier, gives transit times of four to six business days, and explains that orders placed before noon Central European Time are scheduled for pickup the same day. Gravity's returns page states that backdrop sales are final except for items damaged in shipping, and its home page also describes a guarantee for a piece that does not match the photos on its site.

Gravity Backdrops suits a photographer who wants to choose a finished canvas by eye and have it shipped soon after ordering, and anyone who needs a format taller than about 9 feet, such as XL and the two larger formats, for production sets and large groups. Buyers should plan for any customs duties or local taxes on delivery, since Gravity's shipping page says it is not responsible for them.

What Is Chasing Stone, and Who Is It Best For?

Chasing Stone is a small studio where one artist paints every piece to order, on canvases made to roll up and travel, alongside a collection of flat lays. Chasing Stone began in 2018 from my own need for "a portable, textured, stone-like styling surface," something with the feeling of old world stone and weathered plaster that could still be carried to any shoot, near or faraway. Every Chasing Stone backdrop and hand painted flat lay is made entirely by hand, by me, in Orange County, California, on premium cotton canvas, using professional grade materials sourced in the USA.

Chasing Stone backdrops come in twenty four colorways, each named for a stone or mineral, in three approximate sizes: a 5' x 8' hand painted backdrop at $497, an 8' x 10' at $797, and an 8' x 14' at $1,197, as of 2026. All sizes are approximate, because each canvas is cut and painted by hand and may dry very slightly out of square. A Lapis backdrop, a mid denim blue, shows how this works in practice: no two Lapis backdrops are identical, and each one may vary slightly from the photographs.

Chasing Stone backdrops have a processing time of five to seven business days before shipping, as of 2026, because everything painted is made to order. Business days exclude weekends and U.S. federal holidays, and if you have a firm date, you are welcome to email info@chasingstone.com with your deadline, and we will reply by the next business day. Each backdrop hangs on the short side, is rolled paint side in so it unrolls onto the durable, wipeable canvas back, and travels taped to a cardboard core inside a reusable telescopic tube.

Chasing Stone hand painted flat lays come in fifteen colorways named for places, such as Marrakech, in a Petite size of about 26" x 20" for $145 and a Standard size of about 35" x 28" for $165. Our stain resistant fabric flat lays, in vegan wool and textured velvet at about 34" x 25.5", are $125 each, and they are never painted; their protection comes from a patented, GREENGUARD Gold Certified stain proofing compound infused into each fiber. For florists, stationers and wedding photographers who move from a portrait to a detail shot within the same hour, having a backdrop and its matching surfaces from one studio is a quiet kind of ease.

Chasing Stone suits wedding photographers, florists, stylists and portrait photographers who work on location, want a colorway they can return to, and would like to build a coordinated palette over time. Chasing Stone does not suit someone who needs a rental for a single production, a canvas larger than about 8' x 14', or a backdrop the same day, since every piece is painted after it is ordered. For each product sold we plant one tree through One Tree Planted, and you can see every colorway in our backdrop collection.

Gravity Backdrops vs Oliphant vs Chasing Stone: Sizes and Prices

On sizes and prices, the three studios are hard to line up directly, because each one sells something different. Oliphant rents from its archive by usage and sells individual pieces, Gravity sells finished canvases by size, and Chasing Stone sells colorways in three fixed sizes, painted for you once you order. Here is how the published numbers sit side by side, with every price checked on October 29, 2026.

Gravity's eight formats run from 3.9 by 7.9 feet up to 8.9 by 19.7 feet, priced in euros. Oliphant lists each rental and store piece with its own dimensions, and its rental FAQ explains that its backdrops are always rolled on the shortest side. Chasing Stone's three approximate sizes, 5' x 8', 8' x 10' and 8' x 14', cover headshots, seated and standing portraits, couples and small groups on a canvas light enough for one person to handle.

For full length portraits of two people, a backdrop about 8 feet wide, such as a Chasing Stone 8' x 10', is a sensible starting point, because its width leaves room on either side of a couple without the floor space of a production set. Our guide to choosing the right backdrop size walks through each size with care. If you mostly shoot headshots and seated portraits, a smaller format will serve you well and travel more easily.

On price, an Oliphant editorial rental is $365 for up to three business days, and the Oliphant store pieces available on October 29, 2026 ranged from $800 to $3,500. Gravity's single canvases start at €275 for XS, in euros as Gravity lists them, and rise with size. Chasing Stone backdrops are $497, $797 and $1,197, and the Chasing Stone Pair Any (3) bundle, three backdrops in one size, is $1,371 for 5' x 8', $2,197 for 8' x 10' and $3,296 for 8' x 14'. Our guide to how much hand painted backdrops cost explains what shapes those prices.

Returns are worth comparing too, because none of these painted pieces can simply go back on a shelf. The Oliphant store FAQ states that all sales are final, and Gravity's returns page states that backdrop sales are final except for items damaged in shipping. Chasing Stone also declines returns because each piece is made to order, though we welcome exchanges within 30 days for unused, undamaged pieces returned in original condition with all packaging, with the customer paying return shipping.

Should You Rent, Buy From Stock or Order a Backdrop Made to Order?

Rent a painted backdrop when it is needed for a single production, buy from stock when you want to choose the exact canvas by eye, and order made to order when you want a colorway you will use session after session. Thinking about how often you will use a canvas is the clearest way to choose between these three ways of buying. Each one fits a different rhythm of work.

Renting suits an editorial story or campaign shot over a few days. An Oliphant rental gives you a painted backdrop for a set period, at the same rate whether you use it for one, two or three days, and you can view backdrops in person by appointment. When the shoot ends, the canvas goes back to the studio, so a look you want again is booked again.

Buying from stock suits a photographer who wants to see the final canvas before it ships. Gravity's statement that the backdrop you see on its website is the exact one you will receive speaks to exactly that kind of buyer, and Oliphant's store lists each of its pieces individually. Choosing from what has already been painted is a lovely way to come across something unexpected.

Made to order is the model Chasing Stone chose, and it suits a photographer, florist or stylist who wants to build a palette deliberately and add to it over time. Because I paint each piece after it is ordered, there is a short wait, and each canvas will vary gently from the photographs, the way two pieces of the same stone never carry identical veining. In return you can choose a warm brown, a cool blue and a soft neutral from the same collection, knowing which colorways you are building with.

If you are buying ahead of the holidays, Chasing Stone holds only two sales a year, a summer sale and a Black Friday sale of 25% off, and lead times matter for December sessions because everything painted is made to order. Our Black Friday photography backdrop guide gathers what to know about choosing and timing. The details of the sale itself are shared on our site and with our mailing list when it begins.

Materials, Care and Travel Across the Three Studios

All three studios roll their painted canvas backdrops onto a tube or core, and Oliphant and Chasing Stone give the same core care advice: keep a painted backdrop rolled on its core, and never fold or crease it. The Oliphant store FAQ asks that a backdrop be stored tightly rolled on its tube, taped securely every 6", in a clean, dry and flat area, and warns that folding or creasing a backdrop rolled on a tube "will cause irreversible damage." The same FAQ suggests spot cleaning with a damp natural sponge, patting gently and never scrubbing, and notes that most Oliphant rolled backdrops are painted on heavyweight canvas, with a selection on muslin and burlap.

Gravity's About page explains that the studio uses acrylic paints exclusively, so that the canvas stays flexible and resists cracking when rolled. Each Gravity backdrop arrives on a cardboard tube inside a hard plastic tube. Keeping that packaging is a sensible way to store any rolled canvas between shoots.

Chasing Stone backdrops are rolled paint side in, stored and transported tightly rolled and taped to the core, and never creased or folded. Light dents can be softened by ironing the back on high heat without steam. A Chasing Stone backdrop can lie on the floor and be stepped on, as long as you watch for creases, which makes it practical for full length portraits on location.

For cleaning a Chasing Stone backdrop, dry debris lifts away with a soft brush or a lint roller, and footprints and oil marks respond to a dry rag and then a gentle white art gum eraser. Water based marks can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth, without heavy detergents or saturating the canvas. Our guide to cleaning and storing hand painted canvas backdrops covers every step of long term care.

For travel, the most portable painted backdrop is a canvas that rolls onto a single core and that one person can carry and hang. Chasing Stone cotton canvas has a heavy, luxurious feel while remaining light enough for one person to handle, and the photographer Jose Villa wrote on our site: "Chasing Stone has been a favorite of mine since I first tried them. Not only do they add texture and style to my subject matter, they are easy to take with me wherever I go!" Oliphant's rental FAQ notes that rolled backdrops, "especially those 9 feet or longer, typically require a van or truck for transport," a helpful reminder that a larger canvas from any studio takes planning to move.

What Is the Best Hand Painted Backdrop for Your Kind of Work?

The best hand painted backdrop depends on what you shoot and how you like to buy: an Oliphant rental or commission for a production or a fully custom piece, a Gravity canvas for choosing a finished piece by eye or for very tall formats, and Chasing Stone for weddings, florals and portraits on location. Here is how I would think about it for the photographers and artists I hear from most.

For wedding photographers, the question is usually how a backdrop will behave in a hotel suite or reception venue with low ceilings and little time. A canvas that rolls, carries and hangs quickly, in a tone that flatters skin and sits gently behind a white gown, earns its place in the car on every wedding day. A Chasing Stone 5' x 8' or 8' x 10' backdrop paired with a hand painted flat lay for the invitation suite and rings was made for exactly that day.

For florists, a backdrop is a frame for living color, and its job is to let petals and stems lead. A florist who photographs arrangements in a warehouse or studio corner is well served by one versatile neutral that never fights with the flowers, along with a flat lay or two for overhead detail work. That combination of backdrop and surface is what our studio was built around.

For portrait studios, the decision often comes down to how many looks you need on the wall and how tall the room is. A dedicated studio with high ceilings may want one of Gravity's taller formats or a piece from the Oliphant store, while a photographer who works between a home studio and clients' homes may find that a few rollable, coordinated colorways serve more sessions. For commercial and editorial productions, especially in New York, an Oliphant rental, priced by usage, is designed for exactly that kind of work, and for very large sets, Gravity's largest format, at 8.9 by 19.7 feet, offers a scale that Chasing Stone does not make.

Choosing a Well Made Painted Canvas From Any Studio

Whichever studio you choose, look for real layered paint, a sturdy cotton canvas, and clear care guidance from the people who made it. All three studios described here publish their materials and their care advice, which makes them easier to compare honestly. Our guide on how to tell a quality canvas backdrop from a cheap one is a good companion to this comparison.

It means something to me that studios in Brooklyn, in Serbia and in Orange County are all still painting canvas by hand for photographers in 2026, when printing a texture would be so much faster. Each of us is translating something, a sky, a weathered wall, a piece of crumbling stone, into a surface that light can fall across and a camera can read as real. Oliphant has been painting backdrops since 1978, Gravity paints in Europe and ships worldwide, and our small studio offers one artist's hand, made to order and ready to travel with you.

There is room in your work for more than one of these, and a backdrop from any of them can sit beside the others in a growing collection. The best choice is the one that fits the rooms you shoot in, the light you love and the people you photograph. Which kind of canvas will your next portrait be made on?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Oliphant backdrop alternative?

The best Oliphant backdrop alternative depends on why you want an Oliphant. Gravity Backdrops sells ready to ship painted canvases in eight sizes, from €275 for its XS format, in euros as Gravity lists them on October 29, 2026. Chasing Stone paints rollable backdrops to order in Orange County, California, in three approximate sizes, from $497 for a 5' x 8'. Both suit photographers who want to own a painted backdrop rather than rent one.

Gravity Backdrops vs Oliphant: what is the difference?

Gravity Backdrops and Oliphant sell in different ways. Oliphant, based in Brooklyn and painting backdrops since 1978, rents from a collection of around 3,000 backdrops with rates set by usage, paints custom commissions, and sells individual pieces through its store. Gravity, which its About page dates to 2012, sells finished canvases from a stock of more than 20,000, priced by size in euros, and states that the canvas you see online is the one you receive.

What are the best hand painted backdrops for wedding photographers?

For wedding photographers, the best hand painted backdrops are ones that roll, travel and hang quickly in venues with little time or space. Chasing Stone backdrops are painted by hand on cotton canvas light enough for one person to handle, come in approximate 5' x 8', 8' x 10' and 8' x 14' sizes, and pair with hand painted flat lays for detail shots. Taller formats from Oliphant or Gravity suit dedicated studios with high ceilings.

Where are Chasing Stone backdrops made?

Every Chasing Stone backdrop and hand painted flat lay is painted by hand by Jennifer Kidd, the founder and artist, in Orange County, California, on premium cotton canvas using professional grade materials sourced in the USA. Each piece is made to order, so no two are identical. Chasing Stone backdrops have a processing time of five to seven business days before shipping, excluding weekends and U.S. federal holidays.

Can you rent Oliphant backdrops?

Yes, Oliphant Studio rents from a collection of around 3,000 backdrops for a standard period of up to three business days. Its published rates, checked October 29, 2026, are $575 for film, TV and digital, $465 for advertisement, print, display and event work, $365 for editorial, and $365 for students with a valid ID. Oliphant ships bagged drops and rolled drops up to 14 feet within the United States, and does not currently ship rentals internationally.

Are hand painted backdrops worth the price?

Hand painted backdrops are worth the price for photographers who use a backdrop often, because a well cared for painted canvas can serve many sessions and real paint carries depth and subtle variation that a camera reads naturally. A rental suits one production, while an owned canvas suits repeated work. Keeping the canvas rolled on its core and never folded, as both Oliphant and Chasing Stone advise, protects that investment.

Which hand painted backdrop brand is best for travel?

For travel, the most practical hand painted backdrop is a canvas that rolls onto a single core and that one person can carry and hang. Chasing Stone backdrops roll paint side in onto a cardboard core inside a reusable tube, on cotton canvas light enough for one person to handle. Larger canvases from any studio take more planning; Oliphant notes that rolled backdrops 9 feet or longer typically require a van or truck.