Very interesting read. Thanks all, as I'm truly absorbing all this. I will definitely be investing in a simple portable studio after my Uganda trip. This masking business kind of sucks, which is why I posted this. I did realize that studio photography is likely easier, as there is not the issue of controlling the background. In a small house with lots of clutter (even when the owner doesn't realize it's clutter), it's impossible, no matter how shallow the dof. I was shooting at f/4 primarily, and wider open, but it still was impossible. I found this website, http://www.backdropexpress.com/index.aspx , which seems to have very decent prices. Your thoughts??