What do you do when you are a photographer but also like crafting? You need to like all the possible DIY’s – especially if you are looking for uniqueness. And if you do not want to spend a fortune on the expensive photography equipment. People are so creative these days, you can actually find tutorials on how to make your own studio lighting! And you don’t have to be an electrician to make them!
Today I decided to make my own, unique photography studio backdrop. Sounds easy enough, but it can take a couple of hours, especially if you have two little kids helping you.
WHAT DO YOU NEED
Not as much as you would think. You need a big sheet (I used a half of a big cloth backdrop which was originally orange), paint, sponge & paint roller. Also if you really like your floor you’d need to protect it with outer waterproof backing film.
PAINTING, PAINTING & PAINTING
Once the place is prepared and secured, you can start painting. I tried re-creating the famous Oliphant backdrops but ended up adding my own creative twist to it. Basically the internal part of your backdrop should be slightly lighter. As the work was progressing, and my little helpers focused really hard on painting especially one area of the backdrop, it was obvious to me that the actual middle of it will have to be lightened – hence the golden paint.
The black paint is just a regular matt blackboard paint dissolved with a splash of water. Remember, the black paint must be matt if you want it to absorb the light, any shiny finish will reflect the light. The golden paint is an acrylic enamel paint and it reflects the light.
FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE BACKDROP
Unfortunately I ran out of the black board paint, but I would say the final result is truly one of a kind. Once we finished painting and added the golden colour in the middle, the backdrop had to be hung to dry overnight, that’s why before starting any work I made a tunnel to hang it on the backdrop stand.
After all work is done and you are waiting for your backdrop to dry, you can start tidying the room. Of course a bath is something what cannot be avoided after that job.
THE FINAL RESULT
After all the bathing, and cleaning, and scraping, and rubbing, we could finally try out if our hard work paid off or not. And I am pretty happy with the final result. My daughter modelled for me in the natural window light (thank you my beautiful models, my daughter is picking up all the poses)! The backdrop is very unusual and different to the ones you can buy in the shops but I am happy with the overall outcome. I will certainly try working on another DIY project in the near future. Such fun! And looking forward on trying it this weekend when it’s dry!
What do you think of the backdrop? Did you enjoy the article? Thanks for reading :)!
Thank you for DIY ?
My pleasure! Now your turn Joanna 😀
It’s fab Anna. Great idea and nicely documented. ??
Thank you Julie. Not easy to take photos while painting but it was worth all the hassle :). xxx
Fantastyczna praca Aniu.
Świetny efekt! Wielkie brawa !
Dziekuje bardzo 🙂 Duzo kolejnych projektow do zrealizowania 🙂