Whether you're starting up a photography studio on a limited budget or simply want to take your at-home hobby to the next level, homemade backdrops are an inexpensive way to get started. Making your own backdrops while experimenting with studio lighting can be a productive learning experience. Finding out what styles of fabric, colors and textures you enjoy photographing at a reduced cost will make professional backdrop purchases in the future easier and more cost effective.
Multicolored Backdrops
Select a large piece of ivory or white muslin fabric from a quilting store. Have the piece cut to fit your needs. Select fabric dye in the color you wish to make the backdrop. Choose a color that blends well with ivory or white, such as gray or blue.
Prewash the fabric in the washing machine on a cold delicate cycle, or use a large plastic tote with detergent. Rinse the muslin fabric, leaving it wet. Prepare the dye as directed on the package. Roll the muslin fabric into a ball. Tie bailing twine around the fabric in a crossing pattern. Don't be neat with the lines, as this will make the random pattern on the backdrop. Soak the fabric in the dye.
Allow the fabric to dry, then remove the twine to expose the ivory or white fabric, and hang the backdrop to decrease the amount of wrinkles. Place the backdrop in a dryer on the lowest heat setting for a few minutes to soften and flatten the fabric.
Solid-Colored Backdrops
Go to the fabric store and look through piles of fabric remnants. Examine crushed velvet, cottons and muslin fabrics in solid colors. Consider sheer tulle and chiffon fabrics to layer over heavier solid pieces. Choose black, tans, white, gray, opaque and dark blues because they are the most common solid colors used as photography backdrops.
Hem the rough edges of the fabric and sew a cross bar pocket in the top of the fabric. Fold the top of the fabric over to create a 3-inch pocket. Sew the fabric, leaving each end open for the insertion of a backdrop stand cross bar. Add clamps to weigh down the bottom of the backdrop or sew small weights into pockets at the base of the backdrop.
Textured Backdrops
Creating a homemade backdrop shouldn't be limited to cloth. Consider a textured backdrop that resembles a natural setting in the indoor comfort of your home or studio.
Use pieces of scrap barn wood to craft an old-fashioned fence backdrop. Nail the barn wood to a sturdy frame made from new 2-by-4 lumber. Make the fence as wide or narrow as space will allow. Lean the fence backdrop against a wall, then decorate with silk foliage or rusted barbed wire. Hang an old cowboy hat or horse bridle on a nail for a touch of the Old West.
Tags: ivory white, muslin fabric, barn wood, fabric leaving, fence backdrop
