Bored with the same old white background in your photographs?
Interested in trying out a few colourful backdrops?
Don’t have enough money to invest in expensive photo studios?
If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you have landed on the right page.
Let’s discuss some easy DIY backdrops that you can use to click beautiful artistic photos without putting a dent in your pocket.
How to create DIY backdrops for photo shoots?
Creating a backdrop for photos may seem like a huge task at first. But it doesn’t have to be if you try these 12 simple, yet effective DIY backdrop hacks recommended by some top photographers and bloggers:
1. Paper plates
Create an ombre wall with different shades of the same-coloured paper plates, colourful background with random bright colours, or use single-colour plates for a consistent aesthetic. You can arrange them in various patterns to add more liveliness to your pictures. Options are many, and the choice really depends upon how creative you want to get.
2. Streamers
Looking for ideas to pop colours in your picture’s background? Try streamers. They are not just colourful, but also cheaper and easier to arrange. Just pick a few combinations of your favourite colours and stick them on the back wall. Or you could simply pick one colour for a stripped monochrome background.
3. Tin foil
This hack is for those who want the not-so-subtle silver background. Their reflection makes your photos shine and look artistic. You can use them to create texture and bokeh to make your pictures stand out from the thousand other shots on social media.
However, remember that tin foil has a reflective surface that bounces the light back. So you have to be careful with the use of lighting. Natural soft light, like window lighting (rather than hard ring light), works best with a DIY photo backdrop made using tin foil.
4. Fairy lights
Fairy lights are the obvious choice when one wants a magical and dreamy backdrop. Their sparkle will brighten your pictures and give them a heavenly feel. All you gotta do to create this magical background is hang a white/creamy white curtain or sheet from a curtain rod and hang the fairy lights on top. You can also add some flowers to give more substance to the pictures.
5. Paper triangles
This one might bring some nostalgia from your school’s art and crafts lessons. Remember how you used to cut different shapes from colourful papers and paste them into scrapbooks in different patterns? Well, this DIY background idea is the same with one exception. Instead of a scrapbook, you will be pasting the patterns on the wall or chart paper to create photo backdrops.
6. Wrapping papers
Source: HelloGlow
Wrapping papers do make gifts look nice but they make excellent DIY photo backdrops too. Cut them into circles, stick them on the wall in straight lines or in overlapping rows to make a scalloped background for pictures.
7. Curtains
This is probably the cheapest and easiest DIY hack on our list. Just stretch the curtain and paste its sides on the wall to straighten them out. Their natural folds and creases will add texture to your pictures and make them look poetic. However, these hacks work best for close-ups and not for wide shots.
8. Ombre effect
Take different shades of single-coloured tissue, crumble them and paste them on the wall. Make sure to layer them for an added dramatic effect.
This one is not as easy to make as the other DIY backdrop ideas But imagine the aesthetics that an ombre background can add to your pictures. The effort is totally worth it, right?
9. Chequered streamers
Yup, streamers again! Why?
Because they are versatile, colourful, cheap, easily available and the best choice for any DIY backdrop hack. You can create a striped pattern by using streamers of different colours. Firstly, stick the streamers vertically. And then create a chequered look by pasting more horizontally.
10. Doilies
Source: Pinterest
Creating a pretty amazing photo background with doilies is as easy as eating a pie. Choose your favourite colours and paste them on the wall randomly. And if you are feeling artistic, stick them in different patterns by overlaying them on one another.
11. Dried flowers
No, we aren’t talking about plucking fresh flowers and taping them on the wall.
But you can surely do this with dried flowers. They give a rustic, old-school vibe to your pictures, and they last a long time as well. Not just flowers, you can use branches, twigs, leaves, and grass too. All you need to do is pick these from a garden, let them dry for some time in the sun, and then paste them on a wall, chart paper, or cardboard in various designs. And voilà! They are ready to be used as a photo backdrop.
Tell us your DIY backdrop ideas for clicking stunning photos
These DIY backdrop hacks are pocket-friendly, less time-consuming, and pretty simple to create. So anyone can make them, even those who aren’t very artistic.
So, pick up a camera and start clicking professional-level pictures. And don’t forget to share your hacks with us.
Interested in honing your photography skills further, check out this course on different kinds of lighting needed for content creation.
