Photography Backdrops

I used to scroll Instagram admiring people’s beautiful breakfast scenes, and thinking how fortunate they were to happen to have a rustic wooden table or marble worktops in their home. I used to try to and create my own pictures by dragging old chests of drawers and tables to the window, or using our lovely old floorboards to arrange a scene on. I soon realised though there was a real difference between something looking nice and being photogenic. For example our old oak refectory dining table and benches, although lovely was just too orange, too smooth, and too badly lit to ever be useful for photos.

Eventually I twigged what was probably happening was that people were using backdrops. This realisation opened up a world of possibilities, all you need is the vision, and the storage space! I immediately went out and bought some tongue and groove, nailed it into some hardboard and painted it white. Ta-da! My very own white table top. I don’t actually use this one any more but it was a total game changer for me. Now I could follow the best light around the house, and position myself in that perfect 2pm December sunshine just as it hit that spot on my living room floor. You see it’s not only about having the right surfaces, it’s about having the right light on them.

I have since gathered myself quite a collection of backdrops. I have two pieces of marble from reclamation yards. They are very heavy and difficult to manage, but there is definitely something about the way the light falls on real marble rather than formica. I paid around £10 for each of them. I also have a nice collection of scaffolding planks. Rustic wood is really my preference over the tongue and groove that I first used. I scoured reclamation yards looking for the most bleached out and characterful wood I could find, and this is what forms most of my photography surfaces.

I sawed another set of planks into lengths and screwed them together, then painted them with white emulsion. To create the distressed look, you can use a “resistance” method of applying vaseline to sections where you don’t want the paint to stick, and then wiping the paint away. I found this wasn’t necessary because the emulsion was easy to scrape away from the wood once it was dry. For this reason, don’t undercoat, just slap the paint on! I used a wire brush and fine sand paper, and scraped and scoured until I had the effect I wanted.

white painted wooden backdrop

If lugging heavy wooden boards or chunks or marble around isn’t your cup of tea, or you struggle for storage space another great option is to use vinyl photography backdrops. These are commonly used in studio photography, and sometimes huge rolls of them are hung on the walls and lowered down as needed. You can of course buy any size piece you want, and they are super handy for food and product photography and are easily transportable.

A couple of years ago I spent quite a lot of money (and import tax) on some from America. Despite my best efforts, I’ve never got on with them, because they have a textured finish which I find is really visible in the photos. It might work with a very shallow depth of field, but it definitely didn’t work for me. This is something to really look out for and avoid if possible. However there are far better ones available now – Capture by Lucy has some gorgeous designs, and prints them on smooth, low reflection vinyl. I’ve been tempted to try these for a while so I bit the bullet and ordered a couple. They photograph really well and are definitely much quicker and easier to get out than a huge wooden board. The one below is called “grey temple walls”.

Vinyl backdrops - Capture by Lucy Old Temple Wall

Another great option for vinyl is Pixers. They have an incredibly extensive range of designs – I found the best way to navigate their website was to type into the search what I was looking for. Try “concrete”, “brick wall” or “rustic wood” and you will get some fantastic options. These stickers are designed to be used on the wall, but they make equally good surfaces for flat lays. You can either roll them up afterwards and this way they are easy to store, or what I did was to stick them onto sheets of foam board, which is super lightweight yet rigid, and still allows me to easily take them in the car to different locations if needed. The distressed concrete one below works brilliantly.

Pixersize vinyl backdrop concrete

So, don’t rip out your kitchen or beat up your dining table just yet! These are all handy solutions to the problem of backdrops, and all though I have plenty of photogenic surfaces in my house, the fact that these backdrops can be moved around to the best light is really what makes them so useful. If you have an online shop or are a florist, you will probably find having a backdrop that you can pull out and lay by the window means you will be able to photograph your products regularly and easily. Consistently using a couple of backdrops or settings, will also give your product photography a recognisable style and make your website look lovely!

Now all you’ve got to do is get creative with what sort of backdrop you fancy.. x

(All these photos were taken and edited on iPhone)

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25 Comments

  • Reply Dee July 5, 2017 at 11:03 pm

    These are such pretty backdrops! Thank you for the tips. I’ve never thought about these details before.

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 7, 2017 at 9:54 am

      Thank you so much for reading as always Dee!

  • Reply Graham Custance July 7, 2017 at 9:28 am

    So much useful information Hannah, I would never have realised that you could obtain all of these props. Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 7, 2017 at 9:53 am

      Thanks for reading Graham! There is so much lovely stuff available these days, and although my preference is real wood the other ones are so much easier to store!

  • Reply Abi | These Four Walls blog July 7, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Such a useful post – thanks! I ordered two backdrops from Capture by Lucy and they’re such good quality – not reflective at all, and with a lovely range of colours and textures.

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 1:01 pm

      Thanks so much for reading Abi! They are fab aren’t they, I can imagine I may well add to my collection soon! xx

  • Reply Natasha Seager July 7, 2017 at 12:10 pm

    Lovely read. I have a grueling collection of tiles etc. Will check out the companies that you mentioned, thanks for the tips xx

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      Thanks lovely. I love your tiles they make fabulous backdrops! These are certainly easier to pack away and store though xx

  • Reply Trisha July 7, 2017 at 1:53 pm

    Such wonderful secrets you shared!! I’m excited to play and find some just right for me! Just getting started and finding my way, what fun!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 12:59 pm

      Thank you so much for reading Trisha! I’m really pleased you found it useful – good luck with your backdrop! xx

  • Reply Louise July 7, 2017 at 2:45 pm

    Thanks Hannah, I like you started out with creating my own wooden table top, soooo heavy! I love the Vinyls from Capture by Lucy, they are fabulous, a real bonus you can roll them up when not needed, such a space saver!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 12:59 pm

      They are brilliant aren’t they! I still love the real wood, but I’m lucky to have space to keep backdrops. Vinyls are such a great alternative though and really far more sensible! xx

  • Reply Amanda July 11, 2017 at 9:49 am

    I shall be scuttling off to my nearest reclamation yard, asap! x

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 12:57 pm

      Ah have fun! Some of the best places to hang out! x

  • Reply Clare July 11, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    You are so clever. I love reading your posts.

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 12, 2017 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks lovely. Can’t wait to read yours! xx

  • Reply Julia July 14, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Love a good backdrop, my favourite is half a weathered door that I rescued from a bonfire pile (with permission)…

    • Reply Hannah Argyle July 15, 2017 at 12:08 pm

      I love your old door! The real ones really are the best for me.. but the vinyl ones make a brilliant and very practical substitute!

  • Reply Belen August 24, 2017 at 4:06 pm

    Do the vinyls that imitate rustic wood look good on pictures?

    • Reply Hannah Argyle September 1, 2017 at 11:34 am

      Yes they work really well! My preference is always for real wood but it’s not possible for everyone or for every situation. These are a great alternative

  • Reply Kate October 19, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    Yes yes yes. I need to stop lamenting my dining room table and get some props. I’m in a photo slump and needed some motivation. Thank you!!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle October 20, 2017 at 12:28 pm

      Ah brilliant, a new backdrop can ease so many frustrations about things not being “quite right” and make it all fun again! Good luck xx

  • Reply Silvy February 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Such a brilliant and clever idea!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle February 22, 2018 at 12:31 pm

      Thank you very much! x

  • Reply Allison February 4, 2019 at 3:50 am

    Hi Hannah,

    Very useful post – thank you!

    I was looking at Pixersize (at https://pixers.us/self-adhesive-posters/concrete) but can’t find the exact one you have in the photo above. Do you have a record of the exact name of it?

    thank you!

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