When it comes to blogging about food, one thing is very clear– The photos of your food can make or break your blog post. Photography isn’t a skill that comes naturally to me, but it is a skill that I am constantly striving to get better at. I live in Vancouver, where we get quite a bit of rain, and lighting is something that I struggle with quite a bit. For a long time I also struggled with backdrops. We live in an older house, with a kitchen that is in desperate need of a remodel. We don’t have a gorgeous granite or marble counter to photograph our food on and for quite awhile I’ve played around with what to use for photo backdrops. I’ve gone back and forth using wood, which lasts for a long time but is heavy to move around, and thinner paper style backdrops which are light but get crumpled quickly. Are you in the same boat as me? If so, you’re in luck! Today I’m going to share with you how to make lightweight and inexpensive photography backdrops that are perfect for food photography!
Last fall when I was at Blog Podium I was introduced to DC Fix. You can see the DIY Robot Chalkboard Mural that I made with their adhesive chalkboard here. The wheels in my head immediately started spinning with all of the AMAZING things that I could do with their products. One of my first thoughts was how great the product would be for photo backdrops.
My hubby had brought home a couple of large foam core signs from work, and the two of us decided to turn them into double sided photo backdrops.
Read on to learn how we made our lightweight inexpensive photo backdrops!
How To Make Lightweight Inexpensive Photography Backdrops For Food Photography
What you need:
-1 large piece of foam core, as large as you want your photo backdrop to be. (DC Fix is 17.7 inches wide by 78.7 inches so that would be the maximum size of your photo backdrop if you didn’t want to have seams.)
-1 or more rolls of DC Fix in your choice of finishes. (We did 2 sided backdrops so we used 2 rolls per backdrop.)
-1 straight edge ruler
-1 exacto knife or box cutter
Optional: Credit card (for smoothing bubbles) and pin
The DC Fix Finishes we used:
How we made it:
I adore my husband, sometimes I shake my head at the things that he “collects”, but at the end of the day I’m almost always happy when I find exactly what I need in his treasure trove. Take this clearance sign that he rescued from being tossed at work. When he brought it home I said to him “What are we going to do with those?” His reply “Don’t worry, we’ll find something to do with it.” Sure enough, a month later I told him that I wanted to make some photo backdrops and he said “Let’s use those foam core clearance signs I brought home!”
Take your foam core sign and your favorite DC Fix Adhesive finish.
Lay your foam core on the floor or another hard service. Peel the backing off of one edge of the DC Fix and slowly start smoothing the adhesive down on the foam core working from one end of the foam core to the other, peeling the backing off as you go.
Smooth away any bubbles or air pockets using a credit card to push the air pockets to the edge of the foam core. For stubborn air pockets prick with a pin then smooth out.
Using your straight edge and exacto knife, cut away the excess DC Fix Adhesive and foam core.
Voila! You have a beautiful photo backdrop!
Jessica says
This is totally awesome!!! Ordering now!
Linda says
I saw something like these last week and nearly bought them to do exactly the same then couldn’t think of what to stick them to… I’m going back for them now! Thanks for the idea!!
Mary Ann says
Yes, I am a beauty and food blogger. I use clothing, white cardboard with some leaves or flowers on the sides and sometimes plush toys…. to make it more cute 🙂