Fun, colourful backdrop made from bargain store find

Photography backdrops can be expensive. Backdrops from photo supply outlets sell anywhere from $50 to $300 each, and as portrait photographers, we need a variety of backgrounds to suit many different clients. Purchasing five to ten good quality backdrops will quickly empty your bank account.

As a photographer on a budget, I'm always looking for alternative sources of material that can be used to add visual interest to photos for cheap. Sources such as department stores provide us with many options. Bedsheets, large bath towels, table cloths, shower curtains, and drapes are a few common items used for backdrops. I own a few of these myself.

While shopping at a local bargain store, I came across some items that caught my eye. I thought I would share one of them here with you.

I wanted to create a fun, colourful backdrop that would be suitable for young children portraits. I came across a selection of brightly coloured, round woven placemats that caught my eye. Each one is fifteen inches across and is made of a sturdy basket-like material. There were four colours to choose from - yellow, blue, green and pink. Unfortunately, there was only one pink placemat left, so I purchased five each of the remaining colours.

When a got home, I arranged them on the floor in an alternating pattern and temporarily taped them together using strips of duct tape (far right image) so that I could hang my creation from my background support.

I was pleased with what I saw and I plan to either permanently fasten them to a drop cloth or create a large display panel that I can tack the circles to in various patterns or as solid colour backgrounds.

This fun, colourful backdrop was made with inexpensive materials from a bargain store.

You could achieve a similar look by cutting circles from coloured paper and taping them together, but I feel that the woven texture of the placemats gives them added interest and a slight feel of dimension. The circular placemats are made of a durable material and should endure moderate abuse, something that a paper backdrop can't do.

As for cost, this project was very affordable. The circular placemats cost a mere $1.25 each. Materials so far cost under $20. I plan to buy an additional ten placemats to make the backdrop two rows wider. This will bring the total cost to around $30 dollars. Final size will be about 6 feet by 5 feet.

If I pursue the idea of creating a tack board that will allow me to rearrange the pattern and create new looks, the $30 investment will pay for itself many times over.