Bored of being stuck indoors yet? Shooting against the same white background all the time can get tiresome, so why not switch it up with some creative DIY alternatives.
Early on in my photographic career, I spent literally thousands of hours photographing subjects in front of white walls. This was an incredibly popular look in the 90’s as we moved away from the grey and brown cloudy backdrops of the 1980’s, but times are changing once again as we tire of the stark and clinical look of a pure white backdrop.
One way to liven up a white wall is to add some colour via coloured gels, but if that’s not your thing (FYI: you’re on the wrong website ;) ), what else can we do to try and add some variety to our simple and often boring looking white wall?
One way to go is to consider coloured paper backdrops. You’ll find these in nearly all studios and they come in a nearly limitless number of colours, but they all have one problem in common; they’re expensive.
So what other backdrop options are available to us if we want to add a huge amount of variety to our white walls, but don’t want to spend a huge amount of money?
This image is nearly 10 years old now, but the window blind backdrop behind this model is still going strong! Window blind backdrops are inexpensive and if cared for, will outlive most other backdrops.
Window Blinds
Window blinds are a fantastic solution to this problem as they come in hundreds of different styles, colours and materials and what’s even better, they’re relatively inexpensive too. There is one key shortcoming to point out with window blinds though, and that’s that window blinds are not great for full length body shots. But if you’re after half-body and head-shots, then window blinds are perfect.
A couple of things to look for when buying window blinds as photographic backdrops, are their thickness and size. Specifically, you’ll want to look for ‘blackout’ blinds. These are thicker window blinds meaning that they’ll last a lot longer, roll up flat, can even be spot cleaned with a damp cloth and they’re less prone to creasing too.
The second thing to look for is their size. Most of the time you’ll want to get the largest window blind you can so as to give the most photographic flexibility when you’re using them. You’ll often find many window blinds will have at least a 2m drop (height) and 2m width, which is perfect for nearly every portrait setup.
Once you start looking into the variety and options available to you, you’ll wonder how you never thought of using window blinds as photographic backdrops before.
Why use a window blind as a backdrop?
Relatively easy to transport
Rolls up - no creasing or folds
Very affordable
Literally hundreds of options
Very easy to store
Won’t rip and tear like paper Coloramas can
Get the ‘black-out’ blinds and you’ll have little to no glare on the backdrop meaning the model can be quite close to it too
Again, this image is a little old now, but the same principles of what makes a ‘fake’ background like this work, is to bring the subject forward and shoot at a shallow depth of field to ensure the background behind is completely out of focus.
Lino
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Before you keep scrolling, hear me out. Lino can actually be extremely versatile in a home studio if used smartly.
This relatively inexpensive photographic background substitute has many nice benefits. For one, it’s affordable and usually around £5 per square metre. It’s heavy… in a good way. It hangs very flat because of its inherent weight and this goes a very long way in making the backdrop appear far more ‘believable’ behind the subject. It’s also portable if needed as it rolls up easily and like I mentioned, because of its inherent density, you have minimal curling.
Also, some of the more expensive ones have a detailed textured surface which again helps a lot with ‘selling’ the idea of a fake background behind the subject too.
Lino’s key feature is that they have a multitude of ‘real’ looking options over simple block colours. For example Lino has some very believable looking textured surfaces like stone and wood.
Personally, I think the idea of ‘fake’ backgrounds trying to appear real, looks less obvious and more environmental when it appears out of focus. Bringing the subject forward and shooting at a shallower depth of field will help to achieve this look.
Why use Lino as a backdrop?
Lots of ‘organic’ backdrop options like stone and wood
Relatively easy to transport
Rolls up - no creasing or folds
Very affordable
Literally hundreds of options
Very easy to store
Won’t rip and tear like paper Coloramas
Mottled backdrops have a pretty bad rep thanks to some horrendous 80’s family portraits. But they are seeing a comeback if used in the right situation.
Mottled Backdrops
Mottled backgrounds have always been associated with cheesy and old fashioned family portraits, but they are slowly making a comeback.
In recent years, top fashion photographers from around the world have been reintroducing the mottled backdrops into their fashion editorials. In the past these backdrops had fallen out of favour due to their association with old fashioned family portraits, but now they're coming back and if you're patient, there are some bargains to be had before they hit the mainstream again.
One option to get these mottled backdrops into your shots is to pick up a pre-made version. These can be a little pricey if you don't know where to look, especially as many of them are handmade. If you do know where to look though, you can still pick up the old-school versions (like you see pictured behind this model here) for next to nothing.
Alternatively (and in keeping with the title of this article), you can simply make a mottled backdrop yourself. It’s not actually too tricky and it won’t cost you too much either. Take a look at my previous article on how to make one - DIY Mottled Backdrop
Click on the image above to see how to make your own mottled backdrop
Why use Mottled backdrops?
Get the cotton ones and they can literally be stuffed in a small bag when not in use
The neutral coloured ones can even be gelled for different looks
It’s possible to make one yourself
The DIY version is totally unique
The mottled backgrounds do tend to look good in slightly darker shots. If you’re a fan of a darker background, this might be the option for you
Window Blind Lighting Setup
Okay, so we’ve discussed a few DIY backdrop options for your home shoots. Now let’s get a little practical and put one of these backdrops to use. In the following lighting technique, I’ll be using a simple, silver £40 window blind as the background of my portrait.
The setup
The beauty of these window blind backdrops, is that they can be used with any lighting setup, but here's one of my favourites.
What you will need:
1x window blind (ideally 2m wide with a drop of 2m)
2x lights (strobes or speed lights)
1x silver reflector (optional)
1x 90cm Octabox
1x open-dish reflector
Note: You may need some way of holding the window blind behind the model. Ideally a couple of extra light stands would be perfect.
Step 1 - Hanging the Backdrop
You can choose to hang your window blind however you like, but I like to use the two light stands and a crossbar method. Simply setup the crossbar and then drape the window blind over the top. The window blind will likely still be lightweight enough if you only have one light stand a clamp though.
Step 2 - Keylight Placement
I will be using a small 90cm octabox here, but a beauty dish or small square softbox will also work. Place the keylight far enough away from the background so that it wont light the background as well. Position it just above the models head and angled down at 45 degrees.
Step 3 - Background Light Placement
We will be lighting our background separately to the model, so we will be using a second light in this setup. Place the light behind where the model will be and at a height of just below the shoulders. I want to achieve a vignette of light on the backdrop behind the model so I want the light quite close to the background at about 1 to 2 feet away.
Step 4 - Camera Settings
The more you shoot with studio lighting, the more you realise how little you actually change your camera settings. As always shoot at the lowest ISO your camera will allow, usually ISO 100, and then select the shutter speed that syncs to your lighting. If you're unsure then 1/125th is your best bet. Lastly, select an aperture of around f4 to f5.6. This should allow for the background to be out of focus whilst keeping the subject in focus.
Step 5 - Model Placement
We have already established that we want to light our subject separately to our backdrop, so we should position our model at around 5 to 6 feet away from the background. If we do this correctly we should also have no trouble in hiding the background light behind our subject too.
Step 6 - Add a Reflector if Needed
If you have a third light to use as a fill-light, then do so but if not, a simple silver reflector will do the job. Position it just out of shot below the frame and you can either place it on a stand or hand hold it. This will just bounce a little light from our keylight back into the shadows on the subject.
Click to enlarge
Thank You
Thanks for checking out this article and spending a little bit of your day with me here. I hope you found it useful and that you get a chance to give it a try yourself. If you do, I’d be very interested to see what backdrop you found. After all, there are some fancy window blinds out there so I’d love to see what you found. As always, if you have any questions, then by all means fire-away in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer what I can. Thanks again and I’ll see you in the next one.
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