How to Find Backdrops for a Photo Shoot

Those gorgeous backdrops all the specialty photography supply companies sell are really pricey when you are just starting out. So does that mean you can't have any nice backdrops while your photography business is getting off the ground? Nope. Not at all. I have about 20 backdrops and I still probably haven't invested the amount of money that a high priced backdrop costs in the whole bunch. Here's how I shop for fun, funky and classic backdrops on a budget.

I REALLY wanted a black velvet backdrop, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on it, especially when I was using it for puppies, who might get footprints and fur on it. I knew I could come up with a cheaper option. Sure enough, I did. I heard Walmart had a fabric section, checked it out and found black velvet for under $7 a yard. I bought three yards and ended up with a nice backdrop that I can risk messing up, but that photographs beautifully in the meantime.

Another option for me is Fabric Mart, an online fabric warehouse. I sometimes find funky options for $1.99 a yard in their clearance section.

Sometimes, fabrics aren't very wide. When I want something a bit wider than the standard dress making fabrics, I head to the home decor section. I often come across amazing fabrics for $9 a yard or less in my fabric store's home decor section. The really neat thing? I can ask them to roll the three yards I am buying onto a tube and can staple one end to the tube when I get home to make the backdrops easy to store and easy to hang.

I have a really neat backdrop I like to use for still life/food type stuff. It is a bamboo blind that I found on clearance at Target. Another really great sort of tufted backdrop? A curtain from the clearance section. And the funky designs I saw on some shower curtains recently have me checking for clearance sales on them, too.

If Target isn't your thing, check out Home Depot. Faux tin ceiling tiles, interesting paneling, laminate flooring...A piece of luan for the backing and you'll have some great backdrops.

Don't forget to check out your trash, or at least the recycling. I taped sheets of newspaper together for a boy's photo shoot and am thinking about using sheet music for a teen shoot.