25+ Easy & Cheap Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

Even if you don’t have a rustic textured table in your home for your food and craft photos or a professional photostudio for your fashion shoots, you can take professional looking pictures with these 25+ easy and cheap backdrop ideas for blog photography.

25+ Easy & Cheap Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

Some great DIY photo backdrops might be already lying around in your house. In this post I’ll show you what I use as backdrops for my blog photos. Some of the ideas are for DIY indoor backdrops and some are natural outdoor backdrops.

DIY Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

I usually take photos outside or near a window facing south. And I use Lightroom to edit the photos.

For the strawberries I used a pink polka dot dress as background!

DIY Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography
The ‘After’ Photo

Here’s the photo of the strawberries after editing it in lightroom.

Blog Photography - With Reflector And Without Reflector
White paper reflector

I use a large sheet of white paper to bounce off light. Look what a difference a reflector makes! Both photos are unedited.

Backdrops For Blog Photography
1920s Boston cream pie & old baking sheet as backdrop

And a behind-the-scenes photo: my photo assistant! 😉

 

25+ Easy & Cheap Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

Clothing

Rainbow Ice Cream Cake With Natural Food Coloring

I used my pink polka dot dress wrapped around cardboard as backdrop for the naturally colored rainbow ice cream. I love the pink polka dot backdrop!

Victorian Graham Bread Recipe

The color and texture of natural linen is great as backdrop: Victorian graham bread with my linen skirt as backdrop.

Edwardian Horn Hairpins

Lace and doilies look so romantic: For the Edwardian horn hairpins I used my lace princess petticoat as backdrop.

Tiffany Blue Macarons With Natural Food Dye

And my DIY crochet lace hat serves as background for the naturally colored blue macarons.

Pillowcases, Scarfs, Fabric, Lace etc.

How To Make Drawn Thread Work

I used my DIY turquoise pillowcase as backdrop for the drawn thread work tutorial so that the stitches show better. You can also use curtains, tablecloths, towels, carpets, blankets etc.

DIY Natural Rose Petal Blush Recipe

And lace doilies add such a romantic touch to photos. I used a lace doily on top of a mint green rayon scarf as backdrop for my DIY natural rose petal blush.

Moisturizer and Lotion Recipes - Victorian And Edwardian Beauty Routine And Recipes
Cucumber cream with ombre turquoise scarf as backdrop

Paper

Naturally Colored Blue Cake Experiment
Blue Cake With Natural Food Coloring

I often use a large piece of drawing paper as backdrop for my photos. But it isn’t perfect for food photography because it gets stained with food.

White Shelf Board & Plywood Sheets

DIY Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

White shelf boards are an alternative to white paper. They’re heavy but wipeable: so they’re better suited for food photography.

Stone Floors & Floor Tiles

Hibiscus Popsicles Recipe
Hibiscus Popsicles

Another backdrop you often see in my pictures is our grey granite stone floor. If you don’t have a suitable stone floor, you can also use stone or ceramic tiles.

DIY No-Sew Reusable Makeup Remover Pads Tutorial
DIY No-Sew Reusable Makeup Remover Pads

Large River Rocks

DIY Stone Backdrop - Blog Photography
DIY wirework earrings with river rock backdrop

Large river rocks or beach stones are an interesting background for jewelry.

Wooden Cutting Boards

DIY Crochet Easter Bunny Garland - Free Pattern

I love the old wooden cutting board as backdrop – but unfortunately it’s usually too small. I used it as backdrop for the crochet Easter bunny garland.

Natural Coasters, Placemats & Baskets

DIY Pom Pom Straw Bag Tutorial
DIY Pom Pom Straw Bag

Natural coasters, basket and woven grass placemats are a great and cheap backdrop.

Paper Grocery Bags & Brown Packing Paper

DIY Backdrop: Brown Packing Paper
Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream

Crumpled paper is an unusual backdrop!

Old Furniture

DIY Backdrop Ideas: Paint Dripped Chair
DIY etched copper earrings and paint-dripped chair

I have an old chair which my grandfather used for painting walls etc. It’s such a great backdrop!

Old Baking Sheets

DIY Backdrop Idea: Old Baking Sheet

Old baking sheets are one of my favorite backdrops for blog photography! They add so much rustic texture to photos! I used an old baking sheet from my grandmother as backdrop for the silver wire hoop earrings.

DIY Food Photography Backdrop: Old Baking Sheet

Baking sheets are wipeable so they’re great for food photography! The baking sheet again as backdrop for the chocolate-glazed almond horns.

1910s Mock Cream Pie Recipe-2

The bottom of the baking sheet looks different: I used it as backdrop for the 1910s mock cream pie.

25+ Easy & Cheap Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

And a behind-the-scenes photo of the rose petal buttercream.

Cast Iron Stove & Cast Iron Skillets

DIY Rustic Backdrop: Cast Iron Skillet

Cast iron has such a rustic texture. Here I used the bottom of a cast iron skillet as backdrop for my green and gold earrings.

Tinware & Galvanized Metal

DIY Wirework Earrings-9
DIY Wirework Earrings

Galvanized metal is an interesting backdrop for jewelry, especially silver jewelry.

Sheet Metal

DIY Backdrop Ideas: Sheet Metal

I love rustic backdrops like this copper sheet.

Plates

Naturally Colored Sugar Sprinkles And Sugar Hearts

I used a large white plate – a pizza plate – as backdrop for the naturally colored sugar hearts.

Kitchen Countertop

victorian edwardian DIY Natural Toothpaste Recipe
Natural Toothpaste Recipe

You often see our blue kitchen countertop in my photos because I’m too impatient to carry the food to another room to take photos. It’s not perfect – our kitchen is also too dark to take good photos – but for some things it works.

Rainbow Cake With Natural Food Coloring
Rainbow Cake With Natural Food Coloring

Here you also see the large white plate again.

Rained-On Surfaces

Old-Fashioned Angel Food Cake

Rained on surfaces have an interesting texture. I took the angel food cake photos while it was raining! 😉 If it isn’t raining, you can also spray the surface with water.

Sewing Machine

1920s Imitation Picot Hem - Tutorial
1920s imitation picot hem – tutorial

For sewing tutorial I sometimes use my treadle sewing machine as backdrop.

Walls, Window & Curtains

Walls would work as backdrop – but I could find not one free wall in our home! Except a little piece of wall between a dresser and a bookshelf.

Add lace to upsize an ill fitting top

Bloggers often use the light flowing through sheer curtains as backdrop. I love this backdrop: It makes light and airy photos. I used it for my lace T-shirt refashion. That day was a dark and cloudy day – difficult to take good photos.

DIY Knit Underskirt

And again for my jersey knit underskirt.

 

Natural Backdrops

Grass

Grass is a great natural backdrop! I use it often for fashion photos.

1920s Floral Beaded Silk Blouse - Historical Sew Monthly

Grass and flowers as backdrop for my 1920s beaded silk blouse.

1920s style gold sequin skirt sewing

The grass really brings out the color of my 1920s sequin dress. Grass is especially pretty in May and June.

Snow

DIY Ice Bowls Tutorial
DIY Ice Glasses

Snow: it’s not always available but it’s also a great backdrop. I used a snow backdrop again for my DIY ice luminaries.

Water

Water is such a beautiful backdrop!

DIY Huarache Bathing Shoes In The Water
DIY Huarache Bathing Shoes

Or maybe it’s not really a backdrop when my feets are in the water! 😉

Hiking skirt, water, lake, river
DIY Hiking Skirt

And water again – can you tell I just love water! 😀

DIY Backdrop Ideas: Water
Lengthening A Too Short Dress

And a river as backdrop for my refashioned dress.

Fresh Flowers

Attach Labels To Glass With DIY Wheatpaste - Tutorial
Victorian Cucumber Complexion Cream

Flowers and roses are such a romantic backdrop.

Gravel, Pebbles & Rocks

DIY Hiking Skirt

I love the texture and color of gravel as background. Here it’s a background for my DIY hiking skirt and DIY leather sandals.

DIY Leather Huarache Sandals

Sky

DIY Backdrop Ideas: Sky

Blue sky is another natural backdrop idea. The sky is usually more blue in summer, but here it’s a December sky as backdrop for my refashioned pink blouse.

DIY Natural Backdrop Ideas

And another blue sky backdrop for my Edwardian handkerchief camisole.

Trees

Spanische windtorte, meringue, whipped cream and strawberries

Conifers as backdrop for the Victorian Spanische Windtorte and again for the pinless Edwardian pompadour hairstyle tutorial.

Edwardian Pinless Pompadour Hairstyle Tutorial

63 thoughts on “25+ Easy & Cheap Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography

  1. Such lovely ideas! I never really thought about putting a backdrop when I take pictures for my blog. You’ve given some great ideas that I’m definitely going to use. Thank you!

  2. This is a great resource!! Thanks so much. Already pinned this post so I can get back to it. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead. Linda @Crafts a la mode

  3. Yes these are great ideas for backdrops! Sometimes it’s hard to think right on the spot when you need to take photos right away. This list helps! Happy Tuesday!

    Maureen

  4. Excellent ideas for a backdrop! I like using a whiteboard or poster board. I also never thought of using stones for a background. Thank you for the inspiration!

  5. Love all of your wonderful ideas. I am going to pin this so later I can go back and read it all through. Cast iron pan! Who would have thunk it! LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

  6. This is great! You shared a lot of ideas I never would have thought of. I’m definitely saving this for later. Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday!

  7. Thanks for some great ideas! I’ve recently moved, so have used some of my new flooring and countertops and one nifty dining room rug as backdrops, which has been fun as I’ve gotten tired of the backdrops easy to use back at my old place. (I did save larger tile samples that I rejected for use for potential backdrops, too….) I’m really impressed with the polka dot dress, the cast iron skillet, and the rained-on surfaces — I wish there were a good water source nearby for a backdrop here, but I fear I will have eaten my food before I find it!!! And thanks regards using a reflector!

  8. So many great ideas… a DRESS! I never would have imagined it! Awesome tips and ideas, thanks so much for sharing! From The Blogger’s Pitstop.

  9. Wonderful ideas! The entire time I was reading this post I kept thinking, “Oh wait–I have this, or I have that–I can try them as backdrops!” I have been needing a ‘jump start’ for photo ideas, and you just turbo charged my brain! Thank you!

  10. What wonderful, creative ideas, Lina! I’m always looking for new ways to style photographs. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m featuring this post at the Hearth and Soul Link Party this week. Hope to ‘see’ you there!

  11. Lina, I’m revisiting this post and realized I never commented before!

    This is a great post and has had me thinking all week. As a decorator and as a photographer, I realize the importance of different textures but don’t incorporate variety enough. Thank you for reminding me.

    Pinning and sharing!

  12. Your photos always look amazing and no wonder! This is a fantastic resource, backdrops are so important but I know, at least for me, they are usually an afterthought. Thank you for sharing this with us on the Homestead Blog Hop, you’ve got my brain turning!

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