I love DIY props and big scenes in photography that are well designed. Not many of us photographers have the place or money to create our own stages so I wanted to challenge myself to make one in our living room with a very low budget.

I had this idea of a photo with an environmental aspect that describes greed, gluttony and overconsumption in our modern world. The scenario of this idea is in a rugged living room that has a disgusting and filthy man sitting on an old sofa and he is surrounded by all the waste of the food he has consumed.

Before I started to find and create all the props that I needed for this photo I did a harsh sketch in a photoshop to clarify myself what is the right look and atmosphere for the scene. After that, I started to search suitable props that were already available in our home or could be bought cheaply.

First I had to make the walls to the scene. I had 2 pieces of leftover plywood from a renovation we made before so I painted them with ordinary spray cans and attached some torn paper to it to create some worn look.

The mask for the man I found cheaply from an online store called “Funidelia” and the fatsuit is made just by wearing lots of clothes. All the waste and the furniture is our own except the sofa that was collected free-of-charge from recycling center near us.

All the costs for this scene were about 60€ ($75).

About the Author

Juhamatti Vahdersalo is an amateur photographer based in Finland. He likes to tell stories through his photographs and work. You can find out more about Juhamatti on his website, follow his work on Instagram and 500px, or reach out to him through Facebook. This article was also published here and used with permission.