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Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop – An Exercise

Jan 9, 2013 by Udi Tirosh Add Comment

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One of the easy ways to get interesting backdrop (at least for small objects) is to use textured papers. They come in small enough packaging to be comfortable to handle and the texture allows for some interesting play with light.

Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop - An Exercise

Photographer Mo Bius shared a test shoot with such papers as a photography exercise. I think the results are interesting. (Note that the actual tea pot is flagged from the strobe in all the setups and is lit separately in the final picture)

Back Light

Starting off with a back lit photo, Mo placed a flash with diffuser panel directly behind the wallpaper, directly between the product and camera.  The product is propped up on a glass measuring cup so the wallpaper could be lit up all around it.

Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop - An Exercise

Side Light

I wasn’t too impressed with the side lighting with this ghetto setup, but it might be better if the wallpaper itself weren’t so wrinkled.

Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop - An Exercise

Top Lit

Top lighting gave a decent result, and I kicked up the DOF on this shot as well so the texture really pops.  Both side and top-lit shots were flagged just because I wanted to emphasize the backdrop rather than the oil burner in the test shots.

Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop - An Exercise

Final Image

For the final image, I started with the backlit flash set up per the first example.  Then there’s another strobe camera right pointing down about 60 degrees with a tight snoot attached to minimize light spillover from the pot to the backdrop.  That setup was okay, but the color of the pot just wasn’t showing through, so I ended up using an LED flashlight CL just below camera level.

The reason I used the flashlight was that I wanted just a focused bit of light without the reflective footprint of a normal strobe.

That, and I really had no idea where I wanted to place the light so this allowed me to just play around with it for a bit before finding an acceptable sweet spot.  So there you go. 2 cheapo Yangnuo flashes and an LED flashlight.

Using Textured Wallpaper as a DIY Product Backdrop - An Exercise

Paper and Color Shift:

Quality textured wallpaper can be thick, and the light passing through it or bouncing off of it can skew your color temp.  I had to compensate about 2100K to the cool size on the test shots.  However, in the teapot image I decided not to gel the flash because the resulting warm color really complemented the blue of the pot

Where To Get Textured Paper

If you have a Habitat ReStore or some other kind of second-hand home improvement store in your town, you can always find wallpaper.  Otherwise, Home Depot, Lowes, or even Amazon can get you samples of textured wallpaper pretty cheap.

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Related posts:

Using Cheap Wallpaper As Backgrounds For Professional Looking Product Shots Tutorial: How To Create A Textured Face White Walker (From Any Portrait) An Exercise In Dodge & Burn: Turning A Golf Ball Into A Pingpong Ball The Peter-Coulson Look – A Lighting Exercise

Filed Under: DIY

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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