Lockdown Life Part 2

So 2 months ago almost to the day near the start of lockdown, we decided to put the extra time on our hands to work and create our own photography backdrops. Fast forward to now, they've been so useful we've been back at it again! So here's how you can make your very own stone effect background...

Step 1

Find a surface such as a canvas, some card or wood ideally and then some tile adhesive or wall filler is ideal for creating a textured and stone-like effect.

Step 2

Start spreading! A kitchen knife will do the job, but you can use anything you feel will give you the look you want. An old gift card, sponge or even your hand will do - we found the tile adhesive washed off really easily. Continue until you have covered the whole surface area.

Step 3

Time to dry, luckily with such a thin spread on a breathable surface the canvas was dry within 30 minutes. If you've chosen wood, you'll probably find this will take a good while longer - you can check out our Tik Tok of the project while you wait!

Step 4

Add paint, if you like...

Depending on the effect you're going for, you may want to add a splash of colour or even get really creative and create a brick effect. Here's some great inspiration from Pinterest if you're looking for ideas. On this occasion we went with a white emulsion, any acrylic paint would work well on this surface.

Step 5

Get shooting! Here's where the fun starts, use your new background to create all kinds unique shots.

If you find you're struggling to get focus in the foreground as well as wanting your snazzy new background to stand out, you can use radial edits to pull up the texture and sharpness without taking away from your primary focus.

If you decide to create your own back drop we'd love to see the results. You can email megan@mhgphotography.co.uk :D happy creating!