How To | Holiday Backdrop
Did the holiday season sneak up on you? It sure did for me!
With my busy schedule, I start offering Holiday Sessions super early, in order to have time for them all. Well, when you go from Halloween to the Holidays in the same week…who has time to shop for new props?? And who wants to use the same props as last year??
So this year, I made my own backdrop…”Snow” I call it…It was super easy & extremely cheap. I think it turned out pretty swell, if I do say so myself.
Here’s How…
First, I went to the good ‘ol Dollar Store near my studio, and grabbed several $1.00 boxes of these…
White Christmas Lights (with white strands)…white on white is what I chose, to match the style I was going for. However, colored lights with green strands should look great too!
Next, I set up 2 backdrop stands, and placed them here…
The front stand has a “messy” strand of lights, that I use to shoot through…
And the back pole has all of the other light strands hanging vertically, all the way to the floor…
I placed my subject in between the two poles, and here is my outcome…
I hope you like my cheap DIY backdrop 
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What are your camera settings? For some reason, I am having trouble with the cords… Thanks soo much Lindsey for your help!
I’m having that same problem!
LOVE IT!! such a clever idea!!
I love it!!!
Oh my gosh I LOVE it!!! So smart!
Looks great! I did a similar shots for xmas mini sessions in the studio. I put lights on a cstand behind similar to you. I used a softbox in the front left and fill card on the right , and shot w my 50 1.4.
I love the idea of more lights in the foreground. I think I’ll try it this year!
I tried this in my studio which has no window light, but used my lights but not flash, Iam close but not quite there yet.
Thanks Anna Bartell, going to try my flash like you did.
Your natural light studio is amazing! And great idea with the Christmas lights. Definitely going to try it.
This is such a fabulous idea!!! Thanks Propsanity! After much practice I finally got it!!! Yay! I have a really tight studio space (only about 10 feet wide) so I used my 50mm 1.8. My subject was about 5 feet from the background and I was 2-3 feet away from my subject. My camera settings were 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 100. My space has white walls and a window so I fortunately did not have to use flash. Hope that helps.
Um…I am so not a photography person..and this may be a dumb question…but did you put a sheet or something over the lights? Or is that just the effects of your camera?
I am just getting into photography, and my prized item is my brand new Canon DSLR!
What a great idea…..would be something fun to try for holiday mini sessions.
Erin- no question is dumb
what that effect is called is bokeh. you focus on your subject and the back round blurs.
When you say you use a 50mm 1.4…is that the nikkor 50mm 1.4G or the 50mm 1.4D? Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Absolutely LOVE IT!! Definitely going to try it!!
Thanks for sharing!!
I don’t have enough natural light so I’m using available light from spot lights and overhead lighting, I can’t seem to get the color temp right, I’ve tried custom and every setting on my camera. Are there any tricks to natural lighting that I’m not thinking of? Any suggestions? My shoot is Friday.
Here’s a link to my best shot at it i think i am going to try again tomorrow at a different time i did this around 4 the first time ended up using camera flash and natural light . https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150479769764665.422554.512904664&type=1
[...] Every year I do the picture for our Christmas cards myself. Some years they turn out great, some years not so great. This year is just . . . eh. Not bad, but not the best. I saw on pintrest (of course) this awesome idea for the background. Mine didn’t turn out nearly as cools as hers but check it out at propinsanity.com. [...]
Wonderfully simple and effective
OMG thanks so much for this mine turned out grrreeat!
check em out at http://www.facebook.com/joyrossiphotography
[...] julig bakgrund för era julkort eller andra stämmningsfulla fotografier. Läs hela posten här för exakta instruktioner, jag lånade endast några foton för att illustrera resultatet. Prop [...]
BEAUTIFUL – thank you for the tips!
[...] of my favorite photographers posted a link to a fabulous DIY holiday backdrop how-to by Prop Insanity and of course, I had to give it a whirl. This photo was taken with my youngest about 4 to 4-1/2 [...]
I can’t thank you enough for posting this idea. It came out wonderful this morning. I shot without a flash with a 50mm 1.8 ap. Here’s my version of the shot with my little boy Bentley!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portraits-by-Brandy-Photography/231243360231268
Thank you so much!
I tried this out on my kids, and it worked great. I also used my 50mm 1.4 & my 70-200 2.8. Here is an example of the results.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlnelson75/6376042339/in/set-72157628096228317
Thanks so much!
[...] {images via Prop Insanity} [...]
Wow. Love this. So. Much.
Thank you, I really appreciate you putting this together. I tried it out with some friends and neighbors. I added some colorful Christmas bulbs and candy canes in between the subjects and the lights. Here is a 3 minute BTS video I put together of the shoot with some sample images at the end.
https://picasaweb.google.com/117638033679895494162/20111129ChristmasBTSVideo?authkey=Gv1sRgCP352Iaaqsq6_gE#5680594516323168978
-Jeff
Your pictures are awesome-I wish I was that talented!
LOVE THIS!! Awesome video, and awesome shots!!
WOW…fabulous!!!
Jeff-those were great pics!!! Great job!!!!
What a great idea and loved the set-up video. Your end results were terrific!
HI love, love love this. Im going to try it. I had a question how far infront of the lights should they be? And I dont have white walls could I hand a white sheet and put the lights infront of that?
Hi. If I have a 20 x 20 room with no natural light, what do my camera settings need to be. I have used strobe lights and it just isn’t working! I really want to do this for Christmas photos!
Could you please tell me, ISO, fstop, the whole 8 yards. I have a Nikon D90 and Nikon D300. I have a nifty fifty (1.8), sb 600. I have things to try, just don’t know which to put together to make this work!
Any help is GREATLY appreciated!
Hello Franky,
The pictures were used in natural lighting… however I do use strobes myself. I have a 12×10 room… my backdrop against the furthest wall… my AB 400 set at lowest stop, facing 45 deg angle (not direct to the backdrop). Camera at iso100, f1.4, ss 1/200… hope that helps
So I did this last week however I used my bed for the base and set the kids at the front of the bed and i stood just out of frame and used my remote. camera on tripod D300 and 50 mm 1.8. the trick is the distance from the wall where the lights are attached and placement of your subject. my bed is a queen size.. so if you are trying this shot think of putting your subject that far from the backdrop then stand or set your camera up about another 4 to 5 feet back.
Heres my shots!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mm1nor/6433864561/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mm1nor/6433839911/
I meant whole 9 yards! ha!
here is my version!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2748113187885&set=a.2747916142959.150874.1409231442&type=3&theater
I have a Nikon L110. I’m not sure if I am able but does anyone know how to change the shutter speed? And also the “bokeh” effect? Is this done just in photoshop or can it be done on your camera?
What if you done black mesh and had the people dress in white clohes?
[...] friend Viv shared a link to this really cool Christmas photo [...]
I love the tips for the twinkle light backdrops.
This is sooo random…super adorable pics….but do you know the brand of that little girls outfit? The strip/polka dot/redish? lol =)
What do you think I could use around my home as a stand for the lights? Two chairs and a curtain rod? Could I use icicle lights?
Love this idea!!! Hope to do it this next year!!!
Tried it out yesterday with my grandchildren. I see things I would change but I was pleased with this setup. Here is a link to some samples.
http://douglasfoto.smugmug.com/Portraits/Christmas/20658105_Zb4DnK
[...] inspiration for the images on pinterest from Pinkle Toes Photography, and used instructions from Prop Insanity / Lindsey Mills Photography, which also had some great example [...]
[...] very similar to our HOLIDAY BACKDROP how to, just shooting with a lens cover in the shape of a [...]
So I was reading the recent email on DIY heart shaped bokeh. I made the cover for the lense and I do get the heart shapes, but only if my subject if very close to the camera. I have them sitting about 4 feet from the back drop and I back away from them about 2-3 feet.I have tried a few different variations with these distances but still the subject seems to have to be very close to the camera to get the effect. I have a 50mm 1.8 lens. Any suggestions?