How to Paint a Wall as a Photo Backdrop

If you shoot a lot of studio photography, it's likely that you will need to employ photo backdrops to give the shot a clean, professional look, free of room clutter. Backdrops help you control your shot and plan your lighting with consistency. If you have a large, blank wall in your studio space, painting a photo backdrop can be a more economical solution than purchasing or renting cloth backdrops. The project can be done in a few hours and can be customized to meet your exact lighting and color needs.

Things You'll Need

• Camera and tripod
• Pencil
• Painter's tape
• Ladder
• Wall putty and putty tool (optional)
• Primer (optional)
• Paint rollers and brushes
• Paint pans
• Paint

Instructions

1. Place your camera on the tripod and, and move your tripod to the are you will most regularly be shooting from. Once your camera is in place, zoom out the maximum amount you need to for regular shooting. Look through the lens, and observe how much of the wall space appears in the shot. This will tell you how much wall you need to use for your backdrop. Roughly mark these areas with a pencil, and double check your marks by looking again through the lens.

2. Use a measuring tape or chalk outline to draw a straight line from the floor to the top of where your backdrop will be, using the marks you made as a starting point. Repeat on the other side. Connect your two lines at the top. You will likely need a ladder or step stool. Use these lines as a guide to apply painter's tape to the wall along the outline of your backdrop.

3. Paint on clean, prepared walls. If you walls are in bad condition, you'll need to clean, repair and prime them. Remove any nails and fill nail holes with putty. Clean any stains or debris from the wall's surface. Apply one to two coats of white primer and let it dry completely. See the resources section for information on how to clean, prepare and prime walls for painting.

4. Apply your base coat. The color will depend on what kind of backdrop you are creating, what kind of photography you do and what kind of lighting equipment you have. Light reflects better off of bright surfaces, but darker surfaces create more mood and atmosphere. Light can be bounced with reflecting devices as well, so the more equipment you have, the broader your options. Keep this in mind as you chose your base color.

5. Determine if your backdrop will have a particular theme. You may chose to go with a solid color backdrop for versatility,or you may want to paint a landscape, holiday theme or logo on your backdrop. Use craft or wall paints and artist's brushes to create any original artwork on the backdrop that you require.

6. Consider faux-finishing techniques. Craft and home improvement stores have a variety of faux-finish paint treatments than can create the look of stone, rust, fabric, wood and different patinas.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember your foreground. It may be convenient to paint out a similarly colored and proportioned area on the floor.

• Cover any equipment with drop cloths to avoid paint damage. Always paint in a well-ventillated area.